Chapter 48 The Dungeon
The carriage pulled up in front of the Magdog Institute as the story continued. Killion felt that the time to send Veronia away was too short.
“Take care, Lady.”
“Thank you, Your Excellency.”
Veronia was sorry to see them go. She berated herself for not letting go easily.
‘I’m sorry? You’re crazy, you’re crazy!’
She’d beaten herself up a few times already, but to no avail. She was comfortable with Killion, and that was good.
‘Comfortable? I liked it? No, no, no. That’s not right! Don’t do that, please!’
The whirlwind of emotions, not knowing what was what, was overwhelming.
Life has been nothing but happiness since she ran away. She dared to call it perfect.
Until one day, a stone called Killion rolled in and disrupted her perfect life. But the stone wasn’t the problem.
The real problem was the sprouting of a false belief that the presence of one of these stones wouldn’t change his perfect life.
‘If I can keep my identity hidden… , won’t I be fine?’
Such indecisive thinking. A heavy sigh broke through Veronia’s small lips.
***
The Emperor’s state of affairs is over.
Evidence poured in that Madame Brienne had set the fire, and an emergency trial was called to clear the air. The trial produced the result everyone expected, with no reversals.
Madame Brienne, who suffered from bipolar disorder and anxiety, was said to have set the fire because she was angry at the Emperor’s refusal to accept the child.
The people were outraged at the premeditated murder of a mad, cold-blooded woman.
On the last day of the festivities to celebrate the coronation of the new emperor, it was decided to execute the heinous murderer. The people cheered when they heard the news of the execution.
Veronia was horrified by the reaction of her neighbors to Madame Brienne’s execution. It reminded her of the execution she had seen in a dream long ago, when she had first been possessed.
She could still see the maddened eyes of those who wanted her throat cut, her blood spattered, and her death.
Veronia shuddered and closed the newspaper. She vowed not to open it again for a while.
It was then.
The door opened with a soft knock and Jediel poked his head out.
“Mum?”
“Jediel, come here.”
Veronia’s words sent Jediel scurrying to her and scooping her into his arms. The child was still sleepy-eyed from just waking up, and his hair was tousled.
“My dear Jediel, did you sleep well?”
“Yeah. Mum?”
Jediel asked sleepily, nuzzling his face between his mum’s neck and shoulder.
“Mum slept well too.”
“It’s a day off work, isn’t it?
“That’s right. What do you want to do with mum today?”
“Sleep in.”
Veronia chuckled at the child’s almost half-asleep reply.
“I’ll do as you say.”
“…”
She scooped Jediel up in her arms and climbed back into bed.
***
“Wouldn’t it be better to just get rid of it?”
Jonathan asked in a rather nervous tone. His impatience was transparent on his face.
“I’m afraid that if we leave it there, it will develop in the meantime, and I’d like to nip it in the bud as soon as possible.”
Sandra’s face, on the other hand, was relaxed. There’s nothing to be afraid of anymore.
Her crimson lips moved slowly.
“She killed the emperor. What’s the point of dying without a sound?”
“What do you mean, what’s the point of killing a man, my dear?”
Jonathan shook his head in confusion. A wry smile tugged at the corners of the Empress’s mouth.
“Do you think politics is moot, Emperor?”
Jonathan’s expression relaxed a little as he realized that he quite liked the sound of the title ‘Emperor’ coming from her mouth.
It was the Empress who asked the question, but it was she who answered it.
‘The key to politics is ‘show’. You have to show the people.’
“…”
“Whether it’s hope or love, justice or revenge, whatever it is, politics must be able to show it in the strongest possible packaging.”
The Empress’s eyes glowed eerily with determination. Jonathan nodded, his mouth closed in understanding.
This meant that nothing short of bloody revenge against the woman who had killed the emperor should be allowed.
Only then would the people be enthusiastic and believe in the new emperor. That, she said, was called ‘politics’.
The Empress’s red lips did not stop there. Her venomous voice vibrated through the air.
“It’s time to get rid of old things without hesitation.”
