After She Left - Chapter 1

There were a lot of people at the Imperial Palace just to see a person die. Even though there were a lot of people, no one spoke up. Even though it was very quiet, the Emperor’s calm, high-pressure voice could be heard all over the room.

“We will start the execution of Empress Killianerisa Sei Rispontia right away.”

He said so in a dry voice that didn’t sound like he was telling everyone that her ex wife was about to be killed. He said it like she’s just another stranger in the death row.

“I’m gonna ask you Empress Killianerisa Sei Rispontia… Did you try to kill Queen Larian Ariena Rispontia with potion?”

Killianerisa, who had kept her head down the whole time, laughed in a sad way when she heard those words.

“Keuk… Kukukuku—”

People in the audience just looked at her and said that she was crazy.

What a crazy woman.

Before she died, it was clear that she was going crazy.

She is a notorious villain, Killianerisa. Despite the fact that there are a lot of people here, no one looked at her in a friendly way. It could have been normal to know who she is: The bad woman who was jealous of the beautiful Queen Lerian, caused trouble for her, and was always mean to other people.

“Why are you laughing?”

And this is the man most far away from her. She heard the voice of the Emperor, who had been sitting on the chair and watching her.

When the Emperor asked her that question, she stopped laughing and stared at him… the man who was supposed to be her lifelong companion… her husband, and the person whose words will kill her. But she looked at him, devoid of any ill feelings.

‘My love… My Husband.’

Now… 

“Now you’re looking at me.”

Killianerisa had a big, happy smile. It was a pure and clear smile, like a girl staring at something for the first time who just fell in love. 

But, unlike the bright colors that were painted on her face, her face was badly hurt. Her fine blonde hair was all over the place, and her skin, which looked like pearls, was dry and flaky. 

It had been a long time since even the most beautiful dress she wore got torn and could no longer be recognized.

But the only things that were alive were the Emperor’s red eyes. 

Because of her strange smile, the emperor couldn’t help but bite his lips. You are talking nonsense even in this situation. She really was a crazy person.

He got chills when he thought that someone like that had been made empress. 

Still, he felt relieved at the same time. 

Also, he didn’t make the wrong choice. 

The way he does it is right. When he saw her smiling like that, even in this situation, the small doubts and unease he had been feeling were finally gone. 

She was crazy and sane at the same time.

With that thought, the hard-to-describe feelings that had risen to the top of his head seemed to calm down. That seemed to be enough to handle this awkward situation on its own.

It’s over anyway today. You don’t have to feel this way any longer. He opened his mouth and stepped on the bad feeling that had come back to the tip of his neck.

“Yes… I always saw your crimes and evil deeds. But it’s now time to pay for your sins.”

As if she didn’t hear the angry tone of the Emperor, she suddenly said.

“I see. What did I do wrong?”

She opened her eyes and cocked her head to the side. The woman’s face, which didn’t even show fear, looked like she was pulling a joke.

When he saw her, who still didn’t know what she’s done, he clenched his teeth and felt something fly through him.

How can a person be so brazen about killing the Queen of the Empire and the beloved woman of the Emperor?

He really wanted to break Killianerisa apart with his own hands. ‘Can I do that?’

But from where he sat, he couldn’t even take revenge for the woman he loved.

‘You don’t have to get my hands dirty!’

His eyes, which had been filled with emotion, suddenly calmed down.

“It’s your fault that you went up to the place where my rain falls.”

What started as a sound turned into thousands of arrows in an instant and hit her right in the chest. 

Even though there was no damage, she jerked and shook as if she had really been hit by an arrow.

But even for a second, she looked at the Emperor with a face that showed she was not guilty. 

It’s a word that is used too often to be attacked. 

As usual, she didn’t care about her sad heart and said something in a soft voice.

“No, I didn’t do anything wrong. As Empress, I was just trying to deal with that mean girl who got my husband to fall in love with her. You should thank me, Your Maje—”

“Don’t speak! Do you want me to pull out your tongue before you shut up?! You’re insane… you’re a woman who was never sane.”

Her words stopped for a moment when the Emperor yelled in anger, but she stopped her lips from shaking.

It was at least curved.

She also said,

“No. Sadly, I’m sober. Even if this truth-tongue teller is pulled out, an eye is pulled out, a body bleeds out, or a limb is ripped apart, the truth cannot be called a lie—”

The backstory should have come out, but nothing did. 

As if hands that she couldn’t see or feel were holding her neck. 

She wants to laugh, but she can’t because of how she feels about herself. But she quickly got used to the way he made her feel.

I am Killianerisa Sei Rispontia, and I am the ruler of the Rispontian Empire. I won’t be trampled on so easily…

Kilianerisa barely finished what she was saying before she was cut off. She put on a big smile and tried to look like the happiest Empress, but her smile was never seen again.

“You won’t get the answers you’re looking for. I don’t regret what I did.”

‘Yes… I never regretted it!’

