“Convict Katharine Roberfon, ascend to the execution platform!”

The scorching midday sun poured down overhead.

As if mocking her situation, the sky was perfectly clear, welcoming a full spring.

Katharine took off her shoes and climbed the creaking wooden steps.

Standing atop the tall execution platform, she could see at a glance the vast crowd filling the square below.

“A witch-like woman who betrayed her sacred duty! She should be burned to death immediately!”

“How dare she attempt to assassinate Her Majesty the Queen. Such evil would make even the devil weep!”

Most of them were hurling stones and garbage at Katharine while shouting abuse.

Yet even in the midst of this, there were a few people who believed in Katharine.

“Miss Katharine would never do such a thing. This must be someone’s false accusation!”

“That’s right. The young lady was always on the side of the weak. Think of how she has devoted herself to the royal family until now!”

It seemed there were always people who could recognize sincerity, no matter where one went. How grateful.

“Bind the convict’s hands!”

Two soldiers roughly pulled Katharine.

With her hands and feet tied to the pile of firewood, perfect for burning brightly on a day like today, Katharine raised her head at the gaze she felt from below.

Rose, the mastermind behind this whole show, was hiding behind her husband’s back, holding her breath quietly.

Not knowing what fate awaited her, she must be hoping for the execution to end soon and peace to return.

Meanwhile, Charlen was looking up at Katharine with an extremely complex and subtle expression.

Katharine could accurately guess what he was thinking right now.

He must be immersed in self-pity.

Like the male protagonist in a tragedy who has no choice but to kill the woman he once loved with his own hands.

“Katharine Roberfon’s crime of attempting to assassinate the Queen is extremely grave.”

Amidst the silence of all, Charlen’s voice echoed through the square.

“I, Charlen Riche, King of the Kingdom of Kan, hereby classify her as a national traitor. I strip her of all her rights, and from now on will carry out the highest royal punishment of burning at the stake.”

Looking back, perhaps everything that had happened until now was fate.

If she hadn’t lost her child in that carriage accident back then, she would have remained an innocent and naive girl and married Charlen, and by now would be living unhappy days bound by the duties of being the Queen of Kan.

“Katharine Roberfon. Do you not wish to apologize to everyone here one last time?”

How conscienceless.

Katharine revealed a twisted smile.

It was hard to believe she had once promised to spend a hundred years with him.

“I don’t know what apology you’re asking for when I’ve done nothing wrong.”

“If you’d just drop that shallow pride and say you were wrong, that would be enough.”

“I’d rather suffer the burning pain for three days and die slowly than kneel before a man like you. I guarantee that would be a much more meaningful life.”

“How foolish a woman, to kick away the chances I’ve given you to live. You’ll regret not accepting my mercy, pounding the ground in hell.”

“I’m not sure about that. The expression ‘given chances to live’ seems incorrect. Your Majesty, haven’t you rather tried to kill me several times? Once when you abandoned me after my miscarriage and prepared to break off the engagement. Twice when you forcibly put me in the carriage and it crashed. And right now.”

I suppose I must be under divine protection, miraculously surviving each time like this.

Katharine said this with a smile so beautiful it was dazzling.

Angered by her insulting words, Charlen’s face turned red and blue before he pointed at Katharine and shouted.

“Throw that witch-like woman into the hell-fire immediately!”

Katharine calmly watched the people approaching with blackened, burning torches.

Strangely, she felt at peace despite being about to burn to death in front of everyone.

Rather, she felt like laughing.

“Don’t cling so pathetically.”

Just before the fire caught her toes, Katharine muttered meaningfully.

Charlen hastily raised one hand.

“Wait. What did you just say?”

“It’s what you said when you threw me away like an old shoe. Remember?”

“What?”

Wrinkles of irritation creased Charlen’s delicate face, which was as pretty as a blossoming young boy.

His expression said, ‘What nonsense are you talking about?’

Right. Of course he wouldn’t remember.

The one who inflicts the wound may forget quickly, but the wounded suffer until the day they die.

“How can I make you Queen now that you can’t even bear children? Don’t cling so pathetically.”

Rationally speaking, he didn’t do the wrong thing as the ruler of a country.

However, as a man who had sworn eternal love to a woman, he did something he should never have done.

“I swear on my heart, Katharine. Even if it means giving up the throne, I will love only you.”

If only he hadn’t said such things back then.

If only he hadn’t begged to spend sweet moments in secluded places at every opportunity.

If only he hadn’t chosen his discarded fiancée’s younger sister as the new queen out of all the women in the world, the situation might not have come to such a catastrophic end.

“But now you might cling pathetically to me. No, I’m certain you will.”

Katharine said with a smile so dizzying that everyone in the execution ground was stunned.

Once destined to be the perfect queen, but now an utterly wicked woman who tried to assassinate her sister who became queen, blinded by jealousy.

