I Only Raised Men for Revenge - Chapter 4

Even as she was dragged away by the guards, Sesenia’s body remained unresponsive.

Whatever it was that Elzer wanted to hide so desperately, she had paralyzed Sesenia’s entire body, leaving her barely able to speak.

And so, she was placed on the execution platform.

“Sesenia Bestel. You, as the empress of this nation, not only abused Elzer, who carried the emperor’s seed, but even attempted to kill the imperial prince, the emperor’s own child. You have come to this place to receive your death sentence. Do you agree?”

“……”

“You do not answer? If you do not answer, I will take it as agreement.”

“…No.”

With great effort, her lips moved. As if reflecting a will to not die without saying a word. Her mouth was still numb, and it took immense effort to move it as she wished, but this alone was enough.

“You do not agree?”

The only resistance Sesenia could muster was that. She glared at her sister, Elzer, who was holding a child in her arms. Elzer’s eyes widened in surprise at Sesenia’s words, but she quickly shook her head. Her expression said that there was nothing Sesenia could do now.

The emperor stood protectively with his arm around her shoulders, and Ian stood a step behind, grinning with amusement.

“Yes. I do not agree.”

But the more Sesenia spoke, the more unsettling the reactions around her became.

“How can she be so shameless? She tried to kill the imperial prince. And her own sister.”

“Good heavens. A human, a human, she’s no different from a devil.”

Ignoring the voices of those who condemned her, she raised her voice.

“Is it not a sin for the emperor of a nation to have an affair with the empress’s sister? Was it wrong of me to send her north, without killing her, because she was my sister? I didn’t even know she was pregnant, nor that she had given birth. If I had known… if I had known…!”

What would have changed?

Sesenia, who had been about to say something, lost her strength.

“If you had known, what? Would anything have changed?”

At that moment, the emperor questioned Sesenia.

What was she supposed to say? Sesenia bit her lip tightly at the emperor’s words.

‘Indeed, what would change?’

But she didn’t want to be defeated without saying anything. At least, she wanted to plant a seed of doubt in their minds. Even if she died here, even if happiness came to them, she hoped that someday they would suspect and doubt each other.

In this situation where no one would listen even if she told the truth, she wanted to do at least that.

“I know that no one will listen even if I speak, but I still have to say it. Elzer even poisoned me yesterday to silence me, which shows how much she has to feel guilty about.”

“Is that all you have to say?”

She knew very well that it would not help in any way.

“Everything is a fabrication created by them.”

Nevertheless, she had to speak. She was the only one who could protect herself.

“Nonsense.”

Only then did Sesenia realize. Seeing the emperor’s unwavering demeanor, and the fact that he did not respond to any of her words except for the one about being poisoned, she understood everything.

“Nonsense. But now that I see it, it seems you knew as well.”

“Knew what?”

“That my sister had given birth. That I did nothing. If I had known, the words ‘would anything have changed’ prove that you, the emperor, knew everything as well.”

Watching his actions, Sesenia now felt it. She was the only one who knew nothing. Everyone else knew.

“I know you won’t listen to anything I say. But you know what? You, the emperor, and everyone else are strange. You all seem to want to cover everything up so quickly. Killing me like this without even a trial, even though I am the empress and even though Elzer, that woman who is supposed to be my sister, testified that she poisoned me, you’re just trying to brush it off, isn’t that too suspicious? As if you’re trying to kill me as quickly as possible?”

Sesenia shouted at those who were criticizing and condemning her.

“If that’s not the case, if there’s really nothing to it, then give me a trial. I have done nothing wrong.”

The atmosphere changed subtly. No matter how grave the crime, she was still the empress.

And the people began to waver like reeds in the wind. Everything had happened so quickly, it was unusually fast. No matter how certain the empress’s guilt was, ordering an execution without a trial was unprecedented.

Those who realized this belatedly whispered among themselves.

As if trying to quell the murmurs, the emperor hurriedly spoke.

“Ridiculous.”

“Isn’t the very fact that you’re trying to kill me here without a trial suspicious? The emperor and Elzer both have something to feel guilty about, so they’re each trying to silence me. Isn’t that right?”

The murmuring of the crowd grew louder and louder.

“Since those who make the decisions have already decided to kill me, there’s nothing I can do but I still hope that you know that they are killing me with lies.”

