Chapter 73 - I AM YOUR HUSBAND

Lucio had a defeated expression on his face as he stared at the Empress lying on his bed. She appeared to look quite haggard as she was sleeping with her eyes closed. There was a bandage on her foot, that seemed to be covering her wound. He called out her name carefully in a voice full of desperation.

“Patrizia…”

If she could hear this voice, she would probably get upset once again, and so had to use a soft voice. He closed his eyes with a miserable expression, and shook his head.

“I… to you…”

What did he do to her? What games did he play with a woman he brought in who knew nothing? Lucio shed an ocean of tears and embraced the remorse as he wished to atone for his mistakes, but everything was already too late. She despised him, hated him, reproached him, and would blame him. He stood by her side as he muttered to her with a painful expression.

“How can I atone for…”

“…”

“Is there such a way?”

‘Was there any point to doing that? To her, and to myself. Was there anything I could do about the sincerity, feelings, and love that I had realized so late?’ Lucio quietly bit his lips with his eyes still closed.

‘You, who has been hurt by my actions, would never forgive me.’

“Alright. Do not forgive me.”

‘Hate me. You can resent me as well. If you want to kill me, you can do that as well. If that can relieve your heart even by a little, go through with it.’

‘You can have whatever vicious emotions towards me. Even those feelings would be overkill for me. So with that kind of feeling… stay by my side for all of eternity. Please do not leave me.’

“Even if you call that being selfish, so be it.”

‘I am a severely horrible bastard. So it does not matter whatever curses you may say to someone like me. Just stand beside me in the name of the Empress. It does not matter if your heart is not facing towards me, as long as your body is next to me.’

“Yes, I would be content with that.”

For such a cruel man, even that would be considered a luxury.

“… ”

When Patrizia first opened her eyes, what she saw was a white ceiling with bright sunlight. And she was astonished when she realized this fact. She furrowed her brow.

“I…”

She quickly lifted her body up. But soon she felt a huge pain in her feet and furrowed her brow again. Her mouth naturally let out a groan.

“Ugh…”

As she bit her lips, the groaning went back inside. She still continued to frown and looked around her surroundings. Darn it, a place she had seen a lot somewhere. Here was…

“Have you woken up?”

It was the Emperor’s room. Patrizia cursed inside. So now, in the husband’s room that she despised, asleep on top of the bed at that. Patrizia glanced up and down, all over her body, just in case. Ah, fortunately nothing had happened. If something had happened to her, the most terrible option imaginable, she would have had the mind to bite her tongue and die.

“… Why am I here?”

“You were not kidnapped, so do not worry.”

If that was supposed to be a joke, she was sorry, but it wasn’t funny at all. Patrizia asked him again.

“Why am I here?”

“It was not me, but the Empress, that ran around barefoot in the middle of the night. It would be quicker to ask about this yourself.”

“I remember that too, Your Majesty. I don’t think you are properly getting the point of the question.”

Patrizia asked him in a cold voice.

“What I am curious about is, even if I had done that, why am I on Your Majesty’s bed and not on my own bed?”

“…”

“I would like to hear the answer.”

“… It is a given since I was the one to have moved you.”

“Why did you move me?”

“Because you were hurt.”

“No, stop providing textbook answers.”

Patrizia asked him again without even a smile.

“I do not think Your Majesty has a difficult time understanding. I will ask again. Why did you move me here? Not to my bed, but to Your Majesty’s bed.”

“… I apologize if it offended you.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. It was offensive. When I opened my eyes, I thought I would rather commit suicide.”

Patrizia laughed for the first time, hurting him with her harsh words.

“Why did you move mehere?”

“Because of my greed.”

“You are selfish. You never thought about how when I opened my eyes, I might feel the slightest bit offended.”

“… I apologize.”

“It is done. Since this is not the only thing that Your Majesty needs to apologize to me.”

Now Patrizia felt cynical about whether this was something even new. Lucio’s face turned solemn in response.

“UNGH!”

At that moment, she stumbled while letting out a moan. The pain struck her whole body as she tried to stand up on her own. Damn it, with just a single foot being hurt… She was irritated with herself. Then someone supported her.

“Be careful.”

It was the man. Patrizia showed her stubbornness with a determined voice.

“I can go alone.”

“Do not be ridiculous.”

“At least, it would be a much better option than being treated by Your Majesty like this?”

Patrizia laughed with a sad voice.

“Let go of me.”

“I do not want to.”

“Your Majesty!”

She was angry. But he was resolute.

“You can say anything you want, and whatever you want. But not with a body like this.”

“It is my body. Your Majesty has no right to interfere.”

“I am your husband. Is that not enough of a right to be involved?”

“Ha, since when did you care for me so much?”

Patrizia spoke to him with a voice full of cynicism.

“I heard that you have been at odds with the Marchioness of Ethyller. Why, are you tired of her now? Do you need another woman on the bed?”

