A knight grabbed Ismael's shoulder and dragged him to the scaffold, kicking the back of his knee to make him kneel on the surface. The knight didn't hesitate to push him down until his neck was on the lunette.
As he secured the lunette, Ismael held his breath as he looked up. He had seen many executions in the past, and he had always wondered what sight those people see before the inevitable end. But unlike the dread he would usually see on those felons that used to be in his shoes, his lips curled up subtly.
The sight before him was beautiful and touching. The tears that were flooding the people's faces and their indistinct cries moved his heart. They weren't laughing at his demise, nor were they mocking him.
That alone… was good enough for him.
"Manuel…" Ismael whispered as his eyes softened, letting a tear roll down his cheek. "… why am I happy?"
Ismael was lost in the moment, despite knowing he was about to get executed. The reason was simple. For him, it felt rewarding to see that these people cared for him despite the slander that was being read aloud moments ago.
It only told him he was good. Regardless of his lacking in many things, he wouldn't die carrying the hatred of the people he was fighting for. Even if he believed he didn't deserve the tears they were shedding for him, he felt 'shamelessly' happy about it.
And that doesn't make him regret sticking to what he believed. Them. The people of the Maganti Empire. He believed in them, and his pride for fighting for them and for their land… even if he had to turn against his own blood, it was something he would never regret.
Ismael drew a breath and glanced up at the podium. There, Joaquin and Aries were looking at each other. He caught Joaquin's lips moving, trying to read what his brother was trying to say.
"I wished I never met you because if I didn't, we will never be miserable," Joaquin stressed while looking into Aries's eyes. "If only you didn't appear that day… I would've knocked those bandits unconscious and gone with my life."
Her lips were drawn into a thin line as she swallowed a mouthful of saliva. "I wished I stayed behind that night too…"
Aries and Joaquin simply stared at each other in silence after recalling how the two of them met. And while they were immersed in regretting how they met in this lifetime, a distinct cry erupted on the execution platform.
Joaquin furrowed his brows, while Aries's expression didn't change a bit.
"What the hell do you think you are doing…?" he asked under his breath, tightening his grip around her hand.
"Just as exactly as what you had expected, Your Majesty," she replied, blinking ever so tenderly. "People who were fighting for what is right and for the people... they will never go down — at least, not easily."
Joaquin ground his teeth and released her hand, springing up from his chair to the railing to see the current situation. His eyes first landed on the execution platform, catching the executioner dead on the ground with an arrow in his chest.
His eyes veered towards the crowd and people were already fighting the soldiers on-site, while some were evacuating. Joaquin's eyes darkened, seeing that this wasn't the common problem usually seen in executions.
It was a rebellion.
Joaquin ground his teeth, seeing that Ismael was now free from the lunette. A knight wearing a royal knight helped the third prince, and now it was just a rumble. Knights versus the rebels, and knights versus knights, who were trying to free the rest who were still tied up waiting for their turn at the guillotine.
"Aries!" Joaquin roared as he looked back, but she didn't budge from her seat.
"Why do you look surprised, Your Majesty?" her tone was calm and her expression was cold, looking at him straight in the eyes. She caressed the armrest and pushed herself leisurely, keeping her chin up.
"Don't tell me you didn't expect this, Your Majesty?" she inquired, tilting her head to the side. "Isn't this a common problem? Since Roman disappeared from his cell, he would surely do something to stop this madness."
"If a war is what His Majesty wants, then His Highness, the seventh prince, will happily give that." She smiled amicably. "And Her Majesty will happily assist."
Joaquin balled his hand into a fist, taking a step, and grabbed her by the scruff of her neck. "If you know I had already foreseen this uprising, why deliver them all to death?"
"Because… why not?" she smirked, unfazed by the slight tug when he grabbed a portion of the back of her hair. "No one knew the future, Your Majesty. You may prepare as much as you want, but that only gives you a slight chance to stand victorious in the end."
Her eyelids drooped, but unable to conceal the amusement and contempt pooling in her eyes. "Have fun, Your Majesty. I hope you protect your throne from those who wanted to take it."
"Haha…" Joaquin seethed, gripping her hair tightly until a few were plucked out of her scalp. "I'll make sure to deliver their heads to you on a silver platter."
He released her hair and flung his arm back, hitting his cape, which made it flutter. He glanced at the knight guarding the podium.
"Take her back and make sure to lock her securely." Joaquin set his eyes back to her and smirked. "If the rebel won, you'd get burned inside the inner palace. But if I return there, you better prepare yourself, for I had many means to set you straight, Aries."
Aries smirked and kept her eyes on him while the knight approached her. But just as the knight crossed her invisible territory, Aries swiftly snatched the sword hanging to his hips and struck his throat without a second break.
Blood splashed on her white bridal dress. She held her skirt and wiped the blood on the blade with it while the knight's body landed with a thud.
"Aries…" Joaquin's eyes darkened, seeing her movements were just as agile and precise as before. If she retaliated now, she would surely keep him busy for a moment. After all, this woman… with her sword, was no ordinary woman or princess.
Aries was a beast with a weapon in her hand.
"Haha." Aries chuckled as she cocked her head and looked at him unenthusiastically. "Don't worry, my dearest emperor. I simply didn't want to be forced again. I will return to the inner palace myself."
She looked at herself on the polished blades of the blade, mirroring her beautiful countenance despite the slightly disheveled hair.
"After all… I have a wedding to attend."
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