The Emperor's Killer Bride

5.

"Arman?"

"Yes, My Liege?"

"What is wrong with you?"

“What do you mean, My Liege?”

"You have that silly look on your face again."

"I wasn’t aware of that, My Liege," he smiled a little, remembering why he had the look. "I apologize."

Eduardo frowned as he continued to study Arman’s face. If he had something to say however, he kept it to himself. His thoughts were still occupied by the woman he’d seen at Farlan house. Part of the reason why he’d only spoken briefly to them was because he needed to get away from the house as quickly as possible. Every time his eyes darted towards the woman, memories of his encounter with the lady in the woods became refreshed in his mind.

Why did they have to look similar? Why did he have to keep thinking about her? He should have been able to help her. But he couldn’t. Not because he didn’t want to. But because she was the men’s prisoner. A king had no right to interfere with his subjects properties. It didn’t matter if they’d captured her or not. What mattered was that she belonged to them. And he’d not yet brought her under his custody. If the men had arrived a second too late, after he’d offered both the woman and her companion his help, then the law would cease to be and he would then be obliged to help. But Eduardo had been too enchanted with her beauty to realize what he was doing.

"Eduardo?" Arman called, stopping his thoughts in their tracks.

"Yes, Arman?" Eduardo replied.

"What do you think about the lady we saw in the woods earlier?"

Trust Arman to know exactly what he was thinking at the moment. Even if he never said a word, Arman could guess his exact mood simply by being close to him; he knew him that well.

"What lady in the woods?" he asked, feigning ignorance. It wouldn’t do to let Arman know that he was preoccupied with the memory of her. He would never hear the end of it.

Arman, however, decided to press on the matter.

"The one who you refused to help," he said. "Do you wonder what ever happened to her?"

"Of course not," he half shrugged. "I do not bother myself with trivial matters which do not affect my life in any way. What’s done is done. And you would do well to forget about her as well. We’ll never see her again."

Arman chuckled to himself, not willing to tell Eduardo that he had seen the same lady in Farlan house. Fate had a mysterious way of working. If the King had known that the woman would be brought here as one of the contestants, then perhaps he might not have been so reluctant to help her. Possibly just because he hated the hunt enough to do anything to jeopardize it.

"I’m afraid you’re right," he smiled, enjoying his own private little joke. "It’s a shame, really, given how extraordinarily pretty she was. I’m telling you, very few woman are as marvelous to look at as that."

"Do not allow your thoughts to be clouded with a woman such that you will be unable to dispense your duties properly," Eduardo hiss, cussing himself for thinking too much about the woman. "We’ll never see her again. So cast whatever thoughts you have out of your mind."

"Of course, My Liege" he was back to being formal, and even went to the extent of bowing his head as he hid a smile. They’d turned onto a wider street, but up ahead a small crowd had gathered, blocking the path ahead.

"What is going on?" Eduardo asked as he heard what appeared to be people arguing up ahead.

Arman’s hand automatically went to his blade as he peered closely at the crowd.

"It seems to be an argument, My Liege" he provided, peering in to have a closer look at what was happening ahead of them. "Shall we make our way through Creek’s Court instead?"

Eduardo pulled the curtain aside to properly look at the crowd.

"I'll rip your mouth apart if you address me so formally again when it's only us," He seethed, letting his eyes rest on Arman for a moment before he continued, acting as though he wasn't the one that threw a threat at his friend. "Of what use is my crown if I cannot settle even small dispute like this?" He ordered the guards to lower the palanquin, and he stepped forward with Arman.

As they approached, several people noticed who was coming, and cries of, "it’s the King. The King is here," swept through the crowd until nearly everyone was turning to face Eduardo as the crowd parted to give him way.

"What’s going on here?" he asked, one hand resting on the hilt of his blade.

In the middle of the crowd, two men were tangled in what appeared to be a heated fight. One was lying on the ground with his entire body covered in mud. His face was badly bruised, and his dagger was pointed right at the other man’s chest, who was hovering over him.

"My Liege," the baker who’d been standing by the side bowed a little, then he pointed at the man on the ground, "this man is a thief. He tried to steal from me, and this gentlemen stepped in to restrain him."

"I am not a thief, you worthless piece of s**t," the man said, still struggling with the other man. "You accused me for no reason."

"What did he steal?" Eduardo asked. 

"He tried to steal the money in my store," the baker replied. "I was lucky to have this man standing outside. He caught him just as he was trying to run."

"It’s true, your Majesty," another man said. "I saw it with my own eyes. The man stole from him and tried to run."

"I see," Eduardo said, snapping his fingers at one of his guards. "Take this man away and lock him in the dungeon until he learns to keep his hands to himself. And if he ever steals again, you cut off one of his fingers. I don’t care which one."

"No!" the man exclaimed as the guard made his way towards him. "You cannot do that to me. You cannot take me. I have a nursing wife and a new baby!"

He began to struggle, but the guards took him nonetheless. As he was about to be dragged away, he turned to face Eduardo and maliciously and spat at his feet.

A terrible silence fell over the entire crowd, which had grown tremendously since the King arrived at the spot. Everyone stared in disbelief at what had just happened, and the fear which rippled through the crowd was so thick that one could feel it at the back of their throat and on their skin. The only man who didn’t seem bothered was the one who’d committed the heinous crime.

"You are the most pathetic King to have ever ruled," the man said. "If your tenure were not so cruel, perhaps some of us wouldn’t have to resort to stealing just to survive. You're just a puppet being used by the southern faction and the Queen Dowager!"

For a long time, Eduardo stared down at the pool of spit in front of him. He might not have shown it, but the words the man said hit him harder than he thought. Was he really just a puppet? Is the southern faction using him? Have his people always been looking at him to be a puppet? Despite the fact that he was angry at the words, he wasn't going to show any mercy towards the man.