“… It is not like that.”

“If it is not like that.”

Patrizia asked in a repressed voice.

“Why are you doing this to me? Your Majesty was the one to have trampled on my heart and killed my pride. I really do not know for what reason you are suddenly acting like this.”

“…”

He did not answer. But Patrizia read the answer hidden in the silence. She laughed and muttered to herself internally. ‘Yes, if you have a conscience, you would dare not to put such words in your mouth to me. Unless you are trash that you cannot even be recycled.’

“Let go of me.”

“Empress, please.”

He asked in a voice full of anguish.

“You can do anything. But you cannot move alone with that foot.”

“… Go to other places for your admonition.”

“I will call for the maids of the Empress Palace. You cannot go alone.”

Patrizia now spoke to him with her eyes closed and a face full of resignation.

“… Do whatever you will.”

Eventually, Patrizia returned to theEmpress Palace with the help of the Empress Palace maids. After returning to the Empress Palace, Patrizia did not blame the maids for their responsibility in their actions, and she did not rebuke them. The maids also asked her nothing. Eventually, last night’s work was buried like that.

Petronilla was different from her usual self, as she hesitated in front of her closet with a fuss.

“Is this a bit too revealing?”

Petronilla was contemplating the white dress with a slightly low cut on the chest. Then she screamed as if the maid next to her was speaking complete nonsense.

“It isn’t revealing, my Lady.”

“This?”

In response to Petronilla, the maid was about to burst from frustration. Did she come from another country or something!

“My Lady, if you go out on the street right now, there are plenty of dresses like that with the back exposed like that as well. Did my Lady come from somewhere else?”

“Oh… yes?”

Petronilla awkwardly asked her, and the maid nodded her head. She sighed and dropped the dress to the floor. What was this for her to be fluttering about like this? She felt foolish and stupid. Petronilla soon muttered in a weak voice.

“Just pick anything for me.”

“Yes? But you said it was a date.”

“It is stupid to respond to something like that.”

She spoke to her with a somber expression on her face.

“I do not want to look forward to it anymore.”

In response to her words, the maid seemed to be shocked. What was this lady saying right now?

“Did you perhaps get a broken heart? Why are you saying that?”

As if she was someone that had been divorced. The maid muttered, and Petronilla laughed. It was a very peaceful word. Something like divorce, moderate it seemed. Petronilla responded to her.

“Just choose aa-nything for me.”

Eventually, what Petronila wore was a somber gray dress. The maid jumped about asking who would wear something like this on a date, but Petronilla had no desire to change what she had already worn. How troublesome it was to wear a dress and then have to take it off.

Then she heard the door opening downstairs. Petronilla was standing on the railings of the second floor as her line of sight naturally focused downwards. The butler opened the door and Rothesay could be seen looking well-dressed. Petronilla thought her heart fluttered when she took in his beautiful appearance. Petronilla walked down the stairs in steps that were unhurried. Rothesay’s face, which found her, soon turned red.

‘Pretty.’

“Sir?”

When she saw his reddened face, Petronilla asked in a strange voice.

“Are you feeling sick somewhere?”

“I am not sick. Not even with one sickness.”

Rothesay whispered to her tenderly.

“Today, you look so beautiful that I just fell in love with you once more.”

“…”

He definitely had on a pair of rose-colored glasses. Petronilla thought this was so.

“… Madam, today is the right time of the month.”

Rosemond smiled at the words of the Imperial physician. Today was one of the few days when she could best get pregnant. She asked the Imperial physician with a happy expression.

“Yes, what about the medicine that I asked for?”

“… I have prepared and brought it.”

The Imperial physician said this, and presented to Rosemond some medicine powder, wrapped in white paper. Rosemond received it and stared at the medicine with a satisfied smile, and soon cracked down on him for his silence with a cold voice.

“This must be kept secret… If this happens to be leaked, I will die, but you will die as well. You know this well right?”

“… Yes, Marchioness.”

“You can go out now.”

As soon as the Imperial physician left, Rosemond smiled again. The medicine that was obtained by threatening the Imperial physician was none other than an aphrodisiac. Rosemond muttered to herself in an evil voice.

“How do I get this medicine to be the most effective when I give it to His Majesty, hm?”

“Marchioness, I have managed to obtain His Majesty’s favorite wine.”

At that time, Glara came into the room with a bottle of wine that looked expensive even with just a glance, and Rosemond nodded as if to say she did well, then gave an order.

“Yes, hold on to it well. It will be useful later. Is the dress ready as well?”

“Would that not be the case, Marchioness?”

“Good. It is perfect.”

It was a dress ordered from a brothel specifically for today. Even if a gay man saw a woman wearing that dress, he would run to covet the woman, supposedly? Rosemond hummed a tune and passed the aphrodisiac to Glara. Without forgetting to tell her to hold on to it well, Rosemond began planning in her mind on how to tempt the Emperor tonight.