Ivan appeared with his usual face. Rodan glanced at him, but only for a moment. He knew Ivan wasn't in a good mood, but there was no need to find out what was going on.
“I will serve you.”
So, rather than needlessly stirring Ivan's mind, Rodan led him to the place Ivan wanted without saying anything else.
“It looks nice.”
Aaron, who had been stabbed and bruised with a knife and had not been treated, was left gritting his teeth in pain in prison.
“...”
Aaron looked up at Ivan. Now that there was nothing to hide or act out, his face was completely expressionless, devoid of any hint of laughter.
“If I knew you were going to do something stupid like that, I should have cut off your limbs before sending you out.”
Ivan's gaze followed Aaron's injured arm and his two healthy legs. His eyes seemed to want to rip them off at any moment.
"You must have done this to a woman you despised as a foolish enemy. You acted so weak-willed."
Aaron chuckled and replied. Rodan, who was nearby, got angry and tried to step forward, but Ivan gently pushed him away with one hand.
“So, have I lost anything?”
“...”
“I saw my children, I punished those who claimed to be God’s agents, and I arrested and imprisoned traitors.”
Aaron's face twisted into a weak grimace at Ivan's mocking remark. He couldn't bear to deny it. Ivan had gained everything from meeting Amelia. It was truly a win-win.
“I even got the woman you were desperately wanting.”
Ivan added. For a moment, Aaron's eyes flashed open. His fierce gaze stared straight at Ivan. He could almost be called impudent, but Ivan faced him with the composure of a victor.
“Is Amelia alive?”
Aaron asked.
“No, she died by your hands that day.”
Ivan immediately replied with a lie. At the same time, Aaron's face twisted into a pitiful grimace. Of course, it wasn't out of pain.
It was sickening to see. He pleaded with her not to die. Just seeing her lying there like a corpse made his heart sink. Aaron, believing he had killed Amelia with his own hands, was both sad and delighted.
“Did you ever admire that woman?”
Ivan asked, "If you truly loved and cherished her, how could you kill her with your own hands?"
“...”
Aaron didn't answer. But the moment Ivan noticed the sharp, bluish glint in his eyes, he knew what he was going to say. He didn't ask again.
“Don’t talk about it, it’s dirty.”
“...”
“Tell them to drag him away.”
Ivan, who had been watching, turned and gave an order. Rodan ordered the guards guarding the prison to bring him in and then left the prison with Ivan.
Ivan strode briskly. His stride rarely faltered, but it was a more effortless one than usual.
Ivan finally headed to the highest spire within the palace grounds. It afforded a small view of the central square and was a place where the imperial family could gaze out upon events.
“Your Highness, it is still early.”
Aaron and the Duke of Russell were finally being led out of prison. It would be some time before they reached the guillotine set up in the central square beyond the palace walls and were executed.
“Leave it alone, it’s meant to be enjoyed for a long time.”
Ivan replied calmly. Rodan nodded and took a step back.
“...”
Ivan stood there, staring out for a long time. He saw the four ringleaders, their faces tattered, walking out of the palace. He saw them heading for the execution grounds.
“Everyone seems very angry.”
The crowd surrounding the guillotine swarmed like ants, inhaling the stench. They were all furious, and upon spotting the Duke of Russell and Aaron, they began cursing and shouting. He couldn't hear them, but he could tell what they were saying.
Upon hearing this, the Duke of Russell burst into laughter. It was an insult he had never experienced before, so it was only natural. But as soon as he raised his voice, a stone came flying.
“...Yikes!”
“I will serve you.”
So, rather than needlessly stirring Ivan's mind, Rodan led him to the place Ivan wanted without saying anything else.
“It looks nice.”
Aaron, who had been stabbed and bruised with a knife and had not been treated, was left gritting his teeth in pain in prison.
“...”
Aaron looked up at Ivan. Now that there was nothing to hide or act out, his face was completely expressionless, devoid of any hint of laughter.
“If I knew you were going to do something stupid like that, I should have cut off your limbs before sending you out.”
Ivan's gaze followed Aaron's injured arm and his two healthy legs. His eyes seemed to want to rip them off at any moment.
"You must have done this to a woman you despised as a foolish enemy. You acted so weak-willed."
Aaron chuckled and replied. Rodan, who was nearby, got angry and tried to step forward, but Ivan gently pushed him away with one hand.
“So, have I lost anything?”
“...”
“I saw my children, I punished those who claimed to be God’s agents, and I arrested and imprisoned traitors.”
Aaron's face twisted into a weak grimace at Ivan's mocking remark. He couldn't bear to deny it. Ivan had gained everything from meeting Amelia. It was truly a win-win.
“I even got the woman you were desperately wanting.”
Ivan added. For a moment, Aaron's eyes flashed open. His fierce gaze stared straight at Ivan. He could almost be called impudent, but Ivan faced him with the composure of a victor.
“Is Amelia alive?”
Aaron asked.
“No, she died by your hands that day.”
Ivan immediately replied with a lie. At the same time, Aaron's face twisted into a pitiful grimace. Of course, it wasn't out of pain.
It was sickening to see. He pleaded with her not to die. Just seeing her lying there like a corpse made his heart sink. Aaron, believing he had killed Amelia with his own hands, was both sad and delighted.
“Did you ever admire that woman?”
Ivan asked, "If you truly loved and cherished her, how could you kill her with your own hands?"
“...”
Aaron didn't answer. But the moment Ivan noticed the sharp, bluish glint in his eyes, he knew what he was going to say. He didn't ask again.
“Don’t talk about it, it’s dirty.”
