Marigold's Point of View
After nearly twenty minutes of travel, the carriage began to slow down in front of the Old Council Hall. Even before we had fully stepped out, I could already hear the murmurs of the people of the Altos Empire gathered outside.
I swallowed hard and tightly clenched my hand beneath my black gloves. I had been restless since we left the palace, but I made sure not to show it—my companion inside this carriage might find it strange, and besides, I didn't even know her yet.
Through the carriage window, I caught sight of Blackstone Plaza—the place where the Empress was destined to lose her head and die three years from now.
I couldn't see the entire plaza clearly because of the massive crowd gathered around it.
"We're here, Your Majesty…" my companion informed me once the carriage finally came to a complete stop.
I simply nodded.
She stepped down first before I followed. A royal guard even assisted me, carefully offering his arm to make sure I wouldn't stumble.
"Make way for Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Faenys Millora Montague-Cavendish of the Altos Empire!" the royal herald announced loudly.
The once noisy surroundings fell silent immediately after the herald's proclamation. Every head lowered at once, and no one dared to look directly at me.
Faenys Millora Montague-Cavendish.
Is that me? Is that truly the Empress's name? Is that the name history tried so hard to erase?
I couldn't believe I had finally learned the name of the controversial Empress who had been erased from history. I didn't know what I was supposed to feel.
Should I be happy that I uncovered information even historians struggled to find? Or should I be terrified because there's a chance I might share the same fate as Empress Faenys?
I bit the inside of my left cheek to stop myself from spiraling into my thoughts.
I shouldn't be thinking about that right now. Today, I will finally meet the current Emperor of Altos—the one who is praised even in the future because of his remarkable leadership and iron rule.
I was escorted inside the Old High Council building. It was necessary to pass through it first in order to reach the wide terrace where the Emperor was waiting.
As soon as I reached the terrace doors, attendants immediately draped a long cape over my shoulders. Its collar was adorned with what seemed to be dark feathers resting against the nape of my neck. They also handed me a scepter encrusted with brilliant diamonds.
My heart began to race. My hand trembled slightly as I slowly walked toward the Emperor, who stood with his back turned to me.
No sound could be heard around us. Even the whispers that had earlier filled the entire Blackstone Plaza were now completely silenced, as if it were a grave offense for anyone to dare open their mouths.
I didn't know whether it was the Emperor's presence or the Empress's authority that had brought this suffocating stillness upon everyone.
My chest tightened, my heartbeat hammering violently in my ears the moment our eyes finally met—Emperor Leopold Pierce Cavendish of the Altos Empire.
He towered over me, perfectly composed yet undeniably formidable. His piercing pale-blue eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that spared nothing and no one.
"You're late, Your Majesty…" he said quietly.
"My apologies," I answered simply, trying with all my strength not to stammer.
When I looked ahead, I saw the sea of people surrounding us. They were all staring in our direction. Some looked curious, their eyes filled with intrigue, while others looked frightened and tense, as if uncertain about what was about to happen.
It wasn't long before the iron door located at the side of the plaza creaked open.
Out came the prisoner, his hands and feet bound tightly in heavy chains.
So he's the prisoner who tried to poison the original Empress, huh?
According to what my companion in the carriage told me earlier, he had attempted to poison me yesterday. Luckily, it was customary here for servants to taste the Empress's food first before it reached her table.
Because of that tradition, the servant who tasted my meal was the one who lost her life.
The prisoner showed no reaction as he was dragged toward the center of the plaza. His body was covered in bruises and wounds from what was clearly a long night of torture.
"Your Majesty, shall we proceed with the execution as hath been decreed?" asked the royal guard whom I believed to be the highest-ranking among them—the Captain of the Royal Guards.
[Your Majesty, should we go ahead with the execution as ordered?]
"Did someone order what happened yesterday?" I asked calmly. I wanted to know at least a small detail about what was truly going on.
The royal guard shook his head. "We spent the whole night striving to make him confess if any had bid him, yet he spake naught, Your Majesty. We do believe it was his own will to bring thee harm."
[We spent the whole night trying to make him confess if anyone had ordered him to do it, but he said nothing, Your Majesty. We believe he acted on his own to harm you.]
I nodded slowly before returning my gaze to the accused. When our eyes met, a smirk appeared on his lips.
"You're not her…" he mouthed silently.
My eyes widened slightly.
What does he mean by that? Does he know that I'm not really their Empress?
Gosh, it's only my first day here, yet so much is already happening. My head feels like it's about to burst!
"Let's begin," the Emperor ordered coldly, his eyes fixed on the prisoner with clear impatience written across his face, as if he resented being forced to attend this execution at such an hour.
"Let the execution commence!" the royal herald proclaimed.
The execution guards immediately grabbed both of the prisoner's arms and dragged him toward the execution platform, where the two palace executioners were already waiting.
"This court doth find Gulta Demakusa, erstwhile Chef Steward of the Imperial Palace of the Altos Empire, guilty of the attempted poisoning of the Imperial Empress. Wherefore, he is henceforth sentenced unto death," the royal herald announced loudly, his voice echoing throughout the silent plaza.
[This court finds Gulta Demakusa, former Chef Steward of the Imperial Palace of the Altos Empire, guilty of attempting to poison the Imperial Empress. Therefore, he is hereby sentenced to death.]
Whispers immediately spread through the crowd, but shock and fear were far more evident on their faces after hearing the verdict.
As the accused was finally dragged onto the execution platform, he was forced to kneel. The chains on his wrists and ankles clanked heavily against the wooden boards.
His back was to us, but he faced the crowd of onlookers.
Slowly, the executioners raised their blades.
It felt as if time itself had slowed to a crawl.
Do not blink. Do not move. You are Empress Faenys, Marigold. Remember that. You are not Marigold in this world.
As the executioner's blade fell, so too did the accused's head, and blood spread across the wooden platform in a dark, horrifying stain. A deafening silence enveloped the entire plaza. It was as if this gruesome scene was not new to them anymore.
I couldn't take my eyes off the platform as the guards moved forward to remove the headless body.
I felt my hands trembling uncontrollably, and sweat began forming on my forehead.
"Let us hence, Empress Faenys. We yet have an important meeting to attend," the Emperor said coldly.
[Let's go, Faenys. We still have an important meeting to attend.]
But his voice barely registered in my mind.
The people around the plaza gradually began to leave, yet I still couldn't bring myself to stand and walk away from my seat.
I felt my stomach twisting painfully. My ears were ringing. My breathing grew heavy and uneven.
This is real. This is not a history book. A man just died because of my order.
I tried to stand, but my knees weakened beneath me. My vision blurred, and the world began spinning.
"Your Majesty, art thou well?" someone asked, but their voice sounded distant, as if it were echoing from far away.
When I tried to take a step forward, my legs suddenly gave way.
Everything around me faded.
And the world went completely… dark.