Execution

Emperor. As far as Leo knew of this term, it meant someone who had concurred with every kingdom and united them into one empire. Only such an enigmatic ruler could be dubbed the 'Emperor'.

In fact, Leo wasn't as surprised as one would expect him to be. He knew Mars since childhood, and one thing that clearly stood out about his friend was his huge dreams.

Mars always dreamed and talked about things that no other peasant would even think of, and Leo didn't have any problem with it.

Actually, as stupid as it sounds, just the thought of becoming an emperor sent chills down his spine, and from the bottom of his heart, Leo wanted Mars to achieve all the goals he dreamed of.

But there was only one thing he feared: the growing chill radiating from Mars towards those around him.

With time, Leo had seen the gentle and innocent smile on Mars's face fade away, only to be replaced by a stoic and cold one.

He wasn't the old Mars anymore; the world was slowly turning him into an impregnable fortress that would soon never be unhindered by any storm.

Mars was gradually relinquishing his humanity, and each experience - be it the loss of love or the illness that plagued his mother - acted as a catalyst, accelerating this transformation.

"Mars, I am happy that you have such a dream, and I can't wait for it to be complete, but there is a small promise I want from you right now," Leo asked after a brief silence.

Mars raised his brows slightly and asked, "What...?"

Leo gritted his teeth and said, "Promise me, no....no matter what you do, you will never lose the humanity in you, and you will always be kind to others."

"Tch… What's with this humanity bullshit? What are you talking about, Leo…you are too soft," Mars said with a small grin on his face.

Leo shook his head and said seriously, "You understand exactly what I mean." I've seen you grow colder, Mars. Instead of finding empathy in what happened with Maia and understanding her, you're using it to distance yourself even more. "The same goes for mother's illness and father's behaviour."

Listening to Leo, Mars had a sudden change. He jumped to his feet and asked threateningly, "What is there to understand in what Maia did?"

"She betrayed me, I loved her, but she didn't, she chose that young lord over me… even…even though I told her about my dream, I told her I would become an emperor, but still she left me!"

"She said it was funny, and I am delusional, can you believe it? She laughed at my dream!"

Listening to what, Mars had buried deep inside him, Leo bit his lip. 'So, this is what's been eating at him. Oh, Maia, how could you be so thoughtless!'

"Mars, try to see her side of it. She had her reasons. People aren't as heartless as you perceive them to be," Leo began, but Mars abruptly cut him off.

"That's enough, Leo, now go to sleep." "I will feed the cattle and join you; we have work tomorrow."

"And…we will try visiting all the higher officials in the city tomorrow and beg them for money….let's see how much humanity is left in the world that you speak of."

Then, without waiting, Mars stormed off, leaving Leo alone.

Seeing that the situation was not going anywhere, Leo worriedly gazed at Mars' back as he rushed towards the backyard.

That night, Leo didn't sleep, and that's why he could hear faint sobbing sounds from the backyard throughout the night.

****

The next morning wasn't great; neither Mars nor Leo had slept, and just when the sky started brightening, both of them got ready to depart for the fields.

Only Mars's father had recovered a little from the beating. Sitting in the middle of the house, he had been glaring at both boys all the time.

"You bastard, you hit your father; you will regret it very soon." That's what he was muttering all the time, but Mars didn't pay him any heed, nor did Leo.

Eventually, they were in the fields, where a few hundred men and women were picking up hoes and other tools to plough the field. An old man stood in front, directing each of them about their tasks.

The fields were located outside the city fortress to the north, so it took almost an hour for them to arrive for work as they had to exit the city first.

Soon, the work began, and as usual, Mars and Leo started the daunting task of ploughing the fields. Leo always hated the work, and the only reason that kept him going was the need for money, but Mars had a slightly different perspective on it.

According to him, this was also some kind of heavy training that would increase their strength and stamina. So, not only did Mars complete his own task, but he also completed half of what Leo had to do.

Rustle! Rustle! Rustle!

It had only been an hour since the work began when the workers noticed a cloud of dust forming a distance away, and from what they could see, it was heading in their direction.

"A chariot…" Leo muttered as he soon discerned the shape.

All the workers were now looking at the golden chariot pulled by four huge war-horses coming their way, but only Mars ignored the commotion and kept moving his arms meticulously.

Suddenly, the old man in charge of the field jumped up from his seat and yelled, "It's Lord Baren!"

