Her eyes widened when she heard it! She immediately calmed down and convinced herself that he is just bluffing but within a few minutes she heard the frightened shriek of several servants and later she heard the pained cry of others...

"This is your last chance... Drink the antidote and enter the palace or else..."

"Your Majesty, this is Prince Anders' Mansion and they are my husband's servants." She reasoned while having difficulty sitting on her bed.

He stared at her coldly and commanded his shadow guards to kill another twenty servants. Other sorrowful cries can be heard from the yard...

"I promised to wait for my husband in our home..." She pleaded weakly. She tried to remind him not to cross the line but it seemed to anger him more so he ordered to kill another thirty unlucky servants. The cries of fear and sorrow filled her courtyard...

"How could you?!!" She could not believe that he is this cruel, heartless, and shameless!

"How could I? The act of deceiving and refusing the monarch is punishable by death! I already warned you but you chose the hard way. Their blood is on your hands...The fate of those who are still alive is in your hands too... Now, make a quick decision and choose wisely...Are you going to drink the antidote and come with me to the palace or do you want all of them to die here?" He said ruthlessly and maliciously.

"No! I will do it! I will drink the antidote and enter the palace. Just leave them alone!" She could not hide her anger anymore so she coughed up more blood and fell back down on her bed due to exhaustion and pain. Beads of sweat are forming all over her body and she shivered as she felt that chills spread all over her body too!

He angrily stared at her and then sighed. He went to a corner in her bedroom. He touched and removed a portion of the wall and obtained the antidote by himself!

Beatrix paled further as she saw him obtain the antidote easily without her help!

So he knew everything and he is not only bluffing and testing me! But if that is the case...So cruel! He knew but he chose to kill those poor servants to threaten and control me!

He went near her and feed her the antidote himself. After checking that she is already okay, he carried her in his arms and brought her personally inside his carriage!

Beatrix is fuming in anger! First, he made an inappropriate scene in her husband's mansion, and now when she entered the palace, she was so devastated when he assigned her to stay in the Empress courtyard!

He does not have any shame!!! What is he trying to show and announce to everyone?!! Is he trying to create a great misunderstanding and have me cursed for seducing the emperor and putting a green hat on my husband while he is away?!! What is he planning to do?!! Is he trying to have me killed by making his concubines green with jealousy?!!

Five months later, big news suddenly arrived! First, the enemy has been crushed under the leadership of Prince Anders. They surrendered and promised to give five cities and pay a huge amount of tributes every year. It was great news but one month later, the whole capital is devastated!

A messenger informed them that while traveling back to the capital, Prince Anders succumbed to a mysterious illness and died.

Beatrix cried the whole night after knowing about it. She did not come out of her room and did not properly eat. She remained on her bed for several days even when the Emperor visited her. She only came out when the corpse of her husband finally arrived in the capital. She forced herself to be brave and personally arranged the funeral. She wants to make sure that everything will be according to his husband's wishes.

After the burial of her husband, she went back to Prince Anders' Mansion and stay there miserably for a year but after one year of mourning, another Emperor's decree went out.

The decree states that she must enter the palace as one of the Emperor's Consort!

This empire has another law that she forgot due to her grief. The law states that if a male member of the imperial family died without a child to inherit his title and wealth, his legal wife should marry one of his living brothers or the closest male relative in the absence of a brother. When the widowed legal wife gave birth to children, those children will all be listed as the children of the deceased husband and inherit his status and wealth. In that manner, the deceased's title and property will be inherited by someone who shares imperial blood. This method is to formally return his title and wealth to his blood relative!