The Emperor wondered how he should go about with the proceedings.

"Sage," he said, authority all over his voice.

Commander sage suddenly stood to attention. "Yes, Your Majesty?"

"Give me your sword."

Commander Sage was taken aback. He wasn't sure he had heard correctly.

"Pardon, Your Majesty?"

The Emperor sighed, exasperated. "Your f*cking sword, Sage! Give it to me."

Slowly, Commander Sage removed the sheathed sword from his waist and handed it to the Emperor. He flinched when the Emperor snatched it from his hands and stepped back cautiously.

"Your Majesty, c-careful with that."

Annoyed, the Emperor pulled the sword out of its covering in a split of a second and pointed it straight at Commander Sage's neck, the corner of its blade at his throat. Commander Sage wanted to gulp, for his eyes showed fear, but he knew that if he gulped, his Adam's apple was likely to be slashed by the sword's sharp, glistening blade.

The Emperor looked furious. "I know how to use a sword, Sage."

"Y-Yes, Your Majesty. Forgive my words," Commander Sage stuttered, afraid.

The Emperor slowly looked away from Commander Sage's face to the first person in line kneeling before him. He donned a white handkerchief as a head wrap and trembled in his shackles. His reason for leaving the Empire was simple: He had wanted to pay his son a visit who had found love in Clatoise.

Even the mention of that wretched kingdom made the Emperor gag. He hated it. His long built up resentment of what King Irvin had put him through boiled inside, and he slowly found himself lifting his sword.

Commander Sage noticed and tried to stop him. "Y-Your Majesty--"

But before his words were complete, the head of the man donning a white head wrap rolled towards the Emperor's feet. It spouted a gush of dark blood at the neck which slowly grew into a puddle, dirtying the Emperor's shoes.

"Ugh, how filthy," the Emperor mumbled as he stepped back.

The rest of the men had heard the little scream that had escaped the man as the sword had sliced into the thick of his neck, and they had also heard the 'plop' as the head had fallen on the pristine marble floor, soon covered in red.

As realization dawned upon them of what had just taken place, their bodies started quivering violently. All the life from Commander Sage's eyes drained out as he switched his fear filled gaze from the Emperor's face to the detached head at his feet.

"Y-Y-Your Majesty..." he croaked as his eyes widened. "What did you-"

And yet again, before Commander Sage could complete his words, the sword's blade was at the second man's neck and with great force, it slashed through skin, veins and bone. Blood spouted everywhere from the opening at the man's neck before his torso flopped down and he lay there, lifeless next to his blindfolded head.

The man's blood mixed with the other's.

The knights that stood behind Commander Sage exchanged desperate glances, as they had never witnessed the Emperor's deathly rage before.

"Your Majesty," Commander Sage finally found the bravery to speak up, "it pains us to see you dirtying your robes. Would you like the knights to take care of this…?"

The Emperor wasn't listening. He had a hysterical gleam in his eyes. Ah, how long had it been since he had shed some blood? Oh, what joy!

At once, his eyes were on his next victim and before it would take you to finish saying 'Cynthia Amaryll De Klaern', the Emperor had added another head to his collection. Slowly, heads fell to the floor and the Conservatory seemed more like a blood bath. The lovely flowers got splashed with the droplets of flying blood and got covered with the pungent stench.

The knights retreated towards the walls, wary of the Emperor in this dangerous state. Once the beheading was completed and the last of the screams was heard, the Emperor handed his sword lazily to a scared servant who scurried off with it as he sat down in his chair.

"What do you think, Sage?" he asked grandly with a wave of his hand to the man with eyes almost out of his skull.

He stuttered and gasped before he found words to answer. "I-I..It's- Who are we to defy your actions, Your Majesty?"

The Emperor narrowed his eyes and leaned forward menacingly. "I'm asking what you think, Sage." He put a lot of emphasis on the Commander's name.

Commander Sage gulped and looked at the blood on his shoes. "Of course, we must be cautious, especially knowing the fact that the matter concerns the princess. Killing them off was indeed the best option, Your Majesty." Commander Sage hated lying through his teeth, but he would do so if it meant saving his own skin.

Satisfied, the Emperor nodded. He slipped off his grand robe and threw it on top of the puddle of blood at his feet after he had wiped his hands on it.

"Hadley," he roared to his loyal maid who stood by his side at once. "Run me a bath."

With that, everyone began to exit the bloody scene.

✿

Cautiously, I opened the door to Mama's room and peeked in.

She lay fast asleep on her arm chair, but I paused when I saw that Whisker wasn't in his usual spot on her lap. I stretched up to see over Mama's armchair and sighed a sigh of relief when I found the large rat curled up on his cushion.

Slowly, softly, I tip-toed inside and looked back once again before pulling the key out from under my dress and clenching it tightly in my hand.

I walked towards the painting over the patterned carpet and stood before the painting of the rosy girl once again, scanning it with curiosity and awe.

My hand reached forward and lingered at her shoes which had a smudged tip. Carefully, I put two fingers behind the canvas frame and yanked it towards me. Like a magnetic door being unlatched, the painting swung towards me. I glanced around once again, just to be cautious, before opening the little locker door behind it and quietly slipping the key in.

I escaped the way I had come in, leaving no trace of my visit behind.