Chapter 28: Chapter 26

“What will you do if you know you only have a year to live?”

That question took Rinaldo by surprise. He didn't expect the Emperor to ask him such a question, which made him realise how temporary life could be. It was something he'd never thought about before. He wasn't sure how he should answer.

Rinaldo thought carefully before answering. He wasn't sure what the Emperor wanted to hear, but he wanted to avoid a situation where he had to give a dishonest answer. So, he tried to answer as honestly as possible.

“I… I don't know.”

“Then I have to help you. Tell me what you want to do with the rest of your life.” The Emperor's tone wasn't demanding or even stern. Instead, it was quiet and gentle.

“I want to have a family. I want to have children and get married.”

The Emperor nodded. “I'll make sure you get to live the life you want to live.”

Rinaldo was silent for a moment, lost in thought. The Emperor's words made him happy, but they made him more anxious simultaneously. Rinaldo had never thought about his death that much. So there must be a reason for The Emperor to ask him such a specific question.

“I died in the story, right?”

“Yes, you did. But don't worry about that.” The Emperor's voice was soft, reassuring. “It won't happen if we can avoid a war with the Oeste Kingdom.”

Rinaldo relaxed a little. The Emperor knew what he had to do, and Rinaldo was more than willing to help him. It all made sense now. A war with Oeste would certainly be a disaster. He couldn't risk letting that happen.

“If I can be of service in helping you, please tell me.”

The Emperor was silent for a moment. Rinaldo could almost hear him thinking. “If you wish, I can tell you everything you want to know, but it might make you feel more anxious than if you knew the details yourself.”

“I understand.”

The Emperor told him about the events leading to the War with Oeste. The Black Sun held so much influence in the kingdom, that it controlled most of the kingdom's resources. He revealed how the Supreme King used them to further his ambitions and gain power.

Then, even more frightening, he told him how the Supreme King had assimilated his subjects to control them and make them serve him. As a result, they became empty shells who followed his every command without question.

“That's terrible.”

The more the Emperor talked, the more Rinaldo knew he had to stop the Supreme King. That the cultists still thought him royal to the Black God was another problem. He needed the cultists' support to further his cause.

The Supreme King was the Black God's proxy. However, the Black God couldn't mould him to his image because of his sheer arrogance and ego. The only thing he had ever obeyed was himself. He thought of everyone else as puppets who were mere pawns in his little game of power.

“Only few people know this, but the Supreme King and I are cousins.”

Rinaldo tried to absorb all the information he'd just heard. He knew from the story that Charlie's mother was not a common maid. Instead, she was the daughter of the previous King of Oeste, who ran away. Would that mean the Supreme King was her brother's son?

“What are you planning?”

“I have some contacts with the nobles of the Oeste, and I'll soon send them a message. They'll probably be interested.”

“What?” Rinaldo couldn't hide the shock he felt in hearing the news. “You want to ally with the Oeste?”

“I didn't say that.” The Emperor leaned back and stretched his feet to the floor. “Let's just say not everyone is happy with the Supreme King and his actions. You should've seen what he did to the nobles who tried to cross him.”

The Emperor told him it all started when the previous king's son died of an unnatural cause, causing him to name his grandson as the rightful heir. However, when the previous king died, and it was time for the heir to take the throne, the nobility refused to recognise him as the rightful ruler.

The Supreme King responded by treating every noble in Oeste, except those who agreed to recognise him as the King as traitors and sentenced them to death. The noble families he spared from his wrath and accepted him as the rightful ruler to rule Oeste became the nobility of the new era.

When the noble's execution was complete, the Supreme King had the bodies placed into coffins, then placed into the ground in a special chamber so that he could see them every day. The Supreme King also left a message carved into the walls of the chamber, which read:

“In this place, my enemies fell, and will stay here, so they will remain my witnesses forever.”

Many thoughts the surviving nobles were secretly not loyal to the Supreme King, and they were right. Not only was the Supreme King a tyrannical ruler, but he was also cruel and unpredictable. He even tortured some nobles to test out if they were truly loyal.

The Supreme King's goal was for the Oeste Kingdom to stand over the rest of the world. He would stop at nothing to fulfil that goal. Even when he had to kill everyone who stood in his way, he showed no regret.

This led many people to flee the country for fear of death or persecution, taking the stories and the fear with them. Those who stayed behind either became loyal to the king, or they were just too scared to do anything.

“Now you know the kind of man we're dealing with.”

“So, you think you can use this to your advantage?”

“I do.” The Emperor nodded.

Rinaldo was silent as he thought about everything he'd just heard. There was so much he didn't know, and he had many questions. He didn't know where to start. However, he was sure of one thing. He had to help the Emperor stop the Supreme King.

“Do you have questions?”

“Just one.” Rinaldo took a deep breath before asking. “What can I do to help?”

“You've done more than enough already.” The Emperor's answer surprised him. “You're my friend. That's all I need from you. Just be there for me.”

Rinaldo didn't know what to say.

“You don't have to say anything if you don't want to.”

Rinaldo felt relieved. “Of course.”

“Good.” The Emperor got up from his chair. “I'll leave you to think about what I've told you.”

Rinaldo smiled back, thinking how lucky he was that he'd met a kind person like the Emperor, who saw the best in everyone and was more like a friend to him rather than a ruler he should fear. If only everyone was so nice, the world would surely be a better place.

Rinaldo stood up as well. He bowed to the Emperor. “Thank you for your time.”

