"So, that's your answer?" Constantine asked.

I just nodded; I didn't trust myself to speak.

He shrugged. "Fine, if that's what you want." He turned to his aide and commanded, "Prepare a public execution for the empress tomorrow."

They were talking about my execution, but I didn't give any reaction. Maybe I just didn't care anymore.

"Give the empress a proper execution," he said to his aide and then turned to me; a sickening smile on his angelic face. "I'll at least let you die in honor. That's the only mercy I can give you."

Mercy? Don't make me laugh. I'm not that naive.

It was obvious the only reason he would give me a proper execution was for his own satisfaction—to show off his power and authority over even someone like me.

But it doesn't matter anymore. Why does it matter when I'm about to die anyway?

At least I can finally have a peaceful rest knowing I've tried my best until the end.

***

The open field where the execution would take place glittered that day. Sunlight conjured the most brilliant of mosaics, reflecting from each leaf and wisp of cloud as if delighting in the art they created.

It was a fine day for sure, from the warm sun to the cheerful birdsong. A fine day to die.

Oh, how ironic...

Constantine had ordered the maids to bathe me first thing in the morning and dress me in something neat and presentable. They had to refit it since I had lost a lot of weight over the past few days, and covered the bruises on my face with cosmetics.

It didn't look bad, but it wasn't my style. If only Mary... ah, I forgot. She was no longer in this world. Constantine had already killed her as well as everyone else at the palace still loyal to me.

It was midday by the time they were done. The maids were solemn when the guards came and took me to the town square at the heart of the capital. A lot of things kept playing in my head as I walked—Arsen, my father, my mother, my upcoming demise... it got colder and colder as I neared the platform.

Ah, my baby.

I suddenly remembered the child that I lost.

I'm sorry for being such an incapable mother. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. If God allows, let's meet again in our next life.

"You look great," Constantine commented as soon as he saw me.

He was just about to escort me to the platform himself when suddenly one of his aides approached and whispered something to him.

He spoke in a low voice, but I could still hear his words since I was standing right next to him. Apparently, Lady Phoebe had just collapsed due to a fever.

Constantine's eyes widened, worry apparent on his handsome face. I never thought he was capable of making such an expression, and I regretted witnessing it; the small glimpse of humanity in him. There was simplicity in slaying a monster, but there was a great horror in realizing that there were no true monsters, just human men who were capable of joy and caring and still did monstrous things.

The duke barked at his aide to continue with the execution before shoving his men out of the way and disappearing back toward the castle. In the end, he left my execution to his aide and I bet, immediately went to see Lady Phoebe.

I didn't know if I should be happy or sad. All I could do was stare bitterly at my enemy's back. It was a strange feeling, but I wanted him to witness my death. I wanted to show him that even if I die, I would not yield to him, so at least my death wouldn't be in vain. But now...

To think that even my death isn't worth more than Lady Phoebe's well-being... Am I truly such a worthless person?

I finally stood on the platform of my execution place. I thought I would feel fear, but strangely, I felt peaceful instead.

I gained confidence as I looked at the people of Graniel. I wanted to let them know I was innocent, and even if I had to die, I would die with dignity.

So, I spoke...

"People of Graniel. I've been judged by the law to die, and so I have come and will speak nothing against it. I come only to die, and thus to yield myself humbly to the will of God. And if in my life, I have ever hurt my people, surely with my death I will atone." I paused for a moment. "I come here to accuse no man, nor to speak anything whereof I am accused, as I know full well that whatever I say in my defense will not appeal to you. But I pray and beseech you all, good people, to pray for my husband, the late Emperor Arsenio Arcturus, my sovereign lord and yours, who is one of the best princes on the face of the earth, who has always treated me so well and with respect. So once again, I submit to death with goodwill, humbly asking pardon of all the world. If anyone should take up my case, I ask them only to judge it kindly. And thus I take my leave of the world and of you all, and I heartily desire you all to pray for me."

To my surprise, all the people in the audience knelt one by one. Some people even took off their hats and started praying for me.

The maids helped take off my cape while I removed all my jewelry; earrings, my mother's bracelet, the necklace my father gave me for my sixteenth birthday, and my wedding ring. My hand trembled slightly when I passed them to one of the maids.