Arman had made to attack the man, but he’d held him back. He looked up slowly at him, as narrowed to deathly slits. The crowd waited with bated breath to see what would happen next.

"Let him go," he simply said, his eyes blazing with something entirely different, his aura spoke the authority he wanted to pass.

"My Liege?" Arman asked in disbelief.

"You heard me. Let him go."

The guards released him at once, and Eduardo took a step forward as the young man collected himself.

"Give him a sword," he commanded, drawing his own.

Panic immediately shot across the young man’s face, and he took a step back in horror. He refused to collect the sword which the guard was passing to him.

"I don’t want to fight him," he said, pushing the blade away.

"You disrespected me," Eduardo replied cooly, taking another step forward. "I do not take disrespect lightly. You will earn your right to go scot-free now. I will not let you walk away after what you just did."

Still, the man refused the blade.

"You will take that sword and duel me," Eduardo's voice sounded dead, with no hint of any emotions whatsoever, "or my guards will drive that sword right through you. It’s up to you to decide."

Reluctantly, the man reached for the blade.

"Smart choice," Eduardo nodded, widening his stance. "Now let’s see if you’re as sharp as your mouth."

It was over within seconds.

The man had made a wild rush at Eduardo, hoping to confuse him and catch him off guard. But he’d anticipated the move, and all he had to do was step to the side and drive his knee into the man’s stomach. He collapsed with a grunt, and Eduardo knocked the blade out of his hand before bringing his own blade to rest right between his eyes.

"You think you’re a tough guy, don’t you?" The corner of his eyes crinkled, showing a bit of his anger. "You think you can do whatever you want and get away with it? I do not doubt that your ego is greater than even you can comprehend. But you should remember who rules this very land you walk on. When you look up at the stars tonight, remember your place in the world. It would be wise for you to choose your fights carefully."

He straightened up, gesturing to the guards.

"Take him away and lock him in the dungeons," he commanded. "And make sure he has a perfect view of the stars. I want him to have a very pleasant evening."

Then slowly, he turned to walk back to his Palanquin and stopped before Arman briefly. "See to it that his wife and baby are being taken care of. Send them food, I don't care how you do it. Send food and medicine and make sure you have someone look out for them every day."

Arman smiled as he watched his retreating figure. Only he knew the real Balthazaar Eduardo hiding behind the facade of King Eduardo.

*

Regina soon learned the names of the other girls. There was Amelia, Vanessa, Charlotte, Sierra and Ruby. Each of them looked similar in a way, long hair flowing behind them and dark eyes which seemed to hold everyone captive. There were little differences here and there, like how Charlotte’s hair was curlier than the others and how Amelia was shorter than the rest of them. Otherwise, they were all similar.

And each of them seemed resolved to despise her for some reason.

"Don’t worry your pretty little head over it," Skyler said as Amelia and Ruby walked past, sending death glares in her direction. "They’re just angry over what Madam Gisella said earlier."

"It’s not my fault the woman decided to choose me," Regina sighed. "And I never wanted anyone to starve. If there’s anyone to blame it’s Jade. She’s the one who murdered someone right before our eyes. And there’s nothing we can do about it."

"There is something we can do," Valeria shifted. "We can go to Madam Gisella and tell her the truth. She’ll punish Jade appropriately."

"Does Madam Gisella look like she can hold her own against Jade?" Skyler snickered. "That woman looks so soft that even I could take her."

"Yeah right," Valeria said and together they laughed. Regina smiled as well, but her mind was preoccupied with the thoughts of the man who’d spoken to her earlier. Who was he? And why had he decided to show interest in her? Surely it couldn’t be for the  King. His Majesty had shown very little interest in being here, not to talk of even noticing any of the girls. The man who’d spoken to her definitely did that of his own accord. But why he chose to show interest in her, she couldn’t begin to guess.

Still, the lingering familiarity disturbed her. She felt like she was supposed to know this man, whoever he was. Perhaps she’d seen him somewhere, but hadn’t paid attention to him long enough to stamp his face in her memory.

Or was he the man she’d encountered in the woods? Surely not. Because if he was the same man, then that would mean his companion was also in the Capital. A prickling sensation shot through her at the thought. Her hate towards the man reared once again and she found herself gripping the side of the bed.

Earlier when she had woken up, she kept trying to recall what exactly had transpired between her and the stranger. It was funny that she couldn't remember anything clearly, but even funnier that she was now awake and still found everything so dull and confusing.

"Regina?"

"Hm?" She looked up to find Valeria and Skyler staring at her confusedly. Valeria’s tone indicated that she’d failed to answer them the first time.

"We’re going downstairs to try and plead with Madam Gisella," she explained again. "Do you want to join us?"

"I don’t think so," she laid back. "I’m still a bit too tired."

"Of course you are,” Valeria said, rolling her eyes as they left the room. Regina settled back into her bed, sighing deeply. She didn’t want to think about the man. Not now, at least. If she ever saw him again, then he would face the consequences of his actions. For now, she had other things to worry about. Like her safety. Valeria’s as well.

"Comfortable?" a voice came from the door, causing Regina to shoot up immediately. Jade was standing by the door, leaning against the doorframe. In her hands was a small blade, which she twirled around slowly.

"What do you want?" Regina asked, even though a cold shiver ran down her spine at the sight.

"Nothing in particular," Jade said, stepping further into the room. Her eyes were fixed on Regina, like a predator stalking its prey. "I just came to tell you to watch your back. Not everyone here is your friend."

Carefully, she dropped the blade right at Regina’s feet. The latter said nothing, too frightened to say anything.

Jade smiled at her hungrily once again and without another word, she left the room, leaving Regina scared and confused.