I Tamed the Monstrous Prince - Chapter 10
Chapter 10
***
The metallic click of a latch unlocking startled her awake. Sunlight streamed through the broken window.
‘Morning already?’
Cesar’s head remained buried in her lap.
‘Wonderful. I have a corpse to dispose of.’
‘I wonder how wild he’ll be this time.’
‘Brace yourself. He might bite you again.’
‘Let’s get this over with so we can rest.’
‘The tranquilizer that could knock out an elephant wore off in less than an hour.’
The men’s bustling voices grated on her nerves. The knights who had brought Cesar in yesterday opened the door and entered, each face etched with grim determination. One clutched a club, another a chain, and the rest held a net as they cautiously stepped inside. One of the knights made eye contact with her.
“Oh?”
He was being too loud; Cesar would wake up. She slowly brought her index finger to her lips.
“Shh.”
The knights stared at her, aghast, frozen in place like they’d seen a ghost. One dropped his club. The clang echoed loudly.
“Uuuhhh…” As she feared, the noise had roused Cesar. He bared his teeth, a low growl rumbling in his throat, his posture wary. Last night’s violent rampage flashed through her mind, sending a shiver down her spine. He was still nestled against her, but she could feel his muscles tense, his body coiling as if ready to spring.
“No. Don’t do that!” she cried, pressing lightly on his shoulder.
Then, something astonishing happened.As if understanding her words, he froze.
“Don’t… do that?” He echoed her words, just as he had last night. She nodded, enunciating each word clearly. “Yes, you mustn’t.” She gently stroked his hair.
She was exhausted, having used up too much energy, and she didn’t want another chaotic scene. Cesar tilted his head, a puzzled expression on his face.
‘Yes, stay like that.’
A servant entered the room. “What’s taking so long to dispose of one body?”
“Well…” The servant’s gaze moved from her face to the knights, then back again. The color slowly drained from his face, replaced by shock.
“I must inform His Majesty immediately!”
Chaos erupted. A flood of people arrived: the head servant, a mage, the royal physician, and finally, the high priest of the capital’s temple.
“By the gods!” Each of them cried out in divine supplication.
“A miracle!”
“The Flores bloodline is truly different!”
They had all expected her to be dead. The physician meticulously examined her for hidden injuries, aside from her wounded palm. The high priest went so far as to sprinkle holy water and press a crucifix to her forehead and hand, a ridiculous ritual to ensure she hadn’t transformed into a monster after death.
After the commotion subsided, a palace maid noticed the bloodstained bedding and carried it away. This, it seemed, was proof that her marriage to Cesar was valid.
***
“What?”
Empress Cornelia’s face hardened at the news delivered by her confidante, Countess Elvira. The childish delight she’d felt moments before, anticipating a new dress, vanished, replaced by a stark pallor.
“That Flores… girl…” Countess Elvira bit her lip, stopping herself from uttering the word “b*stard.”
Cornelia had been Emperor Guido’s long-time mistress since he was crown prince, only becoming empress after the death of the former empress, Adelaide of Isabria, mother of the first prince, Cesar. Her own son, the second prince, Matthias, born while she was still a mistress, had faced a difficult path to legitimacy. She was still mindful of the judgment from allied nobles, making the word “b*stard” taboo in her presence.
“She survived?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Cornelia gestured to a nearby servant and drained her wine glass in one gulp.
“Interesting.” She leaned back, her beauty still strikingly youthful despite her approaching forty. “Very interesting.” She tapped her long nails on the armrest, then shifted, her icy blue eyes flashing. “Where is the first prince?”
