Chapter Nine, So That He Never Lifts A
Finger.
"WHAT HAS BECOME OF US?"

⚔︎

     Augusta Carbo's footsteps splintered up the corridor towards the chambers where the ailing Octavia rested peacefully.

She passed other maids and guards who wished for the best of the future bride, hoping she would be well enough and back to her golden self in time for the union right around the corner. Augusta reassured that the Lady Octavia would be cured in time for such a momentous occasion and harmonious ceremony, unbeknownst to them that Octavia's love for the emperor was disease she needed saving from. It made Augusta wonder if they would all think differently if they knew the harrowing reality of the union, and how harsh Geta could truly be towards the woman who was loved by many.

If they truly knew, would they still relish in the same excitement as Geta, his brother, and the Senate?

After their plan to erase Octavia's unwanted pregnancy, using a concoction that worked successfully, the woman had been recovering quietly in her chambers in private during the last two days. It was not an easy task, not with the emperor breathing down her neck about Octavia's recovery. Those with an outside view of the emperor and his bride would tell you he was just a man expressing genuine concern, but they didn't know the truth, and Augusta knew the truth better than anyone for she had been a lover of the emperor once before. He was possessive and demanded answers, not for concern of Octavia's wellbeing, but because he wanted to know how long it would be before he could bed the woman again.

     It made Augusta sick, her stomach twisted in knots when she thought about how Geta saw Octavia as nothing more than a womb to plant his seed and fulfil his desires.

And perhaps in his own twisted way, he did love Octavia, he just wasn't someone capable of genuine and pure love, at least not in the way she deserved.

"Augusta."

The woman stopped in her tracks in the now vacant corridor, her entire body coming to a standstill when she heard the familiar voice belonging to the man she had just been thinking about. It was not every day he summoned her. After their endeavours ended when Octavia came into the picture, he pretended she was just another common maid residing in the palace, doing all the labour to ensure he and others would live a comfortable life in their home. He had even gotten her name wrong on several occasions to erase their past — one Augusta would spend the rest of her life trying to forget.

She did not care for Geta. She only slipped into his bed with him because she was scared of what would happen if she was to deny him of what he wanted.

Would he have killed her mother?

Would he have killed her boy?

Those thoughts had resided in the back of her skull, haunting her menacingly ever since she took a job in the palace. When she got as close as to the emperor as she did, Augusta believed her life and her family's lives would be put at risk. She had played a dangerous game ever since. Helping Octavia kill the product of Geta's desires was her most dangerous play yet, knowing that if he ever discovered what happened, or that she had a hand in it, she was putting everything on the line. However, her loyalty for Octavia ran deep, through her flesh, infecting the bloodstream, and deep down into the marrow of her bones. What she had gone for the lady was a risk, but one she had been willing to make.

But Geta standing right behind her left her fearing for her life, as well as the lives of her family, more so than ever.

Augusta wasn't even sure if she had the strength to turn around and face him.

     However, if she refused, then she would be met with an unpleasant punishment for being rude to the epitome of royalty. So, as she swallowed the thick lump that had lodged itself into the back of her throat, rolling back her shoulders, she turned around to be met with Geta. He was dressed in a red and gold robe that wrapped around his body tightly, and standing on either side of him, stood two members of the Praetorian Guard. The hairs on the back of her neck quickly stood up, chills running down her spinal cord. If it had just been Geta standing before her, she would've believed he was searching for pleasure as Octavia is unwell, but the presence of guards made her realise there was something more foul at play here.

     "Your Majesty..." Augusta greeted, forcing a warm and inviting smile to not make anyone aware of the eery feeling that was beginning to rise in her chest. She then bowed her head with respect, although the emperor never earned an ounce of it. When her eyes met Geta's again, she decided to get straight to the answers. "What can I do for you? If it's about Octavia, she is still recovering. I was just on my way to check on her now—"

     "It is not Octavia I am here about," Geta interjected, smiling reassuringly at the woman. That only frightened Augusta more. She had seen that smile before. It was the kind of smile that told her he was plotting. And a mad filled with madness plotting was not a combination she wanted to be met with. "I was hoping we could speak in a private room." Geta's face then became serious, almost deadpanned.

