A whole lot of anxiety and dread decided to settle within my stomach at the insinuations that our lead just made with her comments. It truly was the fvcking Emperor, but judging from her tone, Aria was afraid... There were only two men walking past us earlier, and surely one of them was the Emperor. So who was she afraid of? And... wait...
Why the fvck was the Emperor walking around without a whole contingent of bodyguards?
"What? Why?!" Lise harshly whispered. "Shouldn't we just try and kill him now? He's defenseless!"
To my own fears, Aria shook her head with the urgency of someone that's absolutely terrified, "No, you don't understand! We have to run before he can see us!"