“As you know, it was His Majesty who ordered me to do this. Now, don’t hold back and let’s start the interrogation. Next, did you sleep with that Tetris guy? How was it? Did you enjoy it?”
Elise, who had gasped for breath, leaned on the ground.
“Tell me, did you? I hear barbarians are great at night. Did you betray national secrets because you were seduced by that?”
Elise clenched her fist. Her nails scraped the floor, making an unpleasant noise.
“I never did that.”
“Never did that, my foot! A letter from the Prince of Tetris was found in your room. It was quite passionate.”
Gabriel threw a bundle of letters in front of Elise. Elise swallowed her saliva and unfolded the letter.
At first glance, the content written in an unfamiliar handwriting seemed to confirm their misunderstanding.
But it was a letter Elise had never received.
However, Elise knew who likes to use pink letter papers.
‘Iris… Is this Iris’s doing?’
Elise bit her lip. Her cracked lips burst open, and blood oozed out.
“We’re busy, so let’s make this quick. Accusations of regicide against the previous emperor, and collusion with the Prince of Tetris. Just nod your head. I’ll write the statement myself.”
Gabriel tapped Elise’s foot.
“Let me see His Majesty. I will tell him everything.”
“You’re hard of hearing. I have no choice but to make you understand, even if I have to drill a hole in your ear.”
Gabriel rolled up his sleeves. Then the beating continued.
****
Gabriel trampled heavily on Elise and left. He lifted the hand of Elise, who had fallen powerless, and forced her to stamp his self-written statement.
Elise, who had fainted, regained consciousness only after half a day had passed since Gabriel left.
Everywhere was throbbing. Seeing that her ankle wasn’t moving well, it seemed to be broken.
She forcibly gathered her immobile body and crouched down.
“Ugh.”
Tears flowed without drying up. Elise leaned her head against the wall and cried aimlessly.
It was unfair. And she was furious.
The charges of regicide against the previous king and collusion with the Prince of Tetris were fabricated.
Karan, she had only exchanged a few words with the Prince of Tetris to use him for the subjugation of the evil dragon Ragnaros.
But who would believe her?
The punishment that would be imposed on Elise was obvious.
If she was lucky, exile, otherwise, execution.
“There’s a misunderstanding. I just have to explain it well.”
It’s common for various things to happen before marriage.
Elise tried hard to think positively.
“His Majesty is angry now and has imprisoned me, but he will return soon.”
Elise repeated as if casting a spell.
Chase will come. The misunderstanding will be cleared up, and in a week, she will be walking side by side with Chase at the wedding ceremony in a white linen dress.
And late at night, as she wished, Chase came. But he was not alone.
****
“Disgusting.”
As soon as Chase set foot in the underground prison, he frowned.
“Do I have to go and listen to the story? She’s going to die anyway.”
Elise was a card that had to be discarded. Because she was a flaw in the hard-won throne.
“Be merciful, Your Majesty.”
Then, a beautiful hand came up on his arm. The fair and beautiful hand stroked Chase’s arm.
“She’s a pitiful child, isn’t she? You should at least say hello.”
Iris, her gentle smile melted Chase’s heart.
She, whose name was even a flower, was called the treasure of the kingdom, the hope of the Ivory Tower, and the rose of Bedrokka.
And she was the only woman in Bedrokka who made Chase impatient.
In the past, he wanted her and proposed a marriage proposal to Warton, but he got Elise instead of her.
For a while, Chase was satisfied with Elise. He was disappointed with the flaws Elise had, but there was no alternative.
‘If Iris hadn’t made a decision.’
But Iris acted bravely and took her place by his side.
Chase frowned at the thought of a future without Iris.
“Do you feel sick just thinking about Elise? That child tends to bring people’s mood down to the bottom. I always admire Your Majesty’s patience..”
Iris empathized, misinterpreting Chase’s feelings. He nodded, though it was wrong.
A minor misunderstanding from a woman who had even killed her husband David to come to him was more than okay.
‘Contrary to what Elise said that she could never kill.’
Iris dropped a drop of black ink for herself in her pure white life.
So the things that are harmful to her future should be taken care of by me.
“I’m the one who’s moved by your beautiful heart. Me, the husband of the sister who dragged you down.”
Chase couldn’t continue his words as his chest was full. Iris pressed her chest tightly against Chase’s arm.
“Do you love me? It was you from the beginning. Even if my father didn’t oppose. I was so worried that I might be too late.”
Chase’s mouth became mushy. Finally, he got everything. The title of the best prosecutor, the throne, and the most beautiful woman in Bedrokka.
The subjugation of Ragnaros was a concern, but there was no problem as Iris actively helped.
The military, money, and plans were all prepared by Elise.
‘Just execute it as it is.’
If he just grabs the title of a hero, the entire continent, including Bedrokka, will kneel under his feet.
Chase’s chest swelled with anticipation.