Augusta would've ran into the opposite direction if she could. But she was nothing more than a common maid. She was owned by the palace, and thus, owned by the rulers of the very home she now resided in. So, the woman continued to smile as she followed Geta into a room a few corridors away from Octavia's chambers, followed by the two guards Geta had accompany them. Augusta followed Geta into the vacant room, her hands beginning tremble, and when she heard the set of doors close behind her after the guards had entered the room, it was safe to say her fear was beginning to eat her alive in that very moment. She did not know what was waiting for her now that her and Geta were alone, only accompanied by the guards most loyal to him and him only.

     The truth is, Augusta Carbo was scared to find out.

"What is it that I can do for you, Your Majesty?" Augusta was the first to speak up, doing her best to appear calm and collected with each word that trickled past her lips that she quickly formed into another small smile.

Geta clasped his hands together, his eyes staring into her own. Augusta could see he was trying to read her, like she was an open book full of glorious pages, each one littered with scribblings of an abundance of secrets he yearned to know more about. It made the woman shuffle where she stood, uncomfortable with the way the emperor's prying eyes scoured her, watching her every move. Geta then approached the woman. Augusta did her best not to flinch and take a step back, and in succeeding in doing so, she allowed Geta to be as close to her as deemed necessary. He then allowed his big, brown eyes to linger for a moment, his lips parting to speak.

"You are closest to my bride to-be, is that correct?" Geta asked, his hand reaching out and grazing the soft skin of her tanned cheek.

Augusta shuddered discreetly, the feeling of his rough fingers against her bare skin being enough to make her quiver in fear. "You would be correct, Your Majesty," She agreed, nodding her head in response.

Geta smiled when he heard a positive response from the maid, stepping away before he clasped his hands together again. Augusta watched him warily, wondering what he was plotting. There had to be a reason why he had lured her into a room alone, and it had something to do with Octavia. "And would you say that she tells you everything, Augusta?" He questioned further, suspicion laced in his haunting voice, which left Augusta fearing the outcome of this conversation before it had even fully begun.

     "You would also be correct," Augusta replied, reluctantly, watching as Geta nodded his head along with every word that she spoke.

     "Then would you be able to inform me of where Octavia went when she left the palace two nights ago?" Geta pushed, his smile faltering before it was replaced by a stern expression, a blank stare burning in his eyes, the kind that struck terror in many people.

     Augusta feared she may be one of them now. Because the second she heard that seemingly innocent question leave Geta's lips, slithering from his viper tongue like sickly venom. He knew Octavia had left the palace two night ago, when she ventured to Lucilla's to end the pregnancy he had desperately wanted since the moment he entrapped Octavia into a loveless union. Augusta swallowed thickly in response, her hands sneaking around her back to hide the trembles ricocheting through her fingertips, all while she did her best to hide the nerves she was beginning to feel with knowledge that he was onto her's and Octavia's scheme to kill the seed he had implanted in Octavia's womb.

     Augusta couldn't even find the words to respond. "I—"

     "You have no idea of what I'm talking about?" Geta interjected in a deadpanned tone, shooting the woman an agitated glance. "Don't be fickle with me, Augusta. I have guards who watch her. Her father's a traitor. You didn't think I would have eyes everywhere?"

Augusta knew there and then that they were caught. Geta may not know what they had done, or maybe he had a sneaky suspicion that they did something unfavourable in his eyes. However, she still tried to lie on Octavia's behalf, protecting the woman with every bit of fight she still had. "She just went to ride her horse. Is that a crime now, Your Majesty?" She lied, but Geta knew Octavia enjoyed going for rides on the horse he had gifted her a month into her solitude in the palace. It was rare he would allow her to leave the palace, but if Geta was feeling generous, he would allow her to go on a ride if accompanied by Caius.

