Chapter 710: Old Friends
If the emperor were to lay his hands on someone, then it would definitely be him.
The ties of trust between the emperor and the head of government had been broken, no doubt.
What caused this? When did this become a reality? No one really knows. Not even Abdullah, for he believes that something had changed in the heart and mind of the emperor for quite some time. It is just like the emperor at this age is totally different from what he used to be. And, Abdullah has every reason to believe that his liege no longer sees him as a brother, a buddy; instead, it is more likely that he sees him as a plain enemy.
Age has changed the emperor, and similarly for Abdullah as well, for he is still that Abdullah from years back when he was apprehended by the pirates on the Aegean. And right now, seeing the situation being like this, the old chancellor made up his mind: wherever he came from, he shall go back to that place.
With this in mind, the old chancellor struggled to stand up from his seat that he had stuck himself on for the entire past day. But just as he stood up, a sudden sense of dizziness overcame him. He tried his very best to maintain his standing posture by grabbing onto the chair. However, that too proved to be a task too hard for him right now, as he felt an increasing surge of warm blood rushing to his head. The chancellor attempted one or two more steps forward, getting his grip only onto the plate of the already cold meal prepared for him last night.
The chair moved, and the chancellor lost his support, falling abruptly backward, bringing the tray and plate with him, creating a thunderous thumping noise on the ground, followed by a series of metal clashing sounds throughout the room.
This immediately alarmed the palace servants and guards, as they had been told previously by the lord chancellor that they ought not disturb him while he was at work. And now, upon rushing in, they found the political master they served collapsed on the ground, totally unconscious.
The entire palace scattered, as everyone knew clearly about the importance of their second most important man in the palace. Medical officers rushed around, trying to revive Abdullah, while others hurried to inform the emperor as soon as possible.
"Abdullah has fainted?"
Antonius’ eyes bulged in disbelief as he stared at the messenger, a sense of worry on his face. But immediately, that worry turned into rage, and he made a cold grin. "Let me guess, he must have left me a letter, or some words of ’wisdom,’ am I right? All of them are trying to use this trick against me, all of them!"
By the end of his words, the emperor was already roaring.
Ignoring the shivering steward on the ground, the emperor stormed off. "I am NOT going to see him! Never! Go tell him that he can stop doing all the tricks he has been trying to play on me!"
Then the door behind him slammed shut.
Anna looked back at Antonius with concern in her eyes. "Are you sure you’re not going to pay him a visit? He is your friend, your brother who has supported you and your career for ages till now."
"Let me tell you what, this is a common trick they use all the time, no doubt. They first call themselves sick, describing to me how bad their situation is, and then ask me to pay them a visit. Guess what, honey? Immediately when I am there, they act like they are sick, and start telling me a bunch of so-called advice meant to make me angry."
Upon hearing this, Anna sighed and stood up, before she went to the wardrobe and started to dress herself.
"Where are you going?" asked the emperor.
"I am going to pay my old friend a visit," said Anna without turning back. "There is an old friend of mine, whom I have known for two decades, who has fallen sick recently due to overwork and stress. As an old friend of his, I must pay him a visit, whether for the contributions he has made to my family, my husband, or the sacrifices he has made along the way."
Antonius stood upright again. "I do not allow you to visit him!"
Anna left the room. "Well, I am not listening, and I do not need your permission to walk around this palace!"
This left the emperor stunned, with words stuck in his throat, unsure of what to do.
He continued staying there for a little longer, strolling around the room in circles, staring outside the windows toward the Marmara Sea. Finally, he could take it no longer, made a deep sigh, stomped his feet, and went out of the room.
Cerberus followed with the emperor’s coat. "Where are we going, your Majesty?"
Antonius pondered for a while before replying. "Going out for a walk."
"Looking to relax your mind, your Majesty?" Cerberus continued, as if already prepared. "I know the perfect place that can soothe your mind."
Antonius replied with his head full of thoughts. "Sure, lead the way."
There were indeed gardens, flowers, and woods along the way, but the emperor was not in the mood to view these sceneries. Cerberus also kept quiet, not making a single noise as he guided the emperor through the passageways. Finally, after a long time, the emperor came back to reality, looked around, and asked, "Where are you bringing me to? I don’t recognise this place."
"You have rarely been here, your Majesty, with God’s blessing." Cerberus turned to a small gate and bowed slightly. "This is the Court Physician."
Only now did the emperor realise the true intention of his faithful guard. But he did not rage as he usually would. Instead, he took a deep look at the Varangian commander and said nothing.
The stress level of the Varangian commander immediately reached another level as he tried to dodge the emperor’s eyes. "It is the queen’s idea, not mine, your Majesty."
The emperor remained silent but still went up the slope, where the servants opened the gate for him, revealing what was inside. It was a private ensuite with a bed in the center. Sunlight from the open windows revealed the occupant of this room—the Lord Chancellor, head of the Roman government, lying there with a maiden attending to some medical care equipment. Beside the bed sat another lady, none other than Antonius’ wife, the queen of the empire.
The queen, seemingly already knowing that the emperor would be there, simply glanced at him and then turned her head away, continuing to look at their old friend on the bed.
The emperor did not say a thing, but instead, he began walking around the room, his eyes focused on the man on the sickbed and his wife.
The air remained frozen for minutes as no one in the room said a thing, both the emperor and the queen completely silent.
Finally, the emperor opened his mouth as he stood before his old pal, with mixed emotions in his eyes. "You, come over here."
The physician hurriedly came over.
"How long has Chancellor Abdullah been like this?"
"For four hours, your Majesty." The court physician bowed deeply.
The emperor looked deep into the court physician’s eyes, attempting to see any trace of lies in those pupils, but he failed to see any. "Are you sure that he is not just sleeping, or anything? Or pretending that he is sick?"
The queen could not bear it any longer and made a low but hasty hiss. "Antonius!"
The court physician, totally unprepared for this question, did not respond immediately and remained halted there.
"Just answer the question!"
"We tried everything we could, your Majesty." The court physician answered. "But there are no muscle reflexes or any form of reactions coming from the lord chancellor, no matter what kind of method we try. According to my almost three decades of experience with my colleagues, the chancellor is indeed facing a critical situation."
The emperor took a deep breath and cast another complex look at his old friend.
"From my years of experience, we feel that the chancellor has some issues in his head, in his brain. He should have needed a proper rest a long time ago, but he continued sitting there maintaining one single posture for an extended period, which is indeed bad for one’s health. Actually, I suggested to him that he should exercise, but he kindly refused, stating that there is too much work to do."
"What are you trying to suggest? Is there any other way you can help? With your years of experience?" asked the emperor. This time, another emotion joined his eyes as he met the eyes of the court physician.
He was begging the physician, in his heart.
