A Marriage Alliance for Revenge - Chapter 6

Lucas slowly raised his bowed head.

 

Olivia stood where she had been when he first entered, observing him.

 

She was draped in ragged clothing, and her bare limbs were thin and fragile, as if they might snap.

 

Her voice was gruff, causing Lucas to question whether he had misheard Olivia’s offer of marriage.

 

“Marry me, and I’ll secure you the crown.”

 

The throne.

 

Her tone exuded audacity, it was nearly nauseating.

Does this woman have any idea of the sacrifices that both he and those around him are enduring to reclaim the throne?

 

“All I need to do is marry you? Is acquiring the crown of the Rhone Empire so effortless?”

 

Despite Lucas’s taunts, Olivia remained stoic.

 

She ignored the palpitations of her heart, which felt as though it could plummet at any instant.

 

It was her sole path to survival.

 

She mustn’t perish until she has thrust a blade into Gusto’s heart and witnessed his downfall.

 

“Regard me as the cornerstone restoring you to your rightful place. View me not as a person, but as a stepping stone.”

 

“Who are you?”

His eerie voice sent shivers down her spine. Bracing herself, Olivia prevented her legs from trembling.

 

The time they were apart surpassed the time she had known him. 

 

She wasn’t sure how much he had changed in the years, so she had to keep her wits about her from here on.

 

“I don’t know who I am either.”

 

“What?”

 

“A shadow severed from its master. I’m sure my new master will give me a name that suits my purpose.”

 

“Your master was the Empress?”

 

Olivia replied by bowing her head without saying anything.

 

Would he believe her if she told him that she was Empress Olivia? Hardly.

 

Even she wasn’t sure about this body yet.

 

Besides, Lucas hated Olivia.

 

In the few encounters they’d had since becoming crown princess and then empress, he’d shunned her.

 

It was only natural.

 

From birth, Olivia’s place was as Empress, not at Lucas’s side.

 

“How am I supposed to trust you when you suddenly appear and spout nonsense? Then, out of the blue, you propose marriage?”

 

Lucas shook his head. It was too shocking to believe what had happened in such a short time.

 

He wanted to run outside and ascertain the truth about Empress Olivia’s demise.

 

“Fear not, Your Grace, for it is but a minor step toward ascending the imperial throne. A stratagem to deceive the current Emperor.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Didn’t I tell you? I am merely a shadow, a disposable or expendable pawn, to be discarded when my purpose is served.”

“The Empress ‥‥‥ she sent you here?”

 

Lucas pondered her words.

 

Even as a child, Olivia exhibited cleverness beyond her age.

 

If it was genuinely Olivia that Lucas knew…

 

“She anticipated her death.”

 

He closed his eyes and saw a young Olivia smiling in the darkness.

 

She’d come out to greet him under the moon with a rose held out.

 

“I can’t believe it.”

 

“The Empress died yesterday. Given the time for decomposition and that its the height of summer…”

 

“‥‥‥.”

With each mention of Olivia’s demise, Lucas’s eyes kindled with increasing intensity.

 

‘No wonder he resents me.’

Initially, she assumed she was mistaken, but she wasn’t.

 

Olivia averted her gaze, concluding her narrative.

 

The imperial family had no more than three days, at best, to conceal the Empress’s passing.

 

“And?”

 

“Consequently, the window for Your Grace and me to wed extends no farther than today and tomorrow.”

 

“Ha, you think I’m going to fall for some tongue-in-cheek words of a common, filthy wench from the streets.”

 

Lucas growled.

 

It was the loss of an erstwhile lover he’d sought to forget, but it haunted his thoughts.

 

He gritted his teeth, trying to appear nonchalant and unaffected.

 

Yet the man who had forfeited so much seethed inwardly at the untimely demise of an old love.

 

“You’re trembling, aren’t you?”

 

Her tone was monotone.

 

It was too soon to act this way.

 

She displayed an air of nonchalance uncharacteristic of a shadow that’d lost its master.

 

Far too regal for a shadow that had faltered in its duty to safeguard its master.

 

Her demeanor kindled another flare of fury within Lucas.

 

He channeled his grief for not protecting her by hating her.

 

It was unbefitting, but it was a way to cope.

 

“After the Empress’s passing becomes public, intervention will prove futile, Your Majesty. Thus, let me help you.”

“Why should I‥‥‥? Why should I let you when you even couldn’t protect your own master!”

 

Lucas’s rant echoed through the room.

 

Despite the room’s soundproofing, his rant could be heard by the ears of Vinter and Baron, who stood guard outside.

 

“I need a chance to get my revenge.”

 

“What?”

 

Tears welled in her dark green eyes, which previously seemed so serene.

