Chapter 88 - DID YOU NOT HATE ME?

“Calm down, Rafaella.”

However, Patrizia seemed so calm at that moment, and that was why Rafaella even wondered if she had gone crazy. Patrizia casually ripped off her torn dress some more, and began to put the piece of fabric around her own arm.

“Lizzy, are you crazy?”

Patrizia bluntly replied to Rafaella’s quivering voice.

“Fortunately, that is not the case.”

“Then why this…”

“Because you have been injured, so I must be injured as well.”

Patrizia calmly explained to her.

“I do not intend to bury this thing. I am going to make it grow bigger. To do that… I have to be hurt to this extent too.”

What kind of reaction would ‘he’ show when seeing this wound? Patrizia was quite curious. But the curiosity was brief at best, and she quickly brought up something else.

“I did not cut myself enough to scar. Do not worry.”

“That is not the point of my words…”

“I should have to at least spill this much blood to properly decorate the finale, right?”

Patrizia showed a twisted smile, and tied a knot on the cloth wrapped around her arm. Watching the blood flow out and dye the white cloth blood red, Patrizia made a facial expression showing she was deep in thought about something.

Lucio wandered around the room with a nervous look on his face. Even though the time was late at night, he could not easily fall asleep. Due to this behavior, the chief maid of the Central Palace came into his room with a worried expression.

“Your Majesty, it is now late into the night, but you still do not prepare to go to bed.”

“There is no way… I can fall asleep.”

He muttered these words in a voice that sounded like he was in pain. At his words, the chief maid calmed him down with a soothing voice.

“Her Majesty will be safe and sound. If anything happens, I will be sure to wake you up right away, so please go to bed.”

“But…!”

He shook his head.

“I will just remain like this. I still have some documents to look over anyway, so I just read that instead.”

“…”

The chief maid could no longer go against Lucio’s will, and so she just left the room, respecting his wishes. Lucio was then left alone, walked to the front of his desk, full of mixed emotions. But even when he was sitting down, he had a hard time focusing on his work. His nerves were focused only on Patrizia who was still outside of the Imperial Palace.

‘If what I am guessing is correct… ‘

“Your Majesty.”

At that time, the voice of a flustered maid could be heard from outside of his room, and he shouted involuntarily.

“What is the matter?”

“Her Majesty, the Empress has arrived.”

With those words, Lucio rose abruptly from his seat, and the door opened as Patrizia appeared. No matter how he tried to look at her in a good way, he could not say her appearance looked close to neat and presentable, as her hair was flying loose and completely mussed, and her dress was torn in numerous spots. The biggest problem was that she had long wounds all over her shoulders and arms. He let out a frightened shout, and ran over to her.

“Empress!”

“Your Majesty.”

He clearly looked like he was in a state of shock. Patrizia was briefly puzzled by the bigger reaction than what she had expected, but soon cleared up her inner thoughts, as she staggered and walked towards Lucio;s direction. He quickly supported her.

“Empress, what in the world…”

“On the way back.”

Patrizia continued in a thin voice.

“We were attacked.”

“…”

He stared at her with a look full of surprise on his face. Patrizia, who felt his gaze, lost her balance and fell. Lucio caught hold of her quickly, but eventually collapsed down on the floor.

“Ah…”

The fall brought pain to her behind, as a hurt cry burst out of her mouth. Lucio was distressed when he heard that sound. He said to her.

“I will listen to the story later, for now let us call for the court physician.”

Lucio said these words, and called for the court physician in an urgent manner, and Patrizia stared at him with mixed emotions. Who could have known something like this was going to happen. He was so surprised and worried about her current state, that he seemed awkward and unfamiliar to her. This was simply just pity along with sympathy. Just as she sympathized with him, he also only sympathized with someone who was injured. Patrizia thought like this, and closed her eyes.

“The court physician will be coming soon, so just rest during that time.”

He said this to Patriziaa, and then lifted her easily. She panicked and reflexively grabbed onto Lucio’s shoulder. He spoke to her in a calm voice.

“I will not drop you, so just relax.”

“…”

Patrizia could not say anything as she stared blankly at Lucio. The distance from where she was to his bed was quite short. He quickly moved her to the bed. Lucio put Patrizia down carefully on the bed, and looked at Patrizia with conflicted eyes, and Patrizia felt uncomfortable under his gaze as she dropped her eyes to the floor. It was her wish that the court physician would come as soon as possible.

“Your Majesty, the Imperial court physician has arrived.”

Shortly thereafter, the visitor whom Patrizia had so hoped for had arrived, and Lucio cried out urgently.

“Escort the physician immediately.”

The court physician quickly entered Lucio’s room and ran to the bed where the Emperor and Empress were. He swallowed a bit of his rough breaths, and greeted the two of them properly.

“I greet Your Majesties, the Moon and Sun of the Empire. Magnificent glory to the Marvinus Empire…”

“Skip the greetings, just hurry and check the condition of the Empress.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Lucio’s urgent voice made the court physician move even more urgently. He approached Patrizia, loosened the piece of clothing tied to her shoulder, and looked carefully at the wound. After a while, he said in a soft voice, as if it was a relief.

