Wicked Husband-Chapter 129 - 128

Before Lotan and Diego could ask what had happened, they instinctively drew their guns, loading them quickly and efficiently. Michele frantically waved them off.

"No... put the guns away... d@mn it, no..."

Barely managing to speak through her gasps, Michele squeezed out a few more words.

"It was... the Emperor..." 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Hearing that unexpected name, Diego and Lotan’s eyes widened. Michele hastily explained her encounter with Leon.

At first, she had been sure they were simply tailing Eileen. Her plan had been to confront them, hand them over to the soldiers, and then enjoy her time with Eileen.

But what had appeared before her was none other than the Emperor of Traon, Leon, flanked by his personal guards. He greeted Michele with a wry smile and said:

"I’d appreciate it if you could keep this a secret for now."

His tone was gentle, but it was unmistakably a command. Michele froze in place and instinctively responded.

"That’s... impossible."

Only after speaking did she realize she had just refused a direct order from the Emperor. Panicked, she quickly tried to explain herself.

"The, the report’s probably already been sent up... and His Grace the Duke..."

"Ah, I see. Even though I’m the Emperor, of course, you would prioritize Cesare. I understand completely."

Leon sighed lightly and let Michele go. Confused about why the Emperor had been tailing the Grand Duchess, she immediately ran to her comrades.

"We need to get Senon," Lotan said decisively after hearing the story, quickly issuing orders to Diego and Michele.

"You two, head back to Lady Eileen right away."

***

Michele had suddenly disappeared, leaving Eileen with the soldiers, who were all trying to maintain a cheerful and relaxed atmosphere.

At first, the soldiers stood at attention, too tense and silent to say anything. Eileen, feeling awkward, kept fidgeting with her glasses, unsure how to break the ice. These weren’t soldiers she was familiar with, so starting a conversation felt daunting. However, remaining silent seemed rude, so she finally forced herself to speak.

"Um, thank you for coming all the way to the pharmacy..."

As soon as Eileen opened her mouth, the soldiers widened their eyes in unison.

"Please, speak comfortably!"

Their loud exclamation caught the attention of nearby people, and feeling self-conscious, Eileen quickly adjusted her tone.

"Oh, um, thanks... for coming to buy the medicine..."

Though her words were shy and hesitant, her expression of gratitude made the soldiers blush, each holding a paper bag of medicine. Seeing their embarrassed reactions, Eileen couldn’t help but blush as well, and for a moment, they all stood there awkwardly, blushing together.

Eventually, it was the soldiers who spoke up first. A young soldier, looking sheepish, turned to Eileen and said, "We’ve been waiting ever since we heard about the new medicine you were creating, Your Grace."

Eileen was curious. These soldiers didn’t seem like they’d be particularly interested in medicine, nor did they have a direct connection to her. She wondered why they had been so eager to buy it, especially after waiting in line. Sensing her curiosity, the soldiers hesitantly revealed the truth.

"Well... within the Imperial Army, Your Grace is considered a symbol of good luck. So, some of us bought the medicine as a sort of charm."

"A symbol of good luck?"

This was news to Eileen. Despite spending years around soldiers, she had never heard of such a thing. She wanted to ask more, puzzled by how she had come to be seen this way, but before she could dig deeper, Diego and Michele suddenly appeared.

Both knights were slightly out of breath, as if they had run to reach her. Their serious expressions set a tense mood behind Eileen. While she was still processing the shift in atmosphere, a man in a black robe slowly approached.

Eileen’s eyes widened as she recognized him. The man, noticing her, tilted his hood back just enough to reveal his face.

"Your Majesty...?"

Eileen’s voice came out in shock, and Leone, the Emperor, gave a subtle smile, raising a finger to his lips to signal for her to remain quiet. Standing before her, he gazed down for a moment without speaking.

"Do you have a moment?" he finally asked.

Caught off guard by the Emperor’s sudden appearance, Eileen managed a shaky "Yes" as she struggled to find her voice. Leone extended his hand to her, and when Eileen took it, he gently led her away, speaking in a low voice.

"Have you ever heard Cesare mention his mother?"

Eileen didn’t quite grasp his question at first. Sensing the confusion in her eyes, Leone rephrased it slightly.

"I mean, the mother of us twins."

The clarity of his words sent a fresh wave of surprise through Eileen.

Cesare rarely spoke about his personal life, so Eileen had never heard him mention his mother.

All she knew were the widely known stories: that his mother had caught the eye of the former emperor, had twins, was deeply superstitious, and ultimately took her own life. She had never thought to ask Cesare about it; the topic seemed too painful, and she feared that even bringing it up might wound him.

While Eileen was being overly cautious, Leon, Cesare’s twin brother, was surprisingly open about their mother. Watching him speak so freely about such a sensitive topic left Eileen unsure of how to respond, so she treaded carefully.

"I haven’t heard anything specific."

"As I suspected," Leon said, quickening his pace slightly. Eileen had to match his stride, glancing back to see Diego and Michele trailing at a respectful distance. Their expressions were unreadable, but their sharp eyes suggested they were on high alert. Eileen thought their vigilance seemed excessive, considering Leon was Cesare’s twin and their superior. She couldn’t imagine him doing anything to harm her, yet the knights remained cautious.

’Then again, this is a strange way to meet him.’

It was indeed odd—meeting the Emperor not in the palace or at the Erzet estate, but unexpectedly on the street.

’Perhaps... it wasn’t a coincidence after all.’

Just as Eileen reached that realization, Leon confirmed it with his next words.