Chapter 2

“Why would I want to harm Marianne? Please, please believe me…”

Lakias stared at me for a long while. Because we were born from the same mother, he and I even looked alike. My green eyes and his blue eyes met across the room.

We stared at each other for some time before he walked toward me.

Oh! I felt like crying. Yes, he believed in me. He knew that I wouldn’t harm Marianne.

He would defend me and save me from this situation. He would hug me and comfort me.

However…

Slap!

For a moment, I didn’t understand what had just happened. The pain came after the shock. My left cheek felt hot like it was on fire.

“Jealousy must have made you lose your mind.”

He glared at me with his blue eyes.

Lakias, my brother, had slapped me. I just opened and closed my mouth like a fish. He eyed me disdainfully, then turned to our father.

“Father, there’s no need to look into this matter anymore. She’s a shameless criminal who will never admit to what she has done...”

It was as if he was giving me a sentence.

“I believe the death penalty would be suitable.”

“……!!!”

My eyes went wide.

The death penalty? An execution? Are they... going to execute me?

With wavering eyes, I looked at everyone in the room. I was hoping I had imagined what I’d just heard.

But they just stared at me coldly.

Grasping at straws, I turned to Marianne. She would know. She would know that I didn’t try to kill her. Why would I be jealous of her? Why would I try to kill her?

When Marianne’s eyes met mine, she bit her lip. Then she laid her head on our father’s shoulder.

“Father, I’m scared. She frightens me...”

Naturally, the faces of my family members became even more grim. My father commanded angrily, “The execution will take place in four days. Until then, the prisoner will get nothing but sewer water!”

“N-no...”

I shook my head. W-were they sending me back to that cell again? I wanted to avoid that at all costs. I would rather bite my tongue and die right here.

Ah, yes. I’ll bite my tongue and die.

Then, there would be no more suffering for me. I immediately acted on it.

But when my brother Elsis saw me stick out my tongue, he grabbed my chin very tightly. He was a prosecutor with keen senses, so he must have predicted what I might do.

“You sneaky bitch. You shall receive the punishment you deserve.”

His cold blue-green eyes were filled with anger. He held my jaw so tightly, it hurt like it was about to break.

I couldn’t bear the pain, so I started to cry. He just laughed at me cruelly.

“Does it hurt?”

“Hic, hic...”

“You made Marianne suffer much more than this. How dare you...!”

Crying, I screamed inside.

It wasn’t my fault.

I didn’t do it.

Why doesn’t anyone believe me?

I looked at Marianne, desperately hoping she would save me. If she believed I was innocent, all this would go away.

But the next moment, I was shocked like I had been hit by a thunderbolt. Hiding behind our father, she looked at me and smiled strangely.

She seemed… excited.

As if my death made her very happy.

She had such a demonic expression on her face, my mind went blank. And just like that, I was thrown back into the dungeon where there was no light.

* * *

I was such a fool. If I were smart, I wouldn’t be locked up in this pitch-black dungeon. And I wouldn’t be falsely accused of poisoning my sister.

In a daze, I laid in my cell. Did Marianne set me up?

Recalling her strange smile, that thought occurred to me. That wasn’t the smile of a person getting revenge on the one who tried to poison her.

She seemed to enjoy seeing me fall apart before her eyes. Malice was written all over her face.

It was the first time I’d realized that Marianne was capable of making a face like that.

But why?

Marianne’s mother was a maid. On my eleventh birthday, she was brought to the imperial palace from the streets.

That was three years ago, when she was ten years old. It was her golden eyes that allowed Marianne to be recognized as a legitimate member of the royal family.

Gold was the color of nobility in the empire because Selena, the first goddess of Edenverre, had golden eyes.

Moreover, the golden eyes that occasionally appeared in the royal family were valuable because they could put one in line for the throne.

Even though Marianne couldn’t inherit the throne, it definitely proved that she had royal blood.

However, even if her royal blood was recognized and she entered the palace, it couldn’t have been easy for her to become a princess overnight and to go live in an unfamiliar place.

So I always tried to be as nice as possible to her. When she was having a hard time, I gave her advice, and when she needed help, I devoted myself to helping her.

I had never done anything that would’ve caused her to have a grudge against me. So why did she have evil intentions towards me?

Everything was so confusing.

Just then, I heard footsteps coming from far away.

I don’t think it’s time for food yet.

I half-opened my eyes. In the dark, my sense of time had become sharper. I knew there was still a long time left until food.

