How To End This Marriage-Chapter 138: The Emperor’s Silence

"No! You are doing wrong! There is no way you could bring my family here!" the old maid finally raised her voice as she heard about her family.

"Why? Are you scared I might torture them?"

"Why? Do you think I might kill them?" Prince Maximus said with a smirk.

"No! Don’t take the name of death! You have no right to kill them. They deserve to live," she shouted.

"Then utter the truth! Utter whatever you know! Utter what the context behind the letter is," Prince pressured her further.

"I said there is no context! The princess didn’t do anything!" she said, but this time she put more pressure into her voice, making him smirk once again.

"Okay, you stick to your decision while I will stick to mine. The emperor is in bed right now; he has no right to interfere in my decision. So I can do whatever I want. Just you wait! Those whom you cherish so much, I will make them suffer, letting you beg for your death," he said, pressing his face further into the cell bars, making her move backward.

"No! You can’t do this!" she shouted.

"This behavior won’t let you be an emperor. This behavior will only make your people hate you," she tried to blackmail, mentioning the role of a good ruler, but he didn’t listen.

"I never said I will be a good emperor for bad people. And you are one of them. Those who support that witch of a princess will never be a good person. Those who claim themselves to be the owner will always be on the bottom rung. So, you will be one of them," he said as he walked out of the jail while the old woman screamed her lungs out to stop him, but he didn’t listen.

"Any news about her family?" the prince asked.

"No, not for now, but the knights have been searching every corner of the empire to find her family. I’m sure she has foreseen this a long time ago, but she is not confident enough that her family will be safe," another knight spoke.

"Yes, but I think you should search the place where there is less doubt. She must be hiding her family in a place where everyone can see, like the market area where people place their shops to be in front of the people. I’m sure they will be there so that doubt won’t shift to them. And if you see any suspicious activity, get them! Even though they are not her family, still get them. They won’t run if there is no reason," the prince said and walked toward the Emperor’s chamber.

"Father, how are you feeling now? Can you speak now?" he asked, gently touching his palm.

"You won’t speak today either?" he asked, but the emperor didn’t budge, continuing to stare at the ceiling with wide eyes.

"What happened to you, father? Aunt and Vixara said that some assassin entered your room, but when I sent the army, I found none. Why? Who was the person who is so good at camouflage?" he asked, looking at his dead-looking eyes.

"Father, speak something! If you lie like this, something bad might happen.

"Vixara will take everything from an innocent girl. You know, right, that she has killed someone? I didn’t know she could go to such extremes. I thought she was only after my life because of the throne, but she’s now attempting murders. She killed someone in Ablia too. Can you believe it? Your spoiled daughter has killed two people!!!" he said, his voice filled with anger and pressure.

"And when did you prepare the letter? The one you want to send her to Ablia. When did you decide all this? Father, did you not think for once what the consequences would be?" he asked as the emperor tried to move his finger slightly, which touched the prince.

"Father, did you just move your finger? Father, don’t tell me I just saw an illusion?" he said, filled with excitement and fear at the same time.

"Guards! Go call for the doctor! Right now! I want him here!!!" he shouted, making the guards rush to the doctor’s chamber and bring him to the emperor’s chamber in a hurry.

The doctor arrived and started checking the emperor’s nerves, but as he turned towards Prince Maximus, he looked disappointed.

"What happened, doctor? Is Father alright?" he asked in panic.

"No, prince, the emperor is still the same. His condition hasn’t improved. His nerves are barely moving, barely allowing him to function his own body. Maybe you just had an illusion about him, which is why you felt the way you did." the doctor said.

"No! It wasn’t an illusion. His fingers touched mine, and I can feel it. How can a feeling be an illusion? Don’t make me a fool! Or have you sold yourself to our enemies!" he said, accusing the doctor of treachery.

"Your highness, the crown prince! You cannot talk to me like this. You have no right to speak to me in this manner. Do you have proof of the accusation you are putting on me right now? I know your mental state is not well because of the situation happening with the empire, but that doesn’t mean you will put such allegations on me, and I will agree to them when I did nothing." The doctor said angrily.

"If you don’t trust my methods, then you can call some other doctor. But they won’t be the same as me or as loyal as me." the doctor said, trying to leave the place when the prince stopped him.

"I apologize. I know I shouldn’t let anger get the best of me. I don’t doubt your knowledge, but I did feel it. And you should consider that." the prince said.

"I will conduct some tests on His Majesty shortly. And if I feel there are any changes, I will make sure to inform you as soon as possible." The doctor said, walking towards his quarters to pick up some treatment equipment.

"Your highness, I think this is something related to the previous duchess, Libena!" a knight said, but soon he took a step backward, as if he had committed a crime.

"I apologize for the mistake I’ve made. It is a grave sin. Please forgive me! Or kill me!" the knight bowed deeply,kneeling on the ground.

"No, there is nothing wrong with coming to that conclusion. I have my own doubts, but I don’t have solid proof to ensure it gets to the public," the prince said.

"That day, she and the princess were discussing something in the discussion room. It was a private chamber that no one could enter or leave without the emperor’s permission. So how could an assassin enter the room and hide inside when everyone here guards this chamber so fiercely?" the prince said, pacing back and forth.

"Did you check the forest carefully that day?" the prince asked the knight.

"Yes, Your Highness! We circled all around the forest to search for the assassin, but there was no one, nor any footprints present, as if no one had come to the forest in the last few hours. So, the conclusion that the assassin fled towards the forest is impossible," the knight said.

"What about the market? The night market is always open," the prince asked.

"Yes, we have sent knights to the market as well, but after asking around, no one claimed to see someone running into the market in a black-colored outfit, as if the person the previous duchess described is entirely fictional. It was just a thought she spoke in haste," the knight added once again.

"Yeah, it could be," the prince said. "But there is no proof to claim it’s a lie."

"I think we should call an apothecary here," the knight suggested.

"She can check on the Royal Highness. And she can use her methods to come to conclusions that we cannot," the knight said.

"Okay, call the apothecary. I need this investigation to be solved at any cost," the prince said, while the knight left to fetch the apothecary who could solve the issue going on inside the royal palace.

"Father, I don’t know how much you are right and how much you are wrong, but seeing you like this doesn’t make me happy. I want answers. I want answers to so many questions that can only come from you. So get up! Get up and tell me the truth!" the prince whispered into the emperor’s ear, and we saw the emperor’s finger move once again.

"The doctor is here!" the guard announced as the doctor arrived at the emperor’s chamber with his equipment.

"Here! I will start my tests now! You can stay here to see the result!" the doctor said, looking at the prince, who had no intention of leaving the place and leaving the emperor alone.

The doctor started his tests.