She didn't have to wait another year after all.

Seraphina was dragged to the execution site within the royal estate just a few months after. As she had promised, she didn't fight. She knew that she had no dignity left at this point, but she didn't want to make it any worse. So, she tried to walk as gracefully as she could while being put up on that wooden platform.

Looking around, she could at least be calmed in one regard. Almost all nobles had come to reveal their support for the new emperor, probably in fear of becoming his next enemies. Cedar wouldn't have any issues controlling the politics in Artias, it seemed. That was important to keep this nation from collapsing.

But one thing worried Seraphina. No member of her family was present. There was no way that her parents wouldn't come to beg for her life, so she had to assume that something had happened and kept them from doing this. She prayed that they had decided to stay away to keep their other children safe, but she was convinced that this wasn't the reason. By the gods. Hopefully, nothing had happened to them.

As if this would give her any response, she glanced at Cedar.

The emperor sat on his throne on another platform that was a bit higher and allowed him to watch the execution without any trouble. Both his wife and his mother sat on thrones next to him, but they wouldn't get involved here. Cedar was the one managing everything. After a year of patience, he seemed to have lost the desire to draw it out. “Go ahead with the execution.”

He didn't even state her name or crimes. He saw her as too undeserving of that.

Seraphina didn't protest even as guards grabbed her shoulders and dragged her to the wooden block she would have to put her head on. She would lie if she claimed not to have been dizzy with fear and nausea. But she didn't dare show that. She tried to keep her head up high for as long as it would stay on her head, even when she clearly offered a pitiful display. Her gaze stayed on the man that could end all of this with a single motion.

What she saw admittedly calmed her. As expected, the emperor and the dowager empress couldn't care less. Cedar had a soft smile on his lips, and Camille just coldly glared at the woman she viewed as her son's enemy.

There was another person with them though. The former Lady Lucille Valerian had married Cedar recently and was empress now. She didn't have the cold blood of the royal family. Like most people would be in this situation, she was nervous and seemed to be rather unwell, not being willing to look at Seraphina and mostly shifting around on her seat. And the emperor? He actually leaned over to check on her. It wasn't much, but Seraphina could see Cedar whisper to her.

Despite his cruelty, Cedar was capable of caring for people.

That was a good sign. He might become a good emperor then. But it was also a problem. Seraphina knew little about Camille Estien, but she was well aware of how jealous that woman could get.

A single glance at Camille revealed that even this was enough. She already glared at Lucille as if that poor woman had done something horrible. She showed her far more hatred than she had ever felt for Seraphina. She even spoke up to interrupt and trapped Cedar in a conversation after. Even from afar, that revealed what might become a huge issue.

Would history repeat itself?

The dowager empress already saw Lucille as a threat, as someone she wished to be rid of. The last empress had thought the same. Seraphina had acted for another reason, but that might not change the result. Camille was very capable of killing someone if she just found them slightly annoying. At the moment, Lucille might not be that much of an issue, but as time passed, Camille might change her mind. Then she could either assassinate the other woman or simply frame her for betraying the emperor. Was Cedar even thinking so far? He seemed to be quite self-aware in most situations. Did he know how dangerous his mother was too? If so, he could protect Lucille a bit. If not, that woman was all on her own. She wouldn't survive that.

Seraphina wasn't in a position to help anyone, but she couldn't stay quiet either. She spoke up in a hurry as the executioner already pressed her head down on the wooden block. Her voice was weak, but she fought to be loud enough to let the emperor hear. “May I voice a single wish? Every criminal receives one.” The executioner let go of her and freed her field of view.

She made direct eye contact with Cedar, who grinned at her like he was currently celebrating his birthday. His response fit him as well. “You are free to do so. Then I will ensure that it may never come true.”

Seraphina knew that she was being mocked, but she had no time to worry about that. “Thank you for listening, Your Majesty.” She hurriedly lifted his head and tried to be as serious as possible while forcing out her words. “I wanted to ask you to keep the royal family safe. It might not be my responsibility, but I can already see the next tragedy arising. Please protect those close to you.” She glanced at Lucille Valerian, who flinched just because of that.

And maybe she didn't notice it, but when Lucille got scared, she moved closer to Cedar. She felt protected by him. It wasn't much, but that small gesture reminded Seraphina of Theodore and Blanche so much that she couldn't breathe properly.

Cedar, on the other hand, barely cared for her words. Again, he managed to punish her for speaking up. “It is an honor to hear that you care about my family so much. Then I should return the favor, shouldn't I?” Seraphina tensed in fear, but he already waved his hand.

