101 Ways To Tame The Emperor

Chapter 21: Fight Or Flight

WHY DID I ever start a game I could not win? This was madness. I was the only one getting exasperated while the General looked as cool as ever. “Why do you have to be so-“

“Irresistible? I know. I get that question a lot.” The narcissist winked at me. “Let’s continue this interesting conversation inside the carriage, my lady. You can tell me how irresistible I am over and over inside. I promise I will listen. For now, let’s head in so we can begin your trip for you to get to know more people from different parts of Morven. This is prerequisite if you wish to be an Empress.”

The General offered his hand. This situation was activating my fight or flight reaction. This was a whole day trip. I don’t think I can tolerate his personality for a day. I will go crazy.

You can do this, Sab. Just think about Catherine. This is for her and for you, too. You want to go back to your own world, right?

Fight it is then. I breathed sharply before accepting the General’s hand. I felt him squeezed my hand before guiding me towards the sophisticated black and red carriage with the Emperor’s symbol on top of it. This was a lot bigger than the carriage I rode with Doctor Luis last week. The seat was beige and it was softer, too. It was surely nice to be rich at times.

I thought the General would close the door right after I went in. I did not expect that he would ride the same carriage with me. He even sat beside me. “Why are you here, too? Aren’t you supposed to be in another carriage? Or use your own horse perhaps like the other Knights?”

“Do you own this carriage, my lady?”

It was my turn to be flustered. I looked away. “No.”

“Who do you think is more superior then? You or the Emperor?”

“The Emperor.” You bastard. You didn’t have to point it out anymore. I’m not a kid. I get it. So stop being snarky. I bit my lip to stop myself from saying those things. No matter how pissed I am, there is a limit to what I can say to him.

“I am glad you are aware, my lady. His Majesty commanded me to do this. I’m just following orders. Besides, why would I be anywhere else when you are here?”

I chose not to respond this time. I scoot closer to the window to put a wide space between us as the carriage set off and then I closed my eyes wearily. Maybe I can try to sleep for a while. I barely slept. It was almost four in the morning when I managed to get back on my bed. Matilde woke me up at six to prepare for an early breakfast.

I was stunned when I felt something on my shoulder. When I opened my eyes, I realized that the General was already sitting so close to me and was comfortably resting his head on my shoulder. My heart just went crazier. “General-“

“Sshh. I promise I won’t do anything naughty. Just let me sleep like this for ten minutes. I’m a little tired. I haven’t slept a wink.” He said while yawning.

If he was telling the truth, then this is not fair. How could a person lack sleep and still look as fresh as him? Matilde and Jeanne both freaked out when they saw my eye bags. Jeanne even had to put a load of concealer to hide them since according to her; I had to look my best all the time, especially on my first trip to meet various people.

“Why? Did you stay awake all night?” Why did I ask? What does this matter to me anyway?

“Yes. Are you worried about me?”

“And why would I be?”

“I know you wouldn’t admit that. But thank you for worrying, my lady. Well, let’s just say that there was this cruel woman who had me thinking about her the entire night. Just when I finally wanted to get some sleep, it’s already too late. I had to attend another boring military conference with His Majesty.”

So, it was just because of a woman? What a playboy.

“Aren’t you curious about who that woman is?”

“Why would I be curious? That’s your private affair. That’s no longer my business. Besides, I thought you’re sleepy, General? Then just close your eyes already and shut up.” Why am I suddenly irritated?

He chuckled. “That was harsh. Nobody had ever ordered me like that in my whole life. From the moment I laid my eyes on you, you have blessed me with so many first time experiences, my lady.”

I did not answer him because I feel the same. And when he did not talk anymore, I thought he had fallen asleep. His eyes were closed when I turned to look at him. Being this near him gave me the chance to study his features some more. What a lucky guy. He was truly so blessed with his killer genes. No matter how angle I look at him; he certainly was a very attractive man. I wonder how he could keep his skin so smooth. It makes me want to touch it. And his hair was so soft that I was tempted to run my fingers through it.

