Chapter 133
Purple hair disheveled and wild, no trace of her former beauty remained.
With dull, lifeless eyes, she kept scratching at something with bloodied hands.
Screech. Scratch. Scrape.
The iron bars that confined her. Her hands, endlessly scratching at them, were so mangled they could hardly be called hands anymore.
Already bloodied from wounds inflicted by Hadel, her hands were now stripped of flesh, exposing bone, from ceaselessly scratching the iron bars.
It was clear she couldn’t feel any pain.
“Hehe, he… Hee, heeheeh, hehe.”
Incomprehensible laughter flowed from Nella’s mouth. She seemed completely insane. Even the guard frowned and turned away from her truly deranged state.
“I apologize for showing you such an unsightly scene. How could that once-proud duke’s daughter become like this…”
“…No. I can guess why she’s like this.”
Nella’s condition had been odd since the trial. I suspected Evan had fed her that Jesentia substance or whatever it was.
Duke Balkyrino, though ruthless to everyone else, was a father to his family, especially to his daughter Nella.
He wouldn’t have chosen to break Nella himself.
Did the Duke know? That his daughter had gone mad from the same method he had used to sacrifice countless people in his attempt to overthrow the Empire?
“…Where is the Duke?”
I would see for myself.
I turned my gaze from Nella and asked the guard. He pointed downward.
“Below. We’ve confined him in the most secluded place in case of unforeseen circumstances.”
Descending one more level, we came to a prison cell that seemed impenetrable to even a sliver of light.
It was a truly wretched environment where one’s mind would struggle to endure if kept there too long.
“Duke Balkyrino.”
A man with purple hair sat with his back straight, eyes closed, even in such a place.
“No, perhaps you’re no longer a duke. Jepisis Balkyrino.”
The Duke’s name, which I had never before uttered, sounded awkward as it left my lips.
His eyelids trembled once, then slowly lifted.
The purple eyes revealed in the darkness had, surprisingly, not yet been broken.
In a situation where only despair remained, what was keeping this man’s spirit intact?
His eyes held a cold anger mixed with a small hope.
“…An honored guest has arrived.”
His lips parted, and a voice like iron echoed through the dark space.
I silently gazed at him, wondering what could be giving this man hope.
Perhaps he read my question.
The Duke slightly curved his lips upward and said:
“You seem curious. About what I’m holding onto.”
He really does believe in something.
But no matter how much I thought about it, how thoroughly I searched my mind, everything was over now.
Yet if he still believed so firmly in his survival…
“Very well, tell me. Jepisis Balkyrino, what are you thinking right now?”
Shouldn’t I thoroughly crush even the last bit of hope?
Just as you did to me ten years ago.
And as you thoroughly plunged my family and Hadel into despair.
As if answering these thoughts of mine, the Duke laughed bizarrely.
“Khukhuk… Ashaella de Ach, you will have no choice but to spare my life. It’s meant to be!”
A different kind of madness from Nella’s.
After laughing a few more times, he suddenly wiped all trace of amusement from his face.
And the words that followed from Duke Balkyrino were somewhat surprising.
“Jesentia—don’t you want the antidote for it?”
The Jesentia army, who felt no emotion or pain and only followed orders. Once transformed, there was nothing that could be done except to imprison them all.
Many had died, but some had survived.
Of course, they could no longer maintain their sanity, all going mad like Nella.
“…So there’s a way to restore them.”
“I always make plans anticipating the worst. Did you think I wouldn’t prepare for the possibility of my capture?”
What is he saying now?
I asked him to speak, and now he was boasting with baseless claims. I smirked.
So he was proposing to trade the lives of tens of thousands of Jesentia victims.
It was typical of him—never repenting for his sins, but instead trying to bargain with human lives.
“Making plans anticipating the worst…”
“Yes! Now do you see how different I am from insignificant beings like you? Quick, quick, pardon me! The longer it takes, the less chance there is of escaping Jesentia’s effects.”
“Hmm. So it becomes more dangerous as time passes?”
“Exactly. If you want to save even a few of them, you must release me immediately. And don’t think of torturing the information out of me. I’ll never reveal the location of the antidote, even if I die.”
I see now that Duke Balkyrino was the type to sing, dance, and do it all by himself.
As the Duke said, torture was the first thing I’d considered.
But then I thought of an even better method. A way to crush his hope while… making him feel even more despair.
“Oh my. It seems the worst scenario you imagined wasn’t truly the worst after all.”
“What do you mean…?”
“You should have tried to evoke my sympathy instead. Not even knowing what’s become of your own daughter… How pitiful.”
“…Nella? But Nella wasn’t executed that day…”
The execution ground had been thrown into chaos by Evan and the Eastern forces. Nella had been imprisoned again to be executed later along with Duke Balkyrino.
The Duke seemed relieved, having seen Nella alive when she was dragged back in.
“Ah yes, she’s alive. She’s alive indeed.”
Unable to understand my words, confusion clouded the Duke’s expression.
