Chapter 140
The more Elenia spoke with Grizelle, the more her head spun. Grizelle had not been like this before. Had greed blinded her so completely that she lost all sense of objectivity. Elenia barely held herself together as she asked,
“If that’s how you felt, you could have lived happily with the Second Prince. Why did you torment us?”
“Of course I wanted to. But Aren kept comparing me to Sillie about every little thing. Sillie wouldn’t have done this, Sillie would have done that. Ha. Since when did he love her so much.”
“How is that my sister’s fault?”
Elenia recoiled at Grizelle’s twisted logic. But Grizelle was still utterly confident.
“Then whose fault is it? If Aren gave his heart to Sillie, and it’s not Sillie’s fault, then whose is it?”
“To think you’re like this even at the very end…!”
“Ellie, that’s enough.”
Unable to watch any longer, Sylaria stepped between them. Grizelle’s eyes were fully unhinged now, and with nothing left to restrain her, she spewed whatever came to her mouth.
When Sylaria came into view, Grizelle glared at her and bared her teeth.
“You. It’s all your fault!”
“……”
Sylaria looked at her with empty eyes. She had been blamed so many times that she felt nothing now.
When Sylaria dismissed her and turned her head away, Grizelle raised her voice.
“How am I any different from you? Who are you that I should be compared to you in everything! Ugly, dowdy, stupid Sillie! Sillie, Sillie, Sillie!”
Grizelle screamed Sylaria’s nickname in a mocking chant. With her eyes wide and gleaming as she repeated ‘Sillie’, or perhaps rather ‘Silly’, she looked almost monstrous.
“Are you alright, Miss?”
Seeing Grizelle thrash, the executioner, who had been standing a step back, approached and asked. Sylaria nodded and looked at Grizelle.
“Yes. You always called me Sillie. Did you think I didn’t know you were mocking me, pretending it was a cute nickname?”
“Of course. You are stupid, Sillie.”
“You and Aren are the only ones who call me Sillie. Grizelle, people who value me never call me that.”
“Doesn’t matter. You’ll always be Sillie to me.”
“I don’t care. You’re nothing to me. Whatever a nothing calls me, I won’t pay it any mind. Tell me, Grizelle, do you care what kind of names a fly calls you? It’s the same thing.”
At Sylaria’s calm reply, Grizelle’s face turned beet red. She tried to lunge at Sylaria and shouted,
“Are you saying I’m a fly?”
“No. A fly is better than you.”
Sylaria let out a short laugh. Then she signaled to the executioner. He immediately pulled on Grizelle’s ropes.
Grizelle opened her mouth like a wild beast and clacked her teeth together. With bloodshot eyes, she glared at Sylaria and hurled curses.
“Die, die, Sillie!”
“Sister…”
Frightened by Grizelle’s venomous rage, Elenia pressed herself against Sylaria. Sylaria held her sister’s hand tightly.
“Let’s go back, Ellie.”
“Mm.”
Elenia shuddered and nodded. Whatever lingering affection she had from childhood had clearly vanished. As Sylaria turned away from the platform with Elenia, a tremendous roar rose behind them.
The crowd jeered at the newly displayed criminal.
“Boooo!”
“A witch!”
“Die!”
Following the uproar of people shouting, a crisp snapping sound broke through the air. Stones were being thrown at Grizelle, who was tied to the post with a gag in her mouth.
“Mmph, mmph, mmph!”
Grizelle struggled desperately to dodge the stones. But the more she struggled, the more stones people threw at her.
Just like children killing a writhing insect, cruel in their innocence.
The crowd did not stop until the resisting Grizelle completely broke, her head drooping.
Once, she had been a prince’s woman. Grizelle Willoughby.
Never satisfied with what she had, always yearning for what she could not hold, and praying endlessly for others’ misfortune. In the midst of countless people’s condemnation, she faded away in utter futility.
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