In response, the royal guards brought forward another person, who barely fought against them. They put down the young man, who looked like he had aged decades during the past month. He didn't look up and just stared at the floor below him.

Seraphina had been scared before, and now it felt like her heart dropped to her stomach. “Allen?”

Upon hearing her voice, Allen lifted his head. Fear overcame him too as his mouth fell open. “Seraphina...” He stared at her for a moment before his face scrunched up. “Seraphina!” He seemed like he wished to rush to her, but the guards kept him in place. He began struggling.

Everyone knew that he had no chance here though.

Seraphina could only stare at her brother. When she snapped out of it, she wished to speak to him, to tell him that she loved him and wanted the best for him. But she knew that she had no time for that. Her remaining words were limited, so she had to use them well. She whirled around and lifted her head to stare right back at the emperor. “Your Majesty, please spare my brother! He never committed a crime!” It was a foolish attempt.

Cedar had already expected it. And in response to her terror, he just smiled, not even replying to her immediately. He wanted her to beg for her brother's life, much like Blanche had begged to be saved and had remained unheard. He wanted to put Seraphina through the same thing, and he would get just that. No one here could fight against him.

Seraphina knew that she had no chance, but how could she give up on her brother? She begged anyway. “Please listen to me, Your Majesty! I am the one that committed treason! I framed Lady Blanche, and I gathered the false evidence. Kill me however you like, but spare Allen!”

This time, Cedar did respond, but of course, he didn't suddenly show her how understanding he could be. Instead, he laughed at her words, his reply as cruel as expected. “But didn't your brother help you commit those crimes? Not only did he lie in front of a court and brought false evidence, he knew what you were doing and never intervened. He is as guilty as you are. Shouldn't he lose his tongue for his lies?”

That wasn't true. Allen had followed his sister, but he had only done that because he had believed in her fully. He had never even questioned whether judgment could be wrong. The one coming up with all the awful plans and preparing the worst parts had been Seraphina. She couldn't bear to see her brother being punished for that.

Seraphina hurriedly raised her voice. “No, that's wrong! I am the one that came up with this scheme! My brother just fell into it carelessly, not knowing what it really meant. He had no idea-” That was a lie, but it didn't matter.

Cedar wouldn't listen to her anyway, and he shut her down quickly too. “Your brother is an adult man. He made this choice himself. How can you take the blame for him when he knew what the goal was and still joined hands with you?”

Of course, it was true that Allen had made that choice. But Seraphina didn't want him to suffer for this. She was lost anyway, so she could take on the role of the villain. It was a foolish last attempt, but she put in her all. “I manipulated him! I made Allen do all he did, I forced him. It was my fault alone. That-” She didn't even get to finish.

“No, it wasn't. Don't lie to protect me!” The one interrupting her wasn't the emperor but Allen, who looked more than miserable as he met her gaze. He yelled immediately after and turned to the emperor. “I...knew what my sister's goal was. In fact, I enabled her. I was the one that first voiced the suggestion. I convinced her and-” Now he was lying and tried to take the blame.

Seraphina could never let that happen. “No!” She silenced Allen with that and desperately tried to appeal to Cedar again. “Please, I beg you! Allen is innocent. The guilty one is me. Punish me over and over, but-” Her desperate words were ignored once more.

Cedar acted like the siblings' desperate fight for one another's life was boring. He barely seemed to pay attention and just smiled at Seraphina. “Remember what I promised you. You will see your family again soon. No matter what you say, it won't matter. So, save your breath.” He didn't even wish to give her a chance to use her mouth though. He already waved to the executioner.

The man grabbed Seraphina and slammed her head back onto the wooden block. She barely noticed what was going on. It happened far too quickly as she heard her brother yell and fight. She knew that she had no chance to escape anymore. So, she pressed out the last words she had wished to share. “Allen, I love you! You and our whole family. I'm sorry! Please-”

The executioner lifted his axe up high before letting it fall down. That was just before she finished what she had wanted to say. And suddenly, a mere instant remained as she could only desperately wish for something she would never receive.

A chance to go back in time.

If Seraphina could make different decisions and avoid this ending, she would do whatever she could to ensure that she and her whole family stayed safe. That her false judgment wouldn't be the cause of misery for far too many people. But praying for that now didn't change anything.

The axe that hit her neck didn't seem to be sharpened. It was quite dull instead.

