Lady To Queen Chapter 33

Chapter 33 – Am I Dead Or Alive?

Everything was falling out of place. Like that day, the truths Lucio knew were broken and he had to face a new reality. He realized instinctively that change was coming, and he could not predict how his emotions would flow in the aftermath of the whirlwind. He was an emperor who was revered because of his exemplary governance, and he was a great politician who quelled conflicts among the nobles. When it came to love, however, he was bound to be weak. Men were vulnerable when it came to that sort of thing.

Patrizia, meanwhile, remembered the exact path that they took, and she spoke up in an optimistic voice. “Your Majesty, we've passed here before. Hopefully we'll be back soon.”

“Is that so? Good—agh!” Lucio suddenly gave a sharp cry.

“Your Majesty? What is it?” Patrizia said urgently.

“Ugh…it's nothing…”

Lucio's words faded away, and Patrizia stopped Sally and examined the Emperor's condition. His forehead felt like a bonfire. The fever had spiked again.

Patrizia frowned in concern. They couldn't afford any delays. She vowed to return to the starting point as soon as possible. “Your Majesty, just hang in there a little longer,” she said in a firm voice. She hugged him a little tighter so he wouldn't fall over, then urged Sally forward again. He really didn't have much time now. His health could not be guaranteed if he didn't receive the right treatment quickly.

 

The tournament starting area was in chaos.

“Where is His Majesty?”

“Not only His Majesty, but Her Majesty as well. What happened?”

“Did something bad happen?”

The nobles began to panic after the Emperor and Queen did not return after the set time. Naturally the blame fell on their guards, including Raphaella, but Lucio and Patrizia had each ordered them that they would go alone, making it difficult to give out reprimands.

An emergency meeting was hastily arranged in a temporary barrack, and after serious discussion, the nobles concluded they had to use all manpower available to search for the Emperor and Queen. The knights in the tournament were divided into groups and assigned to search a section each. The nobles smiled in satisfaction when they finished making their plans, and Duke Vasi, who became the de facto leader of the search effort, decided to gather the knights and give them their orders.

Just as the meeting was about to be concluded, someone stepped into the barracks. Naturally, the eyes of the nobles turned towards the entrance. After confirming the newcomer's identity, Duke Vasi frowned and spoke the person's name.

“Lady Phelps.”

“Duke Vasi. Is it true?” Rosemond said in a quivering voice.

 

The duke didn't answer her question. “How did you get in here, Lady Phelps?”

“That's not relevant now. Is it true that His Majesty is gone?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” he replied in a defeated voice.

Rosemond staggered backwards. It wasn't supposed to turn out this way. The only victim she wanted was Patrizia. Not Lucio!

“Ah…what should I do…” she choked, tears starting to pour down her face.

“We'll begin our search right away, so don't worry too much about it, My Lady. But you're supposed to be at the Imperial Palace. What brings you here?”

“I came to meet His Majesty, and then I heard about this…oh God…this is…” Rosemond's frail body teetered, and Glara, who was beside her, quickly steadied the concubine. Duke Ephreney directed a stern look towards Glara.

“I believe Lady Phelps is in shock. Please take her somewhere else.”

“Yes, My Lord,” Glara replied, and quickly escorted Rosemond out of the camp.

Rosemond's bout of dizziness was more pretend than real, but at that moment she really did want to fall to the ground. Patrizia wasn't the only one who was gone! That was the worst ending for Rosemond. If Lucio didn't return, then the throne would pass on to the next person in line. Then, Rosemond would no longer have the right to live in the palace.

 

She chewed her nails as her anxiety swelled. It was too late to try something herself, as there were too many eyes around her now.

“Damn it, what should I do?” she muttered to herself. “How should I—”

“My Lord!” A knight pushed past Rosemond and rushed into the barracks. She turned to look at the knight with a frown, then quietly followed him back to the meeting room. The knight heaved a few deep breaths, then delivered his report.

“My Lord, I found both of them!”

Rosemond's eyes grew wide. She didn't know whether to rejoice or rage. She felt indescribable relief that Lucio was alive, but Patrizia too? Her jaw clenched in anger. Did her plan fail?

