102 – 102. Abandoning Everything
“It might be regrettable to only kill two.”
A question Victoria threw after meeting the emperor.
Princess Sienna, who had a smile on her lips, wiped it away and looked at her sister. Surprisingly, her sister also had a calm expression.
“Is she angry that I suggested the death penalty…?”
It didn’t seem like it.
Victoria, who caused this chaos, wasn’t innocent enough to think, “But you have to give them at least their lives.” She knew it was difficult to end without shedding blood. Honestly, just killing two members of the ruling council and concluding it was already a moderate decision.
What is my sister’s intention in doing this?
“Ah.”
Sienna soon realized that her sister had no special intention. She must be blurting out whatever came to mind in a state of confusion.
So Sienna casually changed the subject.
“What do you think about the rest, Sister?”
“The rest?”
“The nobles who followed you. After all, you were the one managing those people, right? You must have enjoyed various benefits from the Wolfall family all this time. …Those people must have been very surprised. How are you going to control them from now on?”
“……”
It was a cruel question to throw at her sister, who had just decided to execute the other uncles.
From Sienna’s perspective, she had already been quite lenient. If she wanted, she could have discussed the specific execution methods, but she spared her from that.
Throwing half-hearted words of comfort would only make things more awkward. It was better to talk about politics instead.
Sienna could see her sister’s eyebrows trembling faintly. It was only natural that she was mentally shaken.
But Victoria soon calmed down and spoke up.
“I will handle it myself.”
“How?”
“……”
“Oh, if you’re worried that I might absorb your followers, you don’t have to. I’m not very interested in factional games.”
She spoke sincerely.
Sienna also had nobles under her command. They used to follow Anais, mainly nobles engaged in commerce.
But now, the concept of Sienna’s faction was slim within the system. They all just passively obeyed when Sienna’s orders came down. What Sienna threw in return was not power, but a bone.
‘But my sister is different.’
The sister Sienna knew was not someone who could engage in political activities alone.
Perhaps by now, she’s quite bewildered…
“I know, Sienna.”
“What?”
“I’ve realized it now too. The number of people around me doesn’t prove the capacity of my vessel, but rather, this incident will ruin my reputation, and my foundation will become vulnerable.”
“So?”
“I plan to start anew from the beginning. I won’t trust those who only speak loyalty with their mouths, absolutely not.”
Can she pull it off? Someone so stubborn.
When Sienna was puzzled, Victoria recalled a faint smile. Laughing in a situation like this.
“Of course, I’m not as virtuous as you, Sienna.”
“…”
“Still, I can do it. I have better political power than you, possess outstanding force, and even have an adviser who doesn’t enjoy tormenting people unlike you. If I lack something, I’ll fill it with that person.”
“Sister, do you mean…”
“Yes. I plan to seek advice from Alan Kye.”
Victoria responded as if she had been waiting.
Sienna was momentarily moved but didn’t retort.
If she wanted, she could refuse as much as she wanted. Why would Alan help her sister? Why wasn’t she embarrassed to ask for help on the topic of owing a debt of gratitude to Alan? However, for some reason, the words wouldn’t come out.
Just by looking at Victoria’s determined expression, a strange determination could be sensed. And it could also be inferred that she wasn’t really planning to seek advice from Alan.
‘Honestly.’
Siena nodded slowly instead of giving a verbal response.
Then, she looked at her sister.
Although they were half-sisters from the start, her sister looked quite different from Siena. She was about half a foot taller with an excellent figure. Always distant from the social scene in military attire, she possessed a beauty that would be praised anywhere if she bothered to dress up a bit.
Moreover, even after the recent setback, she was still a formidable woman.
Although her political support had vanished, it wasn’t necessarily a disadvantage.
‘After all, the Wolfol family must have restrained Alan.’
In a way, Victoria had removed a burdensome load. Those who used to gossip in Victoria’s ears about Alan’s scandals, and those who bothered Alan’s surroundings by spreading rumors, all disappeared.
Siena felt a renewed sense of crisis.
“I understand, sister.”
Today’s events are truly regrettable.
Siena added in a soft voice.
It wasn’t to comfort her sister. It was because she genuinely felt regret for the upcoming unfortunate events. Just a moment ago, it was quite amusing to witness the downfall of the Wolfol family, but now it wasn’t enjoyable at all.
Not at all.
“Thank you, Siena.”
Victoria replied calmly and then turned away. Siena couldn’t take her eyes off her sister’s back for a while.
