Chapter 4
The next day.
Even as the guards dragged her away, Cecenia’s body did not move.
For some reason, Elzer had paralyzed her entire body, preventing her from speaking properly.
And so, she was placed upon the execution platform.
“Cecenia Vestel. You are the Empress of this nation, yet you not only abused Elzer, who carries the Emperor’s child, but also attempted to kill the Crown Prince. For these crimes, you have been brought here to be executed. Do you accept this?”
“……”
“Will you not answer? If you remain silent, I will take it as your consent.”
“…No.”
With great effort, her lips moved. It was as if her sheer willpower refused to let her die without speaking. Her mouth was still numb, and it took immense effort to move her lips as she wanted, but this much was enough.
“No?”
That was all the resistance Cecenia could offer. She glared at her sister, Elzer, who was holding the child in her arms. Elzer widened her eyes in shock at Cecenia’s voice, but then quickly shook her head, her expression saying, “It’s too late. You can do nothing now.”
The Emperor stood beside Elzer protectively, draping his arm over her shoulder, while Ian stood a step behind them, grinning as if he found it all amusing.
“Yes. I do not accept it.”
But the more Cecenia spoke, the more the atmosphere around her grew tense.
“How can she be so shameless? She tried to kill the Crown Prince. And her own sister!”
“Unbelievable. A demon, not a human.”
Ignoring the voices condemning her, Cecenia raised her voice.
“A ruler of a nation, the Emperor himself, had an affair with the Empress’s sister. Is that not a crime? Because she was my sister, I chose not to kill her and instead sent her to the North. Was that my mistake? I did not know she was pregnant, nor did I know she had given birth. If I had known… If I had known…!”
Would anything has changed?
Cecenia, who was about to continue, suddenly lost her strength.
“If you had known? What difference would it have made?”
At that moment, the Emperor questioned her.
She needed to answer, but his words made her bite her lip.
‘Indeed, what would have changed?’
But she refused to go down quietly. At the very least, she wanted to plant a seed of doubt in their minds. Even if she died here, even if they found happiness after her death, she wanted them to question each other endlessly in the future.
Even though no one would listen to the truth, she wanted to speak it.
“I know no one will believe me, but I must say it anyway. Elzer poisoned me yesterday to keep my mouth shut. She must have had too many secrets to hide.”
“Is that all you have to say?”
She knew this would not help her.
“Everything they claim is a lie.”
Even so, she had to say it. Only she could protect herself.
“Nonsense.”
Then Cecenia realized something. The Emperor did not waver at any of her words—except for the accusation of poisoning. He ignored everything else she said.
“Nonsense, you say? But now I see… You already knew.”
“Knew what?”
“That my sister had given birth. That I did nothing wrong. If you had not known, you wouldn’t have said, ‘What difference would it make?’ That proves you knew everything all along.”
Watching his reaction, Cecenia finally understood. She was the only one who had been in the dark. Everyone else had known.
“I know you won’t listen to me. But let me ask you—why are you all so desperate to cover this up so quickly? Executing the Empress without even a trial? Even after I testified that Elzer poisoned me? Isn’t this suspicious? As if you’re trying to silence me as soon as possible?”
She turned to face those who had been condemning her.
“If that’s not the case, if there is truly nothing to hide, then give me a trial. I have done nothing wrong.”
The atmosphere shifted. No matter how grave her alleged crimes, she was still the Empress.
And people, like reeds in the wind, began to waver. Everything was happening unusually fast. Even if the Empress had committed a crime, executing her without a trial was unprecedented.
As people realized this, murmurs spread among them.
Sensing this, the Emperor quickly spoke.
“Ridiculous.”
“Is it not more suspicious that you refuse to give me a trial? Perhaps you and Elzer have something to hide.”
The murmurs grew louder.
“The decision-makers have already condemned me to death. I cannot change that. But at least know this—you are killing me based on lies.”
She had already given up.
They were not killing her out of ignorance. They were doing it to maintain control. And knowing that, there was nothing left for her to do.
“And you should be careful. Honestly… How do you know that child is truly the Emperor’s? Don’t you find it suspicious that Ian, who was once my friend, now stands so firmly on Elzer’s side? Even among royalty… the child might not be yours.”
Cecenia smirked as she looked at him.
“W-What nonsense…!”
“Do not insult my pure love!”
As expected, Ian erupted in anger, his face red with fury.
“Pure love, or a child born from sleeping around with multiple men… Who knows?”
“Is that all you have to say, Cecenia?”
Elzer, holding the child, scoffed at her.
Indeed, she had no evidence. But Elzer failed to see the Emperor’s expression behind her—one that changed in an instant.
“Do you not realize your words could be considered an insult to the royal family? Are you that foolish?”
“Is that all you can threaten me with, Elzer? I’m going to die anyway. What does it matter? The foolish one is you, Elzer.”
You are ruined.
The child Elzer bore was unmistakably royal.
Golden hair—the mark of the imperial bloodline. There was no doubt the child was the Emperor’s. But still, doubt crept into the Emperor’s mind.
‘At the very least, you won’t live happily, sister.’
Cecenia smirked at them.
“If Ian had no connection to Elzer, why would he be so eager to testify for her? Your Majesty, my testimony ends here. I won’t speak further. Just be careful—my sister, who poisoned me without hesitation, and Elzer, who is so close to Ian, may not spare you either.”
The Emperor’s expression turned sharp. Seeing that, Cecenia fell silent, as if she knew much but refused to say more.
The seeds of doubt had been sown in their minds.
The Emperor had never been able to produce an heir, no matter how many women he spent the night with. Rumors even spread that he was incapable of having children. That was why he had cherished Elzer’s child so much.
But now, doubt had taken root.
Even Ian’s comforting gesture—stroking Elzer’s shoulder—only fueled suspicion.
“Execute her. She speaks only nonsense!”
“Nonsense…”
Then, Elzer realized the Emperor’s gaze had changed—cold and terrifying.
“Elzer. You truly tried to silence my sister.”
“No! I just—”
“Did you really use poison?”
“I was just afraid she would say something crazy! I only wanted to stop her from confusing you!”
“So you admit to using poison.”
Elzer had been a fool.
Then—
“Waaah!”
The child in her arms began to cry. Elzer had pinched its arm, hoping to escape the situation. Cecenia, watching, saw it all clearly.
But the Emperor did not move.
“Just kill me.”
It was Cecenia who spoke.
“What?”
“Just kill me already. You were going to anyway.”
And so it ended.
“I, Cecenia Vestel… wish for death.”
