[DISCONTINUED] I was reincarnated in The Abandoned Empress as a minor character

.05. Wish

"Duke Zena! you don't realize how pleased I am to see you here! please save me from this hell! you've been acquaintances with my father before, so it's only natural that the emperor would hear you much more than-"

"you talk too much"

i know i was being hopeless, but this man might save me, he's my last hope! i have to convince him in some way!

"Duke Zena, you must believe me, someone is trying to frame me! i could never harm the emperor!"

that alone was true, but what matters now is for Zena to believe me

"of course I do"

...

"you do?" I looked up in his eyes, i felt as if my heart was about to burst, in a good way, this man who never showed up after my father's death, came here to save me, i felt relieved when his smile had formed,

if i get out I'll surely repay you duke,

"how could i not believe you when i was the culprit myself" beyond shocked would be an understatement, his voice was calm, as if he didn't have a care in this world, he had revealed himself here in front of me though

i only remained puzzled when he smiled at me again,

"you might not have noticed, but the necklace you wore at the banquet was covered by mana, a deadly one aimed at the empress, of course it was all thanks to that escort of yours, but you shouldn't worry as i took very good care to dispose of his corpse"

i dropped

"Now. don't look like that, the emperor wouldn't like it if you had that face on"

"..."

"i remember those hours we used to spend together, you told me of how you admired the crown prince and wished to become crown princess, how you envied Lady monique so much"

"but you always said that, 'if Ruvellis had accepted her then she was worthy of your admiration', my precious time i had wasted hearing such futile words"

Zena slightly imitated my voice in between, his smile growing wider,

It was because of my tears, i had never felt like this before, betrayal

"i remember very well, Evan on the battlefield, the sword that had pierced his chest, i sure raised a skillful knight, and he also managed to kill his son. that Eldred, i was proud"

more tears welled down my eyes, 

"Ruvellis sure did a good job to cover up the real incident, no?"

"he also sent mercenaries from korta to infect Enrad with the Eastern fever wi-"

"STOP!! HE NEVER WOULD HAVE DONE THAT!! HE'S NOT LIKE THAT!!"

"then care to tell me what kind of person he is?"

"h-he, isn't like that at all!"

"if that were the case you wouldn't be rotting here archduchess"

"what do you want from me? I'm left with nothing! so leave me be!" 

my hands were crutching the dress I wore, it had became dirty because of sitting on the ground, it made me seem miserable, i hated it

"what i want from you? I want everything you'll leave behind Archduchess, the power and the fortune of the archduke Castillo, I want it " he looked even more insane when he looked down like that

"how long! how long have you planned this Zena, is that why you approached me and my family duke?"

" *smirk* Quick witted i see, such a shame that i won't be there to admire your execution in person, but I'll send my knight in my place as my regards archduchess"

"how could you! i trusted you duke! i believed in you!"

"let me tell you this archduchess, don't let your desires blind your perceptions."

he went, 

gracefully as ever, just like that he majestically disappeared,

even on my execution day, he was no where to be seen in the crowd of cursing people,

"move!" i was pushed towards the guillotine, it looked as if it had been waiting for me, it had been cleaned this morning, i could tell,

"!" i was pushed again, but the person behind me never took consideration that my cuffed legs made it hard to carry out any movement

"archduchess Estelle Vaste Castillo, for attempting murder against the empress, will be stripped away from her title and will be executed!"

"we should burn her instead!" i frowned at the crowd,

do you not see the enemy behind all this...

"witch! how dare she lay her hands on the empress!"

i never did...Duke Zena...Jean...they're the culprits

"die!"

my neck was laid on the wooden board, i looked over the emperor who was sitting there, holding the empress lovingly, 

Did Lady Monique feel this way? of-course she didn't, my situation is different, my father , my brothers, all died in Duke Zena and Ruvellis' hands, i was betrayed by my most loyal butler,

at the time did i see the smile Jieun had on her face? never

somehow, dying felt peaceful to me,

"the emperor and Duke Zena send their regards Lady Castillo" a whisper 

                   **

"quick witted i see, such a shame that i won't be there to admire your execution in person, but I'll send my knight in my place as my regards Archduchess"

                **

i had finally put piece by piece together, this same knight had killed my father, killed my brother and was about to kill me too, 

who am i fooling, dying like this is painful enough! why suffer my whole life!

if only I had known then maybe i would've lived a happy life away from everything and everyone!

..I cried so badly my eyes hurt...

If such a thing as a second life exists,

THEN I WON'T LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN! I'LL LIVE HAPPILY IN MY NEXT LIFE!

that was my last wish, not revenge, just a happy life with the love of a family
a happily ever after.

How cruel that my next life was nothing that I wished for.

__

DON'T FORGET TO COMMENT AND VOTE