"We, the jury, find beyond a reasonable doubt that the offense of Former Queen Atlanta Marcos Arch Angelus, as alleged in count 2, was betrayal against the words of the Saintness and attempted murder, and he is hereby pronounced guilty on Thursday, 27th of 0698. You, who have committed such an act, are sentenced to death, signed and dated by the Holy Knight court and foreperson, the King."
What? Sentenced to death?
"We, the jury, recommend and impose the death penalty on Queen Atlanta, who is beheaded and will be executed immediately, as witnessed by the citizens of the Deborah Kingdom."
Beheaded? Me?
What is going on?
When he lifted his head, he saw a large crowd glaring and shouting his name. Everyone was enraged, calling him a traitor. When did I ever betray my people? He thought. He looked around to see the King sitting all high and mighty, emotionlessly watching him below, together with the two familiar figures at his side. His eyes wandered and stopped as soon as he saw the head of Duke Carlisle on the ground. Trembling, he turned to look at his side, only to see the Duke's lifeless body. His eyes widened.
It was beyond shocking that he felt his heart and stomach drop. Tears came out of his eyes as he tried to break free from the chains on his hands and feet.
"No. No. No. This—this can't be."
He became hysterical. He wanted to go to the duke. He wished to be with his best friend in his grief. He couldn't believe it in his own eyes that the one and only friend who stood by his side and fought alongside him was no longer alive.
"I...I, Duke!" he uttered. He felt suffocated. No words were coming out of her mouth. Gasping for air, he can no longer handle the situation. Queen Atlanta yelled. He called out the name of his best friend and tried to break free from the chains.
"Carlisle!"
The knights immediately stopped him from escaping. They grabbed both his arms and made him kneel in front of the crowd. The headsman then went to grab the axe. He turned to look at the axe, which was already covered in blood. His eyes widened when he saw the axe. He knew that that blood was from his dear friend. He felt a shiver run down his spine at the thought of beheading.
My daughter, where is she?
"At this very moment, Deborah citizens, you shall witness the execution of this man, and may the gods and goddesses forgive his soul for not believing in my words. I, the saintness of this world, present to you the havoc of the world."
Saintness? Who is she?
As soon as he met those fiery red eyes, he knew who the real havoc was, and he felt extremely pathetic for failing as the prophet of this world. Indeed, may the gods and goddesses forgive him for failing to eliminate the true havoc of this world.
"Farewell, your majesty. May your soul burn in eternal flames together with that stupid prophecy of yours."
"No..!"
He gasped.
His heart was pounding loudly. Cold sweats were all over his face. He felt so drained after that long dream. His entire body was still trembling in fear, and for some reason, he could still feel the cold axe in his neck.
Queen Atlanta reached for the golden bell to call for the servants. He rang the bell hysterically, hoping that the Duke would come instead of the maids. The servants came in a hurry, and even Duke Carlisle, who was already in his sleeping attire, came in a hurry.
"Forgive my rudeness." Duke Carlisle entered the room quickly, holding a sword.
The servants also went inside to protect the queen. The Queen couldn't resist laughing at them. Duke Carlisle turned to look at the queen, dumbfounded.
"I'm sorry, it's just that you look absolutely ridiculous in your nightclothes, Carlisle, and don't worry, there's no assassin here," the Queen said, wiping away the tears from laughter. It surprisingly made her mood a bit better.
"Seriously?" he asked, dumbfounded. Queen Atlanta nodded, giggling.
"You serve us some tea. I prefer the one that will give us a good night's sleep. It doesn't look like the Duke will easily sleep tonight," the queen said as he slid off the bed. The servants helped him wear a thick robe. He walked towards the door of the balcony and opened it.
"Shall we have some tea, Duke Carlisle?" he asked, offering him a seat. Duke Carlisle gave a stiff nod and went to his seat.