Seraphina felt the pain of the first and the second impact vividly. Only the third one finally stopped everything. The last thing she ever heard was her brother's pained scream as he saw her die in front of him, and then the world seemed to end.

As the empress, it was expected of Lucille to watch over executions with her husband. She had known that she wouldn't take this well, but she had forced herself to stay anyway. Now that the former empress' head was taken off her neck, Lucille felt like she had overestimated herself. She could barely keep herself from gagging as she lowered her head and hid her mouth behind her hands.

Mere seconds passed before she heard a familiar soft voice next to her as a hand was pushed in front of her face. “Keep your eyes closed. We will leave now.” Cedar barely seemed to be affected by this sight. In fact, he acted like this had been a normal day to him. That was probably not true, but he managed to hide his emotions easily.

Lucille wished that she could do that too. Now Cedar needed to help her again, even though she should be able to keep her head up high as the empress. It embarrassed her to no end, but she was also grateful. Lucille quickly wanted to speak up. “Thank you... I-” She didn't even get to say more than this.

From the side, Camille's voice sounded. She was as harsh in her criticism as always. “You are truly a shameful empress. To not even be able to support your husband as he defends justice within our nation.” As Lucille glanced at her, she only saw the other woman scanning her from the side with obvious disdain. That alone was quite intimidating.

Cedar reacted as usual. He ignored his mother's murderous glare and just tried to mediate a bit. “Mother, there is no need to be so harsh. This is new to Lucille. She will get used to it at some point. Though, executions are never pretty to look at.” He stood up slowly and then positioned himself in front of Lucille as if to block her view of the bloody scene below them. He smiled at his wife. “I sincerely hope that you will not have to witness this more often. But I am sure that you are strong enough to do it either way. Let us retreat for today. Justice has been served.”

Lucille was more than grateful for a chance to run away. She stood up as well and took Cedar's hand to let him escort her. As his wife, that was natural.

Though, it seemed to upset someone.

Camille stood up too, and her gaze was icy as she glanced at the couple. “I understand that you want to be kind, Cedar, but don't try to treat her with care. If you indulge that woman too much, she will become a useless brat.” She already seemed to think that Lucille was a brat though. It was questionable whether she would be content as long as that woman was around her son at all. After all, Camille was terribly jealous of her son's wife. So, it was no surprise that she tried to separate them. She wordlessly held her hand toward her son and stared right at him. She wanted him to escort her, and she clearly wasn't just asking either. This was a threat.

As expected, Cedar couldn't reject her when she was this upset already. He gave Lucille an apologetic glance before slowly letting go to offer his arm to his mother. “You worry too much, Mother. How about we have a nice tea to celebrate the victory of justice today?”

Camille immediately took his side and dragged him forward while standing unnecessarily close to her son. She shot Lucille another glare before letting Cedar lead her down the stairs.

As soon as that woman was gone, Lucille could relax a bit. She let out a sigh as she followed the other members of the royal family slowly. She only glanced at the execution site below her once and regretted it immediately. Allen Duremont was currently being dragged away by some guards, still wailing for his deceased sister. It seemed like his life would be spared, but that wasn't necessarily a merciful act. He would always remember how his sister had been killed in front of him. That might be as much of a punishment as an execution could have been.

The thought made Lucille a bit unwell. But then again, both Seraphina and Allen Duremont had been guilty of framing an innocent woman for treason. They had caused another's demise like that, so it was only natural that they would be punished. Though, the sight was still painful. Lucille averted her eyes quickly.

On the way back to the palace, Camille naturally sat next to her son to make Lucille pick the other bench in the carriage. She fully ignored the other woman, whom she deemed to be a parasite anyway, and just chatted with Cedar. She didn't seem to see that her son wasn't doing well.

Lucille would lie if she claimed that she could see through Cedar's confusing facade and his strange mannerisms, but by now, she had figured out that his smile got wider whenever he was upset. Currently, he was beaming as if today had been the best day of his life. To Lucille, that made it seem like he was quietly suffering. She wasn't close enough to him to be able to ask, but she still worried. Of course, she didn't address it in front of Camille though. She waited until they were alone.

Unsurprisingly, there were few chances for the royal couple to speak to each other without the dowager empress' interruption. But in the evening, Lucille managed to invite Cedar for a glass of wine. She was aware that this whole topic was upsetting for him, so she tried to be careful while addressing it. It was hard to be subtle when talking to a person that basically seemed to be able to read your mind though.

“Regarding today...” Lucille wasn't even sure how to start. She feared that her words would be too direct or careless, that this topic was too painful for her to be able to begin a conversation.

