“There was only one person who wanted to kill the child in my womb. There was only one person who wanted to kill the emperor who loved me!”
The woman, unable to contain her anger, trembled all over. The heat was boiling, as if flames would burst out from somewhere inside her body at any moment.
“Everyone in this world knows who that one person is. I know, you know, everyone does!”
Keck, keuhhk, perhaps the tension throughout her body had been too much, she collapsed while coughing up blood. Her whole body shook as if in convulsions.
When Killian gave a signal to Windler with his eyes, Windler took out a small medicine bottle from his pocket.
“Holy water from the Grand Temple. It’s a good painkiller and also a remedy.”
Madam Brien knew that holy water was an excellent remedy above all else. But even as she writhed in agony, she couldn’t readily reach out her hand.
“It’s up to your choice… If you’re suspicious, you don’t have to drink it.”
“……”
Windler counted inwardly. He intended to withdraw his hand if she didn’t take it within 10 seconds.
Madam Brien’s hesitation was brief. Even if the bottle contained poison, it wouldn’t be bad.
She was destined to be executed on the guillotine anyway.
Dying here alone in secret would be a hundred times better than having her head cut off in front of everyone.
She reached out and took the bottle. Then she downed the medicine in one gulp without even breathing.
Fortunately or unfortunately, Madam Brien did not die. She could clearly feel the pain subsiding.
However, her face twisted miserably, unsure whether to be happy or sad about this fact.
[This is the timeline separator]As soon as they left the underground prison, Windler spoke in a voice full of concern.
“Your Excellency, what do you intend to do? She’s a woman who has already confessed to all crimes in court. She crossed the line.”
“……”
“It’s irreversible now. She can’t be saved.”
After listening carefully to the increasingly agitated voice, Killian finally opened his mouth.
“We must find a way. Isn’t she an unjustly wronged victim?”
“But……”
“Death penalty as punishment for a crime she didn’t commit, it’s too harsh a measure.”
Killian was right. But Windler couldn’t bring himself to nod.
What he had said was also correct.
The water has already been spilled. Madam Brien was firmly branded as the murderer who killed the emperor, and the date of her execution was already set.
Naturally, nothing could be reversed. Everyone in the world wanted her dead.
But it was incomprehensible why Killian refused to accept this fact.
“I need to meet with His Majesty the Emperor.”
Killian’s footsteps quickened. Windler followed closely behind him and asked.
“Will His Majesty really listen?”
Though no one said it out loud, if Madam Brien wasn’t the real culprit, it was widely assumed that the perpetrator would be someone backed by the Empress Dowager and the current Emperor.
So there was no way the current Emperor would let Madam Brien live.
Killian must have known this too. Yet he seemed to have no intention of backing down. His tightly pressed lips clearly showed his intense determination.
“We must at least try.”
Although Madam Brien had confessed to the crime, there wasn’t enough justification.
The evidence was the same. It was somewhat forced to paint her as an arsonist and murderer.
The Emperor had just ascended to the throne. An ordinary emperor would have been mindful of public opinion and not forcefully pushed through something irrational and unreasonable in the early days of his reign.
He would have listened to his own conscience, at least a little.
Killian wanted to believe that.
“We have to hope that we can reason with him.”
Windler felt frustrated but didn’t say anything more. It was clear that no matter what else he said, it wouldn’t properly reach Killian’s ears.
[This is the timeline separator]The Emperor’s audience chamber.
Standing before Jonathan, Killian bowed his head respectfully.
“I have come to see Your Majesty the Emperor.”
“Welcome, Prime Minister.”
Jonathan’s voice was bright and jovial, but his eyes were not. Killian thought there was something sharp in his gaze.
Killian spoke in a polite tone and manner about the possibility that Madam Brien had been falsely accused.
“She’s a woman who suffered severe burns and even miscarried her child. There’s a doctor’s diagnosis stating she has severe anxiety and is not of sound mind.”
“……”
“We cannot take at face value the words she spoke in court confessing to the crime.”
Jonathan’s brow furrowed more and more as he listened to Killian’s explanation. But unaware of this, Killian’s explanation continued.
“There are also testimonies that on the night of the incident, the late Emperor and Madam Brien went to bed early together after taking a half-bath. They say they drank tea to help with sleep. Here are those statements.”
“Hmm……”
A rough breath escaped Jonathan’s lips.
“The oil and lamp found at the ignition point were identified as arson tools. But that wasn’t all.”
“Not just that? What else was discovered?”
Jonathan reacted most strongly yet as he asked back. Killian nodded and answered the Emperor’s question.
“Yes, Your Majesty. Traces of a magic circle were found. The oil and lamp were a decoy, and the fire that led to the late Emperor’s death was actually caused by the magic circle.”
“Wh-why… Why was this only discovered now? Isn’t it too late?”
Jonathan asked, frowning his entire face.
“There were some inadequacies in the initial investigation. I apologize, Your Majesty.”
“Ahem……”
Only very faint traces of the magic circle remained partially. So it was not easy to discover and was only found after repeated investigations.
It seemed the other party was also meticulous and had taken precautions to avoid leaving traces of the magic circle.
Jonathan expressed displeasure. A sigh mixed with painful groans burst out.
It was understandable. To present additional evidence for a case where the sentence had already been passed! And it wasn’t just any case, but the assassination of an emperor.
“We cannot rashly overturn the sentence at this point. You know that well, don’t you? It’s impossible.”