Chase and Iris went down to the basement.
As they got closer to the prison, the sobbing became clearer.
There was a heavy pain in his chest, but Chase ignored it, thinking it was because the air was stuffy.
“Elise.”
At Chase’s call, Elise, who had been lying down, barely raised her body.
“Ah! Chase! Your Majesty!”
Elise ran on her knees and hung on the bars. Chase clicked his tongue at her messy face.
“Your Majesty, I didn’t think you’d come…”
Elise, who had been happy to come out, closed her mouth when she saw Iris standing next to him. Elise gritted her teeth.
Instead of shouting why Iris was here, she said the words she had prepared.
“Your Majesty, I have never betrayed you.”
Her sweetly trembling voice was pathetic, but it was something she had to say and it was the truth.
“Shut that mouth. All that comes out of your mouth is lies. Did you collude with the filthy barbarian?”
“Your Majesty, I have never had a private collusion with the Prince of Tetris.”
“You have the audacity to lie so brazenly. You have quite a thick face.”
Chase coldly rebuked her.
“If you give me time, I will clarify everything. I will…”
“Why? Are you planning to tamper with the evidence? Isn’t that what you’re good at? Using people underwater to create false rumors and push in fake evidence to steal from others.”
Elise was at a loss for words.
Chase was right. Among the things she had done for Chase, there were such things.
But all of that was for Chase.
But Chase called it a serious crime. Even while enjoying the sweet fruit he gained from it.
Tears flowed down the corners of Elise’s eyes.
Haa, haa. It felt like the oxygen in the underground prison was gradually decreasing.
Hyperventilation made her head dizzy.
Elise wiped her tears with the back of her hand that had burst open.
Her life was too pitiful to end like this.
“Please save me, Your Majesty.”
Elise lay down on the floor. She put her forehead on the cold stone floor and begged pitifully.
It was the only action Elise, who realized that Chase’s heart had completely left her, could take.
She was not foolish enough to hold onto the heart of a man who had changed and put love in her mouth.
Instead of clinging to his love, Elise appealed to his reason.
“Your Majesty, I have many businesses that I have built. If I disappear, there will be great confusion in the business and it will affect the subjugation war. I will work until the subjugation war. After that, I will disappear from your sight and live quietly. Your Majesty, please have mercy…”
“Elise, I’ll take care of your businesses.”
Iris cut off Elise’s words.
“Elise, accept it. There’s nothing more you can do. You don’t have a place anymore.”
Elise raised her head and met Iris’s eyes. Iris smiled brightly.
“Your place was here from the beginning, wasn’t it?”
Iris pointed to the underground prison. Elise’s anger shot up to the top of her head in an instant. Iris bowed her body towards Elise, who was trembling.
“The underground prison suits you well.”
“You… you did this to me.”
“You just realized that now? I kept giving you hints.”
Elise closed her eyes tightly. Only then did she recall the rumors she had known but ignored.
The rumor that Chase and Iris often met, the talk that Iris started managing the palace’s maids and servants, the people who got business entry rights through her.
She had asked Chase, but every time she did, he seemed to be getting further away, so she had no choice but to keep her mouth shut.
The time she spent covering her eyes, blocking her ears, and keeping her mouth shut poured out like a rain of swords towards Elise.
“Could you step aside for a moment, Chase?”
Iris rubbed her face against Chase’s chest and spoke.
“Are you okay?”
Chase asked affectionately. His smile, as he looked at Iris, was full of affection.
“Of course, Your Majesty. You know Elise can’t do anything. She can’t use magic. Even if she does, she won’t be able to touch a hair on me.”
“But she’s still alive, isn’t she? I’m worried she might say something that hurts you.”
Chase stroked Iris’s face. Iris snuggled up to his large palm like a cat.
The affectionate sight of the two was painfully imprinted on Elise’s retina.
Chase kissed Iris’s forehead and then left his place. He didn’t even have a word of consideration for his ex-lover.
Elise glared at Iris.
“Since when?”
“Is that important?”
Elise charged at her, who innocently asked back.
But her hand was blocked by the bars and couldn’t even touch the hem of Iris’s dress.
Would it have been different if she could use magic? Elise gritted her teeth.
Iris sat down on the floor with a smirk. She gently stroked Elise’s cheek with her white hand.
“Everything has just returned to its original place. Don’t resent. This happened because you were too greedy.”
“Why are you doing this to me?”
Elise’s eyes were wide open.
“Because you’re cumbersome. There’s no grand reason.”
Iris spoke lightly, as if cleaning up the trash in front of her. And she grabbed Elise’s hand that fell on the floor.
Iris placed a small bottle on Elise’s palm.
It was odorless, tasteless, it was a poison.
“I made it. It’s a very pleasant poison. I’ve already experimented with it, so don’t worry about the effect.”
Elise’s pupils shook rapidly.
‘Could it be…’