As usual, Cedar didn't show it. He merely sat at the table across from her and met her gaze when she suddenly stopped. His lips formed the same smile that always seemed to rest on his lips no matter what. “Do you have a question regarding the execution? I hope the sight was not too gruesome for you. It was necessary for the empress to attend, but I should probably have told you to close your eyes.” He did seem to worry about her. That was kind of him.

Lucille would have liked to smile at him, but she couldn't quite force herself enough to make it believable. “It was not your fault. I should have been prepared for what would come, but I misjudged whether I would be able to stand it. I thank you for your care.”

“I did not do much. This is the basic minimum I have to provide for my empress.” Cedar said such things easily as if he truly believed that what he did for Lucille was just his responsibility. He didn't accept it when she told him that it was his own decision to treat her this well and not just his duty. But that wasn't what the topic had been about originally, and Cedar was well aware. He beamed at Lucille as he directed the conversation back. “Did you have a concern regarding today's event? If so, please be honest.” He had caught her.

Lucille sighed quietly as she gave up on even hiding it. She lifted her head to make direct eye contact with Cedar. Opening her mouth, she forced it out despite being a bit worried about the reaction. “I...was wondering whether you would...spare Allen Duremont's life.”

Cedar didn't snap at her nor did he seem unwell. Instead, he merely drank his wine and then gave the reply calmly as if he was reading it off a chart. “I will not have him executed, but I would not call it sparing his life either. He will be punished harshly. Though, it would break that family too much if I took his life at the moment, so he will have to be patient. Otherwise, their political power would collapse. As I said, I need them for my plans within the capital.”

He had told Lucille about that a few times already, so she knew well. She wasn't fully surprised by this either. “I... suspected something like that. The whole Duremont family is still alive aside from...” Seraphina Duremont. Lucille didn't even want to say her name. “As far as I know, she thought that you would kill the others too, but that was a lie, wasn't it?”

Cedar nodded, his smile becoming even wider. “Naturally. I wished to hurt her alone and not the family that was unaware of her crimes. I will never punish innocent people. Thus, only she and her brother will carry the consequences. I hope that Sophia Ravillot can take over the dukedom after she recovers a bit mentally. Then we can bring this part of history behind us.” Yes, maybe he had hoped for this for a while already. Ever since Blanche's death, he had wished to get revenge. Now he had finally been able to do that.

But only a fool would believe that revenge solved everything.

Lucille felt her heart ache a bit as she only stared at Cedar, who sat there and acted like nothing was happening even when he was probably still grieving. She knew that he, who carried that iron mask of his like it was more important than his life, wouldn't share his feelings with her. Yet, Lucille couldn't help but express her worry. “Are you alright, Cedar?” She barely even hoped for a reply.

As expected, Cedar merely met her gaze with that bright smile of his. “Are you worried now? That is odd. Why wouldn't I be alright? I just got my revenge on the person I despise most. I have been preparing this for over two years now, and this finally means that I can stop focusing on that.” It was true that he had gotten revenge on the main perpetrator that had ended the life of the woman Cedar had seemingly cared for so much.

Revenge couldn't fix any hurt that had been left though. It could ease his desire to pay back those that had harmed Lady Blanche, but it couldn't make him personally feel better. That was why his smile felt particularly false today.

“But that won't...” Lucille barely caught herself before she could say that. She knew that Cedar and she got along well, but they weren't close. Suddenly hearing this would upset him, and she didn't want to risk him being angry with her now. So, she silenced herself. It might have been too late though.

Cedar finished his sip of wine while seemingly waiting for her to continue. When she didn't, he spoke up. “Pardon?” Even now, Lucille didn't wish to resume, but Cedar didn't seem to give up. He stared right back at her without seeming like he even considered letting this go. “Please speak honestly.”

Lucille swallowed. She might upset him with this greatly, but she just hoped that he would not be too angry since he had asked for her honesty so often. “I just...thought that... Even this will not bring back Lady Blanche.”

To her surprise, Cedar's expression didn't even budge slightly. He merely kept smiling. “Of course not. I was aware of that from the very beginning.” He turned his gaze slowly to inspect the wine in his glass while he resumed speaking. “I would like to say that I did this for her so that she could finally rest, but I am aware that this was a lie. It was my selfish wish to hurt those that destroyed her life. Now that I finished this matter, I am content.” He drank another small sip before he added the last thing Lucille would have expected. “Even when I have to admit that it is complacent of me to only punish others. It was originally my fault this even happened.”