In spite of what she thought, the clear tears in her eyes showed that she didn’t want to cry. They ran down her cheeks and wet the floor of the guillotine.

The emperor gave her a cold look, raised his hand, and made a sign with it. At that sign, the rope holding the blade was cut, and soon after, a dark shadow came over her. Then everyone heard something like the wind broke.

She stared at the audience for the last time as she held onto the sharp sound. Her eyes were confused for a moment.

It was because of the rushing blade.

It was because of the Emperor’s eyes that it seemed like he’d kill her personally.

It was because of the Queen who couldn’t hide her happiness.

Those things were kinds of weakness in her eyes, and she saw them all.

“Killi—”

The moment he was about to accidentally call the person’s name, which he had promised he wouldn’t do again.

Seurreung.

She could just barely feel the cold blade touching the back of her neck.

A fountain of blood came out, and there was a lot of blood around where the neck was cut.

Then, bang!

The neck, which had been thrown helplessly, was so dirty and small that it was hard to believe that she had risen to a noble position. 

It was just a bloody neck, as if she had forgotten all the people’s dignity she had tried to protect in her life. 

But there was still chaos in the eyes that hadn’t yet closed. 

Even the eyes she had seen a long time ago were clear in her mind, but as time went on, only their vitality started to fade.

People were quiet as they watched her be killed. 

It was so quiet that it felt like time had stopped. 

Everyone had been hoping for this death, but when they saw it, they were speechless. 

They were so out of it that they didn’t even know when to cheer. 

It could have been normal. 

Because the ideal and the real world are obviously not the same.

People who had children with them were quickly covering their eyes, while others were taken aback by the horrible sight of people having their heads cut off.

Someone has goosebumps on their back, and someone turned their heads away.

They felt sick because of the gore.

Obviously, the living person was cut in half in an instant, lost her shape, and stopped moving. 

The terrible sight stopped everyone from talking. 

Even saliva was hard to swallow.

But eventually,

“Hooh, she finally died.”

In the dead silence, someone cried out.

After the first speech, the crowd began to make a lot of noise right away. 

Thousands of people started shouting loudly at the same time, as if they were making up for what had been quiet. 

Some of them were sincere, others were influenced by the situation, and others cheered her death for different reasons.

Every word they said turned into the sounds of thousands of voices in the Imperial Palace. 

But it fell again quietly because the emperor’s voice was full of force.

“The execution of Empress Killianerisa is finished.”

The Emperor, who didn’t even move while she was being killed, stood up after he was sure she was dead. He slowly turned around and started to walk away. I was a little bit tired.

He took steps without hesitation, but there was a hint of tiredness in them. He never looked back as he moved.

You might think it’s cruel how I deal with the death of my ex-wife, but that’s how we used to be.

A relationship with no foundation, a lot different from others.

Even though he was walking slower than usual, he felt even better than that. Now that she was dead, there was no reason to be careful inside the Imperial Palace. 

He took a deep breath in and slowly let it out. 

The fresh air made him feel like he could think more clearly. 

In an instant, the corner of his mouth had turned into a heavy line of a bitter smile.

It really took a long time. Until he let go of this stress.

Tonight, it seemed easy to fall asleep quickly and deeply.

When the emperor said that the execution was over, the waiting soldiers moved quickly to keep the people away from the imperial palace, and some of them started to take Killianerisa’s body away. 

The body was cut in half and put into a bag. 

The red blood that had been all over the place was wiped away with a few wet wipes. Even though the soldiers had touched the guillotine a few times, it soon got back into shape enough to kill another person.

The plans for today are done, but there are more plans for tomorrow. A soldier who kept mopping up water had nothing to think about.

“Was it the death penalty for a shoplifter who caused trouble tomorrow?”

Even though it’s not a big deal, they still remembered. 

When everything was set up, the soldiers left to do other jobs. People who had come to watch the execution just vanished from the place where they were. 

It was like the sea had dried up.

Even after everyone had left, a man who had been lost in the crowd stood still and looked at just two of them. 

It shows when a person dies and when their body goes away. 

There wasn’t any anger in his two eyes. 

But no one was happier about her death than everyone else. 

He just stood there for no reason.

I thought it wouldn’t be sad, and I didn’t think it would be upsetting, but my mouth was bitter. 

He didn’t even know he was making a fist.

The man who stood by the guillotine, where most people were killed, has been brought back to his senses. 

He is neither tall nor short.

He looked at it for a very long time, then turned around.

“Sir, are you about to leave?”

When the assistant, who thought he had decided to turn around, asked him a cold question, he slowly nodded his head yes.

“Yes.”

Unlike someone who had seen a friend die, he spoke in a way that was unusually plain.

Even so, the steps going back were as heavy as hanging steel bars. 

It felt like something had been put on it, but the man really didn’t care.

She was a bad person, as the name the world gave her suggests, so death was right to take her. He didn’t deny it.

WTH, this is so sad… T^T