Lady To Queen Chapter 19 - Are You Crazy?

Chapter 19 – Are You Crazy?

heard that voice before. It wasn't a voice that often reached her ears, but it was definitely familiar. Patrizia turned around to see the person coming towards her.

“Your…Your Majesty?”

“What are you doing here this late at night?” Lucio asked.

wiped away her tears in embarrassment. The Emperor was the last person in the world she wanted to be caught crying in front of. She blinked her eyes then lifted her head towards her approaching husband.

“What are you doing here, Your Majesty?” Patrizia

“I asked you first,” he replied.

“…”

Lucio was being unnecessarily persistent. Patrizia hastily made

“I was just…looking at the moonlight. It was shining, and it looked

“There's still a tear mark on

Patrizia flushed red and quickly wiped her

“…”

Patrizia could see Lucio's bewilderment, and she flushed in embarrassment. Damn it, she dug her .

Lucio pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket, but she refused it with a sulky look. “I'm fine,”

Despite her rejection, Lucio kept holding out his handkerchief. It was rude to refuse it, and Patrizia finally held out her hand to take it. She wiped her cheeks dry, and in a sudden fit of temper, blew her nose into the handkerchief. Very hard too. She was amused at watching Lucio get embarrassed in front of her, and

“I'll have it washed and give it back to you. You don't have to look

“…It's a precious handkerchief. You must give it back,”

A precious handkerchief. Maybe he got it from Rosemond. A venomous spite gnawed at the corner of Patrizia's heart.

“Did Lady Rosemond give this to you?”

“…No.”

Thinking that she was being too unkind in this situation, Patrizia carefully folded the handkerchief. No matter whose it was, she had used it, and she should wash it and give it back. “Thank you.”

“Were you crying?”

“…”

She didn't like his straightforwardness, and she kept her lips firmly pressed shut.

They simply stood there in the garden, and the silence between them lengthened uncomfortably, until finally Patrizia couldn't tolerate it anymore. She turned around to leave, when her eyes fell on Lucio's face in the moonlight. The sight of it surprised her.

‘Was his face that pale before?'

He looked more tired than usual, and beads of sweat dotted his forehead. It was enough to pique her curiosity, but in the end she was not interested in his circumstances. She was too tired and too busy to show concern about such a thing. She turned around, until a voice stopped her.

“…Don't go.”

“…”

A cynical smile crossed Patrizia's face. He didn't want her to go? Why?

She turned back to face him. He really did look unwell, as if some sickness gripped him.

“Your complexion doesn't look good, Your Majesty,” she said.

“…”

“Go to Lady Phelps. Isn't she your beloved woman?”

“…”

“Whatever the matter is, she will serve you better,” Patrizia said in an emotionless voice, then turned back around again. She was too tired to give him any pity or goodwill.

As she walked through the palace grounds, raindrops began to patter in ones, then twos, and before thickening into a downpour. Patrizia took off the shawl on her shoulders and covered her head, and started running. After a while, she remembered that she had left Lucio behind. She frowned. He should already have left, right? But the path was too empty for her to say that confidently. The only way to get from the garden to the central palace was through this way.

Patrizia bit her lip. Never mind him, she thought to herself. He has nothing to do with you.

She ran forward with a determined expression, but it was only for a short time. Her feet finally stopped, and the rain began to soak her stationary body.

“Damn it,” she cursed under her breath. She wished she hadn't seen Lucio earlier. Patrizia turned around and ran back the other direction, a desperate look in her eyes.

‘Why do I care about that man?' she scolded herself. But she couldn't help it; she couldn't simply ignore a man alone in the rain.

“Haah, haah.”

Patrizia's legs burned as she ran the entire way back. After a fairly long distance to the lake, she spotted Lucio standing by the shore. She had no idea why he was standing there with a stupid face like he had given up everything in the world, but now wasn't the time to ask. Her heels squished in the mud as she ran towards him. Only then did he turn his blank-looking eyes to look at her.

“Are you crazy?” she yelled through the rain.

“…”

“If you catch a cold, it'll be your fault.”

“…”

“Come on. What are you doing? Did something happen to your head?”