She had already given up on everything.

They were not killing her because they knew nothing. They were killing her to further their own agenda. Having realized that, there was nothing more she could change.

“And you’d better be careful. To be honest, there’s no telling if that child is really the emperor’s. Isn’t it suspicious that the imperial prince, who betrayed me and sided with my sister after all those years of friendship? Even if he is royalty, could he not be your child?”

Sesenia smirked and looked at him.

“What, what crazy talk…!”

“Don’t you dare insult my pure love!!”

As expected, Ian flew into a rage, his face flushed.

“Whether it’s pure love, or a child of royalty obtained by flirting with this man and that man who knows.”

“Is that all you have to say, Sesenia?”

Elzer, who was holding the child, looked at Sesenia with disdain. It was true that that was all she had. Words without any evidence. But Elzer did not see the emperor, who was standing behind her, his expression changing in an instant.

“Don’t you know that what you’re saying could be considered an insult to the imperial family? How foolishly ignorant can you be?”

“Is that all you can threaten me with, Elzer? Since I’m going to die anyway, what does it matter if I insult the imperial family? You’re the foolish one, Elzer.”

You’re doomed.

The child of her sister, her niece, whom she had glimpsed, was undoubtedly a child of the imperial family.

Golden hair. That was a trait that only the imperial family could possess. It was obvious that the child was the emperor’s. But doubt had taken root in the emperor’s mind.

‘At least you won’t be happy while you live, sister.’

Sesenia smirked and looked at them.

“If Prince Ian had no connection to Elzer, he wouldn’t have stepped forward as a witness so readily. Your Majesty? Well. That’s all for my testimony. I won’t be pathetic and say any more. And be careful. A sister who didn’t hesitate to poison her own sibling and Elzer, who is in a relationship with Prince Ian. There’s no way they’ll leave you, the emperor, alone.”

The emperor’s expression turned fierce. Seeing that expression, Sesenia shut her mouth tightly. As if she knew a lot but didn’t want to say more. The seed of doubt she had sown had already sprouted in the minds of the emperor and those who were present.

‘The emperor has been unable to have children.’

Not only with her, but even when the emperor spent the night with other women, he was unable to conceive. There were even rumors that the emperor was infertile. That was why he cherished the child Elzer had brought more than anyone else.

But those things only fueled the emperor’s suspicion.

Even Ian’s actions of stroking Elzer’s shoulder to reassure her, all of those things amplified their suspicion and amplified it again.

“Kill Sesenia, who is only spouting nonsense! She’s just saying things that don’t make sense!”

“Things that don’t make sense.”

Only then did Elzer realize that the emperor’s expression towards her had changed from before. Frighteningly. Coldly.

“Elzer. It seems you really wanted to silence your sister.”

“No, it’s just, just…!”

“Did you really use poison?”

“That’s, that’s just because I was afraid she would say nonsense. I was afraid Sesenia would confuse you with strange words!”

“So, you admit to using poison.”

The reason why Elzer poisoned Sesenia was not clear. Perhaps she poisoned her because she was afraid that Sesenia would say the things she had said to her in prison before her death.

Or perhaps she wanted to show that she could defeat Sesenia with her own power.

Whatever the reason, Elzer was truly foolish.

At that moment.

“Waaaaah!!”

The child in Elzer’s arms began to cry. Elzer had pinched the child’s arm in an attempt to escape this situation. Sesenia, who was facing them directly, watched the scene unfold in all its starkness.

“Your Majesty. Your Majesty’s child is starting to cry. What should we do? It seems cold. It must be because we’ve been in this scary place for too long.”

Even so, the emperor did not move. As if he really wanted to hear something more.

“Kill me.”

It was then.

Sesenia opened her mouth.

“What?”

“Just kill me. Aren’t you going to kill me anyway, no matter what? It’s not like you won’t kill me if I have a trial, and it’s not like you’ll take my side if I tell my story. So just kill me.”

Who could ask to be killed? But Sesenia was confident. Like someone who wanted their death to come quickly. As if she had something up her sleeve.

“Why? Can’t you kill me now that it comes down to it?”

“There’s no reason I can’t. Sesenia Bestel. I sentence you to death.”

That was the end.

“I, Sesenia Bestel desire death.”

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