"Execute her! Execute her!!"
"How can someone be so vicious?!"
"She deserves to die!!"
Eleanora La Alexander Dalton, the former empress of the Valentino Empire, wearily lifted her gaze to behold the subjects she had nurtured as her own children.
Her once-radiant, jewel-like blue eyes had dimmed, reflecting nothing but disappointment.
The very individuals who once revered her as a mother are now clamoring for her execution as she was thrust into the wooden box by a knight.
The silver shackles binding her wrists meant to prevent her use of magic, caused her to lose balance and fall to her knees.
Amidst the cries for her punishment, she remained silent, offering no protest to their accusations.
The crowd fell silent as the emperor coughed to draw their attention.
Meanwhile, Eleanora struggled to her feet, her gaze fixed firmly on the assembly.
Her expression bore no trace of guilt or fear, even though she faced possible death.
'I haven't done anything. I'm not guilty.'
'My heart knows it, even if no one believes me.'
"It looks like everyone is here now,"
Cathain De Valerian Valentino, the emperor of the Valentino Empire, addressed the assembly, his gaze piercing through the crowd with his blood-red eyes.
He had been her husband until just a week prior.
"Today, we are convened to witness the trial of Eleanora La Alexander Dalton, the former empress of the Valentino Empire."
Eleanora scoffed upon hearing him address her by her maiden name, which he had reinstated just before her imprisonment following their divorce.
'You gave me your name when I was useful and used me.'
'The moment you achieved your goal, you took away your name from me and threw me away.'
Eleanora's thoughts turned bitter, a wave of disgust rising in her heart for having loved this man and held him as her everything.
The emperor's red eyes swept across the faces surrounding him before settling on her, clad in a shabby white dress—a garment she had never once envisioned herself wearing.
"Eleanora La Alexander Dalton, do you swear to God's name; that you will tell the whole truth during this trial?"
Eleanora met his piercing red eyes, feeling a shiver travel down her spine as the emperor concluded his speech.
Those blood-red eyes had always regarded her with disdain and animosity, emanating a chilling coldness.
"I do,"
Eleanora responded with a loud and confident voice, prompting a wave of murmurs to sweep across the trial grounds due to her audacity.
The emperor gave her a piercing look, then parted his thin lips to speak.
"Did you try to poison the mother of the future heir of the empire?"
Eleanora nearly failed to suppress her bitter laughter upon hearing those words.
The emperor's eyes narrowed as he regarded her with a mix of emotions, something she no longer wished to concern herself with.
'A simple maid, who ascended to the status of a mistress and relished the true privileges of an empress.'
'Where I, the legitimate empress, endured treatment worse than that of a maid and was cast aside into a forsaken palace.'
'When they intentionally took the lives of my unborn children, my words fell on deaf ears.'
'My child was never proclaimed the future sovereign of the empire. Yet here, he proclaims her offspring as the heir apparent...'
Eleanora's heart shattered as she held her breath, feeling it race with a rising fear once more. Yet, she inhaled deeply, confronting the crowd with bravery, her regal voice resounding across the vast trial ground.
.
.
.
"I am not guilty."
…
A week earlier: Imperial Foundation banquet~
"Lady Jena is with child; henceforth, she shall be anointed as the new queen consort. I proclaim her offspring as the future heir to my throne."
The emperor lifted his ceremonial glass as he delivered the startling news to the assembly with a grin.
Nobles who were against the empress began to cheer, while the knights and supporters of the empress stood in stunned silence.
The empress gazed at the emperor, her jewel-like blue eyes wide with shock, her complexion losing its color.
'S-She's pregnant?'
Her partner, her spouse, the love of her life, confessed to her that he had impregnated another woman.
Someone who was not her.
The emperor reached out his hand to the assembly, and a girl with light blonde hair stepped forward to accept it.
Her light blonde hair, caramel brown eyes, and radiant smile gave her a soft and gentle appearance.
Not long ago, the girl was merely a palace maid. Now, she stands next to the emperor, the most powerful person in the empire.
The empress, who was standing at his side, had to move so that the girl could stand there instead.
It was a direct affront to her. Eleanora had devoted her life to him, enduring all hardships for his sake.
Yet, there he was, delivering heart-wrenching news with the casualness of commenting on the weather.
With a pale look, Eleanora descended the steps and fled, tears welling up in her eyes.
To disregard her manners as an empress, she was beyond the point of considering etiquette.
What did manners matter when the emperor, who was supposed to be hers, was not?
"You couldn't even fulfill your duties as my wife, much less as an empress. The empire requires an heir,"
"That is something you are incapable of, Empress."
His words echoed in her mind, cutting deep.
They had been married for four years, and it was true; she had not provided him with a child. It wasn't that she hadn't wanted to.
However, each time she became pregnant, she suffered a miscarriage.
They blamed it on her poor health, but Eleanora knew this wasn't true.
As a trained knight, her health couldn't be poor.
Her father, the Duke of Dalton, was at the border, leaving her unable to seek his help. After the passing of her mother, the duchess, they had grown distant.
The emperor's lack of interest in her was painfully obvious.
Eleanora understood that his association with her was solely because she was the rightful empress, capable of aiding him.
She was also aware of his mistress, Jena, a simple palace maid.
Their acquaintance dated back to just before, or perhaps even earlier than, their official marriage—a history Eleanora chose not to dive into.
She had no desire to uncover the details of her husband's romantic story with someone else while being engaged to her.
It was not just her; everyone could see the emperor's evident favoritism towards the maid over the empress.
She was merely a puppet, positioned beside the empress to carry out tasks, while another claimed the joys and privileges that were rightfully hers.
The emperor bestowed upon this other woman the affection meant for the empress, regarding her as if she were his world.
Yet, every fiber of Eleanora's being was devoted to the emperor, despite his indifference... her love for him was as boundless as that of a hopeless soul fated to love him.
Eleanora thought, that once she contributed to his success, he would recognize and be proud of her efforts and... of her.
She continued to hope that he would become more affectionate towards her once she gave him an heir.
After all, she was the empress, his lawful wife, while that other woman was merely a maid.
He would eventually tire of that woman, coming to appreciate her love and genuine sincerity.
He would leave that woman for her.
He would bestow upon her the same smile he currently reserves for that woman.
Eleanora was confident, believing herself to be more capable than the girl; she was even willing to sacrifice her life for him, something she thought a mere maid would never do.
However, this was her gravest error.
.
.
.
By underestimating her enemy, the child within her would also endure the consequences now.