I curled up the corners of my mouth and ordered the guard standing behind me.
“Bring Nella Balkyrino down from above.”
“What? That mad… I mean, bring Nella Balkyrino here?”
“I’d rather not have to give the order twice. Please move quickly.”
“Huh…! Yes, yes! I’ll bring her right away!”
Watching the guard rush upstairs, a flicker of unease crossed the Duke’s purple eyes.
Yes, he must be wondering why I suddenly ordered Nella to be brought here.
“I don’t think you’ve suddenly felt compassion and decided to arrange a father-daughter reunion…”
The Duke narrowed his eyes and scrutinized me. As his snake-like gaze made me feel even worse, the diligent guard returned, dragging Nella down.
“Heehee, hee…? Kkukkuk, khehit!”
“I’ve brought her, Silver Lily!”
With a heavy clank of shackles, Nella collapsed to the floor.
Her already broken mind couldn’t recognize her father before her.
Seeing her, Duke Balkyrino drew in a deep breath of disbelief.
Look at that.
He really didn’t know Nella had become like this.
I decided to give the visibly shocked Duke a moment.
“Euhee, euheehee…?”
Nella, unable to speak proper language, was clearly mad at a glance.
No matter how optimistically one tried to view it, it was undeniable.
“Ugh, uhngh, ha… Huheehee.”
Occasionally she clutched her head in pain, but soon her eyes would glaze over again, consumed by madness.
Having witnessed all this, the Duke’s eyes trembled, and finally his eyelids lowered.
“Evanhart… that damnable, cursed bastard…!”
Eventually, curses against Evan poured from between the Duke’s clenched teeth.
“I told him to leave Nella alone!”
He seemed so furious and enraged that I could feel his murderous intent.
But it was a life soon to be extinguished, emotions soon to disappear.
Growing bored, I spoke with a hint of amusement in my voice:
“Shouldn’t she be given the antidote as soon as possible?”
Left like this, Nella would never return to normal life but would have to live forever with madness.
Well, in any case, her life would be forfeit at the execution ground once Hadel returned.
I didn’t care whether Nella died in this mad state or not.
But what about her father, Jepisis Balkyrino?
If the Duke surrendered his last card, the antidote, his execution would be inevitable.
Knowing this, the Duke was surely weighing his options.
Whether to briefly restore Nella’s sanity before her inevitable death, or to stall for time, letting her die mad while saving only his own life.
“…The antidote.”
After a long, angry silence, the Duke finally spoke.
“The antidote is in a hidden ranch in Balkyrino territory.”
“Tell me the exact location.”
“The place closest to the Himalaya Mountains.”
And so Duke Balkyrino revealed the location of the antidote without further resistance.
When he opened his eyes again, they reflected Nella, giggling madly.
Having given up everything, he wanted only to have one last conversation with his daughter.
That was the Duke’s only wish.
Leaving the Duke who was watching Nella while swallowing his tears, I ordered the guard:
“The prisoner seems to want to see his daughter, so place Nella next to him.”
“Understood, Silver Lily.”
After briefly watching Nella being led into the cell next to the Duke’s, I turned toward the stairs.
Nella’s bizarre laughter faded, and soon an anguished scream echoed.
It was the pitiful scream of a man who had once held and shaken the Sieria Empire in his hand.
* * *
Time passed quickly. A week had gone by since people poisoned by Jesentia began receiving the antidote.
Those who had been mildly affected were almost recovered, but those with severe symptoms were healing more slowly.
Even so, their families were happy. They had hope that their loved ones would return to normal.
Meanwhile, the Deache ducal family had begun building a new mansion in the capital.
But since it would take some time to complete, and since Hadel hadn’t ordered the Deache family to leave the palace, I was still with my family.
“Sister, did you hear that another victory report has arrived?” Ersian asked in a deliberately adult manner as I sipped my tea.
“I thought His Majesty would come right away after hearing you’d awakened, but he’s taking his time.”
“It’s only been a week. We can wait patiently.”
“From what I’ve heard, only one fortress remains in the East. Is he really planning to conquer it all before returning…?”
Ariana, having cut a strawberry cake into neat pieces, extended her fork to me.
“The cake seems especially delicious today. Sister, try it quickly.”
I’m not a child, why are you feeding me…
At first, I was taken aback by my siblings who stuck to me all day trying to feed me after everything had settled down.
Though I’d somewhat adjusted to it by now, being fed like this was still a bit much.
“Hmm…”
But faced with those eager, sparkling eyes, I couldn’t refuse and finally opened my mouth.
“Yes, it’s truly delicious. Ari, you should eat some too.”
The sweet, smooth cream and tangy strawberries were indeed harmonious and delicious.
Ariana smiled with satisfaction.
Warm sunlight gently heated the late winter air.
* * *
Three more days passed. My prediction that he would return in a week was completely wrong.
By now one might wonder if something had happened, but with victory reports arriving at the palace almost hourly, it would almost be embarrassing to worry.
“I can’t seem to fall asleep tonight.”
