101 Ways To Tame The Emperor

Chapter 8: The Unlucky One

(Sabina)

“GOOD afternoon, my lady. I am Robbi, the manager of this tavern. This meal is on the house. The owner said that you can order whatever you want without having to pay. This is our way of showing our gratitude and appreciation for saving our waitress.”

I frowned at the manager who seemed to be flexing the muscles in his arms as he talked to me. As if that would impress me. This was ridiculous. His built was so much better than the Count’s son but he never showed up and joined the ruckus earlier. I would have understood him if he was small and thin but he was not. In fact, he looked like a body builder but his muscles were useless during emergency situations.

“If you are expecting to hear a ‘thank you’ from me, then I will have to disappoint you, Sir Robbi. Tell the owner not to do this again.” I said in a formal voice. “You abandoned your own people, allowed her to suffer and get humiliated in front of all the customers. Someone violated her rights. She needed rescuing, yet, you, guys, turned a blind eye when she screamed for help. Do you realize what might have happened if someone didn’t meddle? This thing will keep on happening because you allow it to happen. I was waiting for the authorities to come over while I was dealing with those men. But no one thought of reporting this matter, right? This is very disappointing.”

His confident smile was gone now as he stopped flexing in front of me. Guilt crossed his eyes. Good for him.

“We are very sorry, my lady. But the second young master’s family is very powerful here in the City. We would not dare to-“

“I may not be familiar of their faces but I know a little about their history. Their reputation is already tainted because of the first young master’s illegal gambling activities and the second young master’s attitude towards the women. If I remember it right, despite the presence of the town police, His Majesty had still stationed his trusted subordinates in every town. This place, for example, has six of His Majesty’s Knights, since this is one of the largest parts of Morven. That Knight’s post is just nearby, right? If you are afraid of coming to the authorities thinking that the Count might have influenced their judgment, then you could have just reported straight to the Knight. And he would have reported it back to His Majesty. Then things would not have escalated like this.”

That was one of the few things that I found out about the Emperor. It looked like he has trust issues about the cops and the officials so he had his own men patrol around the towns. That was how he ensured everyone’s safety for the past years. The so-called Knights were the reason why Matilde bragged about the low crime rate of this Empire.

I can’t believe I would experience all these on my first day out of the manor. Matilde might freak out if she hears this. I better not tell her.

“I was afraid.” The manager answered, he was almost whispering. “Someone might see me reporting to the Knight and the House of Bradford might lash at me and my family afterwards.”

“That’s why His Majesty created a witness protection program. Despite our fears, I believe we have to be brave and take our chances. Danger is everywhere. Because of the self-entitled individuals, more and more people suffer every single day. And we can all be victims one day. That’s why sometimes; we must learn how to stand for our rights and fight back. It was that waitress today. Tomorrow, it could be you or someone very precious to you. What if you were put in a similar situation and no one listened to your cry?”

The manager fell silent. I know I should stop grilling him. After all, this was not just his fault. It was the owner’s, too, the owner that was also present a while ago based on this manager’s words. Still, I wanted to put some sense into his head to make sure that there would not be another woman who would fall victim to something like this again. Remembering the humiliation and trauma that the waitress went through earlier still makes me so mad. She was begging and crying so loudly but everyone around her pretended to be blind and deaf. That must have been so heartbreaking.

“I was afraid, too, you know.” I said in a mellow voice. “I was afraid that I would end up making a fool out of myself and lose the fight. I was afraid that they would haunt me down after this and my family would punish me for this. I didn’t know their fighting abilities and I was afraid for my own life. But I was more afraid of staying silent, of not doing something, and of letting those men roam free.”

I sighed. It was true that I was afraid for a moment back there. But I remembered what Sir Richard told Matilde, that he was watching over me from wherever he is. I held on to those words. That gave me confidence. I like to believe that every citizen here had their own Sir Richard, too, in the form of the Emperor’s Knights. Maybe sometimes, people just need to take a damn leap and have faith in others.

But the thing that gave me the most confidence while I was dealing with those scums was that every action they took was predictable. It was obvious that they were not used to fighting as well. I could tell where their punches or kicks would land since their movements were pretty slow which was kind of typical for spoiled brats.

I cleared my throat before talking. “That’s all, Sir Robbi. I am sorry for the mess. And please do not forget to contact the waitress and give her the proper compensation she deserves. The money may not be enough for what she endured mentally and physically but it could help her family a little. Have a good day, Sir Robbi.”

“Please forgive us, my lady. I assure you, this will not happen again. Feel free to come here again. We will treat you to another meal.” He said in a shy voice as he stood straight. “I will remember everything you said and will relay it to the owner. Thank you for saving our waitress. We will be indebted to you from now on, my lady. May the blessings of the Almighty forever be with you.”

I took a deep breath while massaging my forehead. After this, I would have to buy a dress. It’s a hassle. I regret cutting it but I won’t be able to move and fight freely if I did not do it since the dress was too fitted that it restricted my every movement.

I can’t go home looking like this. Just imagining Baldy’s anger was already giving me goose bumps.

I shook my head and decided to focus on the food for now. All that fighting made me hungrier than ever. My eyes glimmered while staring at the lamb steak, lobster, and black truffles. They all smell so delicious. I did not order them because they were included in the most expensive dishes in the tavern. They cost about four silver coins each. And I’ve already lost a lot of coins today so I just ordered a simpler meal.

But it looked like fighting had its perks, too. I smiled after tasting the steak. It was sweet and it melts in the mouth. It was so good! I was in the middle of finishing my meal when I started to feel different. All of a sudden, my stomach felt tingly and my whole body feels like it’s on fire. I stared at the wineglass and then on my plate.

Did someone just spike my drink? Or put something on my food perhaps? Catherine, why? Why are you so damn unlucky?

I stood up and asked for the waitress for the comfort room’s direction. I need to hurry. The burning sensation might stop if I wash up.

“Tell your manager that if I find out that he put something on my food, he better hide well because I will haunt him and I will make him pay a hundred fold for this!” I managed to tell the waitress before I struggled to walk towards the comfort room.

My head was on a daze. Every fiber of my body became ultra sensitive. I could feel fire streaking through my blood and the throbbing between my legs as the heat spread inside it down to the tip of my toes.

What in the world is happening to me?