The Duke's Passion

Chapter 758  The night of the regression II

Florence had thought long and hard about the divorce even before she brought it up to Rufus in tonight's shared dinner. She was an Empress and divorce was scandalous. However, she believed because she had an outstanding record, serving the empire that wasn't her home for years was enough.

Still, Heliot's opinions mattered to her. Hence, she sent a letter days before she brought up the subject to Rufus. If her calculation was correct, the letter she sent would've just arrived in Karo today at the earliest. To receive a letter from Karo, she could already expect it was something important. She didn't have that sort of 'normal' relationship with his siblings that they would exchange casual letters. Myriads of things hovered over her head before opening the letter. She had considered all sorts of content to expect, mostly regarding politics, since she was an empress. However, never in her imagination did she consider the content she had read. "Hah…" Florence dropped the letter as her hands trembled. Her knees soon gave way, landing on the floor with a careless thud. "What…" she covered her lips in horror, eyes shaking, staring at the opened letter. Her gaze caught the blood smeared on the side. Even from this distance, she could see how clumsy the handwriting was, as if the person's hand was shaking.

"No, no, no." Florence crawled to pick up the letter, reading it again without blinking. Her heart stopped as her breath hitched until her neck turned taut. "What's going on?" she mumbled in a shaking voice, shaking her head, reading the letter repeatedly. The letter says;

[ To Her Majesty,

If you received this letter, that meant I successfully relayed His Highness Heliot's message. Forgive me for writing hastily, for I am running out of time. Please… bear with me.  Your Highness, do not… return to Karo at all costs.

Several years ago, the people from the mainland had threatened our land, forcing His Highness to execute the Duchess of Grimsbanne. His Highness had followed their requests but was unable to take the life of the previous empress of the Heart's Empire.  In exchange for not fulfilling His Highness's end of the bargain, he had sacrificed his life… ]

There was a long space on the letter as if the person writing it was interrupted. Or maybe the sender of the letter had to move to another place to hide. Whatever the reason there was, the following content was even more direct.

[ They betrayed him. They didn't plan on letting Karo go, even if His Highness succeeded. Now, the land of Karo is on the verge of ruin. Your Highness, His Highness's last order was for you to stay away from Karo.  Do not return to Karo at all costs! And stop His Majesty La Crox from marching in Karo.

Please… Your Highness… you are our only hope. Stay safe. ]

Florence's brain went blank for a moment after re-reading the letter for the umpteenth time. She couldn't understand it and her heart was racing each time she would try to comprehend it. "What's going on?" her lips quivered, shaking her head to get herself together. "This can't be happening. No. Karo… won't fall just like that." The source of this content ɪs novelenglish.net . (ꜰ)ire.ɴet

Florence crumpled the paper in her hand, her other hand clutched her skirt as she tried to stand. But alas, her knees were shaking uncontrollably, and she subsequently fell back onto the floor. She clenched her teeth, punching her thigh to stand up.

How could a pureblooded vampire like her be this weak? "Stand!" she yelled, forcing herself to stand up. After several tries, she managed to stand. Her body was still shaking and her heart was still racing. The adrenaline rushed to the ends of her nerves. However, instead of giving her the rush to sprint to the emperor's chambers, Florence stood in front of the door motionlessly. She took a deep breath, releasing it through her lips. She couldn't afford to panic — not for the sake of her reputation or image. Florence needed a clear mind since rushing things would do nothing. Much to her dismay, when she took another deep breath, the pungent scent of blood wafted her nostrils. Her back instantly stiffened, staring at the door wide-eyed.

Florence took a careful step back, clutching the letter close to her chest. The scent of blood grew stronger, making her cover her mouth. Despite not seeing what was going on, she knew in her heart that right outside this door, a massacre was occurring. But what was even more dreadful was that… she could barely hear the faint thud each time a body fall on the floor. There were no other noises that could be heard; no wonder she didn't notice it until now since she was crying and too preoccupied with her feelings. 'Will I die here?' she wondered, taking more steps back. Not long after, blood crawled from underneath the gap in the door. Florence looked back at the window, thinking if she should jump from there. However, Florence was a coward. Vampires were strong and fast. Jumping from this height wouldn't be a problem. But not Florence. 'I'm scared…' She clenched her teeth, looking back at the shut door. She took another step back cautiously, barely making a sound.

As she stared at the door, Florence began hearing footsteps. They were careful and heavy footsteps, and each time that soundless tap of shoes caress her ears, her heart would skip a bit. At this moment, Florence could only think of one person.

Rufus. 'Your Majesty…' Florence covered her mouth, looking around her chambers. When her eyes landed on the closet, she looked back at the door. With clenched teeth, she tiptoed towards the closet and hid inside. Inside the darkness, she kept her hands over her lips while listening to the footsteps approaching her chambers. She wanted to shout for help, but the pungent scent of blood told her that was a stupid thing to do.

The Imperial palace was under siege. Her breath hitched when she heard a loud creak that sounded louder than usual. Coldness washed over her body, seeping deep into her bones when she heard the footstep growing louder and louder.

Florence kept her wide eyes on the shut doors of the closet, holding her breath, praying. She prayed and prayed, hoping whoever was outside would go away. But alas, her prayers weren't heard… or so she thought because a second later, the doors of the closet opened from the outside. She looked up ever so slowly, and her heart sank, seeing a familiar man she just met tonight. Fabian.