Lucille furrowed her brows. “What do you mean? You were close to Lady Blanche. You didn't get involved in the trial, so how could you have been to blame?”

Cedar still smiled like before as he met her gaze. “You may not have the details, but even you must have heard that the reason for all of this was the fact that Blanche had been seen visiting me regularly. Seraphina Duremont found out and believed that Blanche was a traitor, which was why she came up with that plan. If I had never asked Blanche to meet me, this would never have occurred. So, you could say that I was the one that caused this. It is quite unfair that Blanche suffered so heavily because of our acquaintanceship while I got away without any punishment.” As he said that, he showed no other emotions. Like this was a truth he had expected, not something he still fought to accept.

And while he might have understood the motive for the previous empress' involvement, he didn't seem to put the pieces together properly.

Lucille knew that she had no right to get involved here and that Cedar would probably ignore her, but she couldn't keep herself quiet. “That's not true!” She unwillingly got a bit louder and caught herself after. She quickly got quieter while balling her fists on her lap. “You never intended to harm Lady Blanche by seeing her. You may have been her lover's political enemy, but to assume that she wished to betray him because you were her friend...” She understood how one could come to that conclusion. But Seraphina had made the mistake of believing that her guesses were worth more than the truth. That had been her greatest error, the one that had pulled her down after. “No one should have executed Lady Blanche for that. It was the fault of those that immediately made her out to be guilty, not yours.”

It wasn't like she had thought that Cedar would trust her in this regard, but when he just responded without any change in his tone, she was a bit disappointed. “That is a naive way to look at it. Originally, I might not have planned to harm Blanche, but I viewed her as a political pawn. That was my mistake and also the reason she was pulled into this war for power. It may not have been my intention, but I saw what my actions did. I should have stopped it long before things escalated.” He paused for a short moment. Just before Lucille could speak again, he smiled at her though. “I am grateful that you wish to make me feel better, but you must not be too one-sided in your judgment. You never heard another version of the story different from mine, so your view on this will be subjective. Do not take my side too quickly.”

Those words just made Lucille even more upset. Why did Cedar have to make himself the bad one in all cases? It was like he didn't believe that he could be innocent at all. She hated that. “I'm your wife. Isn't it my duty to be on your side?”

A little laugh came from Cedar. It sounded real, but Lucille doubted that it was, even as Cedar looked at her with amusement. “It is kind of you to say that. But remember to keep your own judgment. Do you trust me in all regards? You must know that I am not a good person at this point, so it would be best to take my words with some skepticism.” He talked about himself as if he was horrible again. He did it too often.

Lucille hated hearing that. She tightened her fists while she forced herself to reply while looking right at him. “I trust you.” It felt good to let out that alone, but Lucille had so much more to say. Cedar didn't stop her, so she did. “You always say that you are a horrible person and that no one should trust you, but I have never once seen you be vile in any way. You have been nothing but kind to me. To those around you too. I saw how you interacted with your aunt and cousins. You are so gentle with them and take care of Rebecca whenever she comes running to you. You treat servants with respect too. I've never once-”

It seemed like she had said too much.

That was the point at which Cedar put down his glass and met her gaze directly as he tried to erase her words entirely. “I took many lives, Lucille. Just today, I did the same. Did you forget that I killed Theodore as well? I ended my own brother's life to violently take the throne from him.”

It hadn't been a violent rebellion. Cedar had arrived with a private army, but he hadn't attacked. He had entered the ballroom to announce that he suspected that his brother had lost his mind and that he wished to take over the crown. Theodore, who had already been known as a tyrant back then, had immediately agreed to a duel while being quite eager. Cedar couldn't take the blame for this.

Lucille hurriedly shook her head. “But you never hurt anyone that wasn't your enemy, right? And...regarding the previous esteemed emperor...” She grasped her skirt a bit tighter while speaking. “He wished for you to kill him. That is why he accepted the duel, correct? And at that point, he wasn't... He didn't rule Artias anymore. Everyone begged for you to take over.”

Cedar didn't seem to accept her words even when he knew the facts. “That is true. At least partially. Still, you must agree that killing my brother was not a kind thing to do.” He truly didn't wish to be called kind. He seemed to hate it.

Lucille found it sad to see Cedar so unwilling to allow anyone to praise him for what he did for the nation. But she wouldn't push him. He wasn't ready to share more with her for now. That was fine. She could ask again in a few years when they might get along better. Maybe she would find out why he despised himself so much at that point and could get a chance to finally tell him that he was a good person without being chastised.