Chapter six: "You must remember,"

"Xavier," Lillian calls, barging into his office as if she is entitled to. "We need to talk,"

XAVIER lazily looks up at Lillian's raging eyes and raises an eyebrow. "It seems that nowadays, you're handicapped,"

Lillian squints her eyes. "What?"

"Have the decency to knock,"

Lillian frowns. "Why should I?"

"Because it's good etiquette,"

"Does Serena knock?"

"She doesn't have to because she is my wife,"

Lillian bites her lips and forms her hands into fists by the side of her hips. She then swallows painfully. "Do you like her?"

Xavier sighs and drops his pen. His mouth is set in a straight line and his eyes are drawn to slits. "Whether I like her or not, is not any of your business,"

Lillian can feel tears brim her eyes and she tilts her head back, trying to push them in. After that, she looks back at him but expects to see him already looking at her, but Xavier is sorting out the papers on his table. She clears her throat but gets ignored. "I came here to talk to you about something,"

"What is it?" Xavier asks, sounding bored.

"It's about your wife," she grits out, hating the words coming out of her mouth.

"What about her?"

"I don't think she's fit to be the empress anymore,"

Xavier's eyes perk at that when he looks at her. "And who are you to decide that?"

"I'm just stating facts. She's not well. She's not in the right state of mind to do her duty,"

"She doesn't have to do anything. I sort everything out,"

"But...I can help you,"

Xavier cocks his head. "How? By being my empress?"

Lillian blushes at the thought but goes back to the main point. "I suggest that you take her to a doctor,"

"I have,"

Lillian is lost for words but covers it. "And what did he say?"

"It's none of your business,"

Lillian bites her lips, refraining from saying something terrible about Serena but her mouth betrays her. "You don't even like her!"

Xavier's eyes widen at her outburst. "What is-

"I have loved you since we were kids. I have been there for you. Been a good friend in your good and bad times. I was even there when your mother died," She cries out. "Why can't you see that?"

Xavier doesn't utter a sound for some time and Lillian starts to fidget. She cannot tell what he's thinking of but hopes that he understands where she's coming from. She also hopes that he feels the same way. She wants his face to soften as his eyes stare longingly at hers and then stands up, embraces her, and leans in for a k-

"I've never seen you that way, Lillian,"

Lillian's heart shatters and she staggers a bit on her feet.

"And to add on that, I'm much older than you,"

"Serena is my age too! How come she gets to have you?!"

"I am a married man, Lillian," Xavier says, ignoring her comment. "And as much I married my enemy, I vowed to never cheat on her which I'll never will," he continues, but Lillian heard half of it.

"I-" she starts. However, when she recognizes that she's blank, she dashes out the door and runs down the hallway and when she reaches a secluded area, she bawls her eyes out.

~

Serena looks up at who called her name and her eyebrows scrunch when she doesn't know who this person is.

"Empress," Judy corrects him, but the man dismisses her.

The man is dressed in a long black heavy coat over his clothes that she can't see clearly. His hat covers half of his face so the only thing she can see is his lips and the mustache on his chin.

"May I help you?" she asks.

"Empress, don't say anything else," Judy tells her, but Serena feels something familiar with the man standing in front of her.

"It's alright, Judy," she says.

The man's hand moves in his pocket and when he starts taking it out, Serena's breath hitches and feels frozen because she doesn't know what he'll take out. Probably, a gun.

Tightening her hold on the armrests of her chair as if she thinks that they'll do something, she waits hesitantly with her eyes widening but she heaves a sigh of relief when he brings out a red envelope.

Why is it always red?

"Here," he says, nudging the paper towards her to take.

Serena stretches her hand to take it but Judy stops her. She looks at her and Judy shakes her head. "Do not touch it, empress,"

Judy then turns to take it but the man snatches the envelope before her fingertips can touch it.

"You are not Serena," he says, his tone cold.

Both Serena and Judy flinch at that and the man slides the envelope towards her. Serena instinctively looks down on it and then up at him and from his bent angle, she can see his eyes; droopy and dark under-eye circles.

"Read it. When you are alone," he tells her.

"Wha-

"You must remember," he whispers so that Judy may not hear him and leaves.

Serena stares at his back until he disappears and then looks down at the envelope. She hesitantly holds and turns it, wanting to see a name but it was blank.

"Empress,"

Serena hums and then looks up at Judy but she doesn't say anything so Serena goes back ahead to analyze the letter—her fingers itching to open it but refrains from doing so and places it in her bag.

"You may continue," she tells her.

"So-

"Here's your food, empress,"

Serena thanks the waiter and carefully cuts the cake with the knife held in her left hand and stabs her fork afterward then takes a bite as her stare remains on Judy.

"It was during the winter season," she starts. "And the Alexandria family were dining in when your father came over,"

"Uh huh,"

"He said that it was urgent and he got into the emperor's office and had a meeting,"

"About what?" Serena asks.

"During that time, I had no idea what was happening but the next day, you came and stayed at the emperor's home,"

"What do you mean by 'stay?'" Serena questions. "What was happening?"

Judy swallows. "Your father requested the emperor to let you stay with him for a little while because during that time, your mother had passed and he didn't want you to be alone,"

Serena's eyes soften when she understands the reason. Her father cared about her but what about him? Why couldn't he stay with her?

"That's because he was the emperor's messenger. He wasn't home all the time therefore not spending enough time with you," Judy explains.

"And when my mother died, he had to make me stay at the emperor's house,"

Judy nods.