“Yes. I understand that too. However, please at least spare her from the death penalty, Your Majesty. How about sentencing her to life imprisonment? If Madam Brien is executed, future investigations to catch the real culprit will inevitably fizzle out.”
“……”
“We need her alive to make it easier to catch the real culprit. Shouldn’t we catch the cruel and vicious real culprit who assassinated the late Emperor, Your Majesty?”
Killian spoke emphatically, stressing each syllable. It was a statement filled with such strong will and energy that even the Emperor could not interrupt or contradict him mid-sentence.
Jonathan’s eyebrows twitched unpleasantly.
He was annoyed at Killian for not cowering before the Emperor, and he felt pathetic for being intimidated by Killian, who was merely one of his subjects.
Though irritation and anger welled up, Jonathan hid his expression without showing it.
“I will consider it carefully. Leave those documents here. I’ll review them thoroughly.”
“I am grateful for Your Majesty’s boundless grace.”
After paying his respects, Killian left the audience chamber.
As soon as the massive, ornate golden doors closed, Jonathan tore up the documents he had received from Killian.
After irritably scattering the shredded documents on the floor, Jonathan trembled. His face flushed red and blue.
“Who does he think he is to dare tell me what to do? I am the Emperor! He doesn’t know his place! Arrogant bastard…! I should kill him right away!”
Curses flowed freely from Jonathan’s mouth. Still not satisfied, he even slammed his fist on the table.
Then he remembered what the Empress Dowager had said.
‘Don’t share your inherent rights with others. Don’t be weak and don’t yield. Don’t leave things be.’
The Empress Dowager was right. If you show weakness and yield, there are many who try to climb over the Emperor’s head without knowing their place.
Especially individuals like Killian Drea.
“I can’t leave him be like this! I have no choice but to bring down that haughty bastard by any means necessary!”
[This is the timeline separator]Inside the carriage leaving the palace. Killian and Windler, sitting face to face, were in the midst of a heated conversation.
“The Emperor said he would consider it carefully. I’ve done all I can, now all that’s left is to wait.”
Killian seemed somewhat hopeful, noting that the Emperor neither raised his voice nor interrupted him.
But Windler’s thoughts remained unchanged. The Emperor would absolutely not overturn the death sentence.
He shook his head inwardly but instead of showing it, he changed the subject.
“Please don’t overexert yourself, Your Excellency. Shouldn’t you leave some energy to manage your personal life?”
“Personal life…? What do you mean by that?”
“What do I mean? When it comes to Your Excellency’s recent personal life, isn’t there only one thing?”
Killian wore an expression of complete bewilderment at what Windler was talking about. He asked with a deep frown between his brows, as if demanding an explanation.
“What is it? Don’t beat around the bush, just say it.”
“Oh come on… Are you pretending not to know?”
Windler chuckled, but seeing Killian’s face gradually turning grim, he quickly spoke up.
“I mean Jediel and his mother.”
“Jediel and his mother?”
He had only briefly crossed paths with Jediel’s mother when he first met the child. So why was Jediel’s mother being mentioned here? Killian’s face scrunched up even more.
Windler’s face also contorted.
‘Oh, is this not it…? What’s with this reaction. Something seems off?’
As the situation became uncontrollably strange, sweat began to form on Windler’s palms. He calmed his trembling heart and began to explain step by step.
“Didn’t you start the nationalization project for orphanages after becoming interested in the child named Jediel, Your Excellency?”
“That’s right.”
“And didn’t you start the magic tool utilization project after becoming interested in Jediel’s mother, Your Excellency?”
“That too was out of interest in Jediel, not his mother. I did want to meet his mother, but I haven’t met her yet.”
After Being Cheated On, She Picked Up a Treasure (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: The husband I married on a whim had been secretly in love with me for a long time.
On the day when Jun Shao finally obtained the imperial decree for her marriage, Lan Qu, the person she had admired for six years, defied the decree and ran away.
Her gentleness and devotion, her promise of a lifetime together, were all disregarded by him. Instead, he dreamed of entering the palace to serve the Emperor’s sister as a sixth-rank attendant.
News of this incident spread throughout the capital, and the alleys in front of and behind the Lan mansion were crowded with people who came to watch the commotion.
Jun Shao should have been embarrassed and angry.
But someone stepped in to protect her dignity.
The figure was in a miserable state, yet still possessed an undeniable elegance and handsomeness.
The young lord struggled to climb the wall of the Lan mansion and shouted to her, “If he won’t marry you, I will!”
So, Jun Shao took advantage of the situation and married the person.
She thought the young lord did it to save the Lan family from the crime of defying the imperial decree, but never imagined that from beginning to end, what he coveted was her.
*
After the wedding, Jun Shao felt like she was living in a dream.
Her Wife-master was as beautiful as a fairy in a painting, skilled in the six arts, well-versed in poetry and literature, capable of being gentle and attentive, and also grand and dignified. Most importantly, she was the only one in his heart and eyes.
Jun Shao didn’t know how Lan Shiwu, as a illegitimate son without a father and blessed with beauty, had managed to preserve his purity, recklessly escape, and use his last ounce of strength to ruin his own reputation, all because of his love for her, just to stand before her.
She could only see him gazing at her with eyes full of love, and when she bestowed a name upon him, his eyes shone like stars.
“You have come to me like a weary bird perching on a branch. I shall call you A Qi.”