The executioner whose face was hidden behind a mask suddenly knelt before me and spoke, "Madam, please forgive me for what I must do."

I looked at him and nodded with a slight smile. "Gladly."

I was blindfolded, and I knelt on the block, repeating, ''To God, I commend my soul. Lord, please receive my soul."

I shut my eyes, and memories suddenly filled my head.

"Calypso!"

Feelings and emotions surged into me like a tidal wave. Sights, smells, touches... and one face in particular... A child with red hair and a smile that filled me with immense warmth.

I couldn't make out his face properly, but scenes with him flowed into my mind: him reading a book, riding a horse, holding my hand, laughing with me, looking at me.

Arsen...

The first time we met... It had been a rainy day. It had also been the first time I held my father's hand and visited the Imperial Palace. It was a splendid, towering building with maze-like gardens.

In my excitement, I had become separated from my father, and that was when I, lost and alone, met the young prince.

I was only seven years old, sitting and crying on the wet grass when someone suddenly came to me.

"Are you lost?"

I had looked up at him from the ground. It was raining so badly, we were soaked completely through, but he didn't seem to care. He gave me a gentle smile and held out a hand. My tiny fingers trembled as I reached out and gripped his.

I had sworn I'd never let go.

I couldn't discern when it happened, just that it did. Arsenio Arcturus had situated himself inside my bones, settling within my marrow. A piece of me I couldn't carve out, nor did I wish to.

His smiles and laughs filled my mind and as scenes passed, his face grew older as well. His smiles, which were abundant and dazzling, became smaller and rarer over the years until they suddenly disappeared, replaced by a blank expression that didn't suit his age. Warmth and joy turned into despair as the memories appeared colder and darker.

He was only fifteen when both of his parents died in a carriage accident, so I could only imagine the burden that he had to carry at such a young age. The power struggle and people pointing knives at him from every direction.

My heart hurt for him.

That day, I had promised myself that I would always stay with him and be someone worthy of standing by his side.

Another memory flashed by...

A memory from when I was fourteen.

People were crowded around a cemetery; mostly high-ranking nobles.

The sun had been shining unusually bright that day as well, watching high in the northern sky. I could still feel the pleasant breeze that accompanied the sweet chirping of birds in their trees. How perfect it would have been for a picnic with the family.

It was as if the sky had been celebrating the day of my mother's funeral.

My mother wasn't particularly a popular woman, although she was a known beauty. Everybody knew that Duke Kaydeen Berenice didn't marry her out of love.

Before their marriage, my father had been in love with a maid. The idea of a young master of a prestigious family and a mere maid seemed too much like a bad romance novel; something with dreadful titles such as The Duke and the Maid or something similar.

But my father had been young when he crossed paths with Juliette; the beautiful and newly assigned maid in the duchy, and these two fell in love the way people fall from a castle tower.

They would have been what people described as star-crossed lovers because their relationship was doomed from the moment they met. In the end, these young lovers had been separated by fate when Juliette lost her life after giving birth to my older half-brother, Xavier.

In contrast to Juliette, my mother had not exactly been an understanding or kind-hearted woman. She lived lavishly and was prone to throwing tantrums when she didn't get things her way, but I could understand her to some extent.

So I was sure it would have served as a surprise for everyone when Kaydeen Berenice had agreed to a political marriage alliance with the infamous Odette Elloid; the oldest and only daughter of the richest family in the whole empire who was raised to fill the seat of an empress and had the burning ambition for it, too.

In fact, she had been engaged to the late emperor for some time, until he fell in love with another woman and broke off their betrothal for her. My mother's ambitions were torn and shattered to dust.

So her father suggested she marry the sole heir to the Berenice duchy instead. Even with his unfortunate scandal of fathering an illegitimate child, he was still the next best thing, so she agreed.

Unfortunately, she ended up venting her ambitions to me, her only daughter.

You could describe my life at Berenice's manor as a strict, yet charmed life.

I remembered those many tutors, my every hour scheduled down to the minute with unending lessons on etiquette, dancing, music, history, foreign languages, mathematics, reading, writing, and eventually politics.

My mother was firm in her way of raising me. Whenever I made a mistake, or even when I stuttered or stumbled during a dance, she would lock me in the punishment room. It was useless for me to cry and beg.

