172 - Evil Husband (15th Anniversary Edition) Chapter 172
172
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With her hands tied by rope, Aileen was walking towards the Guillotine, her legs too weak to support her properly. Her staggering steps were precarious.
Her terrified face was pale and clammy with cold sweat. Matted strands of hair, soaked with thick blood, clung messily to her face. Whether she had been hit by a stone, vivid blood trickled down her cheek.
But Aileen did not cry.
She did not scream in terror, beg for her life, or sob, pleading her innocence. Despite trembling with fear, she did not shed a single tear.
It was when she stepped onto the stairs to ascend the platform where the Guillotine stood that her foot twisted, her knee buckled, and her body swayed violently.
The executioners walking beside her frowned in annoyance and yanked Aileen upright. As her tattered clothes stretched, momentarily revealing her pale skin, the gathered crowd chuckled and pointed.
However, their cheerful chatter soon died down. As her body was roughly thrown back, the glasses precariously perched on her nose fell off, and the hair obscuring her face was swept away.
With Aileen's face fully exposed, everyone could only stare in stunned silence for a moment. Even the executioners forgot to hasten their steps and gazed blankly.
Aileen shrank under the gazes directed at her. She was a child who found her gold-green eyes repulsive. Aileen lowered her gaze, trying to hide her eyes from others, and resumed climbing the steps to the Guillotine.
As her small body began to move, the silence that had enveloped the surroundings shattered. The crowd erupted into cheers, far more excited than before.
An executioner completely swept back Aileen's hair to make her face visible for the spectators. Those who intended to tear apart the condemned's body piece by piece scanned her with gleaming eyes, hungrily eyeing the parts they desired.
Finally, Aileen stood before the Guillotine. Her body trembled in small spasms, but her face, as she awaited execution, was resolute. She looked at the Guillotine with a more determined gaze than Cesare had ever seen.
Cesare knew what the child was thinking. Aileen was accepting the execution without any excuses or resistance to avoid tarnishing Archduke Erzeht's reputation.
Therefore, she must be thinking that if she showed any fear or trepidation now, it might further stain Cesare's name.
She was such a timid and tearful child. Yet, she was enduring the terror of death.
Only for Cesare's sake.
Cesare could not take his eyes off the child. What he had to do now was clear. He just had to wait.
If he waited here quietly, Aileen would die by the Guillotine, and the seventh trial would end. It was a chance to escape the endlessly repeating illusion and finally return to reality.
So, he really just had to watch. Just a little more patience, and it would be over.
"Begin the execution of Aileen Elrod!"
The executioner raised his axe high to cut the rope holding the blade in place. In the end, Cesare could not bear it. Knowing that this was the wrong choice and a failure, he stepped forward. The ticking of a clock echoed in his ears like an auditory hallucination.
Cesare ran towards the Guillotine, more desperately than ever before in his life.
"Your Grace...?"
As he stepped onto the platform, the executioner stared at Cesare with wide eyes. The axe he had raised with all his might faltered and lowered awkwardly, unable to strike anything. The crowd, who had been cheering until just now, buzzed with confusion at the sudden appearance of Archduke Erzeht. They were bewildered by the unexpected arrival of the Grand Duke, who should have been in Kalpen.
"Halt the execution."
Cesare did not look at Aileen. He fixed his gaze on the executioner and commanded.
"I will use the Erzeht Grand Duke's Indulgence."
"B-but the Indulgence..."
The executioner stammered, glancing at Cesare. The Indulgence granted to the Erzeht Grand Duke could only be used for members of the Grand Ducal family, a fact known to all citizens of the Traon Empire.
Cesare suddenly looked down at the clothes he was wearing. It was the uniform of the Imperial Army. The medals and decorations on his chest gleamed ostentatiously, and he wore a red cloak, a flamboyant attire suitable for a Triumphal March.
Cesare removed the cloak. The red cloak, symbolizing the glory of the Traon Empire, billowed out and then covered Aileen's shoulders. His low voice fell as resolutely as the blade of the Guillotine.
"She is my wife."
The shocking declaration left people unable to react immediately. After a brief moment of silence, a swarm of murmurs arose. Only then did Cesare slowly lower his gaze. His crimson eyes turned towards the person kneeling on the ground.
Aileen looked up at Cesare with a dazed expression. Her lips moved, her eyes filled with disbelief.
"Your Grace..."
But her face was not entirely joyful. Despite being saved from death, Aileen wore a pained expression. Tears, which she had suppressed even before the blade of the Guillotine, welled up in her large eyes. The teardrops rolled down, leaving round marks on the ground.
"I'm sorry, sob, I, I..."
Aileen could not speak properly through her overwhelming sobs. Cesare looked down at Aileen, then knelt to meet her gaze. He looked intently into her gold-green eyes. Aileen trembled slightly and whispered.
"That's, that's not supposed to happen, sob, I was, I was waiting, Your Grace, for you..."
Her eyes, filled with absolute love that bordered on worship, confessed her faith in Cesare.
"I believed you would come to save me..."
Cesare did not respond to Aileen's words. He simply reached out and embraced her. The child in his arms still felt so small, no different from the ten-year-old he had met in the Lily flower garden.
The small warmth in his arms felt like a burning flame. Cesare tightened his grip on the child. This moment, as if he were holding a star, was what he had truly desired.
The persistent ticking of the clock gradually faded from his ears and eventually disappeared completely. But Cesare did not strain to hear the vanished sound. He simply focused all his attention on the being before his eyes.
Cesare had trapped himself in an illusion.
The Archduke Erzeht used the Indulgence, claiming he had promised betrothal before the campaign, and saved Aileen Elrod from the Guillotine.
However, merely saving her life was not the end. The problem started from then on.
Aileen Elrod had violated the Imperial Law. She was accused not only of possessing narcotics but also of manufacturing and distributing them.
The drug-related punishment laws were enacted under Cesare's leadership. By dismantling the order he had established with his own hands, he had revealed a fatal political weakness.
The nobles, of course, did not leave Cesare alone. The nobles in the assembly denounced the arrogance of the Archduke Erzeht, and the media ran articles every day mocking him as a hideous hero.
Therefore, Cesare decided to pay the price for using the Indulgence as the Archduke Erzeht.
"You're... giving up the Grand Duke title? Cesare, what are you talking about!"
Leone shouted with wide eyes. But Cesare had already made up his mind. He would renounce the title of Grand Duke and relinquish his status as a soldier, to live as an ordinary citizen of the Empire.
Upon hearing Cesare's words, Leone felt not only confusion but also fear. Having led the Kalpen conquest to victory, he should now be enjoying only glory, but suddenly, he had declared his marriage to Aileen.
Although he was in a politically precarious situation due to the Indulgence, it was a problem that could be resolved, however difficult it might be. But now he was giving up all his power.
"Are you... out of your mind? How did we get here..."
Cesare handed him a box containing medals. It was a box filled with all the medals he had received throughout his life as a soldier.
"I'm sorry, brother."
With that brief apology, he added no further excuses or apologies. Cesare left the Imperial Palace. Leone watched his retreating figure with a hollow gaze but could not bring himself to stop him.
Returning to the Brick house, Cesare looked at the orange tree swaying in the wind. The fragrant scent of oranges faintly permeated the air.
As he watched the swaying leaves, the door clicked open. Aileen, who had cautiously emerged through the doorway, walked towards Cesare with small steps.
"Archduke..."
Aileen clutched his sleeve tightly and looked up at Cesare. Seeing her nervous eyes, Cesare chuckled.
"You should call me by my name now, Aileen."
He whispered to Aileen, savoring the happiness he had finally reached.
"I'm home."
