Those nerves within Marcus that had calmed down suddenly spiked up with anxiety.
His pupils became dilated as his heart drummed against his ribs. Looking at the information on the holographic screen and seeing the 'Redo' number drop, Marcus's thoughts scrambled for answers.
It wasn't a dream!
Before he could say a word, time froze once again, and he was presented with the same options.
[Edge Of Death: Threat identified. Baron Reginald, the last son of a wealthy Count and an avid supporter of the seventh Prince's faction. He has been working very hard over the years to veto your control over Agard, and the only thing stopping him from completely taking over is the breath you inhale. Baron Reginald has committed many atrocities in your land, and he continues to do so. He hates you to the core and currently doesn't have any positive regard towards you. Given the chance, he won't hesitate to kill you.]
[You have five options.
*Agree to meet with Baron Reginald.
*Refuse to meet the Baron and send him out of your mansion.
*Have your guards seize him and execute him for his crimes.
*Beg the Baron to spare your life and promise to hand over Agard to him.
*Pretend to have lost your mind once again.
You have 2 minutes to decide. 1:57]
Blood rushed to his head, and even though time had frozen, Marcus felt dizzy.
He struggled to focus until his eyes fell on the counter.
1:30.
He had 90 seconds to decide.
If I pick another option and still get killed, would I still return?
What will happen if I fail to decide before time runs out? Immediate death? Though he wondered, this thought only lasted half a second as he didn't want to think of the consequences.
Marcus was caught between the urge to freak out and the rationale of calming down.
Reading his options, Marcus zoned out the option of refusing to meet Baron Reginald.
Wouldn't picking the same thing lead to the same end?
Have the guards seize him and execute him? This option did seem like the most reliable, after all, he had witnessed firsthand what Baron Reginald was willing to do to get what he wanted.
Rather than wait, why not be preemptive and get a hold of him before he does anything? After all, this is my mansion, and most of my guards should be around. He couldn't have brought an army to my residence at this time of the night, right?
If Baron Reginald had done that, then the entire mansion would have been alarmed upon his arrival.
But, how did he get the best of my guards the last…time? Unsure of what to call what he experienced, Marcus paused. Looking at the counter, he said that he had less than a minute to decide.
He must have had those armed men ambush them; how else would he have safely made it to my abode?
With this thought in mind, the fear coursing through his veins chilled and turned into anger. At this point, after experiencing the pain and darkness of dying once, the consequences of executing Baron Reginald didn't seem as scary as he initially thought.
One threat was far away in the capital, and another was within his mansion.
Don't thirst for faraway waters.
Marcus immediately made his decision.
Time resumed.
"Tell the guards to seize him, and if he resists, execute him. That's my explicit order." The words came out of his mouth decisively, even carrying a hint of his anger in them.
Leti shivered in fear as she heard this command.
Has the Lord lost his mind again?
Just as she was doubting his mental state, she felt his piercing gaze on her. "Yes, lord viscount." With a bow, she rushed out of the room to get hold of the guards, not even returning to where the Baron was.
Everything seemed to return to its previous peacefulness as Marcus waited to hear some kind of commotion. However, even after waiting a while, he heard nothing.
It seems like they successfully seized the baron; he must have willingly submitted. With a sigh, Marcus's tense muscles relaxed, and yet, his heart refused to settle.
He felt a wave of dizziness hit his mind, making him feel as though he was about to pass out.
That was when it hit him.
If Baron Reginald had been caught and thrown in the dungeon, someone would have come to report to him. Almost immediately, that lethargic feeling that he was experiencing was doused out.
"Leti!" Marcus called out and waited; however, he was met with silence. Eerie silence.
Knock, knock.
Hearing this, Marcus began to relax once again.
"Come in."
The door opened up, and who stepped in was not who Marcus was expecting to see.
"Lord Viscount," Baron Reginald began as he walked towards Marcus's bed. "I didn't expect that the first thing you would do after regaining your senses would be to order your measly, weak, twelve guards to seize me."
The chubby man sat by the edge of the bed, and his weight on the mattress seemed to mirror the cold fall that Marcus's heart experienced.
He swallowed audibly.
"Though loyalty is a rare currency, and very much admirable regardless of who's the hero or villain… it is useless when spent by unworthy leaders. How could you send the ones who chose to remain in your mansion to die so easily?"
Baron Reginald spoke, at the same time, he was transferring the rings on his left hand to his right.
"I only came to check up on you, and yet, you decide to arrest me. How could you give me such a good excuse to take your life?" Baron Reginald flashed a wicked smile as he got up from the bed, removing the fitted jacket he had on and handing it over to one of the armed men who had entered the room without Marcus's knowledge.
The baron didn't stop there.
He proceeded to remove the rest of his clothing, leaving only his underwear on. The chubby man moved and climbed onto the bed, walking slowly towards Marcus.
"Baron Reginald, what is the meaning of this?" Marcus managed to say as he watched with hidden horror.
Had he tried to escape?
Yes, he was still trying; however, he didn't know how long he had bedridden because his legs refused to respond to his wishes.
"What does it look like I'm doing?"
Marcus couldn't bring himself to utter the word, but his eyes betrayed his thoughts.
"Oh, please, I'm not interested in men." He chuckled, and his plump stomach jiggled. Stretching his hand out, he pointed at him. "You are. After asking your guards to seize me and drag me to your chambers, you attempted to soil my dignity, and you almost succeeded. However, my guards aren't to be underestimated. They ran to rescue."
Baron Reginald knelt before Marcus, trapping him in between his thick thighs.
Before Marcus could say a word, the bejeweled fingers of the baron landed squarely on his face, cracking his bones and knocking a few dozen teeth out.
The pain stung Marcus, leaving him confused for a few seconds.
"Oh, please, lord viscount, I'll do anything! Please, let me be!" Baron Reginald screamed, acting the part, as though he were the one being assaulted by Marcus.
For every word that he uttered, his fist left a stamp on Marcus face.
Marcus tried to use his hands to shield his face, but that didn't seem to matter to the Baron. He wanted to inflict pain on Marcus either way.
It got to the point where he couldn't hold his hand up anymore to shield his face. Even to the point where he couldn't make sense of time.
To the point where Marcus became numb to the pain.
His eyes were already swollen and clogged with blood, so he had been in the dark for a while.
Suddenly, Marcus was greeted with silence once again. And a lingering numbing pain that only existed in his mind. Gasping for air and reaching for his face, Marcus felt his face for bruises but felt none.
His chest heaved up and down heavily as sweat rolled down his temples.
I… died. Again.
He didn't need to doubt it.
[Redo: 0]