"Execute her!"
"How can someone be so vicious?!"
"She deserves to die!"
Eleanora La Alexander Dalton, the former Empress of the Valentino Empire, wearily lifted her gaze toward the subjects she had once cherished as if they were her own children. The very people who had once revered her as a mother were now demanding her death.
Her once-radiant jewel-blue eyes, that had captivated countless hearts, had long since lost their brilliance. Now, they reflected only disappointment as a knight shoved her into the wooden defendant's box.
The silver shackles binding her wrists, forged to suppress her magic, threw her off balance. She stumbled and fell to her knees.
Yet amidst the thunderous cries calling for her execution, Eleanora remained silent.
She offered no defense.
No protest.
No plea.
The crowd gradually quieted as the emperor cleared his throat.
Slowly, Eleanora rose to her feet and faced the sea of people before her. There was no guilt in her expression. No fear. Even as death loomed before her.
I haven't done anything.
I am not guilty.
My heart knows the truth, even if no one else does.
"It looks like everyone is finally here."
Cathain de Valerian Valentino, Emperor of the Valentino Empire, addressed the assembly, his blood-red eyes sweeping over the crowd.
Until a week ago, he had been her husband.
"Today, we gather to witness the trial of Eleanora La Alexander Dalton, former Empress of the Valentino Empire."
A scoff escaped Eleanora's lips.
He had called her by her maiden name. The very name he had restored moments before throwing her into prison after their divorce.
You gave me your name when I was useful to you.
The moment you achieved your goal, you stripped it away and discarded me.
Bitterness seeped into her heart.
How foolish she had been. How pathetic. She had loved this man with everything she possessed and made him the center of her world.
The emperor's crimson gaze settled upon her figure.
She was dressed in a plain white gown, a garment she had never imagined herself wearing.
"Eleanora La Alexander Dalton, do you swear in God's name that you will speak nothing but the truth during this trial?"
A chill crawled down her spine as she met his eyes.
Those scarlet eyes had never looked at her with warmth.
Only hatred.
Only contempt.
Only an endless, icy indifference.
"I do."
Her voice rang clear and unwavering across the trial grounds. The crowd erupted into whispers, shocked by her audacity as the emperor stared at her for a moment before speaking once more.
"Did you attempt to poison the mother of the future heir of the Empire?"
A bitter laugh almost escaped Eleanora.
The mother of the future heir.
How laughable.
How cruel.
His crimson eyes narrowed.
Perhaps he expected tears.
Perhaps he expected despair.
But she no longer cared.
A mere maid rose to become his mistress and enjoyed the privileges that should have belonged to the Empress. Meanwhile, she, the lawful Empress, was treated worse than a servant and abandoned in a desolate palace.
'When they took the lives of my unborn children, no one listened to me. My child was never acknowledged as the Empire's future ruler...Yet today, he openly declares her child the heir to the throne.'
The memories struck like knives.
For a brief moment, her heart trembled. Fear threatened to resurface. Pain threatened to overwhelm her.
But Eleanora inhaled deeply. Then she straightened her back.
Standing tall before the crowd, she spoke with the dignity befitting an Empress.
"I am not guilty."
...
One Week Earlier~Imperial Foundation Banquet
"Lady Jena is with child. Therefore, from this day forward, she shall be elevated as the new Queen Consort." The emperor raised his ceremonial glass, a smile gracing his lips.
"I further proclaim her unborn child as the future heir to my throne."
The entire banquet hall fell silent.
Then chaos erupted.
The nobles who opposed the Empress broke into cheers.
Meanwhile, the knights and supporters loyal to House Dalton and the imperial faction stood frozen in disbelief.
Eleanora stared at the emperor. Her jewel-blue eyes widened. The color drained from her face.
She's... pregnant?
The love of her life.
Her husband.
The man she had devoted everything to.
Had just announced to the entire Empire that another woman carried his child.
He is going to be a father,
But not hers, but another woman's child.
Empress Eleanora was still in disbelief as the emperor extended his hand.
A young woman with soft blonde hair stepped forward and accepted it. Her golden locks shimmered beneath the chandelier lights. With her caramel-brown eyes and gentle smile, she embodied the image of innocence itself.
Not long ago, she had been nothing more than a palace maid.
Now she stood beside the most powerful man in the Empire.
And the Empress had to step aside to make room for her.
It was a blatant humiliation.
A slap across the face delivered before the entire aristocracy.
Eleanora had sacrificed everything for him.
She had fought for him.
Bled for him.
Endured endless hardships for him.
Yet he announced this devastating betrayal as casually as if he were discussing the weather.
'Then what about my child?'
Her vision blurred. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes.
Unable to endure another second, she descended the platform and fled.
For the first time, she ignored the etiquette expected of an Empress.
At that moment, manners no longer mattered.
What value did dignity have when the man who should have stood beside her belonged to someone else?
"You failed in your duties as both a wife and an Empress."
His cold words echoed endlessly in her mind.
"The Empire requires an heir."
"And that is something you are incapable of giving me, Empress."
Each word cut deep.
They had been married for four years.
And yes, she had failed to give him a child.
Not because she didn't want to.
Every time she conceived, she lost the baby before it could be born.
The physicians blamed her poor health.
Eleanora never believed them.
As a knight trained from childhood, her body was far healthier than most.
But her father, the Duke of Dalton, remained stationed along the border.
And after her mother's death, the distance between them had only grown wider.
The emperor's lack of affection had always been obvious.
Eleanora understood that he had married her because she was useful.
Because she was the rightful Empress.
Because she could help secure his position.
She also knew about Jena.
The palace maid.
His beloved.
Their relationship had begun after their marriage... Or perhaps even earlier.
Eleanora never bothered learning the details.
She had no desire to hear the love story of her husband and another woman.
Not while she was the wife in name.
Nor was she the only one who noticed.
Everyone in the palace could see the emperor's favoritism.
But everyone assured her it was only a fling. How can a mere maid compare to her, the noble heiress and the mother of the nation?
While Eleanora worked tirelessly for the Empire, Jena enjoyed all the affection and privileges that rightfully belonged to the Empress.
The emperor looked at Jena as though she were his entire world.
Yet Eleanora had loved him with every fiber of her being.
Even when he ignored her.
Even when he neglected her.
Even when he treated her as little more than a tool.
She had believed that if she helped him succeed, he would eventually notice her.
That he would finally be proud of her.
Perhaps even love her.
She believed that once she bore him an heir, everything would change.
After all, she was his lawful wife.
His Empress.
While the other woman was only a maid.
Surely he would tire of Jena someday.
Surely he would come to appreciate her loyalty and devotion.
Surely one day that smile would be directed toward her.
Eleanora believed she was more capable than Jena.
More worthy.
More devoted.
Something she had once thought a mere palace maid could never do.
But that belief... was her greatest mistake.
...
Because she underestimated her enemy.
And now, the child growing within her would suffer the consequences as well.