Even after Count Sasha confessed, the story spread that his daughter, Nife, was not punished. This stood in stark contrast to the story of Marquis Aiden's crimes being exposed and his promising children being imprisoned.
Then, many of the nobles who had followed Cain and Abigail chose to confess. They were no longer royalty or nobles, so they were no longer even worthy of being called rotten shackles.
Not long after, Empress Seria attempted suicide, and her family came to her and declared divorce. It was her resolve to protect her last remaining daughter, even if it meant the demise of her family.
The Emperor was furious at the divorce, but had no choice but to accept it. It was none other than Prince Aslan who had supported it.
Because of that, Empress Seria cursed Prince Aslan until the moment of divorce, but the Empress's father bowed his head to Prince Aslan and expressed his gratitude, which was a ridiculous sight.
The Emperor's divorce didn't simply mean an empty palace. It meant the disappearance of a powerful force that had supported him.
The Emperor's overbearingness of Cain's wrongdoings and his special affection for Abigail weren't simply out of love for his son. Just as Prince Aslan's assistance in Empress Seria's divorce wasn't motivated by shallow sympathy.
I listened to all this while lying in bed, stroking my slightly swollen belly.
“On the day Empress Seria got divorced, His Majesty the Emperor was so angry that he tried to beat His Highness the Crown Prince.”
I opened my eyes wide and listened to Anna's story.
“So? What happened?”
"They say the Imperial Knights stepped in to stop them. That enraged His Majesty the Emperor so much that he clutched the back of his neck and collapsed."
I chuckled as I listened to that story. Julian, sitting next to me, frowned.
“Isn’t that a good story for a child to hear?”
"Why? The triumph of good over evil is the best story. Abdication isn't far behind."
“You must step forward to inherit the throne.”
At those words, I smiled sinisterly and took Julian's hand.
“Not yet, Your Highness.”
As word spread of the achievements of Count Winsley and Grand Duchzan in the Battle of the Demonic Beasts, popular support for both families grew. Even though the Emperor's power was waning and Prince Aslan consolidated his power, it was clear that abdication would require even greater support.
To do that, the Count of Winsley and the Grand Duke of Duchzan had to step forward and declare directly that they wanted a new Emperor. But I hadn't yet played that card.
We still had a lot to take from Prince Aslan.
As I had hoped, Prince Aslan moved diligently. First, the final trial for Cain and Abigail began. It was merely a formality for a former member of the royal family, and would ultimately result in their execution.
Julian tried to dissuade me, but I wanted to see Abigail's final moments, so I decided to attend the trial with him. Luckily, my eyesight fully recovered before the trial date.
I wore a cute lace dress, unbecoming of a court observer. I held Julian's hand with my gloved hand, the other resting on my round belly. To anyone who saw us, we looked like a loving newlywed couple.
Abigail, who was sitting listlessly in the courtroom, looked intently at me, who was dressed in an unusually splendid attire. She glared at me, her eyes wide, and let out a shrill scream.
“Belina! How dare you still!”
How dare you stand by Julian's side, knowing everything? I pretended to be indifferent, but held his hand tightly. Julian, in turn, held my hand tightly and helped me sit down.
“Hold the sinner tight.”
Prince Aslan commanded, his head held high. The knights held Abigail down, blocking her gaze from reaching me. Abigail struggled, but her body, devoid of magic and powerless, was better off not resisting. But the people didn't even look kindly on her struggles.
“Look at the way you look at Her Highness the Grand Duchess.”
“If she keeps doing that, won’t she end up cursing again?”
“It’s terrible!”
“But who is she calling Belina...?”
“What do you expect from a crazy woman?”
The trial was conducted by a judge, but Prince Aslan stood firm, so the people could see that the trial was being carried out by Prince Aslan.
A new era was dawning. People felt a mixture of fear and grand excitement as they watched Cain shake his head like a madman and Abigail's eyes gleam.
The judge asked several questions to root out any remaining remnants.
“Can you testify about the fact that Ari Eriant of the Marquis of Eriant harbored rebellion against the Imperial Family?”
At that question, Cain trembled and muttered.
