101 Ways To Tame The Emperor

Chapter 7: Five Beasts and the Lady

(Malik)

SUDDENLY, majority of the customers near Lancelot’s table stood up to save themselves from his fury and to give the woman and his friends more space. But they did not leave. Instead, they gathered in the corner which was far enough from the commotion as they watched in anticipation. Even in their silence, I could tell who they were cheering for, especially the men.

I, along with my soldiers, on the other hand, remained seated while enjoying our drinks. Before one of the five men could rush forward, the woman threw her knife and targeted the man’s groin. That was a witty move and an epic way to start the fight. Now, it was one against four.

It doesn’t matter how she fights anymore since this game had never been fair for her from the beginning.

“You useless i***t!” Lancelot yelled at his friend who fell on the floor, screeching, while covering his now bloody groin.

“You just got lucky.” One of the men said, his face was beaming since the lady in white no longer have weapons left.

Darn it. Should I hand her more knives? But with her personality, would she accept it?

I have never been this nervous my whole life. My heart was racing. It was beating so loudly that I could barely hear a word from the crowd. Even when I was in the battlefield and faced countless enemies, I was never this tensed but this woman was making me feel things… strange things.

The goblet cracked when I put it down the table. I don’t think I can continue drinking anymore. I don’t think I can continue watching either. I feel like my heart is about to come out of its ribcage. I was about to stand up when I saw how the woman effortlessly twisted the arm of the second one who tried to attack her. The man writhed in pain. And as if it was not enough, the woman rotated her body towards her opponent and gave her a rear arm punch on the face. He collapsed on the adjacent table.

She was certain of what she wanted and how she would do it. She was swift, too. I feel like she could have done more, though. But for some reason, she seems to be controlling her strength.

There were three more left. I went back to my seat. But I still could not calm down. The desire to punch something or someone to ease my frustration was driving me nuts. I swear I will not watch anything like this again in the future. I grabbed the liquor and drank straight from its bottle before I managed to continue watching.

The third beast was about to perform a turning kick but the woman blocked it easily using her arm and did a turning kick of her own. It was like doing a fan service since we all gulped upon seeing more of her legs. She was wearing a lace cycling underneath but it was not enough to cover the big part. Heck, I can’t let her out the tavern just wearing that sinful dress.

The man was not able to get up when some of the customers smashed his head with a plate filled with food. She wiped the sweat on her forehead using the back of her hands and prepared to face the fourth beast who seemed to know some fighting techniques since he was able to smoothly dodge all of the woman’s attacks. She was obviously having a hard time now and yet, I did not see her lose her composure. She seemed… challenged instead. In fact, her eyes became more determined.

“Young master,” she called out in the middle of attacking the fourth beast.

 Lancelot sneered. “What? Are you giving up now?”

 “Of course not. I just realized that this whole thing is unfair for me. I mean if I do get hurt here and lose, you will capture me, right? But what if I win? I have no use for someone like you so I don’t have any plans of taking you. Why don’t we make a deal instead, young master? If you lose, you have to pay for the repair of all the damages in this tavern, apologize to the waitress, compensate her for the mental damage you caused her, and keep your big mouth shut about this as if this never happened. How about that? The conditions are very simple, right?”

I chuckled. This woman was unbelievable. Even if she was busy dealing with the fourth guy, she still did not forget trampling on Lancelot’s pride all over again. She was dangerous, especially her lovely mouth. An ordinary man would have bled upon hearing her insults. I was actually surprised that Lancelot was still standing after hearing all that, although his other hand was on the table as if he was using it to support his weight.

“Admit it. You are starting to get afraid of my family’s influence now, aren’t you? It’s beginning to sink in to you now that you messed with the wrong person.”

This time, the woman looked offended. She rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. Only your parents have an influence in this place but not you. Why do you keep making bad assumptions, young master? I am just concerned about your reputation. If you report this to your Mommy dearest, it’s just like confirming that you are truly a Mama’s Boy. If you report this to your father, though, wouldn’t that make you more of a loser in his eyes? You know, having been beaten by a woman?”