After tossing and turning, I turned my gaze toward the window. I saw beautiful stars adorning the sky and the moon emanating its noble light beside them.
“Is it a full moon tonight?”
It was dazzling. No wonder I couldn’t sleep with such strong moonlight.
Though not as bright as daytime, the light was strong enough to read a book without a candle.
As I gazed at the night sky alone, I found myself missing Hadel particularly strongly.
He really didn’t need to take over the East completely.
“Hadel.”
Why did I miss him so much when we’d only been apart for ten days? I slowly called out the name of the one I longed for.
“When are you coming back, really? I have something to tell you.”
The moment those slightly petulant words left my lips.
My comfortably loose hair seemed to stir for an instant.
My eyes were drawn to my hair, lightly fluttering as if swayed by a breeze.
An exceedingly familiar and comfortable sensation enveloped my body.
Feeling the corners of my mouth lifting involuntarily, I asked:
“Why are you so late?”
A soft voice came from what had been an empty side of the bed.
“I’m sorry. I said I’d hurry. But it’s all over now.”
A small laugh—huhuhuh—filled the bedroom.
I reached out toward the voice.
“Welcome back, Hadel.”
Though it had only been ten days, Hadel’s embrace felt somehow firmer as it welcomed me.
“Yes, Asha. I’m back.”
Warm, longed-for breath touched my ear. After holding me tightly for a moment, Hadel asked curiously:
“So, what did you want to tell me?”
I wonder how long he’d been there. He must have heard everything I’d said to myself.
“Well…”
How should I say it? The thing I wanted to tell you first when I saw you.
I slowly whispered into Hadel’s ear.
His eyes widened, and after staring at me silently, he finally spoke.
“Really, are you…?”
His pink eyes, trembling with disbelief, were so beautiful.
Seeing me nod with a smile, he froze like a stone, then asked me several times more…
“Asha, Asha.”
Suddenly, he kissed me.
Hadel’s lips,
“Why are you crying again, really.”
They were infused with the salty taste of happiness.
* * *
Jepisis Balkyrino, Nella Balkyrino, and the nobles involved in the events from ten years ago were sentenced to death.
However, at my suggestion, they were given “one chance at freedom.”
“You’re… releasing me?”
Nella, who had returned to her senses, and the Duke standing beside her questioned with voices full of doubt.
They must be puzzled by the sudden release. But this was no ordinary freedom.
“You will be released in the center of Balkyrino territory. If the people of your domain spare you, you’ll live. If they kill you, you’ll die.”
Eight times out of ten. No, these people would certainly die at the hands of the citizens. Their anger was more terrifying than an imperial execution.
I wanted them to experience that firsthand.
Yet, for whatever hope they harbored, another ray of light appeared in their eyes.
It didn’t take long for that final hope to crumble.
The victims of Jesentia, their bereaved families, and the people who had suffered under Balkyrino became like enraged bulls, throwing stones and blades.
“Aaagh! Just kill me quickly, please! Just end it! Gugh…!”
The criminals writhed among the massive crowd.
The end of these greedy souls who had craved power above all else came insignificantly.
At the hands of the people they had trampled beneath their feet.
* * *
“Silver Lily, you must wear this!”
Yulia hurriedly draped a red cloak over my shoulders.
“And this too!”
Lady Grandel inserted another hair ornament from beside me.
In the mirror stood a silver-haired woman, more splendid and beautiful than anyone else, if only for this moment.
“It’s time, Silver Lily.”
The voice of the servant Deril was heard from outside.
I rose, my body heavy with numerous ornaments.
On a late spring evening, as the sunlight faded and stars began to dot the sky.
“…With this, I proclaim that Ashaella de Ach is now Ashaella de Sieria.”
I was formally appointed to the position of Empress.
“Asha.”
I took Hadel’s outstretched hand.
The view from atop the castle wall was incomparable.
The people cheering for Hadel and me, flower petals dancing in the air, and…
Bang! Ba-bang!
I was left speechless at the sight of fireworks blooming above the stars in the pitch-black night sky.
“My goodness. This… wasn’t in the plan.”
They were truly beautiful. Fireworks of such grand scale that words like “pretty” or “beautiful” couldn’t fully describe them.
I was reminded of the fireworks we first saw in the corner of a hill in our childhood.
And even of the promise Hadel made when he proposed to me.
“I told you I’d give you the best seat to watch them.”
Hadel’s hand clasped in mine was hot.
Was it from embarrassment, or because of the fireworks illuminating the sky?
His ears were tinged red as he stared at the night sky, unable to look at me.
When I lightly kissed his cheek, those startled pink eyes turned to me.
Really, how could he remain so adorably unchanged even after ten years?
“Thank you, Hadel. And…”
I love you.
I don’t remember clearly whether you cried again after hearing my whisper or not.
Only the pounding heartbeats, belonging to one of us or both, remained between us.
[My Husband Thought I Was Dead And Became A Tyrant] Main Story End.
MrsHokage
Thank you such a lovely story