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“You're welcome.” The Emperor walked to the door and opened it. He turned to Rinaldo before he left the room. “I'll see if I can arrange for you a wedding before the year ends, just in case.”

Rinaldo looked at the Emperor as they left the room. The Emperor looked back at him and gave him a reassuring smile. Rinaldo wasn't sure what to think or how to feel. He was happy that the Emperor wanted to help him, but worried about the future.

“Don't worry,” the Emperor said as if he could read Rinaldo's mind. “I'll make sure you have a happy ending.”

“Thank you.”

The Emperor smiled. “I'll be back in a hundred years' time.”

Rinaldo couldn't help but laugh at the Emperor's joke. “You better not die before then.”

“I promise.” The Emperor gave Rinaldo another smile before they parted ways.

He couldn't help but wonder if the Emperor's plan would work. If the Emperor's plan didn't work, what would they do? What would happen to him and his friends? What would happen to Olivia? Rinaldo didn't want to think about it. He would just have to trust the Emperor and hope for the best.

When he walked into his room, Rinaldo thought more and more about his future. As he imagined the wedding the Emperor had told him about, he smiled to himself. He knew exactly who he wanted to be his wife: Olivia.

He was afraid of meeting his end, but he was ready to face it, as prepared as he would be for the worst. If the Emperor's plan failed, at least Rinaldo could be happy, knowing he would have the woman he loved by his side when he met his end. Rinaldo couldn't ask for more than that.

“Rinaldo!”

Rinaldo turned to see who was calling him. He saw Astoria running towards him, much to his surprise. When she reached him, she pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. The unexpected show of affection startled him.

“Astoria? Is everything okay?”

“Charlie told me what's going on.” Astoria's eyes were red, and she looked like she'd been crying. “I don't want you to die, you know?”

“I won't die. I promise.” Rinaldo gasped for breath. “I'll be fine. Now, please, can you let go of me? I can't breathe.”

Rinaldo wasn't sure if he could keep that promise, but he would do everything he could to ensure he kept it. He wasn't going to give up without a fight. He would find a way to survive, even if it meant he had to fight the Supreme King himself.

“Alright. I was just worried about you, you know?” Astoria was staring at him with a weird look on her face.

“Yes. Of course. Please just go.”

Astoria let go of him, but she didn't stop staring at him. “You better not die. I won't forgive you if you do, you know?”

Rinaldo couldn't help but be suspicious. “Astoria, what's wrong?”

Astoria frowned. “It's not what you think. I was just worried about you, you know? That's all.”

Her words touched rinaldo. It made him realise how much she cared for him. He would do everything he could to make sure he survived. It was necessary for him to do it. He owed it to her and to everyone else who cared for him. He wouldn't give them a heart-wrenching goodbye if he could prevent it.

“I'll be fine.” He was sure of that. He knew it was true, for he would be dead by now if he didn't believe it. So he had to trust himself.

Astoria sighed. “Alright. I just hope you're right.”

“So do I.”

He watched as Astoria disappeared into the distance. Rinaldo felt uneasy, as if she was hiding something, but he would not pursue it. He had other things to deal with. He just hoped she didn't do something silly and hurt herself, or anyone else.

Olivia was in the great hall when Rinaldo arrived. She looked up from his approach, surprised. The first thing Rinaldo did once they were alone was to tell her what he'd heard. He let her know about the situation with the Supreme King and what the Emperor was planning to do.

“Do you think it'll work?”

“I don't know.” Rinaldo shook his head. “But I hope so.”

“Me too.” Olivia sighed. “I just wish there was something more we could do.”

“I know.” Rinaldo agreed. He wished he could do more, but he didn't know what else he could do. He was just a simple knight, not a politician. Rinaldo didn't have the skills or the experience to deal with something like this.

Olivia was quiet for a moment. She looked lost in thought. Rinaldo could see the worry in her eyes. He didn't know what to say to make her feel better. He wished he could take away all her worries, but he knew he couldn't.

“Olivia?” Rinaldo's voice snapped her from her thoughts.

“Yes?”

“You're helping just by being here.” Rinaldo reached out and took Olivia's hand. “I'm glad you're here with me.”

And Rinaldo meant it. He was glad he was with her. He didn't know what he would do without her. She was the one thing that was keeping him going. He would do everything he could to ensure they had a future together. He wouldn't let anything happen to her.

Olivia smiled. “I'm glad I'm here with you too.”

Rinaldo felt his heart skip a beat when she said that. He wanted to tell her how he felt, but he didn't know how. Rinaldo was sure she knew, but he wanted to say the words out loud. He wanted her to know that he loved her more than anything.

If he was going to die, he wanted to be sure she was safe. He looked into her eyes, and without a word, he leaned in and kissed her. Rinaldo was sure she would punish him for it, but he didn't care. He didn't want to think about anything else but Olivia.

Olivia laughed. “You're doing this now? You're really pushing your luck, aren't you?”

His heart soared when she responded to him, and he pulled her closer and kissed her even more passionately. The moment he did, he felt her lips part, and her arms wrap around his neck. She pulled him into her, and they lost themselves at the moment.

They didn't care if anybody was around them. It felt as if time had stopped around them. They stopped only when Astoria came in. Rinaldo pulled away from Olivia. She looked a little worse for wear, and he wondered what was wrong.

“Astoria, what's wrong?”

“It's Clarissa. She's been kidnapped!”