Chapter 709: A Tight Slap
"Now! What do you want to..."
However, even before the old emperor could finish what he was about to say, a tight and direct slap came straight from the woman he loved, onto his cheek.
This slap, with a force that was neither too great nor too light, almost made the old emperor’s world spin as he eyed the woman with disbelief, totally not knowing why she would do such a thing, as if for the few times he felt that this woman is so foreign to him.
"Not only do I want to say something to you, I want to do this to you too! Actually, I feel like doing it again!" said Anna, her eyes bulging as she stared at her husband. "What are you thinking! The political foundation of the government is still unstable after all these years, and the people of the newly conquered lands have not yet accepted their new Roman identity. And now you want to create a massive onslaught against them? What are you thinking, my dear! Are you planning to flip over the foundation of this country and start an all-scale civil war at this time?"
"Even if there is a full-scale civil war, I can settle it with ease," the old emperor murmured as he slowly backed off with caution, thinking that it might be another tight slap coming his way.
However, instead of receiving another slap, Anna fell tightly into his chest, buried her face into his now much frailer chest, and started weeping. "I really do not know what to do, my dear, I really do not know what to do! All I wanted and hoped for is that after such a long time, we can finally have some rest and a good life as a normal couple now that we are both aged! Please, emperor! Basileus! Your Majesty!"
Antonius halted, and after a few seconds, sighed and patted the back of his wife as she leaned on him.
"I know, I know, I can promise you, my love," Antonius sighed again. "But I did all of these things for a reason, do you know that? To make sure that our son, Leo, ascends to the throne in a safe transition without any disturbance from the outside world, especially from these crooked conspirators who know nothing but to try to climb the ladder of power."
"You are wrong!" urged Anna again. "You still have not realised that you are in the wrong, my love! These people are not innocent, of course, being guilty of either collusion or corruption, but have you thought about the fact that they have served you for their whole lives? Similarly to many other courtiers in the government who have spent their whole lives serving you! Really, what do you think they will feel? They will feel like you have changed, that you no longer obey that oath you made with them when you were younger, whereby you shall share this land with them! And remember, they have a lot of influence in the government and the army!"
"You know that they have a lot of influence in the army and the government," the emperor stared back. "You know that! I know my own body’s condition; if anything happens to me, can Leo, who has no achievements or anything yet, really suppress these people, or will these people end up suppressing him, making him a puppet?"
"You must not protect Leo as if he were in the cradle all the way till his throne!" Anna raised her voice again as she raised her eyes, staring at her husband’s eyes directly. "And, why must you slaughter such a large quantity of people for no reason at all?"
"But they are guilty!" cried Antonius.
"It is just that you think they are guilty!" argued Anna. "Do you have proof? Are you a dictator? What kind of monster have you become?"
Antonius was caught beyond words as he took a few deep breaths and sat down on a couch beside him with his head turned and eyes covered—a usual thing he would do every time he was stuck in an argument with his wife.
However, Anna just straight up walked forward and pulled Antonius’s hands away by force onto the couch, continuing to give a stare at him. "You heard me?"
"I am just removing the thorns that might lie ahead for our son!"
"By killing off all of the old brothers who accompanied you throughout the way?"
"Listen to me, Anna!" Antonius broke free from the iron grip of his wife as he made her sit right beside him. "Now, there is no need to argue, instead just listen to me! Our son, Leo, is intelligent in doing things, and always considers all the good and bad things before carrying out his decisions. Which is good, of course, as the emperor, this is a thing that is very much needed for him to consider when making policies, but..."
"I have been waiting for the word ’but,’" said Anna at the side.
"Yes, but our son is too... soft in doing things. He is still far from reaching the true state of maturity, as you can see from everything he does, even inclusive of him trying to persuade me to give up my plans this time around, that he is always trying to appease every single person when planning his next steps. But, you’ve got to know, that is not how things work out in politics! He needs to know that you’ve got to make sacrifices sometimes! He’s got to be tough in his heart! That is still something that he lacks! He is way too merciful, has never killed a living thing before in his entire life, and of course, has never stepped his fresh boots on a battlefield, for his entire life!"
Anna knew that what her husband had just said was correct.
Leo had been born and raised in the purple his entire life, rarely stepping outside of the palace from a young age until just a few years back. Unlike his father and mother, Leo had not faced many dilemmas in his life, which affected his thinking as well, making him assume that something could only be either right or wrong, with no neutrality or grey area.
"He will learn in the future," murmured Anna.
"In a hard way," continued Antonius.
"Yes, in a hard way, but right now, please, Antonius, stop all of this killing." Anna leaned back on the couch. "If you want to remove the influence of the old brothers, you should do it slowly, bit by bit, make them gradually retire and return to the lands you offered them, instead of just wiping them out in one move."
"I want to as well, trust me, Anna," Antonius sighed once again. "But I just do not know if... if God is still willing to give me the time to do that..."
Upon hearing this, Anna could bear it no longer. She sunk herself into the arms of her husband and began weeping her heart out. Antonius, with a sigh, could only comfort her by giving her continuous pats on her back.
...
Meanwhile, in the palace of Daphne.
Abdullah, with his beard and hair now fully white and his frail, wrinkled face revealed, had his eyes closed as he sat beside his desk.
Many might have forgotten that Abdullah had just entered his fifties, but just by the look of it, he seemed like an old man with one foot in the grave. Which is kind of normal when considering the fact that he had been overworked for almost half of his life, staying up until midnight every day. But he had burned his energy for a reason: to achieve what he had hoped for throughout the years, building a state according to what they planned when they were still young, in the Greater Roman Ideology.
Fancy name, isn’t it?
But that is what Abdullah had worked his blood and sweat for throughout the years, the motivation that is keeping him forward in this state, burning himself to supply the fuel for the advancement of this nation.
However, the notable Lord Abdullah Miralai had stopped doing any work since a day ago, with the entire government being like ants on a hot pan, jumping around because of the gigantic political genocide that had been happening earlier.
Abdullah had not had a proper bond with the emperor for some time.
Slowly, bit by bit through the wash of time, their relationship had turned from brotherhood to a sole partnership. And now, he could feel the suspense crawling onto him from the emperor, and to be honest, even he was suspicious of the emperor. It could be Apostolos today, and could it be him next, tomorrow? Noting that he had been the head of the government, Megas Primmikerios, for decades without change.
If the emperor were to lay his hands on someone, then it would definitely be him, no doubt.