“Ah, Ari was my, uh, government... That woman told me to become the Emperor...”
Then, many of the nobles who had followed Cain and Abigail chose to confess. They were no longer royalty or nobles, so they were no longer even worthy of being called rotten shackles.
Not long after, Empress Seria attempted suicide, and her family came to her and declared divorce. It was her resolve to protect her last remaining daughter, even if it meant the demise of her family.
The Emperor was furious at the divorce, but had no choice but to accept it. It was none other than Prince Aslan who had supported it.
Because of that, Empress Seria cursed Prince Aslan until the moment of divorce, but the Empress's father bowed his head to Prince Aslan and expressed his gratitude, which was a ridiculous sight.
The Emperor's divorce didn't simply mean an empty palace. It meant the disappearance of a powerful force that had supported him.
The Emperor's overbearingness of Cain's wrongdoings and his special affection for Abigail weren't simply out of love for his son. Just as Prince Aslan's assistance in Empress Seria's divorce wasn't motivated by shallow sympathy.
I listened to all this while lying in bed, stroking my slightly swollen belly.
“On the day Empress Seria got divorced, His Majesty the Emperor was so angry that he tried to beat His Highness the Crown Prince.”
I opened my eyes wide and listened to Anna's story.
“So? What happened?”
"They say the Imperial Knights stepped in to stop them. That enraged His Majesty the Emperor so much that he clutched the back of his neck and collapsed."
I chuckled as I listened to that story. Julian, sitting next to me, frowned.
“Isn’t that a good story for a child to hear?”
"Why? The triumph of good over evil is the best story. Abdication isn't far behind."
“You must step forward to inherit the throne.”
At those words, I smiled sinisterly and took Julian's hand.
“Not yet, Your Highness.”
As word spread of the achievements of Count Winsley and Grand Duchzan in the Battle of the Demonic Beasts, popular support for both families grew. Even though the Emperor's power was waning and Prince Aslan consolidated his power, it was clear that abdication would require even greater support.
To do that, the Count of Winsley and the Grand Duke of Duchzan had to step forward and declare directly that they wanted a new Emperor. But I hadn't yet played that card.
We still had a lot to take from Prince Aslan.
As I had hoped, Prince Aslan moved diligently. First, the final trial for Cain and Abigail began. It was merely a formality for a former member of the royal family, and would ultimately result in their execution.
Julian tried to dissuade me, but I wanted to see Abigail's final moments, so I decided to attend the trial with him. Luckily, my eyesight fully recovered before the trial date.
I wore a cute lace dress, unbecoming of a court observer. I held Julian's hand with my gloved hand, the other resting on my round belly. To anyone who saw us, we looked like a loving newlywed couple.
Abigail, who was sitting listlessly in the courtroom, looked intently at me, who was dressed in an unusually splendid attire. She glared at me, her eyes wide, and let out a shrill scream.
“Belina! How dare you still!”
How dare you stand by Julian's side, knowing everything? I pretended to be indifferent, but held his hand tightly. Julian, in turn, held my hand tightly and helped me sit down.
“Hold the sinner tight.”
Prince Aslan commanded, his head held high. The knights held Abigail down, blocking her gaze from reaching me. Abigail struggled, but her body, devoid of magic and powerless, was better off not resisting. But the people didn't even look kindly on her struggles.
“Look at the way you look at Her Highness the Grand Duchess.”
“If she keeps doing that, won’t she end up cursing again?”
“It’s terrible!”
“But who is she calling Belina...?”
“What do you expect from a crazy woman?”
The trial was conducted by a judge, but Prince Aslan stood firm, so the people could see that the trial was being carried out by Prince Aslan.
A new era was dawning. People felt a mixture of fear and grand excitement as they watched Cain shake his head like a madman and Abigail's eyes gleam.
The judge asked several questions to root out any remaining remnants.
“Can you testify about the fact that Ari Eriant of the Marquis of Eriant harbored rebellion against the Imperial Family?”
At that question, Cain trembled and muttered.
“Ah, Ari was my, uh, government... That woman told me to become the Emperor...”
