章節 2: Chapter 2 - Dungeon Dilemma
I swallowed hard, trying to regain some semblance of control.
My eyes flicked up to the emperor, towering over me like some sort of vengeful god.
His deep crimson eyes, framed by impossibly thick lashes, bore into mine, making it hard to breathe.
He looked every bit like the perfect villain of a romance novel—intimidating, dangerous, and horribly attractive.
Ugh, why did this have to be that kind of story?
The crowd's chants grew louder, demanding my blood.
Think, think, THINK!
"I'm pregnant!" The words tumbled out before I could even think them through.
The entire stadium fell into stunned silence, a wave of disbelief washing over the crowd like a tidal wave.
The emperor's face remained impassive, though his eyes darkened. "What?"
"I said I'm pregnant!" I repeated, doubling down because, well, what else could I do?
My hands cradled my nonexistent belly in a desperate attempt to sell the lie.
The emperor's lips twitched into a barely-there sneer. "And what makes you think that matters?"
Oh no. That didn't work. I panicked. "It's... it's your child!"
The silence that followed could have swallowed the entire stadium whole.
Even the birds in the sky seemed to freeze mid-flight.
The emperor's eyes flickered—was that a flash of surprise?
He leaned forward, eyes narrowing to dangerous slits. "You dare lie to me?"
I frantically waved my hands in front of me.
"No! No, of course not! I mean, look at me! Don't I look... uh, a little rounder?" I gestured to my stomach, which, let's be honest, wasn't exactly giving pregnant vibes.
Great, real convincing.
The emperor's jaw clenched, and I knew I was moments from being decapitated.
Abort, abort!
"Kill her."
"Noooooo!" I wailed, scrambling to think of another lie.
Another outrageous, desperate lie.
"I—I have a secret that could destroy the empire!"
"Kill her."
"I can cook!"
"Kill her."
"I have... magic!"
The emperor paused, his eyes flickering with momentary curiosity. Then he spoke again, deadly quiet.
"Kill. Her."
And that's when I realized something important: I was screwed.
"Bastard! You can't kill your child's mother! I swear on the name of Deventhi Aurelia that it is your child!" I shouted, one last desperate attempt to save my delicate neck.
"Don't kill her."
"Fuck yo—huh?" I stopped mid-curse, the words freezing on my tongue.
Did he just say don't kill me?
I blinked in confusion, lifting my gaze to meet his.
The emperor's face twitched ever so slightly, as if he had just heard what I was about to say, not what I actually said.
Did he just... read my mind?
"Oh," I stammered, "um... due to pregnancy, I get... a little irritative."
I laughed awkwardly, trying to mask my shock. "You know, hormones and all. Hehehe."
The emperor's expression remained unreadable, but I could swear I saw the faintest flicker of... was it amusement?
His mouth twitched for the briefest second before settling back into that stern, terrifying expression that screamed, "I could end you."
The crowd, however, didn't seem to know what to make of it.
Murmurs rippled through the stands, and I could hear people whispering, "Is she really pregnant?" "With his child?" "She's that crazy?"
"Silence!" the emperor's voice boomed, and the entire stadium quieted instantly.
He turned his gaze back to me, narrowing his eyes as if weighing my life in the balance. "You swear it's my child?"
I nodded frantically, a grin plastered on my face. "Absolutely! One hundred percent! And, you know, I wouldn't lie about something like this. You're the emperor, after all. That would be... crazy, right?"
He tilted his head slightly, the faintest smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Indeed. It would be."
"Exactly! So, you know, let's just... not kill me. That would be great." I gave a nervous laugh, trying to read his expression and failing miserably.
The emperor leaned back in his throne, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "You claim to carry my child... and yet, no evidence of this pregnancy can be seen."
I gulped.
"Uh, well, it's early stages, you see. Very early. Like, super early. So early that even I barely noticed!" I patted my stomach with a smile that felt more like a grimace.
He raised an eyebrow. "Barely noticed?"
"Yep! I mean, sometimes I get these cravings... for, uh... pickles? And chocolate? Together?" I shuddered at the thought.
"That's a pregnancy thing, right?"
The emperor stared at me for a long, painful moment.
I could feel the sweat pooling at the back of my neck as my heart raced.
Please don't call my bluff.
Please don't call my bluff.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he sighed deeply. "Fine. We will delay your execution... until I confirm the truth."
My eyes widened in relief. "Oh, thank you, thank you! You won't regret this, I promise! Well, maybe a little, but still—"
"Take her to the dungeon," he ordered, cutting me off.
"Dungeon?" I squeaked. "Wait, I thought we were having a breakthrough here!"
"The dungeon," he repeated with a finality that left no room for negotiation.
Before I could protest, the guards grabbed me by the arms again, dragging me away.
"Okay, okay, no need to be so rough! I'm carrying royalty here!" I hollered, my voice echoing through the stadium.
As they hauled me off, I couldn't help but glance back at the emperor.
He was watching me with those cold, dark eyes, but there was definitely a smirk there now.
Maybe I wasn't entirely screwed after all.
.
.
.
.
I stared at my hand, the iron chain clinking as I absentmindedly toyed with it.
The dungeon was cold, damp, and exactly as unpleasant as I'd imagined.
The walls were dark stone, and the faint flicker of torchlight barely did anything to dispel the gloom.
The musty smell? Well, let's just say it wasn't on my list of favorite scents.
Two guards stood at the entrance of my little cell, looking like statues in their thick armor.
I was determined to get out, but so far, every attempt had been a total failure.
"I want to eat," I said, trying the most basic approach first.
"No," came the monotone response from one of the guards.
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