Empress of Another World

Twelve

While I tried to recover from my embarrassment, he grinned at me and continued, “Why do you think my decision wasn’t made impulsively?”

I weakly replied, “Because it doesn’t make sense.”

“Hmm…. Could my smart wife explain it to me in more details?”

Was it because of the sunlight? I could see the yellowness in the emperor’s green eyes. He looked like a cat who found a mouse to play with. He seemed like a snake about to kill a mouse for dinner.

I knew without a doubt where I stood. A mouse could never win against its predator.

I replied cautiously, “You are the man who killed the former emperor with a meticulous plan.”

“Hmm…”

“You would’ve known that after the murder, some people, for example, the dowager empress, would suspect you to be behind the whole plot. No one would ever suspect that you killed him yourself though. You knew they would look for a killer you hired, which means they will never find the killer. I myself wouldn’t have believed you killed him yourself unless I saw it happen in person.”

Lucretius’s voice was sharp. “And why wouldn’t you think that I killed him impulsively and spontaneously on the spot in anger? That would be the most logical explanation.”

I shook my head. “It’s a possibility, but then I saw the secret pathway you used. It would have been too risky to share something like that with someone, which means you had to get involved yourself to keep the whole event a secret. Of course… I’m just guessing.”

He nodded for me to continue.

I felt insulted at his rude gesture, but I didn’t show my displeasure. I knew I was powerless. The man in front of me was in complete control of this situation.

“You let me live after careful consideration. It was a calculated move. I think you meant to kill me at first, but you changed your plan last night. You probably counted on someone finding the emperor’s body the next morning, but instead, you decided to have me alert the guard right away. By that time, you would have returned to your own room through the secret pathway. I assume only you and your father knew about this pathway. The guards would have come to your room to let you know what happened, which means you got yourself a solid alibi.”

He smiled coldly. “You got one thing wrong. It was the library, not my room.”

“And you are the one who left the window open?”

“Yes, since you forgot to do it yourself. You should thank me for that too, but… I assume you won’t. After all, you are the woman who didn’t thank me for granting you such an honored position.”

I turned away. “I will thank you for opening the window. I admit I forgot to do it.”

“I am overwhelmed by your kindness.”

He replied to me in an exaggeratedly sarcastic tone.

I picked up the grouse leg from my plate again and asked, “So other than the library thing, I got the rest of it right?”

“I guess so. Oh, and the guards found a servant’s outfit in the outer garden this morning. It was suspected that the assassin threw it away while escaping last night.”

I gaped at him. “That is very impressive.”

I really was impressed and shocked. He obviously had the outfit planted after I gave my testimony yesterday.

“With it, your testimony has been verified. Now, no one will be able to doubt your helpful role in this investigation. This means no one will question why I fell in love with you and chose you to be my wife.”