But even that insignificant muttering never ended.
“Ari Eriant harbored resentment?”
Abigail interrupted him with a snort. She chuckled, as if she found it truly absurd, and then blurted out the words.
"Huh, she was just my chess piece. What does she know? She was just trembling in fear and moving. She's not the kind of woman who can harbor such rebellious feelings."
I felt uncomfortable with Abigail's attitude. She was speaking to Ari Eriant as if she were looking down on her, but in the end...
"We'll skip the investigation into Ari Eriant. Next..."
Wouldn't this lighten the burden of Ari Eriant's crimes? She would be imprisoned, or, if she was lucky, exiled to a remote countryside. The death penalty seemed unlikely.
From then on, Abigail never interfered with the proceedings. Even when her crimes were exposed to the world, she showed no remorse, and unlike Cain, who shed tears when sentenced to death, she simply laughed at everyone.
People called her a witch. Many even suggested that Abigail be tied to a rock and drowned. However, before the trial began, I made a request of Prince Aslan.
"There will undoubtedly be those who say we should kill Abigail like we killed witches in the past. But please proceed with Abigail's execution as usual."
"Why? Don't you want her to die a cruel death?"
"I hope so. I desperately hope so. But more than that, I don't want the way she killed innocent people to come back to life."
So the judge sentenced Abigail to a very ordinary death sentence. She would be locked in solitary confinement like any other death row inmate, clutching her hungry belly, yearning for the sky, until one day she was suddenly dragged out and killed. Nothing out of the ordinary.
***
It was while I was chatting with Julian in the nursery that I heard the news of Abigail's death.
At that time, Julian was in the middle of a fierce debate about filling one side of the baby's room with books, and I was in the middle of a debate about filling the room with toys first, as I wasn't sure if the baby would like books or not, and the baby might get bored just looking at books.
The maid came in cautiously and said.
“It is said that the witch’s execution ceremony was carried out.”
“Oh? I see.”
I didn't want to pay any more attention to Abigail. She had been such an overwhelming influence on our lives, past and present. She wasn't worth it. So I answered blandly, and the maid looked slightly embarrassed.
The maid who delivered the news looked as if she had heard more, as if she was debating whether or not to share it. I, always the curious one, was the first to ask such questions.
“What else is going on?”
The maid answered my question hesitantly.
“When the young lady of the Marquis of Eriant heard that the witch had died, she hanged herself and...”
"Stop."
Julian interrupted the maid, but she could easily guess what she was saying.
“From now on, don’t tell the Grand Duchess anything like this.”
“I apologize, Your Highness.”
The maid ran out of the room. Julian sighed, wrapping his arm around my shoulder with concern.
“Yoy heard a terrible story at a time when you were already hearing only good stories.”
I pretended not to hear anything and smiled, patting my stomach.
"What? Your wife didn't hear anything. Our baby didn't hear anything either."
Julian kissed my cheek, as if he found me endearing. I turned my head, followed his lips as they were about to part, and kissed him. We locked eyes from a very close distance.
“Julian.”
“You sound very uneasy.”
“I’m a bit anxious.”
I gently grabbed Julian's shoulder and slowly swept it away.
“I asked Tien.”
"Name."
I said, "Oh no," in surprise, then rolled my eyes and whispered carefully.
"I asked him, and he said it's time to start having sex. Just be careful."
Julian remained silent for a long time after my words. He simply stared at me. "No, was I the only one waiting for this day?" Feeling hurt, I pushed away his chest and turned my back. Then Julian hugged me from behind and whispered in my ear.
“I don’t have the confidence to be careful.”
His voice was much more subtle and sly than when I spoke to him. His deep, low voice made the hairs on my body stand on end, as if feathers were tickling the soles of my feet. I released his arm and fled the room, practically running away. Then, peeking out again, I spoke.
“Aren’t you following me?”
At my question, Julian strode over to me and lifted me up. I let out a short scream and hugged his neck. Whether the Grand Duke's servants were watching or not, we pressed our foreheads together, giggling, and headed for the bedroom.
I thought as I kissed Julian.
Not yet. Not yet.
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