The Nature of Possession

376 – EP.13 Expectations

***

The emperor did not like it when the unexpected happened.

That was because it was a position where the fate of a huge empire could be determined with a single moment of judgment.

Everything must be within the known facts, and the risks must be non-existent or minimal to provide peace of mind.

That’s why things that go beyond expectations are not pleasant.

Today was the same as before, when the lunch menu we had been looking forward to was changed to something else due to issues with securing ingredients.

The new chef, who had been rubbing his hands together and begging for mercy, lost his job before half a day had passed.

But there are exceptions. The Emperor’s eyes widened at the unexpected news delivered by the Knight Commander.

“The cavalry captain sent a letter?”

The emperor smiled broadly at the news he heard during the tea time, trying to appease his unpleasant mood.

“They say an arrow flew near the sentry post in the barracks. The spy is communicating in a different way, so it must have been sent by the cavalry captain.”

“You didn’t read the contents, did you?”

At the Emperor’s suspicion, the Knight Commander bowed even deeper.

“How could I be the first to read a letter from Your Majesty the Emperor? I only thought so because it said on the cover that it was sent by a cavalry captain.”

Only then did the emperor reveal his satisfied feelings and smile broadly.

“Well, there’s no way a loyal knight commander would do something that would betray my expectations. Haha, straighten your back.”

“Thank you for your mercy.”

“Yeah, I’m really curious to know what you wrote.”

I unrolled the paper hanging from the arrow. The letters were messily stuck on the wrinkled lines.

The emperor’s eyes narrowed.

“It’s not the cavalry captain’s handwriting… I guess he had it written by a ghostwriter or something.”

“It looks like the injury hasn’t healed yet.”

“Aren’t you saying that you can’t even move your hands properly? When I saw you yesterday, you seemed fine….”

The Emperor’s eyes were filled with concern. The Knight Commander kept his mouth shut and examined the Emperor’s mood.

She read slowly, savoring each word.

Although it was not written by the cavalry captain himself, the colloquial style of the letter had the full flavor of a cavalry captain.

It wasn’t a long letter, so it didn’t take long to read.

The emperor, having finished reading the letter once, moved his eyes to the beginning of the letter. And so he read it twice.

The emperor’s gaze moves back and forth between the beginning and the end of the letter.

“Hoo hoo hoo….”

The emperor, with the contents engraved on his retina, smiled with satisfaction, his cheeks flushed red.

“I think you have good news.”

The cavalry captain helped the emperor along by adding horsemanship to his mood.

“The cavalry captain wants to meet tomorrow.”

“Are you talking about tomorrow?”

“Yes, tomorrow. At the entrance to the forest.”

The Emperor read the letter again to make sure he had understood it correctly.

The Knight Commander muttered, “Tomorrow.” It was the last day the Emperor would show mercy.

If he was going to surrender, he would have done it today, and if he was going to fight, there was no reason to meet the Emperor tomorrow.

‘What are you thinking?’

He had difficulty guessing what the cavalry captain was thinking.

Even when they were on the battlefield together, the cavalry captain was a man of few words.

Even then, I couldn’t fathom his thoughts, so it was only natural that I couldn’t figure out his intentions now that several years had passed.

‘It’s likely a trap.’

The Knight Commander thought so.

“Your Majesty, will you be going to see the cavalry captain tomorrow?”

So the question was natural.

It was a very risky move to have the Emperor meet him when he did not know what the other person was thinking.

“You’re asking the obvious.”

The emperor, who was already excited by the mere fact of meeting the cavalry captain, answered with a beaming face.

“He will be yours in a day or two anyway. There seems no need to take the risk.”

The Knight Commander swallowed and spoke carefully.

“Commander of the Knights. Know your subject and open your mouth.”

Unsurprisingly, the answer I got back was not friendly.

“…sorry.”

“Okay, I’ll let it slide since I know your loyalty. But if you say the same thing again, you won’t be safe either.”

The Emperor’s face still had a faint smile on it, as if he wasn’t too offended.

If the Emperor had been in even the slightest bit of a bad mood, it would have been difficult for even the Knight Commander to guard his head.

“…Your Majesty, then would it be okay if I escort you until you reach the entrance of the forest? I would appreciate it if you would consider it as my foolish concern.”

The commander bowed and pleaded.

“…….”

The Emperor was silent. The Knight Commander continued, imagining the face of the invisible Emperor.

“Just to the entrance of the forest. The cavalry captain is upright and has no intention of harming Your Majesty, but his men are different. They may have laid a wicked trap without his knowledge.”

The detestable face of Anna flashed through the Emperor’s mind. Insolent b*tch. The Emperor muttered to himself.

“Yes, it is your advice, so I cannot ignore it. I will allow you to accompany me to the entrance of the forest.”

“thank you.”

“But I will spend time alone with him.”

“Of course. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Good. I’m looking forward to tomorrow noon. It’s a shame we can’t have dinner together, but we can do that the next day. Hehe.”

The emperor smiled and read the letter once more. The crumpled paper had the power to make his heart beat faster no matter how many times he read it.

“Then I will step aside.”

As the Knight Commander bowed and was about to step aside, the Emperor’s voice stopped him.

“Is your hand okay? Check it out. If it’s hurt, I’ll have to bring you some medicine tomorrow.”

“All right.”

The Knight Commander left the Emperor’s tent.

“…….”

The barracks, where dust was rising, were busy moving around.

The knight commander shook his head as he watched the soldiers moving in an orderly manner.

The question occurred to him, “Is it right for this army to move to capture just one person?” but he quickly dismissed the thought.

The Emperor’s Sword had no need for personal feelings.

***

“Anna.”

The captain’s tent. The captain, who had been through the forest with John, called Anna.

“yes.”

“Tonight. There will be someone leaving the campsite.”

“…Okay, I understand. Do you want to handle it right there?”

“No. Just make sure it’s the person you think it is and come back. There’s no need to shed blood.”

“Can I ask who you are thinking of?”

When Anna asked cautiously, the captain put his head next to Anna’s ear.

As she heard his breathing vividly, Anna forgot her situation and blushed.

And then the captain’s mouth opened, and Anna’s body stiffened as she heard a familiar name.