"Also, his son, Lord Luther, and his finance, Maia, are there too; they are visiting the fields!"

The old man then turned to the workers and screamed angrily, "Move your arms faster, if anyone of you is caught lacking, then there is no work for you tomorrow."

'Lord Luther and Maia, damn, why can't we get a break!' Leo muttered to himself while taking a glance at Mars, but Mars acted as if he hadn't heard a word and kept on working.

'So…cold'

The chariot soon arrived near the fields and stopped right beside the old man. The chariot was huge and could easily accommodate 6-7 individuals.

Leo glanced up from the corner of his eyes and glimpsed at the people standing on it. He saw the same refined young man wearing luxurious clothes with a slick back and wet hair he had seen at the festival. Then there was Maia; she wore a long white gown, most likely gifted, and she looked... happy.

Two soldiers clad in heavy armour stood behind them, with a marking of Eldoria's flag on their chest, and at last, was Lord Baren. He was a bald man in his forties with a muscular build. Despite the wrinkles that covered his face, Leo glimpsed a sharp gaze that seemed to pierce the surroundings.

It was the gaze of a sharp man, who had spent most of his life scheming and battling others.

Luther, who was eagerly studying his surroundings, lightly chuckled and said, "So this is Father's farmland; it's truly magnificent, it's almost half the size of the city."

Luther then turned to face Maia and asked, "A sight to behold, isn't it?"

Maia had maroon hair tied into a neat bun at the top of her head. Her skin was crystal clear, and her eyes were light brown. With light makeup on her sharp face, she didn't seem like a commoner from any angle.

Listening to Luther, Maia smiled while nodding lightly, "Indeed."

At this moment, Lord Baren, who was indifferent to their talk, spoke to the old man, saying, "Since Luther is getting married, I wanted to transfer the responsibility of farmlands to his shoulders."

"As you can see, he is still a fool who is spoiled by his mother, so I want him to learn as soon as possible."

"Old Rols, introduce him to the workers and also explain everything he needs to know."

Listening to his father, Luther's face slightly reddened, but he didn't refute.

"My pleasure" The old man bowed and then yelled at the workers, "You lot, come here, Young Lord Luther is here to meet you!"

"Let's join them, Mars," Leo muttered, and soon everyone left their work to gather near the chariot.

"Young lord!" The workers spoke in unison and then bowed. Leo too had to bow, but suddenly he saw Mars still standing straight, his gaze now fixed on the chariot.

Baren and Luther too noticed the odd worker not bowing down, and their gazes turned cold.

Realizing the old situation, Leo broke into a cold sweat and let out a low shout while pushing Mars to bow down. "Mars…why are you so lost…just bow down, haha, there is no need to be stupefied."

With Leo pressing him, Mars eventually bowed slightly, and due to his comment, Lord Baren's brows widened a little, but Luther still had a small frown on his face.

"Haha, he was too shocked to see your esteemed self," the old man laughed.

"Wait, what was your name, Mars?"

"Mars!" Luther, who was still frowning, suddenly exclaimed. Then he shot a sharp glance at Maia and asked, "Is he the same Mars?"

A strange emotion swirled in Maia's eyes, and eventually, she lightly nodded.

"Haha," Luther suddenly burst into a fit of laughter and then spoke, "Who would have thought I would meet Maia's ex-lover in this crowd?" How marvellous! I was looking for this moment!"

Luther then pointed at Mars and said, "You peasant, come forward!"

Mars looked up to gaze at Luther and then started walking towards him.

"Damn it!" Leo cursed their misfortune, but right now he could only hope that Mars wouldn't do something foolish in anger.

Looking at Mars's gaze as he walked towards Luther, the soldier beside Lord Baren spoke lightly, "Lord..."

"I know, his gaze is quite viscous for his age; I am surprised to see it among these peasants, but don't worry, Luther can protect himself," Baren replied and then continued to observe the situation.

Eventually, Mars and Luther were standing a metre away from each other. With a grin on his face, Luther studied Mars from top to bottom and commented with a mocking tone, "Tch…I can't discern a single reason Maia would like a bumpkin like you, haha, but she too was living with your filth, so it is reasonable."

Shing!

Suddenly, Luther unsheathed a sword from his waist and pointed it at Mars. "Now, you peasant, tell me, should you be executed for the crime of having feelings for my betrothed, a woman of the esteemed Clair family?"