Chapter 292: Beneath the Roses

Charcoal stoves were burning in the hot and humid palace and there was a strong smell of sweat stench in the warm air. In the corner, beside the gigantic bronze stove, there were people that continued to throw herbs into the blazing fire. White smoke rose from the flame and the queer smell was so strong that it was hard to breathe.

On the grand and majestic bed, a thin and frail middle-aged man was lying underneath a thick blanket. It seemed as if he was having a nightmare as he was moaning in his deep sleep.

“Is this really necessary?” The palace official asked the physician, “We have to open the windows. His Majesty should not be cooped up in here. The smell is so suffocating, he can barely breathe.”

“We cannot open the windows.” The elderly physician shook his head, “His Majesty must not see any light and wind. If the smell is not strong enough, the poison in his lungs will no longer be suppressed and will spread rapidly.”

“How long will he have to stay like this?” The palace official muttered to himself as his face looked solemn.

“As long as possible.” There was no expression on the physician’s face. He looked at the grief-stricken queen and spoke quietly, “This shouldn’t be something for you to say nor ask. Just do what you are supposed to do. Don’t think or ask about other things that are not of your concern.”

The palace official was taken aback and realized that he might have said the wrong things. His face turned pale and quickly nodded. The ensuing silence was only broken by the hoarse moans of the Emperor. The expression on the queen’s face was slowly changing. After a long hesitation, she seemed to have made up her mind about something and rose to walk towards the door.

Once at the door, two palace guards stepped forward and blocked her way. The queen looked extremely crossed. “Step aside. How dare you block my way!”

“Your Highness, you cannot leave.” The elderly palace guard continued, “His Majesty needs your company now.”

The queen scowled, “What he needs is a physician! A real physician! Who knows where that phony physician came from! Neither does he need to be placed under house arrest! The b*stard son of that b*tch, Don Juan, must have been preparing for this day for a long time! I have always known that he is up to no good!”

The palace guard did not reply. He pretended not to have heard anything.

“Move aside!” The queen ordered.

The palace guard did not move.

“The queen wishes to catch some fresh air. Let her step outside for a while.” A soft and gentle voice could be heard behind the door. “It won’t do her any good to be cooped inside all day.”

The expression on the queen’s face changed.

The palace guard finally seemed to relent as he opened the doors. As the door creaked open, beams of sunlight poured in and filled up the grim and dark palace.

The autumn wind swept across the courtyard and into the palace so that the air was no long so suffocating. When the young man stepped into the palace, the queen turned pale and could not help but take a step back. He was much taller than her and looked very handsome, despite little resemblances with his father.

“I think there must be some misunderstanding here. Your younger brother, Marquis Loire, chose to believe in some rumors and hastily decided to act on them.” The young man, by the name of Don Juan, smiled politely, “Perhaps I have kept you here for too long, which may explain some of the strange rumors that have been spreading about. But I believe that the truth will be revealed very soon. The subordinate has offended you unintentionally. Please don’t mind him. Now, I have some things to tell father. Please feel free to leave.”

The queen’s face contorted as she retreated from Don Juan’s advances. She lowered her head in an attempt to escape from Don Juan’s glance. Inadvertently, she noticed the fresh red stains on his boots, as if his boots had just stepped on a pool of blood.

“I am deeply sorry for what happened to your brother.” Don Juan stopped beside her and placed a broken coat of arms in her palm, “He left me with no other choice.”

The queen was stunned. She raised her head suddenly and stared at Don Juan. Her face began to scowl as her fingers gripped so tightly on the coat of arms that she was almost going to cut herself.

“You…” She began. She almost wanted to scream but then she heard a hoarse voice behind her.

“Is that Don Juan?”

The man on the sickbed had woken up. He struggled to open his eyes. There was a grey mist in his green eyes, as if there was a tinge of fear amidst the fragility. He was clearly very sick. He struggled to prop himself up as the maid hurriedly wiped away the saliva at the corner of his mouth. His brain was still trembling slightly even as he leaned against the bed and waved at Don Juan, “Come over here, son. Come closer.”

Don Juan smiled, “Yes, father.”

Very soon, the other unrelated people left. In the quiet palace, there was only the faint burning sound of the herbs in the bronze stove.

“Father, are you feeling better?” Don Juan carefully brushed his hair to the back and sat on the bed.

“Give me some warm water. My stomach feels uncomfortable.” The Emperor sighed and took over the cup of water from his ‘son’ and sighed while shaking his head, “Son, this poison of yours is not idea…’Tulip’ may be effective but the effect of the poison takes too long. It has a strange taste too. Putting it in red wine will affect one’s appetite.”

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Don Juan raised his eyebrows slightly but did not say anything.

“This was also how your uncle died back then, but you were much kinder with the poison that you used.” The Emperor put down the cup of water and closed his eyes. After pondering for a moment, he opened his eyes again, “First, it was the National Assembly, then it was the Ministry of Finance. Taking into account how much time has passed, the imperial army and ground forces should already be under your control as well?”