"Caius was not with her. She knows to never leave the palace walls without him." Geta was now beginning to pace slowly. He wasn't panicked or erratic. He appeared quite calm. And a calm pace was a lot more terrifying than one filled with rage. "So, what is the truth here, Augusta?"

Augusta forced a reassuring smile. "That is the truth," She countered.

Those words were enough to make Geta stop in his tracks, his eyes fixated on Augusta once again. It was silent between them for a moment. Augusta swore she could've seen a glimpse of a mischievous grin ghosting across the emperor's lips, watching carefully as the corners of his mouth twitched upwards, like he had a new plan up his sleeve. If her experiences have taught Augusta Carbo anything, it's that a mad man who rules an empire will stop at nothing for the truth. Even if he hasn't showed all his cards yet, she would soon become the fool who will learn the true extent of his intentions if the truth is not revealed beforehand.

     "You have a son?"

     Augusta felt her blood run cold when her son was brought into the conversation, falling from the emperor's lips with ease. But just enough that it caused for her stomach to twist into a series of tight knots, making the woman want to double over and throw up her stomach contents. She had told Geta of her son once. Just once. He was drunk. She had a few glasses of spiced wine at her own discretion after he had made her his plaything, and she had told a story of her boy playing in the flower bed outside her family home. Geta was so out of it that night that she was sure he wouldn't have even been fully conscious, and if he had been at any moment, she hoped he wouldn't have remembered the story. For her son's protection, she had hoped he would have forgotten.

     Geta could see he had struck a nerve, allowing him to continue. "Felix. That's his name, right?" He questioned, but he was only met with silence in response.

     Augusta now stared at Geta with her jaw clenched, tears prickling at the corners of her eyes. Geta chuckled as he neared the woman again. "I remember the story you told during our fun. I knew I could use him against you, so I used one of my guards to keep a careful watch on him and that mother of yours..." Geta explained, smirking ear to ear.

     He was enjoying this.

     The realisation made her sick.

     "It would be a shame if I sent that same guard to your home to slain them both in their sleep. Or I could make sure he woke them up." Augusta choked up when she imagined all the wretched plans Geta had for her family. Her mother's terror, and her son's frightened screams, calling for his mother who would never come to save him. "Your mother would go first. Your son, well, I was thinking a quick death would be merciful enough. However, considering your lies to me, I feel more inclined to have him brought back here and killed in front of your own eyes, to see what you did to your boy..."

     Geta was now close enough to touch. He reached out and placed his hands on either side of Augusta's skull, pulling her close to him, so close that she could feel his hot and agitated breath against her olive skin. Augusta then peered into his eyes, her tears blurring her vision as she parted her lips to speak. "Please, do not hurt them," She pleaded, her trembling voice cracking.

     She watched as Geta's eyes softened into a reassuring manner. "Tell me the truth, and I won't even harm a hair on their heads," He promised her.

     Augusta continued to resist Geta, doing her best to pull her skull out of his grip, but he was applying just another pressure to keep her still. "How do I know if you're telling me the truth?" Augusta argued, breathless.

     "Have I ever lied to you before?" Geta inquired, his grip around her skull now beginning to loosen. He then moved one of his hands down to trace his thumb along her eye-line, wiping away the salty tears that escaped past her eye.

     Augusta knew everything Geta had told her was the truth. He was many things, but a liar was not one of them. And in that moment, she knew what she had to do. Augusta was not proud of the decision she was going to make. In fact, it ate her alive, consuming her very being and gnawing on her guilt-ridden bones. She was going to betray the same woman who had offered her kindness and friendship to her from the very first day they met. Octavia was her friend, and she would betray that friend's trust in order to save her son's life. Augusta would spend the rest of the days trying to repair what she would soon break, but she would not live in regret, not when it was to protect Felix.

Everything she did was for him, and she wasn't going to stop now.

So, with a shaky breath escaping past her quivering lips, she spoke the words she never thought she would say out loud to Geta of all people, her heart aching with each syllable that trickled off her tongue. "Octavia...she was with child."

Those words were enough to make Geta perk up, now standing up straight with his intense stare remaining on Augusta. "Was?" He asked, his brow raised.