“Useless things,” she muttered darkly, but the words were buried again by the voices of the nobles.

“You found them?”

“Where are they now?”

“Are they both safe?”

“Yes, My Lord. Both are safe. But—”

 

There was a commotion outside, and the knight stopped speaking. The nobles came out of the barracks one by one to investigate, when they spotted the Emperor and Queen on horseback approaching. The nobles rushed forward in amazement.

“Your Majesty!”

“Your Majesty, are you alright?”

The Emperor was lying in the arms of the Queen, and her face was gaunt with exhaustion. She shouted at them urgently.

“He's been poisoned by an arrow. Is there a doctor? Get a doctor immediately!”

Patrizia was known as a woman who was exceedingly polite, even to the people beneath her. For the first time, she shouted at the nobles in an unyielding, authoritative tone, as easily as if it were natural to her. Everyone, including the nobles, were momentarily surprised by her sudden change in character, but Marquis Grochester was the first to snap to his senses.

“Well, what are you all doing? Bring a palace doctor immediately!” he barked. The people around him blinked foolishly, and then rushed to carry out the Queen's orders.

A few knights helped bring Patrizia and Lucio down from the horse. Patrizia swayed on the spot as she still had traces of poison in her, but she focused everything within her not to lose consciousness.

As the palace doctor rushed to the fallen Lucio, Patrizia spotted Rosemond in the vicinity. A wave of white-hot anger rushed through her body, but rather than exploding, she thought of how to make the best use of the situation. After a short moment, Patrizia decided to act reasonably and not do anything she would regret later.

“Why are you here?” Patrizia asked.

Rosemond gave an elegant bow. “Greetings, Your Majesty.” Her previous trembling was nowhere to be seen.

 

For Patrizia, it was a brazen gesture. “Yes, Lady Phelps. What is your purpose here?”

“I came here to see His Majesty.”

“It is my job to return to the palace by the Emperor's side. Not yours as a concubine. Are you trying to challenge the Queen's authority?”

“Not at all, Your Majesty.”

Patrizia remained suspicious. Rosemond was not a woman who had an honest bone in her body.

“You did not come all this way just to travel back with His Majesty, did you?”

“I don't understand what you're saying.”

“You wanted to know if I was dead or alive. Isn't that why you're here?”

Rosemond's expression froze, but she didn't say anything, as the nobles and knights were around them. Patrizia shot the concubine a withering glare, then turned away as soon as the doctor arrived. She knelt down and calmly explained the situation to him.

“His Majesty took a poisoned arrow for me. I gave him the juice of the scula flower, but he won't wake up. Please take care of him.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the doctor answered, and began to examine Lucio closely.

 

Meanwhile, Patrizia stood up and faced the surrounding nobles, who were looking at her for an explanation.

“As you've just heard, there was an assassination attempt on my life. The Emperor was shot by a poisoned arrow on my behalf, and I fled with the Emperor as the assassins pursued us.”

There was an outbreak of murmuring at the Queen's story. This would certainly become gossip back at the palace. Patrizia continued to address them with a strong voice.

“But in the end, we were driven to the edge of a cliff. I was about to die with His Majesty at the hands of these assassins. Left with no choice, I threw us down a cliff and into the river.”

“My God!” A noble made an exclamation of surprise. Despite the interruption, Patrizia kept her gaze fixed on Rosemond, who had regained her composure and was looking at Patrizia and Lucio with a shocked expression. That concubine had such shameless nerve.

Patrizia continued to speak, this time with a lump in her throat. “It was more than luck that His Majesty survived. If the Emperor wasn't descended from the Sun, it would be impossible.”

Another noble spoke. “Even though Her Majesty is not a descendant of the Sun, she had returned from this terrible situation. It seems that God's grace has reached you.”

It was a ridiculous compliment, but Patrizia could not stop a smile from spreading on her face. “Well. My Emperor and I are not destined to die by a concubine's plot. If God hadn't determined my fate, I wouldn't have been chosen as Queen in the first place.”

At that, the chaotic atmosphere suddenly dropped.

Chapter end