Chapter 205

Chapter 205

The emperor reacted instantly, his anger flaring up. Lucius bowed even lower and continued, emphasizing the situation.

“A boy claims to be princess Effi’s son, and he insists on entering the palace to meet you. But, as you are well aware, princess Effi died an unmarried woman. Therefore, I considered it absurd and had him apprehended. However, he presented this.”

Lucius retrieved a small necklace from his pocket and presented it to the emperor. The emperor received the necklace with a mixture of curiosity and unease. It bore the emblem of the Anchors, the family of princess Effi’s mother.

Of course, what he was doing now was all just nonsense. How perfect would it have been if all of this had genuinely occurred by chance? If he had just happened to come across the necklace who belongs to the princess’ son living like a beggar, there would be no need for him to deceive the emperor.

“I couldn’t handle it quickly because there was solid evidence. So, before reporting to Your Majesty and disturbing your peace, I conducted my own investigation. I wanted to ascertain if anyone had entered her bedroom or had any relations with princess Effi. Of course, no significant names were discovered. However, during the investigation, we contacted the doctor who had examined princess Effi. The doctor confirmed that she had indeed given birth to a child. From there, we intensified our efforts to identify this child, who could potentially undermine the reputation of the princess and the royal family. Unfortunately, despite questioning several maids and servants, we couldn’t obtain a clear name.”

“Nonsense…”

The emperor, as if sensing something, chuckled and inquired, “Whose name came up?”

“Forgive me, Your Majesty, but the words were so disrespectful and vulgar…”

“Whose name?” The emperor pressed.

“Your Majesty.”

The emperor’s eyes darkened as he looked at Lucius, who maintained his loyal servant act to the end. The emperor, struggling to restrain his anger, asked with a sardonic smile, “Did my name happen to come up?”

“….”

“What are you doing now, Elliot? Why don’t you answer? You must have wanted to brag about the answer, but why can’t you speak when given the opportunity?”

“Your Majesty, it’s not…”

The layers of restrained anger were entirely predictable. Whether the fact that the princess and the emperor were closely related was true or not, the emperor would now be wrestling with the desire to pull his sword from the wall and strike Lucius in the throat.

Lucius genuinely regretted uttering the emperor’s name. He also regretted that he had to say these words.

“I swear by the gods, I did not believe in that fact. However, in the midst of my disbelief, I questioned a maid who ended up providing the answer. I’m ready to face the consequences.”

In response, the emperor stood up, grabbed Lucius by the collar, and hoisted him up. Despite his age, the emperor’s grip was strong, and he forced Lucius to meet his eyes.

Lucius was sincere in his words, but he couldn’t hide his regret.

Lucius, who had often delivered words as fluid as mercury, couldn’t quite prepare himself for the moment. The emperor held him aloft and their eyes met.

It was not so much the words as the unfathomable depths of anger in the emperor’s gaze.

His eyes held the hint of an overwhelming desire to physically strike Lucius for speaking such words.

However, the words were held back, but the anger lingered in the emperor’s eyes.

“You insolent fool… You dare to challenge me. An ungrateful child, a bastard, who I picked up from the battlefield and taught everything. And now you betray me like this. I’ve believed in you all this time, all this time…”

Violence poured out one after another. It was predictable violence.

Lucius had always been skilled at receiving blows. He took them without resistance, without groveling. After a while, the emperor, who had been kicking him, finally gave in and grasped his breath, gripping the armrest of his chair.

Sudden violence exhausts the assailant as much as the recipient. Lucius rose from his disheveled state, returning to his previous position on his knees.

“Please don’t mention Deatrice.”

“…”

“Please spare me from giving her up.”

“Is this all because of that damned love?”

Despite the emperor’s infuriated words, Lucius remained resolute.

“I have never had anyone but her from the beginning. I will give you the child of the princess. I will bring back the escaped maidservant. I will go whenever you send me to deal with the monsters that come out. So, at least, please… please don’t make me give up Deatrice.”

“….”

The eyes, which had been filled with anger until now, became sincere for the first time the moment Deatrice was mentioned. The emperor could not understand his knight who only wanted a woman even though he had dared to bring a weapon that could shake him, so he just looked at him in bewilderment.

Unlike Lucius, Prince Frederick didn’t truly want Deatrice, but just wanted to restore his authority through the whole process of getting her back.

Feeling like he was faced with the greatest idiot in the world, the emperor had lost the energy to be angry.

“Elliot.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“You compared my feelings for Effie with yours, but I am not as stupid and thoughtless as you. And my thoughts about love remain the same. Love changes. “The reason you’re being so insensitive right now isn’t because it’s true love; it’s just because that’s how you feel.”

“But Your Majesty… … .”

“Don’t you really remember?”

The emperor knelt down on one knee and looked into Lucius’ face. Even though one of his lips was chapped, he was still the same handsome knight who knelt on his knees and grabbed the emperor’s trousers with the same face as just a year and a half ago.

“It was the night we heard about the Duke’s rebellion. I asked you how it felt to see the Duke thrive after he destroyed you, and you, you were silent for a long time. Then you said, ‘It feels like my insides are turning. It feels like a hunting dog is tearing into my heart.'”