"Let's jump into the real thing, Judy. What really happened that day?" Serena asks, disregarding the previous information.

Judy keeps quiet, evading Serena's prodding eyes. Serena puts her cutlery down and places her hand on top of Judy's, who looks down at it and then up at the empress's eyes. Serena smiles and nods. "I need to know Judy. It's very important to me,"

Judy sighs and then nods. "Alright, empress,"

Serena retracts her hand and resumes eating. She finishes her cake and moves to the croissant, taking a sip of her tea that is almost going cold.

"That night, your father had returned to the emperor to finish off his work but when he arrived, you met him halfway and whispered something to his ear,"

"What did I say?" Serena asks, getting eager. She was finally learning the truth and could form an escape.

Judy shakes her head. "I do not know, empress. That's all I saw then afterward, your father went in to see the emperor but bumped into his wife and they talked for a while,"

"What did they talk about?"

"I do not know as well. I was too far away to hear but someone could mistaken that they had something going on,"

Serena frowns. "Are you trying to say that Xavier’s mother cheated on her husband with my father?"

Judy escapes her gloomy eyes. "As I said before, that's what everyone thought, empress. Such narrative did not come to my mind,"

Serena sighs and waves her hands, telling her to continue.

"Then, your father went to the emperor's office and it got really quiet then things started smashing in the room and there was muffled shouting," Judy continues to explain. "Then, your father stormed out of the office and went downstairs. I thought he was leaving but that was not the case,"

"Why? Where did he go?"

"He had gone to the library instead," Judy answers her.

Serena raises an eyebrow. "And how did you know?"

"That's what the emperor's secretary said,"

Serena hums, and places her hand underneath her chin. If what Judy says is true, then it will explain what happened. But...

"Where was the secretary at that time? Was he downstairs?" Serena asks abruptly.

Judy utters an 'uh' sound, not sure where the secretary was. So, she shakes her head in response.

Serena finds that suspicious because the secretary would have lied. Clearly, no one had seen him so, how is it that what he said was accurate?

"What about the emperor? Did he still remain in his office?" she asks her and Judy nods.

"He was there the whole night...I suppose,"

Serena lifts her eyebrow. "Suppose? That means you didn't see him getting out,"

Judy shakes her head. "I didn't see him but no one saw him as well,"

Serena nods and looks at the sky. It is grey, giving the sign that it is about to rain and she decides to end the conversation. They can continue while they are in the carriage.

~

"Harold, please remind me what time is my meeting with the King?"

"At four o'clock in the evening sir,"

Xavier nods and finishes off signing some of the last documents that he has been reading through. He is exhausted and his eyes are starting to get heavy. He then cracks his neck by turning it side to side and then up to the ceiling.

His eyes are fixated on the stones hanging on the chandelier as he thinks about Serena. She is different. She's no longer acting out or being reckless. Instead, she's calm and respectful.

"What did Doctor Faiser say?" he asks his secretary, Harold.

"Concerning your wife?" Harold asks, and Xavier sighs in irritation as he looks back at his secretary. Harold is a short man—five foot four with brown hair, always slicked to the back, glasses resting on his nose and his suit perfectly steamed.

"Who else, Harold?" he asks him, and Harold apologizes.

"His answer is still the same, sir,"

Xavier drags his hands down his face and tightly grabs his hair. Serena is going to be the death of him. If their doctor cannot find the remedy for her lost memories then no one else can because he is the best.

However, he prefers Serena this way. She no longer irritates him but intrigues him instead which is quite the opposite of how he should feel considering that her father killed his mother in cold blood. He knows that it isn't her fault but he wants to blame someone for the pain in his heart.

"The King has also requested that you bring the empress too,"

Xavier's head shifts up—his eyes wide. "He wants me to bring Serena with me?" he asks, for confirmation.

Harold nods and Xavier groans. Why did he want her to come with him? Is it because he knows about Serena's illness?

"Fine. Call Serena to come here," he orders.

Harold walks out of the office and Xavier thinks back to what he did the previous night. He can't believe that he let his desires blind his hate. He was irritated that she didn't want to eat with him so he went up to her room but when he saw her sleeping soundly, his heart softened.

As much as he hates it, Serena is beautiful. Too beautiful. Everyone can see it. Every man.

The thought of other men looking at her made his blood boil. Serena is his to look at.

"Ugh!" he groans, pulling his hair tightly, feeling disgusted at himself for thinking this way.

"Emperor," Harold calls, walking in. "The empress is nowhere to be found,"

Xavier snaps his head up, shooting up from his seat. "What did you say?"

"The e-empress i-is not here," Harold stutters.

Xavier stomps to his secretary, tightly clenches his tie and brings him closer to him. He can see the fear in Harold's eyes and takes advantage of it. "Are you sure? I don't tolerate lies, Harold,"

Harold nods quickly--many times. "Af-firma-tive s-sir,"

Xavier lets go not wasting time and strides out of his office and up the stairs to Serena's room. He is so focused, that he doesn't see Lillian walking down.

"Xavier, what's wr-

Xavier rudely passes her and barges into Serena's room. He stops and looks around. Everything is in place—her bed is neatly made, her table is filled with makeup products, and the window is wide open—the harsh wind blowing the curtains releasing a cold breeze.

He checks the bathroom. Nothing.

The rest of the guards stand still, watching their emperor pace up and down in the room.

Xavier breathes fast and loud—threading his hands in his hair. She left him.

Serena is gone.