Augusta let out a choked sob, shaking her head as Geta slowly released her. "She left the palace two nights ago to terminate the pregnancy. She succeeded," She continued, the truth rolling off her tongue and stabbing into the emperor like a million tiny thorns.

Geta slowly stepped away from Augusta, his gaze lowered towards the ground beneath him. He couldn't even look her in the eye as he spoke again. "You may leave now, Augusta. I...I appreciate your honesty." Augusta could hear the devastation in his voice, but she could also hear the lingering pain that slowly steered down a turmoil of anger, his features contorting into a look full of rage.

Augusta knew she had to warn Octavia before the emperor reached her first.

When Augusta left Geta, leaving the room in a singular heartbeat, she could've vacated to her quarters and stayed hidden from the guilt of betraying her friend's trust, and the shame of her son being implicated in the emperor's scheming. However, she did not. She had to make sure Octavia knew the emperor was on his way to her, and he would be anything but kind. He just found out his bride was pregnant with his child. He was full of rage over the termination. There was no telling where that rage would lead him. So, she took off down the hallway towards Octavia's chambers. She wasn't walking, no. She was running, her heart hammering hard against her ribcage with every step she took, ricocheting like vibrations throughout her body.

And when Augusta reached Octavia's private chambers, she saw Caius standing by the set of double doors. He stared down at her with concern, wondering what had shook the woman to the core to force her to get to this very location in such a hurry. He wasn't even given a chance to ask that question because Augusta pushed the doors open, closing them behind her just as fast to give her and Octavia a moment alone before the emperor made his grand entrance.

Octavia was coming in from the balcony that overlooked the city below when she heard her door open fast and rather violently. When she saw Augusta now standing in the centre of the room, her entire body trembling while tears rolled uncontrollably down her tanned cheeks, well, it was safe to say she was worried. Octavia was quick to approach Augusta, dressed in a white nightgown with her dark locks cascading down her back, her arms reaching out to console the woman who was clearly in an uncontrollable state of hysterics.

     "Augusta, what is it?" She asked, her voice beginning to shake.

     It made Octavia fear for the family Augusta had back home. If something bad had happened to her mother, or worse, if The Fates had claimed her son. The mere thought was enough to make Octavia swallow thickly, laying her hand gently on Augusta's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. The woman then lifted her teary gaze to meet Octavia's, a twinkle of guilt glimmering in her copper gaze.

     "I am sorry, My Lady," Augusta managed to choke up in between shaky breaths and trembling sobs.

     Octavia furrowed her brows together in confusion, shaking her head. "I do not understand. What on earth do you have to apologise for?" She inquired.

     "Geta...he knows you left the palace two nights ago. I'm sorry, but I had to tell him about what you had done," Augusta confessed, sniffling in the process.

     The mere mention of the emperor's name was enough to make Octavia stumble backwards in horror. She felt her hands beginning to shake, and her mouth become dry with senseless dread, chills running up and down her spine all at once. It wasn't even Augusta's betrayal that shocked her. The woman was never obligated to keep her secrets, or remain loyal to her and her only. What shocked her to the core, stirring her into a panicked state was the knowledge that Geta, now aware of what Octavia had done to their baby, would be on his way to her chambers. He would walk through those doors and demand an explanation, and after he's forced the truth out of her, she will wish she was dead.

     Augusta took a step towards Octavia, continuing to cry. "I didn't want to tell him. But, Octavia, he threatened to have my son killed if I did not give him the truth. I couldn't let anything happen to my boy—"

"Augusta, it's okay," Octavia was quick to cut her off, reaching over and embracing the woman, wanting her to know that she did not resent her for doing what she had to do in order to protect her child. "I should've never asked you to bear the weight of this secret. I do not resent you. You had to protect Felix. That will always come first. It's okay."

     Augusta pulled away from Octavia's warm embrace, wiping away some of her tears. "But the emperor—"

     "I will handle the emperor," Octavia reassured her, placing her hands on the woman's shoulders and rubbing them with a gentle and reassuring touch. "Now, you should go before he arrives."

