101 – Decision
Now, the Grand Hall of the Hwanggung Palace was in chaos with the shouts of the Wolfalls.
It was a familiar scene for some reason.
In my past life, I had ruined my father’s project, trying to send him away. To be precise, I had contributed to the ruin.
The stock manipulation fraud my father committed, hiring a few pants to do it.
The method itself was typical, but the involvement of celebrities flooded the news with the incident.
When my father fell, his accomplices and the victims who had filed complaints let out a collective sigh. Some even grabbed me, a witness in court, accusing me, “You’re from the reservoir; because of you, I got divorced, my life is ruined,” and so on.
The only difference this time was that now blood was also shed.
“How dare you touch anything! Anywhere!”
Even witnessing the collarbones and knees of direct relatives being shattered, it seemed they still couldn’t grasp the situation. There was a middle-aged woman who, in her struggle, cursed and struggled against the military police, only to be ruthlessly beaten on the head and fall helplessly.
“I’m not from the Walford! I’m not in cahoots with these people. I only married into the Hayden brothers, and why am I being treated like a criminal here, um…? I don’t know if I deserve this treatment. I’m really not Walford.”
There were even those who, in sorrow, vehemently denied any connection to the Walford family. Until now, they must have enjoyed the benefits under the Walford umbrella, but now it seemed their thoughts had changed.
“Look, please.”
And even those who just pleaded with a vacant expression.
The grand hall, where nobles usually strolled around admiring crafts…
But now, members of the Walford family had turned into a spectacle.
There were actually many people watching. Within a few hours, there were easily about ten years’ worth of aged spectators. And numerous palace attendants under his command.
Perhaps due to witnessing the gruesome scene right in front of them, everyone had disgusted expressions.
However, there was one spectator who was the only one smiling.
“But you’ve seen a lot, right? You only broke collarbones.”
The protagonist, of course, was Sienna. Somehow, she was now standing beside me.
‘She wouldn’t miss a scene like this.’
While everyone else was serious, Sienna alone was laughing.
Was she happy that her sister’s political support was suddenly wiped out?
In reality, Sienna did benefit from this situation.
Unless there was a change, Victoria was supposed to take the place of the Hwangtae lady, but a real change had indeed occurred. Victoria’s strength was the blind support of the factions led by her relatives, and with this incident, that support had disappeared.
However, Siena’s laughter wasn’t due to political gain. She simply enjoyed witnessing the tragedy that befell someone else’s house.
It wasn’t just mere satisfaction from observation. It was Siena who had summoned the Walford family here along with Victoria.
“In truth, Father was worried about the lack of justification.”
“Even though Princess Victoria also made the request together?”
“Of course, embezzlement of war supplies is a serious crime, but the current exhibition is not an urgent matter, right? He said charges would be insufficient with just morphine. Hayden Walford… this guy, he even drew a gun in the palace, so regardless, he must be killed.”
Perhaps she thought it was insufficient to wipe out the entire family. One could consider them capricious rulers, but unnecessary worries were not entirely baseless.
However, the Emperor’s concerns were soon to be alleviated.
“Siena, contrary to Her Majesty’s concerns, the justification for punishment is not lacking.”
“Ah, of course, there won’t be a single person raising objections. Since it’s an incident where my sister and I made the request, and Father intervened.”
“No. In reality, the justification is sufficient. The lacking justification will soon be filled in by the members of the Walford family themselves.”
“…?”
Siena blinked in confusion.
However, it didn’t take long for her to grasp the situation, and her eyes began to sparkle again. She even licked her lower lip with a red tongue.
“Does that mean they’ll soon betray each other?”
“Yes. They will expose hidden wrongdoings like competing rivals. They will even reveal the wrongdoings they themselves are involved in. …If you think rationally, it’s an absurd thing. Ultimately, it’s a position that includes one’s own sins,”
“Got it. I understand what you’re saying.”
“…?”
“If you expose others’ sins, you believe you’ll appear innocent yourself. …Even if not entirely innocent, you think you can be treated as an accomplice.”
It’s not particularly surprising, but she sure understands quickly.
If it were not the Walford family but Siena in my shoes?
Even if you don’t know, there must have been an incredibly challenging battle. Perhaps someone had thought of an easy way, like using poison, to easily neutralize the enemy.
At that moment, when Sienna was secretly impressed by the situation.
The Wulfholme family began to move as I had anticipated.
“Wait a moment, Sienna! I know something! The reason the Third Artillery Division Commander failed two years ago.”
“Why are you saying that!”
“It’s all Ian Wulfholme’s doing. I can’t die like this.”
“This damn…!”
They hastily started attacking each other’s backs. It would be easy to expose everything if you poke Cook. It was enough to send the entire family.
Now, there was no shortage of justifications.
All that remained was the extent of punishment.