“….”

He swayed like a puppet, and Patrizia was on the verge of bursting, but she quickly reigned in her anger and wrapped her shawl around his head, making sure he was comfortable. The action embarrassed her and she would rather that Rosemond did this, but Patrizia had no other choice.

“Let's go,” Patrizia urged the Emperor.

“…”

“Your Majesty!”

This man must be determined to get himself killed. Did he really want to stand here and catch a cold? Or did he want Patrizia to catch a cold and die?

“The rain is getting stronger, Your Majesty.”

Lucio stood as silently as a wooden statue, and Patrizia took his arm and pulled hard. If she left him here, she would be held responsible for the consequences. Strangely, he obeyed her touch. She continuously muttered to herself ‘I'm crazy, I'm crazy,' while dragging him forward.

When they finally got out of the garden, Patrizia looked up into the sky. The rain showed no signs of abating, and she lowered her head this time to look at Lucio's face. He still looked completely dazed. What happened that could cause a person to lose their mind in a short amount of time?

“Do you mind if I take you to the central palace?”

“…”

Still no word. Maybe he really did lose his mind. Patrizia worried about what happened to him all of a sudden.

“Would you please say something, Your Majesty? Are you trying to kill me by making me sick? Or are you hoping we'll both catch a cold and die together? Is that it?”

“…”

Patrizia felt like she was going crazy. Since when did he become so frustrating to deal with? She decided not to waste her time on any more questions and acted. If they both stayed out here for too long, they would both get sick. She wanted to take this man to the central palace, but it was too far from here. Eventually, she was forced to choose her least favorite option.

“Your Majesty, we'll go to my palace and dry ourselves up. Otherwise, we could both be in big trouble.”

“…”

Lucio was silent this time as well, but Patrizia didn't expect an answer at this point. She dragged him towards the queen's palace, and he silently followed.

When they arrived, the maids reacted in astonishment—firstly because she appeared with the Emperor, secondly because they both looked like they had climbed out of the ocean. Patrizia ignored their stares and pulled him to her room.

“Your Majesty…what is this…” Mirya said with wide eyes.

“I'll explain later. Light the fireplace and bring dry towels and tea. A lot.”

“Yes, My Lady,” Mirya replied, and hurried away to fulfill her requests.

Patrizia pulled her shawl from Lucio, who still looked like a dead man walking. His silk pajamas were saturated with water, and the thin fabric clung to his body, revealing the subtle shapes of his muscles underneath. Patrizia, however, did not care about this, and felt the need to take off her muslin nightgown. It was completely wet too, and the cloth stuck unpleasantly to her body.

“…”

Lucio did not react to it, but Patrizia was somewhat embarrassed and thought she should change her clothes when Mirya returned. Mirya and the maids brought all the items she requested sooner than she expected, and they dried Lucio at Patrizia's orders. Patrizia told her lady-in-waiting that she was going to change, then brought several towels with her to the dressing room.

A short time later, Patrizia emerged from the room in a dry white nightdress. She patted her wet hair when she saw Lucio sleeping in a chair.

“Why is the Emperor sleeping in my room?” Patrizia said in surprise.

Mirya just shrugged her shoulders in defeat. No matter what happened to the Emperor, it wasn't her place to wake him up. In any case, the rain continued to pour unceasingly.

“Mirya, bring His Majesty to my bed,” Patrizia instructed with a sigh.

“But what about you, Your Majesty? Where are you going to sleep?”

“Isn't there an empty room next door? I can sleep there. Please light the fireplace there.”

“You can sleep together with him—” Mirya started, but she clamped her mouth shut when Patrizia stared down at her. Patrizia had no intention of sharing a bed with him, at least for now. Perhaps when the time came to produce an heir, she would do so.

“Please take care of His Majesty,” Patrizia said. “He was soaked to the bone, and he may be sick.”

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

Afterwards, Patrizia left the room without any regret. With a tired look on her face, she lay herself on the cold bed in the vacant room, where the fireplace had not been lit yet. Because she was vulnerable to catching a cold tonight, it was important that she rested deeply.

Chapter end