“Almost.” Don Juan answered honestly, “Adrian is very slick and has yet to agree to my terms and conditions.”

“Take your time. I chose him to lead my ground forces. I know him well.” The Emperor commented, “He will always take the winning side. He knows that he will be of use to you but before I die, he will not declare for you.”

Don Juan listened and nodded, “Sounds like it won’t be long.”

“Yes, it will be soon.” The Emperor nodded and his expression was solemn, “I’m probably the Emperor with the shortest reign in the entire history? I have waited my entire life just to be an Emperor for two months.”

“History will remember you, father.”

“Who cares?” The Emperor laughed and looked up at him, “After I die, treat my queen well. She is a foolish woman and will pose any threat to you. Your uncle will become the next Emperor. You must guide him well.”

He paused and looked at Don Juan, “Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Don Juan thought about it and said, “You want me to send him to the guillotine?”

“Someone has to clean up the mess.” The Emperor sighed, “Right now, the Ministry of Finance and the national reserves are in terrible state. I don’t have time to resolve it and he won’t be capable enough to do it too, so things will only get worse. Since he has always been obsessed with wearing the crown, then fulfil his wish. Let him face the ire and wrath of the people and the National Assembly on your behalf. When the next rebellion comes along, you will be able to take the opportunity to send him and other troublesome people to heaven. Don Juan, you will be a brilliant new king, the leader of Burgundy’s resurgence, and a perfect Emperor.”

Don Juan listened but he did not seem pleased. Instead, he fell into deep silence.

The Emperor struggled mightily before patting his shoulder, “Don Juan, don’t be anxious. You have to take your time when it comes to certain matters. This is something that I had to learn throughout my entire life. You were too careless and reckless sometimes. If I had not asked someone to clean up the mess for you, people would have found out about your brother.”

There was a long period of silence before Don Juan finally looked up at him. “Don’t you hate me, ‘father’?” He continued through gritted teeth, “I killed my own brother, who was supposed to be your successor, and now I have taken everything away from you.”

The Emperor smiled, “No, you have fulfilled all my wishes, my child.”

The Emperor smiled consolingly, “Why would I hate you? You are a good child. You are just like me. There is always hunger in your eyes and you are never satisfied. I had six sons but it took me a long time to realize that they were all useless and worthless. They were like pigs fighting for scraps but never once have they ever thought of looking up at the sky. Can you understand how I felt? I was filled with pain and despair. But you are different from them. You are a wolf, a true predator. I knew it from the first time I saw you. It was fated that you will be my successor. You will fulfil the wishes of our ancestors. You will become the true ruler of Burgundy, the one and only king! How happy I was when I first saw you.”

He stretched out his hand grabbed onto Don Juan. His eyes seemed to be burning, “Do you know how happy and comforted I was when I drank that cup of red wine that had been laced with tulip? I was more than happy to embrace the outcome. It’s a pity that you can still be too careless sometimes. Your inexperience worries me. Over at the town of Lute, you should have cleaned things up much earlier. How could you have left behind such a huge loophole?”

Don Juan was stunned. A chill ran down his spine as he lowered his head and looked at his own ‘father’.

“You… already knew?”

“How can I not know? A father must always know his son well. Isn’t this the reason why I adore you so much?” The Emperor looked at him and smiled. There was a hint of lunacy in that smile that made Don Juan confused. “Don’t be afraid. How can I possibly stand by and watch you lose everything? You were too careless and soft-hearted, but have you not thought about the consequences of someone pointing you out? Someone would surely have remembered your face! Don’t worry. The people that the queen had sent over will not be coming back. I have already made sure of that.”

This man, who was on the verge of dying, grabbed onto Don Juan’s wrist and his grip was as strong as a metal claw. “You will wear the crown, my child.” He stared at the successor before him, as he if was trying to erase all of the latter’s weaknesses with his will. “You will go down in history while I will be forgotten. History will remember you for your greatness, Don Juan!”

Silence. Amidst the long silence, Don Juan’s pale face finally cracked a smile, “I… understand.”

With that, the Emperor smiled and finally released his hand. It was as if he had used up all of his strength. He laid back down on the bed, his eyes were struggling to open. “Don Juan, are you still there?”

“I’m here, father.”

“Come closer, my child, I can barely see you.” The Emperor inspected his face and smiled, “My dear, tell me, who are you?”

“I am your son, father,” the young man replied hoarsely.

“Very good.” The Emperor laughed. He was pleased with the answer. With all the remaining energy he had, he shouted, “Then tell everyone, who are you?”

“I am your successor.” Don Juan closed his eyes as the blood vessels in his eyes branched out. “I am the first citizen of Burgundy, the protector of the white roses and the Emperor of all!”

The Emperor closed his eyes contentedly. He spoke no more. His breathing became weaker until finally, he passed away.

In the silence, Don Juan leaned back onto the chair weakly as sunlight continued to shine into the palace. They shone on the wall and casted a blur shadow. He shut his eyes and laughed self-deprecatingly. “Yes, I am Don Juan.”