Sometimes she would also beat me as discipline, but it rarely happened as she didn't want to leave any marks on my body. When she did, she always did so in places where they would be hidden beneath my clothes, and she would order my nanny to immediately treat my wounds afterward.

Still, she wasn't completely bad either. Behind her scary personality, she often took care of me herself whenever I got sick, and all my needs were always tended to. Yes, heavy expectations were upon my head, but there was never a doubt in my mind that she loved me in her own way.

So, is it bad to love someone you know is a bit of an awful person?

I didn't even shed a tear during her funeral. My mother wouldn't have liked that, anyway. But there was a bitter feeling in my heart that I couldn't explain.

Everyone had already left except for me... and him. Arsen had not said anything, he had just stood there behind me. He had been the only one who stayed.

On the other hand, my father had been the first to leave. It was no surprise for me. After all, he was often indifferent toward me and my mother.

Duke Berenice wasn't a bad person. He was rather stoic and cold-hearted, but despite having high standing among nobles, he never exploited his power. He was a trustworthy and reliable lord to his people and a loyal vassal to the Arcturus imperial family. However, being a good duke didn't mean he was a good father.

I could barely remember the number of times we had a conversation. Most of the time, he would just remind me to be a great empress and to do my job properly.

I took a deep breath as a surge of bittersweet feelings swept over me.

I had been sitting in the greenhouse where I often had tea with my mother. A carpet had been laid by the bed of multicolored anemones. I sat with my arms around my knees as I stared at the love-lies-bleedings hanging around me. I had often cried silently here as a child when I felt suffocated in the house.

But that day, I wasn't alone. A young red-haired man had joined me.

Ah, it was the promised day. The day when he had come to take me to the Imperial Palace to marry him.

"You gave me these flowers that day as well," I had mumbled, my voice soft as I brought the bouquet of deep purple roses close to my nose, referring to the time when he came to my mother's funeral two years prior.

"You remember..." He gave a gentle smile before turning away. "I'd hoped to comfort you, so I picked them myself. Although it's a silly thing to do."

I lightly shook my head, covering my lips with the flowers. "I like them. Thank you."

Arsen had looked back at me with a little surprised look that soon dissipated into relief. "Then I'm glad I could have been of service to you, Calypso."

He gave a tiny bow, charmingly, and I noticed then how adorable his soft hair looked when he bobbed his head. I smiled at him.

It was my first smile in a while.

Memories after memories kept rushing into my mind. The first day I entered the palace, my marriage with Arsen, the day I was declared the empress...

"I crown you, the Empress of Graniel."

Then, the day when Arsen suddenly came to me with a fluttering smile as he told me that he had fallen in love.

"I met a very beautiful person. Even when I close my eyes, her image keeps filling my head. I think I'm in love..."

Arsen had met Phoebe. And maybe a small, infinitesimal apocalypse occurred; maybe stars had just aligned in some special way they do once in a decade. I just couldn't help but notice how absolutely ethereal they looked, like a supernova dancing around its axis. They made a very beautiful couple.

Light found light, it seemed, and I could see there was a magical intensity in the way his hands flexed when he touched her. It warmed my heart. It broke it, too.

He often told me a lot about her since that day. What happened to her, what she talked to him about, and how much his heart beat at the sight of her smile.

I had seen him for a long time, but it was the first time he was so happy. So, I clenched my heart and gave him my blessing.

But maybe I shouldn't have. Maybe I shouldn't have given him my blessing. Then maybe, maybe this whole tragedy wouldn't have happened.

Then again, what was the point of regretting now?

It was already too late...

"Bring me the sword." The executioner's voice finally brought me back to reality.

I took a deep breath as this would be my last breath on earth. I continued my prayer. "To God, I commend my soul. Lord, please receive my soul."

The moment the cold blade of the sword struck my neck, my heart was overflowing with unsaid emotion.

A single tear trickled down my face as I took my last breath.

***

Author's Note :
I'm back with another rewritten chapter. If you notice, I have added a few more details in this chapter. But well, we finally got to the execution part. I hope you like it, and please tell me what you think. I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

The new title and cover will come out soon, so please don't be alarmed if that happens.

Oh fyi, every flower in this chapter has meaning. You can look it up if you want. Last but not least, thank you for reading my story. 😊😊

The theme song for this chapter is Saviour by Lee Hi