Mercy had no place in the command, and it was not as astonishing as one might think. After all, it was somewhat anticipated.
Now that the queen had been framed for regicide against the king, anyone with half a brain could guess that it wouldn’t just end with her abdication. If abdication was the sole aim from the start, there would have been no need for such elaborate schemes.
“It is an act of mercy to consider the love between my wife and me. Do not be angry. It might be conventional to hang in the square, but giving oneself the chance to die honorably after acknowledging one’s past achievements is far nobler.”
“I don’t quite consider dying under false accusation to be an honorable death.”
“False accusation? How amusing. Wasn’t it the lady of the house who prepared this banquet? Furthermore, it’s regrettable that amidst the testimony of a young maid claiming to have received orders from the lady, you feel unjustly accused. If you feel so unjustly accused, I can give you time to prepare a defense. I can give you the opportunity to encapsulate the injustice of the lady on a piece of paper, but who would believe it?”
In this situation, there was no point in acting pitifully and quietly accepting death. Even that was wrapped in a pretense of generosity, as if to say, “I’ll allow you to die peacefully.” Realizing the futility of trying to evoke sympathy, she understood.
There were only two choices. Either hanging from the turrets for all to see or taking one’s own life in front of her dearly beloved husband, his mistress, and the disciple who had become a knight to protect her husband. There was no way to survive.
More infuriating now than the injustice of being falsely accused was her husband’s cruel pleading. Why go this far?
Once, she was his most beloved knight. She had sacrificed herself for him to the extent of daring to justify spilling the blood of countless innocents to make him king. Like a moth to a flame, knowing this path was wrong, she lived for him with a loyalty close to faith, believing his path was one of justice.
“Because you commanded me to become the queen, so I became the queen, and I did my best to fill in the inadequacies. I can at least boast that my existence has never once hindered your reign. So I don’t understand. Why suddenly push me away, rebuke me, and treat me as an enemy. Was it really necessary to cast me aside like this?”
Though harsh to traitors, he was endlessly generous to his own people. He succeeded in securing the throne with the body of a servant and it was his careful consideration that allowed him to rise to power, as much as his devotion to her.
His vision to make an orphaned female mercenary his knight without prejudice, his unbiased judgment of people regardless of their background—he was a man who wanted capable individuals to receive appropriate treatment regardless of their status or conditions, a man who looked after those who struggled, regardless of their circumstances.
She entrusted him with her life, drawn to his warmth, his seeming affection. He was, after all, a good person, worthy of respect.
“Lelusha,” he murmured, his voice reminiscent of the prince who once charmed her. The formality was gone, replaced by a chilling intimacy. “I know you’ve been a loyal servant.”
But the words that dripped from his lips were laced with cruelty. “Without you, I wouldn’t be here. You were my most dependable hound, always faithful. But a hound, you see, only exists to serve its master.”
Lelusha bristled. His cold pronouncement clashed with the lingering affection in his tone, adding a layer of sickening hypocrisy.
“It was simply a matter of finding a suitable queen,” he continued, his voice laced with annoyance. “Lady Odette, the original choice, fell ill. I couldn’t risk an easily replaced noblewoman, could I? You, Lelusha, were the perfect solution. No complications.”
The weight of his words settled on her. “…Stand-in?” she choked out, the realization a bitter pill to swallow.
“You’ve served your purpose,” he dismissed her with a shrug. “There are others who can fill your role now. That misplaced affection masquerading as loyalty has become an annoyance I no longer need.”
His gaze, now filled with warmth, flickered towards the elegant Lady Odette at his side. “My wife,” he began, a sliver of annoyance lacing his voice, “couldn’t bear the very sight of you. She even proposed using any random noblewoman as a queenly stand-in. Apparently, a commoner by my side would offend her delicate sensibilities and be a health hazard.”
