Her Death (2)

Contrary to her feelings, the transparent tears that had been welling up in her eyes betrayed her will and flowed down her cheeks, wetting the platform below the guillotine.

The Emperor stared coldly at her for a moment before raising his hand to signal. In response to that signal, the rope that had been tightly holding the blade was cut, and soon, a dark shadow appeared over her. Silently catching the sharp sound of the wind being split, she gazed at the audience for the last time. A moment of shallow confusion passed through her eyes.

It wasn’t because of the guillotine’s blade that was rushing down her neck, nor was it because of the Emperor with eyes that seemed like he was about to rush forward and kill her himself, nor was it because of the Queen, who, despite displaying all sorts of vulnerable appearances, couldn’t suppress her joy as much as this moment.

‘Calli…’

At that moment, the name she had vowed never to call again was about to inadvertently slip from her lips.

Swoosh—

She faintly felt the cold blade touching her neck.

Chaaak!

A fountain of blood gushed out, and splatters of fresh blood scattered around the blade that sliced through her neck.

Finally, thud—!

The head, now weak and lifeless, was so pitiful and unimpressive that one could hardly think it had once held a noble position. It seemed devoid of the dignity she had tried to preserve in her lifetime, merely a bloodied head of someone else. Only the confusion that hadn’t completely faded away remained in her eyes. Even the vividness of the gaze she had held just moments ago gradually blurred.

The audience who had witnessed her execution fell into silence. This silence felt as though time had come to a standstill. They had all hoped for her death, yet faced with the actuality of death, they couldn’t utter a word. Their heads felt so foggy that they couldn’t even remember the moment to cheer. Perhaps it was only natural. After all, reality and fantasy were clearly different.

The people who had come with their children hurriedly covered their children’s eyes, while others involuntarily gasped at the gruesome sight of a person’s head being severed. Some people shivered down their spine, and others felt nauseous at the gruesome scene.

Clearly, seeing a living person suddenly lose their form and movement, becoming lifeless in an instant, was a shocking sight that chilled everyone to the bone. It was almost impossible to even swallow.

But eventually—

“Wow! The Empress is dead!”

Amidst the heavy silence, someone shouted.

After the first word was uttered, the audience began to stir and shout loudly. It was as if they were trying to compensate for their previous silence; thousands of voices began to shout simultaneously, louder and louder, cheering for her death. Some did it genuinely, some were influenced by the situation, and others cheered for various reasons while glancing around.

Their words turned into a cacophony of thousands of voices that reverberated through the Imperial Palace. However, the imposing voice of the Emperor brought silence back to the hall.

“I declare the end of Kilianerisa’s execution.”

The Emperor, who hadn’t shown any movement during the execution, confirmed her death and then finally rose from his seat. He slowly turned around and began to walk away.

For some reason, he felt tired.

Though his steps appeared tired, there was no hesitation. Throughout his walk, he never looked back.

Some might think he was heartless in the face of his once-wife’s death, but that was how they had always been.

There was nothing special between them, or rather, it was a relationship worse than others.

His steps were heavier than usual, but he felt more relieved than ever. With her death, there was no longer a reason for him to be on guard within the palace. He took a deep breath, and the fresh air seemed to calm his turbulent thoughts. A bitter smile formed on his lips, which had been stiff for a long time.

It took a long time. A long time to let go of this tension.

Tonight, he felt like he could sleep deeply for the first time in a while.

As the Emperor declared the end of the execution, the soldiers who had been waiting immediately began to move, isolating the citizens who had gathered in the palace, and some began to attend to Kilianerisa’s body. The body, now in two pieces, was carefully hidden in a bag, and the splatters of blood that were scattered everywhere were wiped away without a trace with a few sweeps of mop. The guillotine, which had been stained with blood, was soon restored to its original state, ready to execute another person.

Today’s agenda was over, but tomorrow held another schedule. Lost in thought, one of the soldiers who was diligently mopping the floor absently pondered.

‘Wasn’t tomorrow supposed to be the execution of the notorious pickpocket in the market?’

It wasn’t a particularly important event, so the memory was somewhat hazy. Once all the cleaning was done, the soldiers left to attend to other tasks. The place that had been crowded with people who had come to witness the execution of the Empress was now deserted as if the tide had receded.

Amidst the multitude, a man who had been buried in the crowd still stood in his place, gazing at the guillotine just as he did at the beginning, even after everyone had left. His eyes held the passing of one person’s death and their image until it disappeared. There wasn’t a particular trace of anger or sorrow in the eyes that had witnessed the execution. However, unlike anyone else, he didn’t cheer for her death either. For no apparent reason, he simply stood there, keeping his place.

He thought he wouldn’t feel sad, he thought he wouldn’t waver, yet his mouth was dry. He wasn’t even aware that he was tightly clenching his fist.

As most people disappeared, leaving the guillotine returned to its original state, the man, who had been intently watching the scene for some time, finally turned away.

“My lord, shall we return now?”

His aide, who thought he had made up his mind when he saw him turning his body, asked casually. The man nodded slowly.

“Yes, let’s go.”

His tone was surprisingly calm, considering the gravity of witnessing the death of someone he knew. However, his steps as he walked away were heavy, as if they were laden with iron. He felt a stifling sensation, as if something had been added to his heart, but the man didn’t pay it much mind.

She was, by the eyes of the world, a villain, and her death was fitting. He didn’t deny that.