Who is the Villain?

Chapter-42

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"This is a lifetime opportunity to ask a question like that since the emperor isn't around and he wouldn't be able to notice anything," Lily complains and stood up.

"He wouldn't be able to notice?" Lucien repeated the line Lily just spoke turning her head around in a confused manner.

"Yes," Rosetta answers. "When His Majesty isn't around, the mages who guard the palace get to be independent and they somehow move their own." She explained applying pressure to the warm soaked towel on  Lucien's shoulder.

"Oh!!"

She nodded her head inwardly. 'It seems like everyone is operating independently when he isn't around. They could even–' Her mind went to a pause when she was making up what those servants were up to. 'He isn't around....he isn't around...he.isn't.around. He....'

Lucien's eyes gleam with excitement and quickly turn towards Rosetta. "Does that mean whatever I do, wherever I go, I wouldn't be caught?"

Rosetta stares back at her for a moment and responded, "yes, however, you'll be caught later on if you are being too careless and," she paused for a moment. "He might even be deceiving everyone to let them reveal their true identities."

"Absolutely," Maria as well conceded Rosetta. "The emperor isn't someone to take lightly on. We can't say what is going on behind his mind."

"Still," Lily refused to back away. "Nothing happened the last time he left."

The conversation finally came to a halt whereas Lucien's mind was wide awake with twinkling eyes. The entire day she decided to spend in her chamber with nothing but a smile. Every piece of her worries disappeared even to the point of those who bullied her saying, 'I forgive them.'

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The very next day as soon as the sun was up, she was ready for everything she had planned for today. Lucien had informed her maid not to follow her for she will be in the library for the entire day and will be back in the evening. She even made sure to leave a note behind.

It was a lie, everything was a lie. Lucien wasn't making her way to that particular library but was exiting at the front gate. Her ability help her to avoid any unnecessary trouble through the gate which was filled with Sky Lily.

'This is the best opportunity I could think of to freely escape without getting known. I am in luck.'

She freely walked her way through the woods skipping every of her step. Lily was right when she told that no one would be spying around. It had been an hour since she left and no security had come to looked for her.

'They are useless.' She means those guards.

"The road sure is long," Lucien exclaimed when she was making a stop near a river bank. It had been 5 hours since she left but she hasn't seen a glimpse of the front gate. She expected this, as on her first arrival it took half a day when she was riding on the carriage.

Lucien was running out of patience. The sun was no more and was now replaced with the moon. She didn't need to bother about lighting a lamp, she came prepared.

Out of frustration, she finally screams, "WHY DO YOU HAVE TO FREAKING OWN A LARGE TERRITORY YOU SHITHEAD EMPEROR?"

Her flat shoe was removed and she simply walked in barefoot. The ground wasn't hard, it was rather covered with soft grass. After walking for 7 hours, she asked one of the flowers who told her she had yet to reach the gate. It pissed her more. 

She screams and rolls on the ground, pulling the roots of the grass in anger and frustration. As much as she wanted to sleep, she continued to walk her way. 'It's worth sacrificing' was what she keeps on reminding herself.

Finally, after walking for another 5 hours, Lucien sees the gate not too far away. She kissed the grass with tears of joy and cheerfully ran towards it.

Sure enough, the guards were on duty but they were busy chatting with each other with a cup of tea. The wall was tall but it was covered with vines which made her climbing further easier.

She couldn't climb the wall with the gown on. So, she lifted her gown and tied it up around her waist. She was glad she wore undergarments.

What she didn't expect was to see another person climbing the wall and meeting her at the top of the wall. Both of them had just reached the top at the right moment. They stared at each other with wide eyes unable to utter anything.

'Who is she?'

Lucien had never personally met her but she somehow gets a glimpse of her once or twice either at the tea party or walking around the garden.

"Lady Lucien, w-what are you doing here?"

Lucien's eyebrows flick at the question and responded in an annoying tone. "Shouldn't I be as well asking that to you?"

The other lady shuts her lips when she couldn't reply as well. 'Don't tell me she is trying to run away as well.' Lucien's head echoed when she noticed her carrying a bag and wearing pants. 'Pants? Where did she find that? Is a lady allowed to have pants?'

When she carefully observes her, she is rather not in shabby clothing like Lucien who seems to have walked for a century.

"You didn't certainly come by a carriage, right?" Lucien couldn't help but ask.

"Oh! No..no..."

She waves her hand in opposition. "I used a teleportation skill."

'Huh?'

"Unlike others, I could use it for short distances, and since His Majesty wasn't present I assume the mages might have even neglected to look after this, and I was accurate." The lady gleams in delight while Lucien felt like the dumbest person in the world.

'Why didn't I ever think about that?'

Lucien moves her head away and looks at the other side.

"If you are looking for a way to escape, we should leave. The sun is about to rise." The embarrassment Lucien felt right now couldn't be compared to anything right now.

Switching the topic, she led the other lady to quickly divert her attention to the other side when she noticed that the dawn was about to break.

"Oh my!! If the sun rises it would be troublesome." The other lady walks forward and looks down at the other end of the wall.

Climbing down wouldn't be a problem but it would consume more time and the best way was to jump by clutching those vines on the wall. When the lady explains this method, Lucien agreed that it was more reasonable though it could be dangerous.

The two ladies held each of the vines and check their durability before leaping onto the ground.

The freedom Lucien felt right now from jumping was bursting out of her chest. However, it wasn't too long before the vines began to come alive and caught hold of them with an enormous flower that appeared out of nowhere and swallowed them.

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After passing out for too long, Lucien finally managed to open her eyes. Her head throbbed as her body felt heavy. Carefully, she sits up supporting her body.

'Hmm!! The ground is hard and the color looks different.' Her eyes finally adjusted and the first thing she noticed was the ground was smooth and red.

"Did you sleep well, my lady?"

Lucien's body flinched at the cold familiar voice. Her head automatically raised and see Efthalia seated on his throne. And as always, he was on his something more comfortable clothing which looks like a robe. He looks more like a free and relaxed emperor.

'H-how? Wasn't I at the gate?'