Chapter 51 - Chaotic Welcome
Chapter 51 – Chaotic Welcome
"… please marry my son."
The side of the emperor's lips stretched into a bright grin until his eyes squinted into slits. As I looked at him, I questioned every little detail Hugo and the pack told me about the emperor. This man… although looked intimidating at first glance, seemed to be a warm person. He reminded me of Father…
I bit my tongue at the thought. Why was he being so kind to me so suddenly? I wondered as I already poured all my trust into Hugo since I knew he wouldn't betray me.
"Hey! I will kill you all once I get out of here! Just you all wait!"
I flinched when I heard a familiar grumpy voice not far away. I gazed ahead on instinct, seeing that we're already entering the gates of the empire. As we went in, my eyes caught the small podium and froze. There, Mitch and Winter were being hanged upside down, surrounded by knights who were ignoring them.
"Hey! You fucking buffoon! Why are you laughing, huh?" Mitch was in his usual grumpy mood as he complained at the top of his lungs as if he didn't mind the rope tied around his feet. Meanwhile, Winter was quiet as ever. Despite being hanged upside down, Winter had his arms crossed, deep in thought.
"Ugh!! My blood is polluting my brain!!" Mitch continued to harrumph, but this time, a knight finally shouted back.
"Oy! Shut up before I pull your tongue from the roots!" came out a deep and strong voice of a man. "Aren't you all ashamed to be running without your clothes? Aren't you cold?!"
Just as the old knight uttered his last remarks, Mitch finally stopped. Even Winter snapped his eyes and gazed at the knight who spoke. After a second, those two who were being hanged upside down shivered, rubbing their shoulders.
'This… reminds me of Hugo,' I thought as their reaction was the same. Hugo only realized it was cold when I mentioned it was back then. It looked the same as those two.
"Dimwits!" the knight huffed, glaring at those two were now busy rubbing their shoulders. "Set them on fire so they warm up!"
My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as I saw a group of knights putting wounds under the small podium. Would they really set them on fire?! Will they get executed?
"Don't worry, child. If those fools can just die that easily, they wouldn't have lived this long." I flinched when the emperor spoke, turning my head to him. I nearly forgot I was riding on the same wolf as him after seeing those two.
"Your majesty?"
The emperor offered me a kind smile. "They might've not mentioned it. Those pups are still under probation, but they disobeyed it. These consequences are natural so they won't do it again."
I wanted to tell him that 'not doing it again' didn't sound like it was in Hugo's Pack's dictionary. But being under probation was news to me. Did they do something bad?
"I already told them I will handle it, but that ungrateful son of mine still does whatever he wants!" The emperor snarled with a huffed, frowning as if he recalled something annoying. "Not just that, but they also shamelessly abducted a lovely young lady and brought her back in here. I should whip them myself this time."
What? My brows rose while the emperor cracked his knuckles. Did he think I was abducted? There must be a misunderstanding here.
"Your — Your majesty?" I called hesitatingly, waiting for him to gaze down on me. "I wasn't abducted."
"Hah! Child, you don't have to cover up for them. You're safe now!"
But… they didn't really abduct me. I pressed my lips into a thin line, knowing the emperor wouldn't listen to me. I clasped my red cloak tightly as I lowered my head. The memory of the other pack being seized earlier resurfaced in my head, making me glance at the ground.
'If I jumped from here and run back… was that enough proof that they didn't abduct me?' I wondered, swallowing a mouthful of saliva while considering running back to them. But what if that upset the emperor? They might really kill us all. He was a person who stood above others, and he could order to execute us if he pleased…
Wait. I snuck a glance at the emperor. Didn't he ask me to marry his son previously? But the question was so abrupt that was why my attention was easily swept by Mitch's rumblings. Now that was confusing. Why did the emperor ask me such a strange question when he believed Hugo abducted me?
"Your Majesty, I…" I trailed off when a figure suddenly appeared on the side of the wolf. Before I could react, I felt something soft on my cheek for a second. Only a second later, when Hugo jogged beside the wolf, did I realize he kissed my cheek and he was well.
What was happening? I looked at Hugo's bright grin blankly, puzzled at the strange things and unpredictable events that were going on.
"Insolent!" I jumped when the emperor growled, making me instinctively draw my body away before my eardrums break. "How dare you do such a shameless thing to a girl?! Right in front of me?! The emperor?!"
"Haha! Sorry, Father dear! I was just sad when I saw her going away with another man!" Hugo laughed heartily, saluting at his father casually. "I realized I can't stay out to train your knights for weeks. So, I will spare them two hours!"
The side of Hugo's lips stretched into a bright grin while erecting two of his fingers up. He was still jogging beside the wolf, looking all relaxed as if he never had a problem in the world.
"What?!" the emperor harrumphed, but Hugo already turned his head in Mitch and Winter's direction. Someone already lit a fire on the woods under the small podium they were being hanged, which instantly engulfed the floor.
"Hey, you two! Get out of there. If anyone got caught, I will feed them to the ants!" Hugo placed his hand to the side of his lips, yelling loudly. He then turned to me and grinned.
"I'll come and get you later." He winked at me and smacked his lips before sprinting ahead.
"…"