I was dragged to a bedroom in the dowager empress’ wing.

She said I was to be executed at sunrise tomorrow.

I looked outside the window. It was just about to get dark, so there was still a little bit of time.

Knowing her, I expected the dowager empress to execute me in public. My death would make a great example for all the noblemen to show what would happen if they went against her.

She would say something like…

“Those who don’t follow me will face the same fate as the emperor’s wife!”

I didn’t plan on waiting for my death like a good prisoner. I wasn’t a docile little girl. I never was.

I would survive this!

I didn’t want to die!

Then there was Lucretius.

I refused to believe he was dead. I couldn’t help being worried, but I had to be strong.

However, just because I believed he was still alive didn’t mean I would wait for him to rescue me. I wasn’t some fragile princess trapped in a tower waiting for her prince.

My belief that Lucretius was still alive was based on logic. It appeared that this rebellion was cooked up rather hastily. This meant the dowager empress probably didn’t have enough time to gather up significant military force. The emperor was very well protected with layers of guards, so my guess was the attack on Lucretius was more of a distraction than an actual attempt to kill him.

She successfully accomplished her goal. She would take over the Senate and capture me. She also got the royal seal.

A majority of the royal guards seemed like they were still loyal to Lucretius, which meant the few men the dowager empress had were not enough to cover the entire castle.

The only reason why the loyal royal guards couldn’t do anything against her at this point was that the dowager empress had me, the chancellor, and the Senate members as hostages. On top of that, the chief of royal guards was also murdered and, therefore, the guards had no one to lead them.

I was well watched by the dowager empress’ maids and servants. They were big women, and they clearly wouldn’t sleep tonight.

I tried to think of a way to escape. Should I insist on going to the washroom by myself? Should I pretend to get sick?

Either way, I didn’t think they would listen to me.

If I didn’t escape before sunrise, I would be dragged out and executed.

Think, Bina, think!

Just then, I saw the fireplace. I estimated its distance from where I was sitting. I also noted the ring with a large pearl on my finger.

I grabbed my stomach and collapsed onto the floor. I was tied to the chair, so the chair fell with me as well. I flailed around to get closer to the fireplace.

“Oh! Arrrh! My, my stomach!”

The maids and the servants came to me quickly.

“Stomach?”

“Maybe she is lying.”

They were right, and I knew they would suspect it. However, I had to try.

I moaned as if in pain. “Oh, my… my baby…!”

As I continued to lay on the floor, the women seemed confused.

“W, what do we do? Is she really pregnant?”

“We should ask the principle maid in waiting…!”

“But she is a prisoner anyway! She will be executed tomorrow, so what’s the point?!”

“But we should still inform her…!”

I hadn’t realized I was such a talented actress. I continued to whimper.

“Aaaaa! D, doctor…! Please get me a doctor…”

Suddenly, I quieted and pretended to faint. The servants checked me and hesitantly untied me. They seemed to want to help me get more comfortable.

The reason why the dowager empress didn’t kill me right away was that she knew she could use me. We still didn’t know Lucretius’ whereabouts and if he did come back alive, I would make an excellent hostage.

Thus the fact that she decided my execution to take place tomorrow morning must have meant she would know the result of the battle by then. If things didn’t go according to her plan, she would probably delay my execution. This meant if I, a possible useful hostage, died tonight, it would be a huge problem for her.

The maids and the servants responsible for me looked disordered, which was what I wanted.

It worked. I was very close to the fireplace. Everyone else was also near it. This was perfect.

I quickly took out the black pearl from the ring and threw it into the fire. I then covered my nose and mouth.

Boom!

It wasn’t a loud sound, but the small explosion created an incredible amount of smoke, which caused brief sleepiness.

“Huh?”

“What is happening?”

“Ahhh!”

“This…!”

The woman seemed confused but quickly lost consciousness after breathing in the smoke. They collapsed onto the floor. I quickly moved away while still holding my breath. As the room was filled with the sleep smoke, I calmly took out a round pill form another ring on my right finger and swallowed it. It tasted bitter but it was necessary as it was the antidote for the smoke.

These two rings were from Lowson. If I survived this situation, I would have to thank him.

I went back to the servants and took off one woman’s clothes. I wore it myself and hid my hair with the servant’s headband. Thankfully, the winter outfit covered me very well. As long as I kept my face down, I wasn’t recognizable.

After taking a deep breath, I opened the door and left the room.

***

The guards standing in front of the door looked at me questioningly. I made sure to close the door quickly so they couldn’t see the smoke coming from the inner area. All of them seemed oblivious except for one.

“What was that noise?”

“…”

I could feel the cold sweat. They must have heard the noise when I fell onto the floor. I came up with something quick and said in a low voice.

“Her highness made a scene, so we had to grab her down.”

“And how is everything now?”

“We tied her down tighter so it should be fine.”

The guards seemed to accept my answer. They didn’t open the door to confirm my story. Perhaps it was because this was the dowager empress’ personal bedroom. Without her permission, a man other than her husband or family members couldn’t enter.

The same guard suddenly asked me, “Where do you think you are going?”

I thought quickly and answered, “While we were grabbing her highness, a few of the maids got hurt, so I was sent to get some medicine.”

“Alright.”

The guards nodded and waved me on.

“Go then.”

“Yes, sir.”

I lowered my head like a good servant and walked away quickly. Where should I go? I didn’t know where the dowager empress’ royal guards were located. I tried to make an educated guess.

Just then, a familiar voice asked me from behind, “Where do you think you are going?”

Unpleasant grating voice. I felt my heart falling to the floor.

The dowager empress. It was her.

Why was she here? She should have been busy planning her plot and taking care of the castle, shouldn’t’ she?

When I hesitated, the footsteps approached me fast. I tried to run, but it was too late. She was very quick.

She pulled my headband off. My black hair flew out uncontrollably. I bit my lips and raised my head.

The dowager empress looked at me in satisfaction.

She looked impressed. “Not bad.”

She raised her voice and ordered, “Get her!”

Rough hands grabbed me.

“[Dammit!]”