I finally heard a voice as beautiful as a lark talking to the jail guard.

“I’ll go alone from here.”

“But, Your Highness Princess Marianne, she’s dangerous.”

“I’ll be fine. You said she was locked up in solitary confinement anyway, right? I’m just going to talk to her.”

I felt my heart pounding faster. It was her. The guard’s heavy footsteps faded away, replaced by footsteps as light as someone dancing.

And then I heard the sound of a small slot at the top of the iron door opening. It was a slot that the guards used to watch the prisoners.

Likewise, I guessed that Marianne must be watching me through that opening.

“Alisa.” Her voice sounded cheerful.

“You...” I answered in a hoarse voice because I hadn’t had any water.

“Is it hard for you?”

Strangely, she seemed to enjoy seeing me like that.

“You’re having such a hard time, aren’t you?”

She sounded confident. I laid there without answering. She was silent for a while.

“Hehehe.”

And then she started to laugh like crazy.

“Hehehe, hahaha, ahahahaha!!!!”

There was even madness in her laugh.

“Ahahahaha, kekekeke, oh, my goodness, my goodness...! It’s the best, really...!”

My whole body trembled. “Marianne...?”

I was sure she had lost her mind. Otherwise, why would she laugh so cheerfully after seeing me in this state?

“Wh-what... have you done...?” Stuttering, I blurted out my question.

She laughed for a while longer. The more miserable I looked, the greater pleasure she appeared to take from it.

“Do you think you’ve been treated unfairly?” she said mischievously. “Do you want to get out of here?”

“Of... course.”

She giggled when she heard my faint answer. “That will never happen. As you know, our family loves me very much.”

“…”

Yes, they did.

She continued to speak cheerfully. “I wanted to see how miserable you looked before you died. I’m so glad I came.”

“You...”

“See you at your execution.” She slammed the small door of the slot shut. “Oh, and guess what? You’re going to be beheaded.”

With a high-pitched laugh, she walked away from the cell.

Feeling hopeless, I continued to just lay there.

Beheaded.

That word chilled me to the bone.

* * *

I realized too late that I had been biting my nails and they were bleeding.

What do I do? What can I do to clear my name?

I don’t want to die like this, I thought desperately.

But it was no use. I was often praised for being intelligent, but deprived of any food, I couldn’t think of a way out of this.

There’s nothing I can do.

For right now, everyone believed Marianne. No one believed me. Relying on the flimsy evidence and testimony, everyone completely dismissed what I said.

I felt sore as acid churned in my stomach. It was a terrible feeling.

Why, why?!

Frustrated tears flowed. I was on death’s door, and no one was helping me. Although I had a few friends, it seemed like my incarceration wasn’t announced to the outside world.

If that was the case, no one would be coming to my rescue. Hot tears dripped down my face. All kinds of mixed emotions like regret, resignation, distrust, and betrayal, hit me at once.

Four days wasn’t that long of a time. Especially when one was having sleepless nights and spending most of the day in a half-crazed state.

And finally, on the last day, the guards dragged me out of the cell for the last time. The only difference from the previous time was that I was emaciated from not even getting a piece of bread, and that I knew today was the last day of my life.

The spring sky was dazzling. I stared at it for a while.

The guards led me to a secret vacant lot in the imperial palace. My brothers, sisters, and father were sitting there, looking down at me. There were a few servants and maids behind them, but no nobles.

They weren’t making my execution into a spectacle, at least. That fact gave me some relief. I must have had some pride left, as the Fourth Princess.

But the next moment, I flinched.

There was a silver guillotine in the corner of the vacant lot.

The blue blade of the guillotine sparkled in the morning sunlight. I felt as though it was beckoning me.

I grimaced. It was then that a stone flew toward me. Although a small stone, it was thrown at me at full force and hit me square in the head.

I couldn’t lift my head very well, but I struggled and turned to look where it came from.

It was the Sixth Prince, Loris, huffing at me. “You... dirty bastard!” He was so angry, he had lost his royal dignity.

I pursed my lips. “Lo...ris...”

He frowned as soon as he heard my voice. He seemed repulsed. And it wasn’t just him.

My family spat at me, called me a witch, and pointed their fingers at me.

It only took that long for the Fourth Princess of Edenverre Empire to become a criminal who should be torn to death.

A guard led me to the beheading table. This was how I was going to die.

I was only 14 years old.