**
A few hours after parting ways with Siena.
Victoria headed towards a secluded building within the Hwangung grounds.
Usually, it was a space accommodating envoys who came from foreign lands. Today, it was being used for a somewhat special purpose.
In the Grand Hall, the members of the Woelpol family, who had witnessed a gruesome sight, were now detained here undergoing investigation. Considering their royal connections, it wasn’t a lavish treatment with special consideration. It was just an attempt to handle the situation quietly.
However, the thoughts of the individuals involved seemed to differ.
“Your Highness Victoria! Please, first attend to Lord Hayden’s treatment,” demanded Ian, the second uncle, with authority.
Victoria dryly responded to his urgent request, facing his distressed expression.
“We cannot provide treatment.”
“Your Highness Victoria! I saw it with my own eyes. Alan Maydoff, that treacherous fellow, shattered every bone on Lord Hayden’s shoulders. Both sides! Can you imagine the agony?”
“Naturally, it must be severe.”
“Hurry, invite a saintess for treatment. The rest… we’ll explain gradually.”
It’s all over, so why make such demands with trust? Victoria sighed and looked at Ian Woelpol’s stern face. His expression distorted with anger and confusion, but he seemed oblivious to the fact that she was soon to meet her end, likely due to confinement in the palace, not imprisonment.
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It was Victoria’s duty as the niece to dispel this misunderstanding.
Victoria deliberately hardened her expression and spoke. The uncles, still caught in delusions, needed to know the truth.
“Your Highness… I understand the situation is dire.”
“Uncle.”
“Yes?”
“I’ll say it again; we cannot provide treatment. The privilege of inviting a saintess for healing cannot be extended. However, as Hayden uncle is still an active-duty officer, we can provide morphine through the military hospital.”
“Morphine? Are you kidding me right now?”
“I’m not joking. It’s just a desire to alleviate some pain until the execution of the sentence is carried out.”
“Execution…?”
Ian Walpole’s face momentarily became dumbfounded. Even his injured uncle, Hayden, who had been groaning in pain, stared blankly in this direction.
Victoria continued her explanation without hesitation.
“…I won’t go into specifics. I will only inform both of you that you must carry all the baggage. This way, we can minimize the number of people getting hurt and bring it to an end. Do you really want to expose all the guilt?”
“Your Highness, what crime have I committed? …I fell into a trap.”
“Do not perceive this as a political campaign. The more you do, the harder it will be for the baggage carriers.”
In essence, it was a notification requesting a willing death.
Victoria herself did not engage in such actions willingly.
If she wanted, she could easily pass the burden onto someone else. While it may improve the appearance if both uncles admitted their guilt and accepted punishment, there was no real need for that.
Knowing this, there were two reasons why Victoria personally came forward.
“I must save the rest.”
She truly wanted to execute only two and spare the others.
Of course, the other relatives couldn’t pass through unscathed. Those with clear charges would receive banishment or forced labor. The military factory that produced ship anchor ropes came to Victoria’s mind. It was a labor camp that was relatively safe, although the work was difficult.
And there was another reason.
“I must face the consequences of my actions.”
In the end, it was because of Victoria’s excessive trust that these individuals ended up in such a state.
If she had realized it a few years ago, it could have ended with compulsory discharge and reformation.
Trusting one’s relatives is not a crime, but failing to notice their transgressions was a problem. In the eyes of the princess closest to the throne, incompetence was a sin.
From now on, she would not repeat such incidents.
Victoria met Ian Walpole to remind herself of that determination.
“Please show mercy.”
“Sorry, but this is the maximum mercy I can offer. I hope you can help protect my other family members. It’s also an opportunity to redeem the many sins committed under the influence of the outsiders.”
“Your Highness…!”
“The longer the decision is delayed, the more people responsible will increase. Someone is probably already making new accusations.”
Victoria said this and stood up.
Hayden and Ian weakly turned their gaze towards her, looking at her with pity. It seemed like Victoria was hoping until the very end that she would be saved by them. However, instead of torturing them with false hope, Victoria firmly shook her head.
“Your Highness.”
“It’s not possible.”
Victoria immediately left her seat.
…
Contrary to Victoria’s expectations, the outsiders continued to deny their crimes until the end.
But the outcome did not change.
Two days later. The Emperor announced the corruption of the Wahl family throughout the empire, and after that, he officially confirmed the execution date for the Hayden brothers.
No one raised any objections.