 

“You get the throne, and I get my revenge… and then, when we’re done, you get to decide what happens to me.”

 

Resoluteness burned in her gleaming eyes.

 

Amidst such intensity from her, she discussed exacting death that had yet to come.

 

“Strange woman.”

 

“Not enough.”

 

Lucas’s speech sounded sluggish and fragmented.

 

Years of cautious restraint had honed his evasion of Gusto’s scrutiny.

 

If anything went wrong, it wouldn’t end with him dying.

The lives of those who had trusted him and followed in his footsteps were in danger.

 

The weight of numerous lives bore heavily upon him in that instant.

 

And yet, he must protect them.

 

Closing his eyes, Lucas marshaled his instinctive impulse.

 

Gradually, reason reasserted its dominance as he suppressed his boiling rage.

 

Lessons over the years had ingrained within him the peril of a momentary lapse.

 

“I know the whereabouts of Princess Serena.”

“What?”

 

Lucas shouted paroxysmally.

 

Anger, resentment, and longing, more intense than ever before, surged within him.

 

“Would you trust me if I assured you of Princess Serena’s safety?”

 

“Of course.”

 

Gusto had promised to return Princess Serena upon his return from vanquishing the barbarians.

 

But upon his return, he was met not by the embrace of his loving sister, but rather by Gusto, who deferred any inquiry, asserting he was occupied.

But she was talking about Serena’s safety.

 

“I’m not asking for a grand wedding, just a priest to sanction our union and declare false love. It’s not your love I need, it’s the status.”

 

Olivia’s wishes were clear.

 

Given her present circumstances, penetrating the imperial court was an insurmountable challenge.

 

While she didn’t say it out loud, Gusto’s dominion over the military rested on the assumption that Lucas would eventually come for him.

 

The swiftest course to plunging a blade into Gusto’s heart was to maintain a close eye on the Emperor, from Lucas’s side.

Lucas advanced toward Olivia, who had remained standing throughout.

 

“Hmm!”

 

Involuntarily, a gasp escaped her lips at the abrupt touch that elevated her chin.

 

Lucas’s lips brushed her parched ones, their breaths intermingling.

 

Tensely, she grasped his hand.

 

“If you’re going to marry me, you’re going to have to be okay with this.”

 

A soft moan escaped her lips as Lucas’s fingers traced her delicate waist.

 

“‥‥‥We need to do something like this?”

 

“My blood is of noble lineage. We’ll need a tale that would surely captivate an array of immature aristocrats.”

 

“‥‥‥.”

 

“We’ll need to be madly in love, else how are we going to explain it to Gusto? About the rushed, unusual wedding we’d pull off in the middle of the night?”

 

“Ahhhh.”

 

Olivia, who had never given much thought to her relationship with him, let alone the specifics of their marriage, nodded.

 

Gusto was a quick thinker.

 

An approval of the marriage between Lucas and her by Gusto was nil, especially after having just returned from the frozen lands of the north.

 

Suspicion would surely arise, followed by more suspicion.

 

Lucas remained close, one hand lingering on her waist, the other at her chin.

 

Slowly, Olivia raised her slender arms and wrapped them around his neck.

 

Her determined lips drew near to Lucas’s.

 

She shut her eyes, on the verge of a kiss.

 

“Vinter!”

 

Having quickly pulled away from her, Lucas beckoned his butler who was stationed outside.

 

Olivia’s face flushed bright red as she was left alone in her room.

 

“Yes, sir. Your Grace.”

 

Of course.

 

The butler of butlers who guarded the palace, Vinter Halaman, made himself present.

 

“Gather everyone in the conference room, and find me the identity of a decent woman. A identity we can have disguised immediately.”

 

“May I inquire about the intended purpose?”

 

Vinter Halaman inquired, casting a curious glance toward Lucas’s designs.

 

Lucas’s outburst had been audible beyond the door, even despite the soundproofing.

 

He had been so furious that Vinter wondered if he’d lost his temper.

 

However, upon the door’s opening, she was revealed to be fine.

 

“She’s going to marry me.”

 

“What?”

 

“Find me a priest who can perform the ceremony tonight.”

 

“Your Grace!”

 

Startled, Vinter’s gaze alternated between Olivia and Lucas.

 

It was implausible, Lucas marrying a woman who he’d expected to be banished at a moment’s notice. 

 

The incredulous expression on Baron’s face as he listened to Lucas was uncharacteristic of him.

Their astonishment had no effect on Lucas, who remained unperturbed. 

 

“Make haste,” he cautioned, “because if the Emperor who ended the Empress’s life becomes anxious and relocates her, I’ll lose track of her safety.”