“What do you mean, old things?”
“Stagnant water rots, and every place needs circulation. With a new emperor on the throne, isn’t this the perfect time to throw out the old and take in the new Emperor.”
“When you say old, what… are you referring to?”
Jonathan asked, and the Empress paused, pursing her lips.
“It’s not difficult, I suppose, old things related to the past, such as… Lord Chancellor Killion Drea?”
“Ha, but, but, he’s… Chancellor Kilion Drea. Everyone…”
Jonathan was taken aback by the unexpected name that came out of the Empress’s mouth. It was hard for him to follow her thoughts.
What was she to make of Chancellor Killion Drea?
A man who had cleaned up the borderlands, which had been cluttered with conflicts large and small, and thanks to him and the knights he led, the borders were secure.
He wasn’t the only one. When civil unrest broke out in the south, he traveled to the south himself and pacified the people without shedding a drop of blood.
He was praised at home and around the world for bringing about the most peaceful settlement in the Empire’s history.
And what about after Killion ascended to the Chancellorship? The poor were no longer poor. Angry people were calm.
The people were at peace.
All the imperial family had to do was sit back and watch. Still, everything was going according to plan.
The Empress Dowager raised her eyes and raised her voice as if she were scolding.
“Are you going to be a half-assed emperor, like your father?”
“Oh, that… that…”
Jonathan’s eyes flickered aimlessly.
Was it bad to be like his father? Wasn’t it proper for a son to honour and follow his father? Jonathan was confused.
“The Emperor is not like your father. He took what he wanted and threw away what he didn’t want, and that’s how it was since I was a child. I remember it all.”
“Ohhhhhh…”
Jonathan’s shaky eyes steadied, his gaze locked on the Empress.
Basking in his gaze, she continued.
“You must not be like the Emperor before you, never. Be greedy, Emperor. Don’t share your birthright with others. Don’t be weak, don’t give in. Don’t let them get away with it.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
Jonathan replied, strength in his voice, his eyes, which had stopped trembling, shining with clarity.
***
Late at night, Killion found the dungeon with Windler, the dank air stinging his lungs as he struggled to breathe.
“Here.”
At last they stood in front of Madame Brienne’s cell, and the sight of her gaunt form made it difficult for them to speak.
She had been treated for her burns, but she hadn’t been diligent in her care of the criminal. Even if the treatment had been perfect, the conditions of the dungeon would have exacerbated her wounds.
Unable to bear the smell of rotting flesh, Windler grimaced and covered his nose. Killion narrowed his brow at his aide’s frivolous behavior, but he did not reprimand him.
Killion turned to Madame Brienne and asked.
“I heard you tried to kill the Emperor. Is it true that you set fire to the Emperor’s bedchamber? Tell me the truth.”
The deep, bassy voice tensed the prison air. Madame Brienne looked up.
Half of her face was naked, melted by the fire. The beautiful face that had once thrilled the Emperor’s heart was gone.
Windler, standing beside him, gulped and swallowed hard.
The woman’s entire body shook with every ounce of energy she had left, but her eyes were different.
They glowed brightly in the darkness, as if all her energy had been concentrated in her pupils.
Madame Brienne stared at Killion. She was gauging the extent to which he would believe her.
She had admitted all the charges at the trial.
She had no choice. The Crown had used her parents, brothers, and sisters as hostages to pressure her into admitting the charges.
In despair, she simply nodded when asked.
‘If this man… Killion, if this man, would things be different?’
She had her doubts.
But there were no imperial ears here now, and Chancellor Killion Drea was not a member of the rotten imperial family.
In front of him, she felt like she could speak the truth without reservation.
She wanted to tell the truth, even if it didn’t change anything. She wanted to tell someone.
Madame Brienne’s mouth opened slowly, as if she were grasping at straws, wanting to believe Killion just this once.
“It wasn’t me, I didn’t do it, I couldn’t have done it, could I? The king loved me, I had the emperor’s child growing in my womb!”
Madame Brienne cried out, moving her lips painfully.
