Chapter 138
‘But what if Aren goes and runs his mouth about this somewhere else.’
She did not know. The cleanest way to keep a secret was to kill the person, but Arendtert was too valuable to her to kill for that reason.
How much effort had she poured into him up to this day. Cressida had done everything she could to help her son become Crown Prince.
If she ended up killing him just because he could not keep his tongue in check, all of that effort would go to waste.
‘If he has even a bit of sense, he’ll keep his mouth shut.’
Her head began to ache as the sudden worry rose up in her. Cressida closed her eyes. If Arendtert slipped up and revealed the truth by mistake, there would be no helping it then. She would have to kill him.
‘Looking into adoption might be one way.’
Cressida naturally began planning the next step for after Arendtert’s death. Even if the child was not her true blood, she could bring in a bright one and set that child up as Crown Prince. The great flaw would be that they were not of her blood, but she would have to accept that. If she chose carefully from among the orphans with no kin, she might find one who was useful.
‘No, not an orphan. That is filthy.’
Cressida grimaced. Vulgar as Grizelle Willoughby was, at least she had been of noble birth. To bring in an orphan who was not even a noble as her adopted son. The very thought was disgusting and hard to stomach.
‘In the end, it really has to be Aren.’
Going in circles, she finally admitted that only her own flesh and blood, Arendtert, was the right answer. Cressida decided to place her last hopes on him.
At least today she had been able to cleanly remove Grizelle Willoughby from his side. So this time, she would bring in as his consort an Imperial Prince’s bride whose noble lineage matched his exalted blood. Then they could simply start over from the beginning.
Lost in her own delusions before she knew it, Cressida hummed a cheerful little tune. Any thoughts of Aria, whom she had cherished so much, had long since vanished from her mind.
* * *
“Sister…!”
Elenia went pale when she saw Sylaria come to her. Her expression turned grave when she saw the bandages wrapped around her sister’s neck.
“What happened there? Are you hurt?”
“It is a long story.”
Feeling awkward, Sylaria sat down beside Elenia’s bed. Her neck had not fully healed, yet she had come all the way here for a reason. There was something she absolutely had to tell Elenia today.
“Tell me everything. I have plenty of time.”
“Ellie, don’t panic, and listen carefully.”
Sylaria held her younger sister’s hand tightly. Looking at Elenia’s solemn face, she cautiously began.
“Grizelle is going to be put up in the square today.”
“…Grizelle, why?”
Elenia flinched at the mention of Grizelle’s name, then could not hide the worry in her eyes at what followed.
Sylaria let out a long breath, then began to speak. Carefully choosing her words, she told her what had happened at the Second Prince’s Palace. She was cautious, and cautious again, so that Elenia would be as little shocked as possible.
* * *
Elenia’s expression darkened after hearing Sylaria’s explanation. Even so, Sylaria did not regret telling her. Today was the last day Elenia would be able to properly see Grizelle.
Hanging a criminal in the square might look merciful at a glance, but in truth it was an extremely cruel punishment.
The criminal was tied to a post and subjected to the citizens’ curses and the stones they hurled. It was simple, but the pain continued without end.
The masses were good and pure, yet at times they were cruel. This punishment relied on that cruelty.
People continued to stone the criminal on the post until the person bled. So most criminals became a bloody lump from the very first day. If they were unlucky enough to be struck in the head by a large stone, they sometimes died on the spot.
So if Elenia wanted to say goodbye to Grizelle one last time, today was the only day.
“If you don’t want to see Grizelle, that’s alright too. You can do whatever you want.”
“……”
At Sylaria’s gentle words, Elenia lowered her gaze. She fidgeted with her hands in silence for a while. Watching her hesitant little sister, Sylaria spoke calmly.
“You don’t have to decide right this moment. Think it over as much as you need.”
“No, Sister.”
Elenia exhaled softly and raised her head. In a soft yet resolute voice, she said,
“I want to see Grizelle.”
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