“The Emperor, the Empress?”

 

Baron interjected, turning his gaze towards Lucas.

 

Vinter, who had been at Lucas’ side since his birth, pivoted and hastened down the corridor.

 

He needed to fulfill his master’s commands with swiftness.

 

Olivia, rooted to the spot, turned her head.

 

His ebony eyes gleamed menacingly, as if they had consumed the shadows.

 

She didn’t look away.

 

Lucas stared back, her dark green eyes still fixated on him.

 

“Did you see her last moments?”

 

The query caught her off guard.

 

Olivia regarded Lucas from a distance as he inquired about her demise.

 

Did she witness it?

 

Scarcely a day had gone by from the moment she ingested the poisoned tea to Gusto’s knife thrust.

 

She could still recall the sensation of the sharp metal as it punctured her.

 

“Yes.”

 

Olivia replied, nodding slowly.

 

She closed my eyes as she remembered the moment.

 

“I’ll see you at the wedding,” said Lucas as he turned and walked out of the room.

 

As he left, Olivia abruptly sank to the floor in a heap.

 

A maid rushed in to help her up, but she was too weak to carry her.

 

“What the hell!”

 

Baron, dumbfounded at the sight of the fallen Olivia and the vacant spot where Lucas was a moment ago, hurried over to her.

 

He picked up the distraught Olivia and laid her down on the bed.

 

Her closed eyes were sunken.

Her frame quivering  with such intensity she seemed on the verge of shattering.

 

Amidst mutters of “Fetch me cold water, my stethoscope too,” Olivia parted her eyes.

 

“Stay awake. What the hell, just who are you?”

 

Baron inquired, brushing off her fatigued countenance.

 

Her dry, dark green eyes, devoid of moisture, stared vacantly into the void.

 

“‥‥‥.”

 

In response to Baron’s query, Olivia closed her eyes again.

 

A darkness reminiscent of Lucas engulfed her completely.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

“What do you think?”

 

Lucas asked as Baron walked into the office, his legs propped up unceremoniously on the desk.

 

Baron, considerably taken aback in such a brief span, regarded him in disbelief.
Why was he asking him when he was responsible for setting things in motion. 

 

Lucas’s gaze tracked Baron as he flopped down on the couch.

 

Under the weight of his coercive prompting, Baron buried his face in his palms.

 

As if one complication weren’t enough, now there were two.

 

“I’m uncertain to which you’re referring to: the union? Or Princess Serena?”

 

He was embarrassed by how he articulated himself, yet he didn’t bother on correcting himself. 

 

He was just on his way to check on Olivia, who had just fallen asleep.

 

It wasn’t surprising that Lucas, a physician, was less than thrilled to witness his so-called patient collapse once more.

 

“One more thing,” he added.

 

The office door swung open, admitting Butler Vinter.

 

His typically neat hair was ruffled, suggesting he had been dashing about.

 

“Should I return at a later time while you’re occupied?”

 

“Vinter, there isn’t a tale within this estate that you won’t eventually hear, so take a seat and be at ease.”

“Thank you.”

 

A faint smile graced the weathered countenance of the old man, perhaps in acknowledgement of his loyalty.

Baron cast a reproachful glance at the now occupied space, before redirecting his focus to Lucas.

 

Prioritizing listening was the wiser choice.

 

What could be more astounding than the events involving Princess Serena and Lucas’s upcoming marriage?

 

“Empress Olivia is dead.”

 

“What?!”

 

Baron was so taken aback that he sprung up from his chair.

 

He lingered on the news he had been given, locked in a gaze with Lucas.

 

“‥‥‥Do you deem this information reliable?”

Vinter, momentarily staggered by Lucas’s proclamation, swiftly regaining his composure, inquired.

 

Even during his absence, he hadn’t neglected the acquisition of imperial intelligence.

 

Empress Olivia’s demise was undeniably momentous.

 

Yet her demise had yielded no reports, not from the spies he had planted in the palace, nor from any other source.

 

Fabricated information could swiftly lead to someone’s demise.

 

If this was a snare set to ensnare Lucas, prudence was imperative.

 

“Did she convey this to you? What’s the significance of the Golden Rose’s encounter with the Black Wolf?”

 

Baron lamented, beating his chest in frustration.

 

He recalled Lucas’s anger upon hearing those words.

 

In response to Baron’s words, Vinter stared at Lucas, taken aback.

 

His clenched jaw twitched slightly.

 

“The black wolf that consumed the darkness.”

 

Lucas spoke deliberately, as if summoning memories from the past.

 

Few were privy to the fact that it was the black wolf, not the black dragon, the emblem of the Rhone Empire.