The woman took a sharp breath and stepped back after a while. Her hands were now swollen. Lancelot saw it as a golden opportunity. “All right, then. You have my word. I will comply with all those conditions if you win.”

She glanced at the customers. “You, guys, heard that, right? All of you are my witnesses.”

The crowd nodded and cheered in unison. She did another quick fan service and let out another beautiful smile.

“It’s settled then.” She said before she jumped and performed a spinning crescent kick in midair. Just like that and the fourth man was knocked down. He was still breathing but he was fast asleep. She was cunning. It was like she just pretended to be weak in order to make Lancelot agree on her terms.

What a woman.

“You are next.” She pointed the last villain for the day.

The man flinched. “Actually, I just remembered that I have something very important to do at home. I almost forgot that I need to feed my cat. I’m sorry but I have to go, Lancelot. See you next time!” He said before rushing straight to the door.

“Come back here, David! Damn you, I know you don’t have a cat!” Lancelot yelled. But it was too late. His friend was gone now.

It was the woman’s turn to smirk. “You should replace that one. He’s not loyal. Anyway, you lost, young master.”

“David doesn’t have a cat. I know him. He hates animals.” Lancelot blurted out again, as if he still could not believe what just happened.

The woman laughed. And I swear I have never heard something so fascinating. “Who knows? Maybe he will adopt a cat on his way home, young master. People change. That friend of yours might turn out to be Morven’s greatest animal lover starting today.” What she said made the crowd laugh even more.

Lancelot suddenly threw his coin pouch in the air. Several gold coins burst from it. They scattered on the floor. “This is more than enough compensation for the damages here and for the waitress. But you can’t expect me to apologize! I will never do that even if I die! We are not over yet, woman! Remember that!” He warned before he dashed off.

“Young Master,” the woman called out before Lancelot could even reach the door.

“What?” Lancelot snarled.

“It’s still not too late, you know.”

“What the f**k are you talking about?”

“Judging by your father’s position in the government and the amount of trouble you caused, you could only be imprisoned for six months. And if you get lucky and the waitress decides to forgive you, you will only receive a three-month jail time. I’m saying that it’s not too late for you to change. You are young and handsome. You look fit. And you are rich. It’s such a waste. There are so many things you could do, beautiful things.” She smiled. “I hope you find those things, young master. I hope things will be different the next time we meet. Besides, strong men don’t do this, you know. They don’t pick a fight on the weak because it makes them appear weaker.”

Lancelot looked dumbfounded. He just stared at the woman for a long while. Unexpectedly, he did not say a word anymore. He just quietly stepped back and left the tavern.

I sent signal to three of my soldiers to follow him. They knew what to do. There was no way I would let that drunkard get away easily. I would be damned if I would give him any more reason to threaten the woman again. That one nerve-wracking fight was enough.

When the woman headed to the table near the far end corner of the tavern, everyone was silent for a moment before a huge round of applause was heard. The woman just grinned and bowed before taking a seat. She then waved at the waitress and ordered as if nothing happened.

“What you did was very amazing, young lady! I am impressed! May I know your name?” One of the middle-aged female customers asked.

She smiled. “It’s Catherine, ma’am.”

It was only when she smiled did I realize that I was actually holding my breath. So her name was Catherine. It suited her. The woman was the biggest surprise for the people of Morven. She was more than an eye-opener for all the nobles here who witnessed her wit, bravery, and strength. A woman standing up and putting up a fight against a noble family for another woman’s right was something no one had ever seen before.

Catherine looked like a very delicate princess. Who would have thought that she did not need a knight to protect her? She can wield her own sword. This had never happened before. I also don’t remember feeling this amazed because of a woman before. Today was the first time.

I have a feeling that many things are about to change from now on. And it will be because of her.

Just who was this Catherine?