Chapter 229 - Chapter 115 (1) - Instead of Being the Empress, I Will Become the Dowager Empress

[Side Story: The Seventh Episode]

She couldn’t believe the Imperial physician’s diagnosis. Rosemond exclaimed, “Where do you think you are to be lying like that! Do you dare lie in order to kill me? Your Majesty, everything the Imperial physician is saying is a lie!”

Despite Rosemond’s tumultuous rampage, the elderly Imperial physician standing beside her answered calmly, “Your Majesty, God does not lie. If you think it is misleading information on my part, let us ask the other Imperial physicians to gather and conduct their examinations.”

“…” With a complicated expression, Lucio soon opened his mouth, “Because the criminal insisted that she will not believe in the results, it would be better to do just that in order to prevent any further backlash.”

—–

It was clear that God was not on Rosemond’s side. After that, a total of five more Imperial physicians came to check on her, and they had all concluded that she was not pregnant. However, Rosemond continued to be steadfast in not accepting these results as she stubbornly screamed, “There is no way, Your Majesty! I have had morning sickness, and I have not gone through the menstruation process since. They are all lying in the hope of trying to kill me, Your Majesty.”

Rosemond desperately fell to her knees at Lucio’s feet as she begged, “Please save me, Your Majesty. No, it does not matter if you choose not to save me, so please just save Your Majesty’s baby growing in my belly, the Imperial Heir of the Marvinus Empire, Your Majesty!”

“Your Majesty, please let me explain what the dethroned Empress is speaking about,” At that moment, one of the Imperial physicians that had been standing still intervened, “We, Imperial physicians have concluded that the dethroned Empress had an imaginary pregnancy. This is what wives usually suffer from when they are so desperate for a pregnancy.”

“…”

“It is a common occurrence.”

“So the bottom line is, there is no child in the belly of the dethroned Empress, right?” one of the nobles asked.

The same Imperial physician replied, “That is correct.”

“Then, Your Majesty, there is no reason to hesitate with the proceeding of the execution any longer. There is no reason to keep alive a criminal that did not even conceive an Imperial Heir.”

“No, that is not true! I am pregnant! I am with His Majesty’s child!”

“Drag away the criminal!”

“Your Majesty, please save me! Agghhh! How dare you, let go of me at once!”

Rosemond was dragged over and forced onto the guillotine for execution, and soon her neck touched the flat stocks on the bottom of the frame. The realization that she was really going to die now seemed to hit her, as she appeared to act and struggle in complete desperation, “Your Majesty, please save me! You cannot do this to me!”

“…”

“Your Majesty!”

But no matter how much Rosemond cried out to Lucio, there was nothing he could do. Even if he was the absolute ruler of the vast Marvinus Empire, he could not exercise power in a manner that broke the Imperial law, as that would end up as a shortcut to becoming a tyrant. He just stared at the woman he had sincerely loved with a regrettable expression. It was the best he could do in the situation.

“Your Majestyyy!…”

“Commence with the execution of the criminal!”

“Agghhhhhh!”

Everything happened in an instant. The executioner released the rope from the guillotine, and soon the blade swooped mercilessly downward.

“Kyahh!”

“Uuugh!”

The cruel spectacle unfolded in the most graphic way, and the people watching this released groans at how terrible it all was. Lucio was not an exception to that sentiment.

“Haaa…” He staggered as he rose up from his seat, realizing that he would not be able to withstand this scene. The maids staying next to him supported him up. With the help of the maids, he walked over to the carriage he had ridden to the execution site. The other nobles would take care of the rest of the situation, his presence was not needed anymore. He made a bizarre sound as he felt the agony wash over him.

Hiding his display of suffering, the Chief Maid hurriedly helped him up and into the carriage, “Your Majesty, please calm down.”

“How… How are you telling me to calm down, even after seeing such a sight,” He wriggled around like a caterpillar that had been chopped up into pieces. Among the many shocks he had endured in his life, this one could be ranked as one of the top. He continued to release more groans as he muttered, “I could not save her… I could not… I could not…”

“It was not Your Majesty’s fault. There is no need to blame yourself…”

His eyes dripped with tears as he began to cry, and the Chief Maid figured out that no amount of consolation would work on him for now, so she quietly stepped outside and started the carriage. Inside the imperial carriage, covered all over in decorations made of real gold, the sounds of someone continuing to let out sniffles and sobs could be heard…

—–

“By the way my Lady, how has His Majesty been doing these days?”

“He is not doing too well,” Lorraine replied in a dry voice. She was in the middle of having some tea with the daughter of a Marquis who had joined their cause.

“I heard from the maids of the Central Palace that His Majesty has been living almost like he is in ruin after the dethroned Empress was executed.”

“Tsk, tsk,” Lady Philomina clicked her tongue at Lorraine’s words.

Lorraine stared back at her, her expression showing she thought the whole situation was nothing but a lost cause and lamentable.

Even though no one had asked, Philomina managed to figure out and echo the same thoughts that Lorraine had, “This is what the great Emperor of the Marvinus Empire has turned into because of one woman! Is it not absolutely pathetic? Usually having a woman should be a good thing, and fine if there was not one for a monarch.

“…Because His Majesty favored her that much. It appears that he truly loved that woman or something.”

“That is why I am calling that so foolish? True love for someone like the ruler of an empire! He must not have thought about how much that would end up being an action that would twist his own ankle over.” Philomina laughed as she scorned the Emperor with a mocking expression, and quickly changed the topic. “Rather than that, will Lady Lorraine end up becoming the Empress when the Emperor is replaced?”

“…Most likely, that will be the case.” -That was the reason why my father adopted me and brought me in as a daughter. He had no daughter of his own and suddenly announced that he would be bringing in an adopted daughter, which was right around the time when he began to plan for the rebellion. He must have thought that in order to achieve perfect authority power, one must somehow have a mix of the Imperial Family in their blood.-

“Oh my, then when you become the Empress, I will be able to become a maid who serves you.”

“The door for the position of a maid is open to any noble lady. Of course, Lady Philomina is no exception to that.”

Lorraine had indirectly expressed a sort of rejection to the notion, but this stupid woman looked at her with a distant expression, as if she did not quite understand it. She began to feel a little bored at the current situation, as she wrinkled her eyes so slightly that no one would be able to notice.

“More than that, tomorrow is finally the big event,” Philomina mentioned as she changed the topic once again.

Lorraine scolded Philomina in a dignified voice to express her discontent, “Be careful with your words, Lady Philomina. There are ears everywhere.”

“But this is the home of Lady Lorraine. Why, what could possibly happen?”

“Even if that is so.” -What is the benefit of having such a woman serve me as a maid when she is not even cautious and so lacking in awareness?- Lorraine pledged to herself deeply that even if she became the Empress, she would never get close to this woman, at the very least!

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Translated by Haeli

Edited by RED