Episode 9

The emperor was right. The night was more boisterous than I anticipated. We were assaulted multiple times. It was the sixth assassin to enter that room, but none had any chance to react or even get close to us. Icarus did not allow them time to defend themselves; they all perished at his hands, and I sobered up quickly upon realizing they were trying to kill me with considerable zeal.

"I'm done. I hate dirtying my hands. Blood is so sticky," the Emperor commented while he cleaned his hands on the garments of one of the assassins who lay dead on the floor.

I felt my body shaking; I wasn't sure if it was due to the tension of the repeated attacks or the realization that the rumors were entirely true—the emperor was a man of immense strength. Not only that, but he seemed to have the senses of an animal, reacting swiftly to any suspicious movement.

"What are we going to do with all this blood? Aren't we going to call someone to clean it up? The smell is taking over the room," I said, aware that I should be desperate in the situation, but after the third death, I kind of got used to it.

"What the hell are you doing there? Come to bed now," Icarus shouted as he saw me kneeling, looking at one of the assassins' bodies. I was checking to see if I recognized any of them, but I only knew Sheila.

"Yes, sir," I agreed. The emperor might be frightening, but it seemed safer to be near him than away. The whole world seemed to want my head, but even so, it was a bit scary to get close to him.

"I apologize. I don't want to upset you, but I can't feel my legs. I think the night was too much for me. Forgive my earlier disrespect as well... I went too far," I spoke, afraid of being killed like the assassins for disobeying his order, but I really couldn't stand up. Moreover, after seeing all those people dying, I wasn't in any state to act crazy. Facing death up close terrified me. I can't toy with that man; he is truly dangerous.

"Huh... Are you talking about earlier? Looking at you closely, you don't seem genuinely sorry," Icarus replied with his back to me. To my complete despair.

"No! I really mean it. I am very sorry. What can I do to prove it?" I asked. "I swear! I didn't have…"

Before I could finish speaking, I felt Icarus lifting me into his arms, off the ground. What is he doing now? I feel like I'm going to vomit. Is death carrying me in its arms?

"There! Better now," Icarus said, smiling after he had bound me in the bedsheet. I resembled a sausage roll. This man definitely had a way of leaving me disoriented. "Now that things have finally calmed down, we can talk properly, right? How are you feeling? You seem quite scared by all this. If you prefer, we can wait to talk later."

"Ah... I just feel a bit dazed. I think a conversation won't be a problem. Maybe I will even feel better after talking a bit." My day had been definitely quite crazy, and at no point had anyone really stopped to talk to me.

"It won't be anything too complicated. I will just ask some questions, and I want you to answer them honestly. I do not like lies," Icarus warned me, seeming to ponder something as he looked at me. The feeling of his eyes on me made my body shiver again. From the roguish smile he gave me, I think he noticed.