When the Mad Emperor Suddenly Becomes Sweet

42

Lucius looked extremely unwell and fell into a deep slumber as soon as he lay down on the bed. As his breathing took on the rhythm of sleep, Freya collapsed on the floor beside the bed. She lifted her hand to massage the rope marks on her neck. The rope had certainly left a visible imprint on her neck, and she could see a slight trace on her wrist as well. She considered how hard it was to earn money as she massaged her arms and legs. Surely there was another way, without getting hurt while trying to support His Majesty?

The realization that this was Lucius’ private space suddenly dawned on her, making her get up quickly to leave. She saw the sun high up in the sky and sighed a sad sigh. It seemed like it had been a long time since a day had passed so slowly, and the nerves she felt that added to her fatigue were not helping. However, the sight of the messy room spurred her into action; she knew that she had to make the room tidy again before His Majesty woke up. So she rolled out the folded carpet so that it covered the floor, and began her simple cleaning tasks. When the table was cleared of cups and plates, she stood back and surveyed her work and felt pride in her cleaning skills. This was certainly one thing that she could do exceptionally well. She cast her mind back over the unfortunate events that had happened earlier and considered that it was unlikely that such bad luck would fall on her every day. The five gold coins that she had earned also helped a lot, and she smiled widely as she thought of how helpful that reward would be.

Freya’s thoughts were interrupted by Herro, who suddenly came into the tent calling her name. She put down the dagger that she was about to clean and asked Herro what was wrong. Herro took her hand and led her outside, and she followed him towards the barracks. As they got closer, he gave her an apple and instructed her to eat it.

Herro asked, “Is His Majesty resting now?” Freya began to answer that yes, he was, but Herro shushed her and, with a glance around the area as if to check that nobody was listening, continued to speak. “Freya, I know things have been a little unusual today. But there are some things that I must tell you.” Freya indicated that she was listening and Herro continued. “Do not tell anyone about His Majesty’s condition. Also, do not allow anyone to enter the tent without permission from His Majesty. Aside from Gemini and myself, His Majesty’s permission must be obtained for anyone to enter that tent.” Freya murmured that she understood, but she was thinking to herself that this job might not be as easy as she had initially thought. She told Herro that His Majesty had been acting a little strangely, but Herro just replied that it was probably due to tiredness as His Majesty hadn’t slept for the past few days. She was about to react in shock, but Herro quickly disappeared and left Freya alone to return to the tent.

When Freya arrived back at the tent, Lucius was awake and looking angrily at her and sharply asked, “Where did you go?” Freya quickly replied, “I had to use the bathroom,” as she remembered that no one was allowed to enter the tent. She didn’t know why, but her words embarrassed her. She would never feel so uncomfortable saying something like that to Archer, but now for some unknown reason, she felt very unusual saying them to His Majesty. Lucius was moving around the tent, tutting and muttering about how untidy the tent was. Freya thought he was just nitpicking, as she knew how clean it was after her hard work. She felt confident so she lifted her head to look at him, and he put his feet out in front of her and instructed, “Clean my shoes.” Freya nodded in acknowledgment and sat down and put his feet on a wooden stool. She inspected the two shoes closely, but she couldn’t find a single speck of dust on them. She looked at him and said, “But Your Majesty, these shoes are clean already.” Lucius glared at her and snapped, “Just clean them.” Freya grabbed a cloth and began to clean the shoes as best she could. Lucius continued, “As your job is to be beside me always, you should feel honored. Many would like to have such an opportunity.” Freya murmured in agreement, but she didn’t feel proud or honored. Her main incentive was the money, and it was the thought of receiving that money that kept her going. Lucius then announced, “I’m going to look around the barracks now, so please prepare me to step outside.” Freya hurriedly grabbed the cape from the wall, put it on Lucius, and then closed it up. There was no such trouble as she had had the last time she dealt with that cape. Lucius seemed satisfied and quickly said, “OK, let’s go.” Freya was confused, and asked, “Am I going with you?” Lucius responded by tutting disappointedly and saying, “It’s so annoying that I have to teach you so much.” Freya wondered to herself why he hadn’t chosen someone who knew all this instead of her, but she knew she couldn’t say anything and instead followed him out of the tent.