Emperor's Alternate - Chapter 4
‘Run, get low, and move.’
I blocked out excessive information and focused on the voice that echoed in my mind.
I never thought the day would come when I would use the secret passage my father had taught me. I hoped it was a dream, but it was all too real. I opened the secret passage in the closet and stepped inside. I pulled the closet door closed from the inside so that if someone walked into the room, they wouldn’t recognize an entrance.
The secret passage was like a damp and pitch-black cave, with only the faint glow of mana stones placed sporadically to barely illuminate the darkness. The floor was slippery, and I made an effort not to trip as I started running.
I wasn’t sure if the feeling in my lungs was from the smoke seeping in from the ceiling or from running too fast.
‘I could die right now.’
I don’t know why, but that’s what I thought. And in what could potentially be my last moments, I wasn’t thinking of my family’s faces, the safety of my crying little brother held tightly in my arms, or even the mystical lantern people often see before death.
It was the voice of my fiancé, with whom I had exchanged only a few conversations about two years ago.
“We’ll see. Look forward to the future in ten years.”
It felt really strange.
The heavy, damp weight on my back. The eerily cold cave air that hit my bare arms the entire time I was running. My breathing getting progressively worse. A dizzying headache and a sickly lavender scent that clogged my nose and mouth.
‘I have to survive.’
“My young fiancée.”
In the life-threatening moment when I feel like I could die, just as if he’s whispering into my ear, Lecan’s voice came to mind vividly.
In an emergency situation, my childhood self was surprisingly calm. Random knowledge from books on survival techniques flooded my mind, helping me determine my next actions.
I wasn’t too worried about my younger brother; after all, he was too young to remember much. But I was different. I had seen and heard things I shouldn’t have.
As I quickly made my way through the secret passage, I witnessed a scene of soldiers in imperial uniforms assaulting my family through a tiny crack in the secret passage.
The roaring flames engulfed my home, sending plumes of dark, crimson smoke into the sky. In the central courtyard of the Grand Duke’s palace, where the round plaza stood, my family was gathered, being brutally assaulted by soldiers with no regard for their noble status.
“These are traitors! Show them no mercy!” The commander shouted.
My father, the Grand Duke himself, lay on the ground, his dignity stripped away. It was hard to imagine him in such a state.
My mother, the Grand Duchess, had never been one to let her hair be disheveled. But then, it looked like it had been torn apart.
My eldest brother, who had excelled from an early age and was on the verge of becoming a Swordmaster, lay on the floor, his face blue with death. It was the first time I had ever seen a dead body in his life. He must have struggled fiercely. The uncountable gashes all over his body proved it.
My second brother, who was said to be the most handsome man in the country, was swollen and disfigured beyond recognition. The blood flowing from his head drenched his once-glorious golden hair, making it appear a putrid red.
“…….”
I had to clamp my hands over my mouth to keep from screaming. Fortunately, the chaos outside drowned out my brother’s cries.
My mother finally screamed, and the soldiers shouted.
“These are traitors! The bloodline must be exterminated! The king’s orders are to beat them to death and make an example of them!”
“Where are the eldest daughter and the third son? Find the Lady! She’s not in sight!”
“Lucian! Winter! Run!”
Screams in the background. The endless deaths of those who served the Grand Duke. My ears burst from the mix of sounds. People calling out to me.
I forced my immobile feet to move and ran away. My father, our household, had never conspired against anyone, especially the Emperor. My father, the Grand Duke, had been more loyal to the Emperor than anyone. However, people liked my father too much, and that seemed to be the problem. The Emperor was excessively jealous.
The secret passage was connected to the lid of a water pipe in the slum landfill. When I opened the lid and climbed out, I found myself in a complete mess. I couldn’t see anyone around me. It was dark, even in the moonlight.
No tears flowed. My younger brother cried loudly, saying he was hungry. Normally, I would have comforted my younger brother or tried to find some food. But I just stood there and did nothing.
And then I had a hunch. Something inside me was deeply broken. That today’s experience would affect my entire life. But what could I do? The damage had been done.
‘I want to live.’
With a goal in mind, my thoughts became simpler. I thought of only one person, my fiancé, whom I had only seen a few times.
‘Lecan.’