That depended on the decision of the Emperor, the ruler of the Britannia Empire. The dismantling of the Wulfholme family was already a decided matter, and all that was left was the number of people to die. At this point, it couldn’t end with a simple demotion or forced discharge.
It wouldn’t take long.
“I’ll go see Dad. Maybe my sister is in the Judgment Room.”
Since the two princesses were planning to assist the Emperor’s decision.
Sienna glanced briefly at Hayden Wulfholme, who had a gun pointed at me, and the person writhing in pain, then urged her steps.
**
The Judgment Room adjacent to the Grand Hall.
The Emperor sitting here was on the verge of losing his sanity.
Was it because of the sudden downfall of the Wulfholme family?
No, it wasn’t.
In his youth, he had even killed his own blood brothers, let alone in-laws. It was true that prolonged peace had mellowed him, but he knew better than to be swayed by affection. He was aware that, for the sake of his daughter Victoria, he needed to keep a watchful eye on the Walford family.
“Even so, isn’t this too sudden?”
What’s more, it was his daughter who had orchestrated this humiliation. Sienna led, and Siena danced while Siena laughed.
Even now, the two princesses were by the emperor’s side.
The emperor pressed his throbbing head with his hand before speaking.
“We should provide treatment.”
“Treatment, you say?”
Sienna raised an eyebrow. The emperor sighed.
“I heard both of Hayden Walford’s collarbones are shattered.”
As someone who also practiced with the sword, the emperor knew the immense pain that followed a broken collarbone.
Leaving it untreated would result in a fatal disability, of course.
Regardless of guilt, a saintly woman needed to be invited for treatment. She was his brother-in-law, an imperial general, and Victoria’s great uncle, at the very least. Basic courtesy needed to be extended.
Isn’t that right?
But Sienna shook her head.
“The person who pulled out a gun within the palace grounds, even in the Grand Hall right next to Father’s secret chamber and office, was him. Although Allen was the target at gunpoint, he must have had more blasphemous intentions after killing Allen.”
“Sienna.”
“If not, why draw the gun? There’s no need to bother treating someone who has given up on life, is there?”
Especially when death is imminent.
The emperor looked at the second son, already sentenced to execution, with a cruel gaze.
Of course, considering Sienna’s personality, it wasn’t strange for her to contemplate who else to kill. Hayden Walford’s chances of survival had indeed diminished.
However, Victoria, my older sister, was sitting next to me, so there was no need for me to react that way.
The emperor cleared his throat and looked at Victoria. He thought she would be gloomy because of the incident that happened in the Grand Hall.
But Victoria’s reaction was unexpected.
“What Sienna said… is correct.”
Her expression was gloomy, but her attitude was quite firm.
“Victoria…?”
“It would be difficult to dispose of Wesuk, or rather General Hayden, in a way other than execution. If we punish them moderately, it could send the wrong signal. If we want to end this once and for all, we shouldn’t have called them to the palace in the first place.”
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“….”
“You must punish them firmly. At the very least, executing the two main culprits can save the lives of the rest of the family.”
Victoria, ordering the execution of my uncles.
As I listened quietly, it almost seemed like she was demanding the execution of Wesuk. As long as they don’t die, there is still a possibility of revival.
But still, is it really okay since they are my uncles?
Feeling the emperor’s worried gaze, Victoria calmly nodded her head.
“Your Majesty, I mean, Your Highness.”
“Speak, Victoria.”
“If we handle this incident ambiguously, it will only undermine the dignity of the royal family. Some might even think that I am still protecting the Wolphol family. We need to punish them harshly and publicly to avoid misunderstandings.”
“….”
“That way… we can prevent such incidents from happening again.”
The emperor looked at his daughter, feeling a sense of confusion.
A child who cherished her extended family so much. And yet, that child was now uttering words to kill my uncles.
For the sake of Victoria, shouldn’t the emperor have been cautious of Wolpole much earlier? The emperor felt a belated sense of regret.
“I’m sorry.”
“Your Majesty was cautious enough. The Wolpole family… at least superficially, was completely submissive. They set their own promotion limits and did not seek higher positions. It turns out they declined because they didn’t really need those positions.”
“…”
“In the end, it’s my own fault. I apologize for burdening Your Majesty. I also made Alan Maydoff do something he shouldn’t have.”
Why is Alan Maydoff’s name suddenly mentioned here?
Regardless, when the daughters speak to this extent, there is no way to refuse.
He decided not to ask the empress for her opinion. After all, ordering the execution was obvious.
Of course, there would be investigations and the truth would be revealed in the future. But that would be a formality; ultimately, the punishment for the Wolpole family depended on the emperor’s choice. There was only one option, and whether it could be called a choice was questionable.
“All right. I understand.”
In the end, the emperor decided to kill Victoria’s two uncles.
The method was public execution.