Chapter 708: Heads Rolling Down
Leo and Giovanni followed behind, before passing his sister, Leo shrugged his shoulders, and said. "I am sorry, sister, but our father has changed."
The emperor’s body conditions did get better and better as the days passed on, under the care of the queen, who forced him to change all the bad living habits that the emperor had in the past, by force. But there is one single thing that she could not stop, that is to stop the emperor from continuing to consume any alcohol. As even the emperor tried to cut down on the volume, he noticed one horrendous fact; that he would be illy concentrated without it, with his hands trembling vigorously along for an unknown reason.
The emperor kept silent at this, and continued to gulp down fresh alcohol, in order to maintain his image in front of the crowd.
A year passed.
Immediately after the year of 1479, the old man, Apostolos offered his resignation as well, claiming that he is already just way too old and fragile to continue working in office. However, the emperor who is now having a higher and higher need for surveillance on various people, including his own lords, as the days passes, rejected the resignation.
However, just a month later, Apostolos submitted a letter of resignation again, asking the emperor for mercy, to release the eighty years old body of his back to his humble and quiet little village to meet his ends. The emperor is enraged by this ongoing request, as instead of making a denial again this time round, the emperor ordered the palace guards to put lord Apostolos under a lock down, and start investigating for all the papers and works that Apostolos have done in recent years, fearing that his own espionage systems might be turning on him, which made Apostolos committing such actions of disloyalty, in his mind.
As everyone knows, when a whale falls, the smaller animals will come fast approaching as soon as they can, to seek for opportunities and interests to exploit and climb the ladder of promotion. Well, politics is in fact nothing different.
With that, Apostolos, the poor old man who had executed hundreds on the emperor’s orders before, now found himself locked in the deepest cells of the empire. These were the same cells used to imprison the very people he had sentenced over the years.
Many tried to beg for mercy on behalf of Apostolos, but no one could fathom what had gotten into the emperor’s mind. Antonius refused all requests for clemency and even imprisoned many who spoke on Apostolos’ behalf, suspecting them of being conspirators in an unspecified scheme. The emperor himself could not articulate what this supposed scheme was, as he had no concrete evidence or idea.
It became evident to everyone that the emperor had changed, becoming a different person as age weighed on him.
Still heavily suspicious that Apostolos might have turned against him, Antonius gave strict orders to the wardens to dig even deeper to uncover the old man’s supposed guilt and conspiracies. The wardens, eager to climb the government hierarchy, employed whatever means they could—using all sorts of tortures on acquaintances suspected to be associated with Apostolos. The cries and whines of the tortured filled the chambers, deliberately letting Apostolos hear them day and night, as they dared not lay a finger on the renowned old lord directly, so they used the cries of his subordinates as a form of torture, onto the old man.
Under this constant threats and tortures, most begun to spitting out words in order to keep their lives on the line. Within a few days, the wardens extracted a supposed list of all the people scheming against the emperor, along with a set of evidence provided by Apostolos’ acquaintances. This list contained over twenty-five alleged crimes committed by Apostolos and his team.
This became an instant death sentence for Apostolos and his political allies. Within days, the emperor issued a massive arrest order across the entire state, dragging anyone mentioned on the list into jail, where they were further interrogated to uncover any hidden schemes and culprits. The cells in Constantinople soon overflowed, packed tightly with prisoners, like a pack of sardines.
The results were staggering: over one thousand and five hundred people in Constantinople alone were found to be conspiring against the emperor. The evidence was clear and damning.
These individuals were all found guilty of treason, and the list of accused continued to grow. It expanded to other cities and towns, leading to the arrests of numerous government officials, military officers, clergy members, and academy students for various alleged crimes. According to some foreign merchants, the roads leading to Constantinople were choked with dust from the carts transporting prisoners to the capital for mass execution.
Only then did the emperor’s suspicion begin to abate.
Apostolos pleaded for a final audience with the emperor. His request was denied.
In desperation, the old man, mustering all his remaining strength and wits, charged at the wall, smashing his head against the bricks, leaving him unconscious and bleeding in the dead of night.
Before he succumbed to his injuries, Apostolos requested a quill and paper. In a final act, he wrote a letter to the emperor, placing it where the warden would find it and deliver it to the palace.
Thousands gathered in Constantinople from all nations, preparing for their final destiny, while wardens and guards continued to arrest more individuals based on new lists. The entire country descended into a state of white terror. It was said that when citizens of Constantinople met on the streets, they dared not speak to each other, fearing that prying ears might interpret their conversations as treasonous. Instead, they greeted each other with silent nods.
A warden with a kind conscience delivered Apostolos’s letter to the palace. Although the emperor refused to read it, the letter ended up in the hands of an unexpected person—the queen, Anna.
Recognising the gravity of the situation upon reading the letter, Anna immediately summoned Cerberus to the courtyard. After some persistent questioning and threats, Cerberus revealed everything he knew.
Suddenly, a decree from the palace ordered the release of almost all prisoners, citing insufficient evidence to convict them of the crimes for which they were being tried.
In other words, it was all a misunderstanding by a high-ranking official, and the wise emperor had rectified the issue in time to prevent an onslaught.
Many prisoners knelt, waved, and cheered for the emperor, rejoicing in their reprieve. However, some looked on with cold eyes, fully aware of the true events that had transpired.
Inside the palace, tensions were at an all-time high. Courtiers stood lined up in a row before the emperor, who was pacing furiously, hands clasped behind his back, his eyes ablaze with anger.
"Who? Who is the one who gave the orders?" the old emperor hissed, scrutinising each person as he passed.
"Is it Julian? Is it him? Is he plotting against me too? Trying to use his influence in the force? I knew it—he lives so close to Constantinople, claiming it’s for quick access when summoned, but he surely has ulterior motives!"
Leo, now the official heir of the empire, stood in silence with his head bowed. He knew the full extent of the situation and had tried to reason with his father. But Antonius always justified his actions as necessary for securing Leo’s future, eliminating obstacles in his path. Left with no choice, Leo kept his counsel.
"Who! Who did this! Have the guts to act but not to admit it!" Antonius’s hoarse voice echoed through the hallways.
"I did it!"
Suddenly, A majestic, feminine, but familiar voice called out. The enormous gates of the palace hall swung open, revealing stewards standing on either side. In the centre of the gate stood Anna, small in stature but emanating an unmatched aura. Dressed in a simple gown, her presence alone conveyed her position and prestige. She was furious, here to confront her husband.
"Yes, I did it!" Anna declared, her gaze locked on her husband, who looked significantly older than her. "I am the one who sent the orders to stop the executions. Do you have any objections?"
All words seems to be stuck within the throats of the old Antonius, as he continued staring at his wife with mixed emotions. Words kept on turning in his mouth, as his eyes first changed from surprise, then to rage, and immediately to a pitiful sight.
"Why." Asked Antonius.
"Why what?" Anna shot back, her eyes unwavering.
"Why did you do that!" Antonius finally managed to shout, pointing towards the window. "These men are plotting to kill us!"
However, instead of answering the questions, Anna took a look around, and waved for all the courtiers to leave. The courtiers heaved a deep sigh of breathe of relief, before venturing out of the gate.
Then, Anna gestured for Leo to leave as well.
Now, the hall was left with only the royal couple.
