Neron hastened his steps. The farther he walked from the stable, the deeper his frown. His jaw tightened same way his fist did, like he had seen a threat.
"Your Majesty." An official bowed at the sight of Neron. The golden embroidery eagle on his robe was like that of the king. Same as the two-piece pure gold hairpin that held his brown hair up.
Neron glanced at the woman standing beside him before settling his gaze on the official. "I didn't know I had a meeting with the Prime Minister so early this morning."
The Prime Minister chuckled softly, the corners of his eyes folding. "I had intended to be here the previous day to celebrate the king's vic-"
"Mother?" Neron interrupted, his eyes on the woman who refused to lift her face.
The woman flinched, though she still didn't raise her face, but she blinked, showing that she had heard him.
The Prime Minister didn't stop smiling. He brushed his beard gently. "It is not your mother's fault that I had-"
Neron rubbed his eyes tiredly. Like the calm before a heavy crash out. His jaw ticked again. "Why is the one person I speak to not responding?" he huffed a breath.
"Are you ignoring me, Mother?" Neron felt a bitter taste rise from his stomach.
The woman slowly raised her face, though she didn't look at Neron directly. Her eyes brimmed with tears. "I can visit my kin, can't I?"
"Not when he is the prime minister." Neron fired, his hands shaking beside him. "Return to your chambers now."
The Prime Minister cleared his throat. "Don't you think that is disrespectful? I was only having a conversation with the King's mother on a casual mo-"
"Do not make me repeat myself, woman." Neron's voice became even lower, like it always did when he was trying to control his anger.
The woman whimpered, tucking her hair behind her ear. She took a step to move, but the Prime Minister stepped forward.
"Neron....you don't treat your mother this way." He moved his hand mindlessly, reaching for Neron's shoulder.
"Prime Minister, if you so much as brush my sleeve, I'll have your hand on my table before you even realize you've bled." Neron's eyes moved with the man's hand before it could reach him. His gaze filled with the arrogance of one who barely considers the man human.
"Don't fucking try it."
The Prime Minister, instead of touching Neron, rubbed his beard. This time, the lasting smile on his lips slowly turned into a frown.
Neron rolled his eyes in an 'I thought as much manner'. He turned his head to the side. "Who is there.... escort the queen dowager back to her room."
"No! I wish to be with my kin." The woman retorted, raising her voice for the first time.
"Guards!" Neron's voice rumbled.
Two guards stepped forward and, without a word, grabbed the queen dowager's hand side by side.
"Make sure she doesn't leave her chambers again." Neron ordered before they dragged the woman with them.
The Prime Minister scoffed. His eyes followed the woman who stared at him in silence as she was being dragged. "You can lock her body, but you cannot cage her heart," the man mused poetically.
"Nothing else means love if not that, and you have to come to accept it." The man took slow steps towards Neron, his voice reduced to a whisper.
"You saw it yourself....how she made love to me that day. I'm sure caging her doesn't erase what I share with your mother....my dear Nero."
Neron dropped his eyes down, staring at the man. "It is Your Majesty to you... and you'll say it with a bow."
The Prime Minister clenched his teeth but obeyed. "I shall take my leave now, Your Majesty." He gave a quirk smile that showed until next time before walking past Neron.
When the man had walked a reasonable distance away from him, Neron turned to look at the man enter his carriage with a smug expression on his face.
"Fool," Neron murmured to himself. He could tell the man also made a similar comment about him somewhere between those smiles.
"Your Majesty."
Neron rolled his eyes tiredly, rubbing his forehead. "What is it this time? Let this poor king rest." He shifted his gaze to the side to see who it was.
"Your Majesty, there is a man over there claiming to be an official and keeps saying there is an imposter in the palace." A guard reported. Behind him were two others.
Neron twitched his lips. "They always do that — give him something from the royal storage and send him away." He said with a dismissive wave. When he noticed someone among the guards, he pointed at him.
"Cora, was it? Mm," he hummed, deep in thought. "...you did well last night as an executioner," he complimented.
Cora bowed but didn't say any word.
"Do you think the person there really saw an imposter or just wishes to get the king's attention?" Neron asked as he began walking. The three guards made a perfect turn to follow the king behind.
"Well, let's see, I'm already having a shitty morning; I might as well deal with it to the end." Neron remarked with a grim smile. "Where is this person?" he asked without turning.
"Near the palace walls, he keeps saying two women attacked him last night."
Cora's ears twitched when he heard this. Spinola had told him everything that had happened with the official and the princess. Could it be the same person? What if he exposes their identities by telling the king everything?
"Your Majesty," Cora blurted.
Neron didn't stop walking; he only gave a soft hum. "Yes, Cora?"
That the man knew it was him without turning shocked Cora, but at that moment, he had other things to worry about. "Maybe he's just a crazy man trying to bother the king."
"Mm." Neron nodded. "We will see when we get there," he replied.
Cora racked his brain for something, a plan to get the king distracted. "Your Majesty." This time, the two other guards nudged Cora.
"You don't appear a talkative Cora, don't make me wrong about you."
This was enough to get Cora to shut up. Pestering the king would only make him more suspicious. The last option was to kill the official once they got there by pretending he tried to attack the king. Cora gripped his sword.
They were almost at the palace walls when they saw a man covered in mud from his face down, with a huge swell on his head and eyes. His robe ripped on the side. When he saw the king, he waved his hand.
"Your Majesty." The man cried as if he had just met his savior.
Neron narrowed his eyes. He noticed the imprints on the man's robes, though covered in mud. "That is the royal Court Steward, Lord Edward."
Cora gritted his teeth. He couldn't just accuse and kill the man because the king had recognised him!
"What happened to the poor man?" Neron asked nobody in particular, trying to hold his laugh.
"Your Majesty." The official yelled, "The girl is an imposter... she is with that woman.... a princess."
Neron furrowed his brows. "And what is he saying?" Neron pressed his lips.
As the two parties neared each other, Lord Edward wailed and ran to his king. A horse neighed in the distance with a shrieking sound.
Everyone, including Neron, turned to see who it was.
"Help me!" Izrina cried as the horse bounced her without mercy, galloping at full throttle. "Please stop!!"
Neron tilted his head to the side. "Zeke?"
Cora's heart jumped when he saw the princess struggling to stop the horse.
Izrina moved forward, grabbing the horse by the neck. This seemed to agitate the beast even more. It moved up and neighed, increasing speed.
Lord Edward walked in the same direction. Nearing his king. "Your Majes-"
Those were the man's last words before the horse kicked him out of the way, sending him flying up.
"Oh, no!" Izrina gasped. Nobody would survive such a fall.
"Wow." Neron smiled, watching in pure admiration, his eyes lit up with sadistic amazement. He turned to his horse, moving two fingers to the side. "Zeke, down."
The horse neighed, moving the two front legs forward down. The beast bowed.
Izrina didn't think about it; she jumped down from the horse, holding her chest as she tried to catch her breath.
The Court Steward's body dropped with a harsh thud, and everyone turned to see the man's limp body.
"Someone help bury the poor man.... he had a delightful ride." Neron said with a blank face. He turned his face to the side and saw the stable boy, whose eyes showed fright.
"Ray Ray, my boy. Our court steward has kicked the bucket. What ever shall we do?"