“How can I possibly sleep when you are looking at me like that?”

I immediately glanced away. “And who is looking at you? Dream on, General.”

“Malik.” He said in an amused tone. “Just call me ‘Malik’. I feel like my eardrums are about to fall off hearing you say ‘General’.”

“Matthew already allowed me to call him by his name. If I do the same to you, everyone might misunderstand me and-“

He lifted his head. His expression darkened when I met his eyes. “What? He actually did that? That dork. Don’t call him by his name. Either you call him by his surname or you address him differently, I don’t care. I want to be the only person whom you will call by name. I will grant you that permission. I also want to be the only person who will call you by your name. I don’t know if you are aware but calling a person, especially the opposite s*x, by their name has a very significant meaning in the Imperial Castle that’s why no one casually mention each other’s name there, especially the Emperor’s. Only his future Empress is allowed to call his name and no one else.”

“I was not aware of that. But thank you for the information, General. If His Majesty finds out that I’m calling another man by his name, then that might offend him.”

“He would not mind if it’s me. I told you he and I are close. We are like sworn brothers.”

“But I do mind, General. Right now, people think that I am His Majesty’s prospective bride. I don’t want to do anything that might ruin his image.”

The General sighed. “Fine. Do what you want.” He placed his head on my shoulder again as if it was the most natural thing for him to do. Just how many times did he react like this to women?

“We should not be sitting this close to each other either. This is wrong-“

The General raised his head and looked straight to my eyes. “I will only ask you about this once, my lady. I am giving you a chance to talk now. If I like your answer, I will put in a good word to His Majesty for you. I will also find a way for you to meet him soon. That’s why you have to be completely honest with me. I have been informed about your fighting skills. Where and how did you learn it?”

I eyed Malik suspiciously. Right. Knowing how high the authority he has in the Empire, he must have eyes and ears everywhere. Every little thing I do could never escape from him.

Welcome to the world without freedom, Sab.

“Why should I answer that? I don’t even know if you are being honest with me right now. With the way our conversation went last night, I’m sorry, General, but I don’t know if I can trust you.”

He was suddenly serious. “As the Emperor’s closest aide in this Empire, don’t you think I should be telling you the same thing? Give me a reason to trust you, Lady Catherine. And in return, I will see to it that you will be protected while you are in the Castle. You told me last night that you don’t want to be the Empress. If you are only being forced in this marriage which I am certain you are, it’s still not too late to change your mind. You can go back to your manor and His Majesty will not take it against you and your family. You have my word.”

“Are you saying that His Majesty would send me away if I want to?”

“Yes. Believe it or not but the last thing he would want is for a woman to be heartbroken while she is inside his domain. The Emperor does not like forcing people. He did not send out his written edict to the noble houses in his own volition. He only did it out of courtesy to the Council who has been bugging him to tie the knot. He did not want to get married in the first place. And his marriage had been delayed for four times now. Having it delayed one more time would not be so much of a big deal for him anymore.”

I raised my brow. “Wasn’t it delayed because his prospective brides all died?”

“They died, yes. But that was only because they were spies. Some were sent either to kill His Majesty or to steal from him. One of them even trespassed in the forbidden areas in the Castle to obtain the magical record which held the dark arts in it. It was not His Majesty who killed them. I can assure you that. It was the dark arts that killed them. It’s hard to explain it right now. But that’s the truth. So if you are worried of dying or your family being castigated, don’t be.”

The General’s gaze grew intense. “You would not die unless you work for the Emperor’s enemy and unless you are after the magical record, too. So tell me, my lady. Which one are you? Are you on His Majesty’s side or are you his enemy? If you confess that you are a spy, I will let you live. I will even give you a chance to escape today.”

“And why would you do that?”

His expression softened. “I don’t want you to die. So even if you happen to be my enemy, I will still let you go.”