As she was about to die under the death sentence of the king who was once her fiancé, the people gathered in the square murmured that she must have finally gone mad.

Rose urgently wrapped her arms around Charlen.

“Your Majesty. Don’t listen to sister Katharine’s words. The more you do, the more pain it will cause your heart.”

Katharine couldn’t hide her bitter feelings.

Although she and Rose were already beyond being sisters, she had thought Rose would show at least a little sincerity in her final moment of death, but it seems that was a vain expectation.

“I know, Queen. Everything will be over soon, so close your eyes for a moment. You there, resume the execution of the wicked and vile traitor Katharine Roberfon!”

It was the moment Charlen shouted.

From somewhere, an arrow flew at terrifying speed and cut through the rope binding Katharine’s arms in one go.

Katharine, who descended lightly from the execution platform, smiled brightly as she looked somewhere.

It wasn’t so surprising, since he had promised he would definitely return.

Well, she had been believing and waiting all along.

“Wh-who shot the arrow!”

“Em-Emperor Farnese has appeared!”

Archers with bows appeared one after another on the rooftops.

A man with an exceptional build slowly walked out from among the complex crowd.

Even though he was hiding his appearance with a long cloak, his unique presence could not be concealed.

Everyone knew well who this person was.

The hegemon of the Western Continent.

The absolute monarch of the Renel Empire.

Farnese Escalo.

As Farnese revealed his identity, the others standing near him also took off their cloaks as if they had been waiting.

What had been hidden under their thick clothes was the twin lion emblem symbolizing the Emperor’s personal guard.

“Everyone, show your respect. She is the precious woman who will become the Empress of the great Renel Empire.”

As Farnese began to move, the crowd filling the square parted like the sea, stepping back.

The most surprised at this moment was Charlen.

Why had Farnese appeared in a place like this, and for what reason were the guards bowing their heads to Katharine?

Moreover, what did it mean that Katharine was becoming Empress?

“What nonsense is this! For a monarch of another country to set foot in this country without the permission of me, the king, do you not know the repercussions this will cause!”

“Nonsense? Who’s calling who nonsensical?”

Farnese sneered as if dumbfounded and jerked his chin towards somewhere.

A man walked out from among the people.

While everyone murmured asking who he was, Charlen seemed to know him well, as his face instantly turned bluish.

“You…!”

“It’s been a long time, Your Majesty. I, your humble servant, did not die that day and am still alive.”

The man turned to face the people who were still bewildered, not grasping the situation.

And he began to reveal everything.

“Ladies and gentlemen present here. Until recently, I belonged to the assassination unit under His Majesty Charlen. And I received secret orders to secretly assassinate His Majesty the Emperor standing next to me.”

Charlen glared at the man with his eyes rolled back white.

“You… You betrayed me and sided with Renel.”

“King Charlen Riche.”

Farnese quietly raised his head and spoke.

“I could forgive you once for targeting me, out of mercy. I’m not entirely blameless for entering neutral territory with armed knights. So choose.”

Farnese paused briefly, his gaze slowly falling on Katharine.

“Whether you will join our Renel Empire family by uniting the two countries even now. Or, whether you will peacefully end everything by releasing that child.”

Emperor Farnese.

I knew long ago that he was a madman who defied common sense, but I never thought he would actually charge through the city gates head-on.

Peace? Choice?

It sounded nice, but in the end it was nothing short of a threat.

In short, he was saying he would risk a bloody war if it meant he could take Katharine.

“Apart from anything else, she is a heinous criminal who tried to kill my queen and child!”

“A heinous criminal?”

Farnese’s gaze fell on Katharine.

A body so thin it was incomparable to when he last saw her.

Bony arms and legs that looked about to collapse, and faint traces of violence on her cheeks.

All of it was about to explode Farnese’s little remaining patience.

‘How dare they reduce that child to such a state.’

In fact, Farnese’s patience had long since passed its limit.

If it were up to him, he would cut Charlen Riche’s throat right here and now, and burn alive and grind up all the humans who threw stones at her, but even that wouldn’t be enough.

‘But that child would be frightened.’

Not frightening her.

That was more important to Farnese than anything else.

“I’m sorry, King Charlen Riche, but it seems the heinous criminal is someone else.”

“What did you say?”

“We will prove Miss Katharine’s innocence.”

A man walked out leisurely from the murmuring crowd.

It was quite a sight to see Rose’s face turn pale blue as she hid behind Charlen Riche, observing the situation.

“Count Aster, why are you…”

Aster smiled warmly at Rose, who had been his lord until just moments ago.

Then he spoke in a loud voice for all to hear.

“To get straight to the conclusion, this incident was a perfect self-made drama orchestrated by the Queen to frame Miss Katharine.”