But it was too late. The set of doors quickly swinged open in a ferocious and violent manner, causing for both Octavia and Augusta to flinch. When Octavia looked ahead and saw Geta in the middle of his own blind rage, standing along as the doors were shut behind him by a pair of guards, Caius' voice on the other side of the door demanding an explanation to what was going on. Now, left standing in the room was Octavia, Geta, and Augusta. Octavia was quick to stand in front of a sniffling Octavia in a protective manner. She may have been worried of what Geta would do to her, but she was terrified to think what he would do to Augusta if he wanted to implicate her in this fight more so than he already had.

     Geta stared in amusement for a moment, shaking his head. "Augusta, I do hold a soft spot for your loyalty towards my bride. But do not make me regret my decision to spare your son's life," He told her harshly, a bitterness to his voice that dripped in viscous venom.

     Octavia turned around to face Augusta and sent her a warm smile. "Go," The woman instructed calmly.

Augusta slowly came out from behind Octavia, her hand laced with the woman's before she slipped away from her. Augusta made haste and left the room in a timely manner, and once the doors had closed behind her, and Octavia and Geta were left alone, they knew the conversation that was bound to unfold at any moment. There was an eery silence that hanged in the air, laced with animosity for each other, uncertainty of what was to come, and dread for the knowledge of how this would surely end for them both, but more particularly, how this would end for Octavia. Octavia knew what she had done was a crime, and treason wasn't taken lightly in the eyes of her husband to-be. She wondered if he would have her killed, or if he would grant her mercy and spare her life. Neither offered a cunning outcome.

     "Is it true?"

     Geta was the first to speak out, breaking the uncomfortable and deafening silence between them both. Octavia lifted her gaze to glance at the man standing before her. She noticed the tears brimming in his eyes, but those weren't tears of despair, and instead they were tears of rage. The kind a man would get if he was restraining himself from harming her. The thought alone was enough to make Octavia shuffle uncomfortably where she stood, her entire body tensed in fear of what would happen next. However, his rage did not compare to her own. She wasn't angry for her. She was angry because a child's life — an innocent — had been threatened in order to get the answers he wanted.

"You tell me," Octavia piped up, her jaw clenched. "You're the one who threatened the life of a child."

"Do not turn this around on me," Geta snapped, his voice bellowing throughout the room as he approached the woman. Octavia was just as fast to take several steps back. "You...you killed our child! Do you understand that? You have committed treason against myself and the empire for denying me my heir, despite the fact that it was what we agreed upon. You have to give me my heir," He explained, his words slipping past his lips in a manic state that Octavia could only just understand what the man was trying to say.

Octavia shook her head in response. "I don't have to do anything," She countered. She knew she was treading on thin ice, but she would not be pushed around by Geta.

"You do!" Geta shouted, his violent tone being enough to make Octavia flinch in fear. "We will be married in a week's time. You are mine, and only mine. I tell you what to do, and you do it. There is no other option. To go out of your way to kill my unborn child is despicable. And you don't even regret it?"

     Those were the words that made Octavia Amulius' blood boil.

     "How dare you?" Octavia fired back, taking a step towards Geta with anger coaxing her every move as it moved around aimlessly and violently through her bloodstream. "I may have killed our child, yes, and I don't regret my decision, but do not stand there and insinuate that it didn't hurt me to do it. I did it because I couldn't have this baby—"

"Why?" Geta interjected harshly, taking another step closer towards the woman, but this time, Octavia decided not to move. She stayed put where she stood. "Make me understand why you believed killing our child was what you had to do, because at the moment, Octavia, I don't understand. Quite frankly, I'm afraid I never will. So make me understand." Geta's voice commanded answers in that very moment, the man now speaking through gritted teeth.

     Octavia shook her head again. "I don't think you want to know," She warned.