“...”
“Tell them to drag him away.”
Ivan, who had been watching, turned and gave an order. Rodan ordered the guards guarding the prison to bring him in and then left the prison with Ivan.
Ivan strode briskly. His stride rarely faltered, but it was a more effortless one than usual.
Ivan finally headed to the highest spire within the palace grounds. It afforded a small view of the central square and was a place where the imperial family could gaze out upon events.
“Your Highness, it is still early.”
Aaron and the Duke of Russell were finally being led out of prison. It would be some time before they reached the guillotine set up in the central square beyond the palace walls and were executed.
“Leave it alone, it’s meant to be enjoyed for a long time.”
Ivan replied calmly. Rodan nodded and took a step back.
“...”
Ivan stood there, staring out for a long time. He saw the four ringleaders, their faces tattered, walking out of the palace. He saw them heading for the execution grounds.
“Everyone seems very angry.”
The crowd surrounding the guillotine swarmed like ants, inhaling the stench. They were all furious, and upon spotting the Duke of Russell and Aaron, they began cursing and shouting. He couldn't hear them, but he could tell what they were saying.
Upon hearing this, the Duke of Russell burst into laughter. It was an insult he had never experienced before, so it was only natural. But as soon as he raised his voice, a stone came flying.
“...Yikes!”
A well-aimed stone struck the Duke of Russell's head with a loud crash and fell to the floor. Even from a distance, the mark of his skull bursting, his face flushed red, and the ground soaked were clearly visible.
Stunned by the sight, Count Skipper and Viscount Brown remained silent. Duke Russell, who had been shouting even more menacingly, was led to the guillotine before anyone else. He had been so passionate about killing others, yet his unbound body contorted in fear at the prospect of his own death.
Of course, that was only for a moment. A gleaming blade fell from behind his neck. Two slashes cut off his head, sending it rolling across the floor. The onlookers at the front instinctively jumped back in shock, then kicked the head, still blind.
“It looks like he’s begging to be saved.”
Count Skipper and Viscount Brown, who discovered this, attempted to flee but were captured. They were taken to the guillotine and executed one after another.
“You little swindler!”
“Kill him!”
The last time Aaron stood on the guillotine was when the vicious cries directed at him faintly reached Ivan's ears. As the High Priest, he was the one he had most frequently encountered, and so their anger towards him was the most intense.
“...”
The executioner grabbed Aaron's body without hesitation. Unlike the others, he forced him to kneel, his body resisting no resistance. He simply looked satisfied. He was one step closer to death for the woman he had killed with his own hands.
The dull blade fell slowly across his neck. Once, twice, three times...
Rodan's expression crumpled slightly. Those who had been planning to kick and throw rocks at the head as it hit the floor paused and backed away slightly before the horribly brutal sight.
But Ivan watched without even blinking. Finally, with a dull thud, the blade struck the floor. It was the sound that signaled the end of the execution.
“Wow!”
The crowd cheered. A sharp light poured down above them. Ivan watched the scene from afar like a third party, then stood up. It was a moment he had longed for, yet strangely, he felt no great joy.
He just wanted to make fun of Aaron Skipper's life, where he couldn't reach that woman even after he died.
“...”
And even that feeling was only a little sad because there was no one to reach it.
***
The Priestess's death was publicly announced. She hadn't appeared at the execution grounds because she'd been strangled in a sudden attack by Aaron Skipper. Most people were dumbfounded, but soon brushed it off, saying, "The bad guy is dead, so that's all." Even bad guys tend to lose interest after their deaths.
Even if Ivan had ordered them to amputate their limbs and throw them into the wild forest, they wouldn't have cared. Even if they had, what could they do since they'd already been thrown away?
“...”
Ivan, having downed his last glass, rose from his seat. He took advantage of the quiet night to cross the palace gardens. With no guests to speak of and only the two owners remaining, the palace was silent, save for the guards.
“Ivan.”
And so Ivan reached the western palace without any interference. Then, the moment he heard the chirping of a cicada, he realized he had acted impulsively.
No, not anymore.
Even though he knew Amelia wasn't staying there anymore, it had become so natural for him to visit her bedroom at night.
“I’m out of my mind...”
Ivan, staring at the towering building beyond the wall, muttered, as if berating his own foolishness. He then half-turned to leave. He figured there was no need to dwell on it, since no one was waiting for him here. But it took him quite a while to shake off that foolishness for that simple act.
But the moment he heard the sound of a child crying beyond the wall, Ivan turned around again.
“Your Majesty, the Emperor.”
The moment he heard Ian's cries, his body moved, as if by a force of nature. Ivan ignored the guards' greetings, passed through the building's lobby, and climbed the stairs.
"Your Majesty?"
Mrs. Howard, who had been comforting Ian, turned to Ivan with a surprised expression. Something was so sad, and Ian, with his face flushed red, was wailing and weeping. Ivan stared blankly at the child's sorrowful face before approaching Mrs. Howard.
“Give him to me.”
And then he raised his arm and told her to hand Ian over to him. Mrs. Howard, with a bewildered look on her face, handed Ian over to Ivan's arms.
Did he know his mother was gone? Ivan patted his son's back with a bitter heart. The boy, who had been sobbing so hard he almost choked, couldn't completely stop crying, but he found some comfort in his father's arms.
Ivan listened to the child's heartbeat, leaning his head against its soft body. The sounds of insects and squeaking mixed in his ears.
Yeah, you were there...
Ivan quietly closed his eyes. The sadness that had seemed so close he could almost touch it slowly faded away. A tiny presence had embraced his loneliness.
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