I was impatient so here is the new novel I’m working on! I hope you all enjoy ❤
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1. Clown
It was the end of winter.
“What are your last words?”
“Laius Tantal! I will curse you even after death!”
This is obvious, but those who die cannot speak. The condemned could not keep their word on cursing Laius even after death once their neck had been snapped.
The executions continued.
The violent and dull time continued to pass. Aurest, who had been sipping his wine, asked kindly.
“Erin, you seem tired. Why don’t you go in and rest?”
“My brother sure is kind…”
I shook my head lightly.
“But I’m fine. I want to see the deaths of these reckless rebels with my own eyes.”
“If that’s what you wish for.”
Aurest signaled to a servant with his hands.
The servant, recognizing the meaning behind his hand movements, sent a signal to the musicians on standby in the corner of the balcony.
The music began playing.
As soon as the flute’s melody began, someone beyond the balcony let out a scream.
One of the condemned must’ve caused a ruckus. The lute player, who should’ve come in next, hesitated.
“I’m very curious as to who hired that musician.”
Aurest’s voice was full of obvious annoyance.
The lute player’s face paled as he realized how this would end.
The hands of the lute player who missed a beat in front of the princess will be cut off before the day ends.
A chill went through my heart.
I struggled to smile as I leaned my body against Aurest’s shoulder.
“He just made a mistake once. They say it is a virtue to forgive up to three mistakes, so please forgive him once.”
“Who did my sister take after to be so kind?”
Aurest wrapped his hand around my shoulder and pulled me into his arms.
There was a thick scent coming from his chest, along with the smell of blood that could never be erased.
“But, Erin.”
Aurest pointed below the balcony. Below the balcony, the executions were taking place. They were people who planned the rebellion.
“They only made a mistake once as well. Do we need to give them a second chance too?”
I shook my head.
“No way. It would be a luxury to give a second chance to rebels.”
“That’s right. So do we need to give that musician a second chance?”
So the weight of crime of a rebellion and making a mistake while playing an instrument is the same to you, Your Highness?
…Is what I wish I could say sarcastically, just as an imperial court clown would.
But I was a princess, not a clown, and a princess had to act obediently.
“…I’m not sure.”
“Second chances are not given, because everything is decided on the first.”
I lowered my gaze and pushed my face into Aurest’s chest.
Then Aurest clicked his tongue and patted my shoulders.
“You’re too sympathetic. If you feel that bad about it…”
Cutting his hands off is too much, so just giving him a beating should be fine.
“…An execution is a little too much, so let’s just end it at cutting his hands off.”
My older male family member sure ceases to surprise me as time passes. I want to stop getting surprised.
“You two, stop chatting and come over here.”
Our father called us, and the musician was able to narrowly escape the situation. The highlight of the execution had come.
Aurest got up from his seat and marched towards the edge of the balcony.
I also stood next to him.
There were four people getting dragged off the wagon.
They were all members of the Lowenthal Ducal house.
The woman in the front was Duchess Batolia Lowenthal.
Where did that strong woman go, and why is there only a gaunt looking condemned in her place? That woman looked more like a corpse.
My eyes met hers.
Her black eyes were burning up like a falling comet.
It was more radiant because it was facing its end, and it was much hotter because it was burning with life energy as its fuel.
I expressed an extremely short show of respect towards Batolia. This was all I could do.
Batolia’s gaze passed me and went to Aurest, and finally to father.
It didn’t take long for Batolia’s gaze to become full of sharp hatred.
If her gaze was a blade, my father would’ve become sliced meat by now.
If it was a spear, he would’ve died from having millions of spears piercing through his body.
If it was wind, his body would’ve been ripped apart into pieces by it.
My father, who had been ripped and slashed countless times in my imagination, was still standing with the emperor’s crown on his head.
“Batolia Lowenthal, beg.”
The most powerful man on earth finally opened his mouth.
“Get on your knees and beg. Tell me you started a rebellion because you were blinded by greed for power. Tell me you regret everything you’ve done.”
There was not even a sign of emotion in the emperor’s low voice.
“Who knows, perhaps I will be merciful if you do so.”
But you could see the veins and joints on the emperor’s hands, which were gripping onto the railing.
“If you have ears, listen to me. If a second chance is given to me, I will burn everything for the sake of your downfall.”
Batolia was smiling.
“If a third chance is given to me, I will make a deal with the devil for your downfall, and if a fourth chance is given to me, I will throw away all the morals in the world for your downfall.”
All these words dropped down sharply like lightning bolts.
“Even if I fail at all those attempts, I will never regret it.”
The Lowenthal dukedom had carried out the rebellion under the Duchess’ lead.
The reason behind it was that they could not just leave the current emperor, Liaus’ tyranny and the crown prince, Aurest’s violence be anymore.
Many people were sure that the rebellion would succeed.
The people had turned their backs on the emperor long ago, and a huge amount of nobles stood on the Dukedom’s side.
And although there were very few who knew about it, there was a direct member of the royal family who had been on the Lowenthal Dukedom’s side as well.
But the rebellion had failed.
The people shut their mouths in front of the blade, and the nobles surrendered, and the Lowenthal Dukedom was to be brought to an end today.
I turned my gaze towards the people standing behind Batolia.
Duke Lowenthal had died in battle, so the only ones standing in front of the guillotine were Batolia and the children of the Lowenthal Ducal house.
The blonde man shaking his left leg was the heir, and the black haired lady who had her head held up high was the second child.
And the man who looked the cleanest out of them all.
He was Batolia’s youngest son, the most brilliant general of Lowenthal, Tantal’s blue knight, and the most noble sword of Aurest’s eleven swords, Tristan Lowenthal.
While the rebellion of Lowenthal took place, Tristan Lowenthal had been fighting on the western battlefields to protect the borders of Tantal.
He was not a rebel.
He had simply been dragged out because his family had committed a grave sin.
Aurest grabbed onto the railing and leaned his upper body forward, as if he wanted to see Tristan’s death as closely as possible.
I wanted to push him off. But even if he fell from the second floor, he’d only create a foolish scene rather than dying.
And my neck would be snapped by the raging Aurest.
That was how it was for a princess who only had shallow favor that could be lost at any moment.
I didn’t want to meet an end like that.
This was why I had cooperated with the Lowenthal Dukedom.
If things had gone according to plans, the ones in those spots would be my father and brother, and the ones over here would’ve been the members of the Lowenthal Ducal family.
And right now, I should’ve been laughing brightly on my horse as I rode towards the southerneast beaches.
But the rebellion had failed.
The Lowenthal family will all die today.
We had failed.
I will have to suck up to my father and brother for the rest of my life so I wouldn’t meet a miserable ending like that.
We had failed.
Did we fail?
No, it’s the Lowenthal family that failed.
I did not fail.
A second chance will not be given to the Lowenthal family, who will die today.
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But a second chance will be given to Erin Tantal, who will be alive tomorrow.
Think.
Think of a way to kill Laius Tantal and Aurest Tantal.
Think of a way to not meet such a miserable ending.