     The reason was hanging on the tip of her tongue. If she spat it out now, Geta would surely make her eat her words in the aftermath. But he was pushing her, and when Octavia was pushed around enough, she said things in a fit of her own rage that she would soon come to regret in the long run. There was no telling what Geta would do to her if her vicious tongue got the better of her. The mere thought terrified her, striking the woman with fear, straight down to the core her very being. But nonetheless, she did not show that fear. She remained stern and stood her ground, silently hoping that Geta would leave it there and give her the punishment he was itching to gift her with.

     "Tell me, or I will make you tell me," Geta argued, stepping closer towards Octavia once again.

     It was in that moment Octavia Amulius knew there was no going back. He had pushed her.

     "You really want to know?" She questioned, her eyes narrowing into a sharp and hateful glare when she stared at her husband to-be.

     Geta nodded his head in response, his body stiffening as he towered over the woman. "I do," He replied, now awaiting a response from Octavia.

     "Fine," Octavia sighed in defeat. She was now standing close to Geta, looking up at him as he stared down at her, his eyes darkening. His eyes were so dark, she could barely see the pupils. He was waiting, waiting for Octavia to give him a reason to use his fists and give her the punishment he believed she deserved, and sadly, without even realising it, Octavia fell into his trap. "I killed your child because the thought of carrying it — raising it — made me sick!"

     Then a loud slap echoed loudly through the desolate and empty room.

     Geta had hit her. He hit her so hard that when his hand came in contact with her flesh, she was sent flying to the ground, her body hitting the floor with a loud and heavy thump, followed by an agonising silence. Octavia pushed herself upright, lifting her trembling like to touch her cheek where Geta had struck her, a heavy breath escaping her lips. She touched her warm flesh, wincing at the feeling that pricked at her skin like a thousand bee stings all at once. She then allowed the tips of her fingers to trail along the pain that ricochet through her face until she touched her bottom lip, and that was when she felt something wet touch her finger. When Octavia retracted her hand, lowering her teary gaze upon the tips of her fingers, that was when she saw the viscous colour of crimson.

Blood.

Geta hit her so hard, he spilled blood.

Octavia's entire body started to shake, a quiet cry trickling past her lips. She was like a whimpering child in that moment, cold and alone, trapped in the violent shadow of the monster who had caged her for far too long, a cage she was still trapped in. When she lifted her teary gaze to look up at the man towering above her, she wasn't met with regret or a useless string of apologies that were just as meaningless as his self proclaimed love her. Instead, Octavia was met with rage. Geta stood over her, his wide eyes staring down at her, his teeth remained gritted together as he continued to breathe heavily.

     A sigh then replaced the heavy breathing that heaved from his lips as he crouched down in front of the woman. "What has become of us?"

     Geta reached out and Octavia coward away from him, like an animal pushed into a corner, but it only got her so far. Geta then used his hand to grab ahold of Octavia's chin, squeezing tightly as he tilted her teary eyes to meet his gaze. The harshness of his touch being enough to make Octavia let out a quiet cry of pain, but Geta had chosen to ignore her pain riddled cries as he brought her face closer to his. "Don't worry. We will try again. Even if I have to keep you imprisoned in this room until the baby comes, I will have my heir, and you will give me it because that is your purpose, Octavia. Your duty is to me, and you will give me what I want. Is that clear?"

     Octavia didn't say anything. She simply nodded her head in hopes that it would force Geta to unhand her at last.

     Geta then shoved her back down to the ground, causing for Octavia to smack her head against the stone flooring beneath her aching and trembling body. She didn't move. She could've when she heard Geta leave the room, the door slamming shut behind him, but she still didn't move. Instead she remained where she laid on the floor, quiet sobs echoing through the room, forever trapped in her lonesome and desolate solitude.

     She hated him.

     Octavia hated Geta with every fibre of her being.

     Like a dove trapped in a gilded cage, she was his, and she would always be his.

     And there was no escape.

━━━━━━━━

authors note.
OCTAVIA DEFENDERS WE RIDE AT DAWN TO KILL GETA
Don't worry though because he will get his comeuppance in the next chapter...let's just say...Lucius will not be happy when he finds out what Geta did to Octavia. My stomach is already getting butterflies just thinking about it.

Until then I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I'll update again soon!!