“Fortunately, the wound is not very deep compared to the length, so it is not life-threatening by any means. If the medicine is just applied well, it will surely heal quickly.”

Lucio sighed with relief at the diagnosis from the court physician. While the court physician was treating Patrizia, Lucio scrutinized every single aspect of during that time. Patrizia felt burdened by the unintended interest and gaze, but she did not say anything, as she simply looked on as the court physician treated her wounds.

Eventually, after her wounds had been meticulously wrapped with clean white cloths,and the court physician left the room, Patrizia did not speak for a while, and only spit out a few words after a long time had passed.

“I did not come here looking for treatment, but I was unexpectedly taken care of, and became a burden.”

“Burden.”

Lucio said this word in a slightly choked up voice.

“This sort of thing is… not a burden.”

“…”

“So you do not have to say those kinds of words.”

“Your Majesty…”

“Tell me, Empress. What had happened?”

His eyes once again had turned slightly red. Patrizia stared at him for a moment, then spoke in a weak voice that went against the previous pledge she had made to herself.

“I met assassins while I was outside of the Imperial Palace. Fortunately, I had contacted the 2nd Rank of Knights in advance which saved my life, and round two assassins were captured…”

“…”

“After that, my knight almost died as well.”

After she told the story with a combination of some exaggeration and lies, Lucio looked at her with a strange expression on his face. It seemed that half of it was due to relief, and the other half was due to anguish. Patrizia wondered what his expression signified, and asked him.

“Why do you make a face like that?”

“Because I think I was too late.”

“… What does that mean.”

“I had sent my knights in time for your return to the palace.”

“…”

It was something she had not known about. Patrizia was taken aback as she asked.

“Why did you do that?”

“…”

“Your Majesty, did you already know something like this would happen? Surely not… Your Majesty hired the assassins…”

“No, Patrizia. It is not like that.”

Lucio quickly cut off her words, and denied it. Patrizia stared at Lucio with reddened eyes. Lucio’s face appeared to look desperate as he stared back at her.

“… I eavesdropped on what Marchioness Ethyller was talking about.”

“…”

“I had sent the knights just as a precautionary measure, but I was not directly related to this incident. This misunderstanding… I hope you will not think like that.”

“What does that…”

“But even that was too late, if the 2nd Rank of Knights had not moved in the right time…”

He closed his eyes with a distressed expression. A thought that he hated to imagine had come to mind. A voice full of pain burst out of his mouth.

“I am sorry, Patrizia. This is all my…”

“Ah…”

It was Patrizia who was flustered by the sudden guilt on his part. She blinked her eyes in a foolish manner, and soon said to him firmly.

“Calm down, Your Majesty.”

This man had trauma. That was the death of his mother. He was perhaps projecting what had happened in the past with what she was experiencing now. When her thoughts reached this point, Patrizia’s voice turned urgent.

“Strictly speaking, this is not Your Majesty’s fault.”

“…”

“As you have said, it is a crime that belongs to Marchioness Ethyller. After the end of this, her existence will be no more in the Imperial Palace.”

“…”

“Even if you hate it, I…”

“You do whatever you want.”

Lucio ended her words with a tired voice. Patrizia had her words obstructed, and asked him with a stunned expression on her face.

“Really… you mean it?”

“Did you not say you captured the assassins as well? It is a crime that will be revealed anyway since there is actual evidence, and all that is needed is a confession. I will give you the full power to conduct the investigation.”

“… You are speaking as if you do not possess any residual feelings for her anymore.”

“…”

Residual feelings. Residual feelings for her had disappeared on the day of the party, when she had revealed to him all of her deception. Leaving only the bitter wounds behind. He let out a chuckle.

“Indeed.”

So that was why, there were no residual feelings now. All of this was a disaster brought on by his own foolishness. There would be nothing more ridiculous than if he still had some residual feelings while he begged for the Empress. He said to her.

“Make everything right again. On behalf of my foolish self.”

“…”

She liked this kind of avoidance of responsibility, but also hated it. Feeling a duality of emotions, Patrizia quietly bit her lips. At some point in time, he began to show this kind of attitude to Rosemond, and Patrizia was curious since she did not know the reason why, but she only guessed that some kind of story had come and gone between the two of them. Patrizia asked him.

“The reason for your heart having changed suddenly, may I ask why?”

“There is nothing special. I just realized too late that the truth I thought I had known was actually just fiction.”

“…”

She did not know what he had discovered, but at least that was not what she was trying to reveal to him now. What kind of facial expression would he make when he found out what she was about to tell him? How would he feel? Patrizia quietly opened her mouth.

“I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“Rosemon… It is regarding the Marchioness of Ethyller.”

“I really do not want to talk about something like that when I am with you.”

“Now is not the time. I am too tired to tell you now, and the timing is not ideal as well.”

Patrizia continued to speak calmly.

“It will be a shocking story for Your Majesty.”

“…”

“I am worried that you will not be able to endure it.”

“Worried.”

He smiled and asked her.

“It is quite unusual for you to be worried about me.”

“…”

“Did you not hate me?”