As soon as Duke Carlisle sat down, Queen Atlanta took his seat across the table. The maids arrived at the balcony a few minutes later and served the tea. The two were left alone, casually enjoying the cold night and warm tea.
"Did you have a bad dream, your majesty?" Duke Carlisle asked to break the silence.
"I did, Carlisle," he answered, smiling melancholy. Queen Atlanta let out a deep sigh. The night was still young, yet he felt the night was longer than it was before.
"Then, I hope this tea will help you have a good sleep later."
"Carlisle, do you still remember one of our history classes about the long-forgotten existence of the prophet?" he asked, staring intently at the Duke. The vivid memory of his dream made him anxious once again.
Uncertain, Duke Carlisle only nodded in response. The Queen smiled at him and was preparing to finally reveal his long secret to someone. Ever since the day he met that mysterious young lady during the hunt, he had been dreaming the same dream he had a while ago. He can no longer handle the heavy feelings and pressure he feels every time he remembers the dream.
"Carlisle, I am the prophet," he said, and to prove that he was indeed the prophet, Queen Atlanta moved away his hair from his forehead, which revealed a glowing eye marked on his forehead. Staring intently at the Duke, he also decided to let him see his eyes changing color from blue to violet, which signifies that he is the blessed child of fate.
"Do you remember the true monarch of our world?" Queen Atlanta asked.
"Yes, I do remember it. It was mentioned during our succession class."
"The true monarch is coming back, Carlisle."
"I am the newborn blessed child of the Goddesses of Fate. The fact that I exist means that, as the blessed child of the Gods, I ought to find the monarch," Queen Atlanta stated. Duke Carlisle stared at him. He remembered every single thing his teacher said all about the blessed children and the monarch of this world.
"I thought the last blessed child died fourteen years ago. Your Majesty, how were you able to exist all alone? You're a newborn. You need another blessed child to survive. "
The Queen let out a deep sigh. Even he himself doesn't know why he became a newborn, blessed child. "I don't know, Carlisle."
"And since I am the Prophet and I possess the Ifa power, I have seen your thread of life, Carlisle, and I'm afraid that the end of your thread is near, just like mine."
"What!?" His body went rigid. Finding out that he is about to die right after knowing that the Queen he has been serving all his life is the Prophet, a blessed child all along, is beyond shocking. The Duke stood silent. He sipped the tea to ease his mind.
Queen Atlanta expected this reaction from him. He would not have revealed himself as the Prophet so early if it hadn't been for that horrifying dream. He put his hair back and sipped more tea as he waited for the Duke to process the information.
"Your Majesty, I don't know what to say," he murmured.
"Then please pay close attention to me, and I humbly request that you keep this between us only," the Queen said as he set the tea cup down. Duke Carlisle rose from his seat and kneeled before the Queen.
"Of course, your majesty. Then I shall take the Crimson Oath for you."
"The Crimson Oath, there is no need for that, Carlisle," he demanded and grabbed his hands.
"But-"
"Keep this our secret, as best friends would keep theirs. You're about to die anyway."
"How vicious, your majesty. But if you insist, then shall we at least do the pinky promise?" The Duke said, trying his best to ease the tension. He is extremely worried about the queen. He knew that his dearest friend was strong, but hiding such a big secret only made him more convinced of the strong mentality of the Queen. He was able to handle a heavy burden for such a long time with ease and confidence. Indeed, his one and only best friend deserves to take on the role of queen.
A queen needs a strong king. He thought.
"How childish, Carlisle."
"That's exactly what you said when we were still kids," Duke Carlisle said, standing up. The Queen softly giggled as he also stood up from his seat. For them, a pinky promise is much better than taking that crimson oath that will do nothing but add the pressure and anxiety of keeping the secret in order not to die.
Using their pinkies, the two intertwined their fingers and stated the oath they created on their own. At last, the Queen felt relief after a long time of hiding his secret on his own. Being a prophet carries a lot of responsibility. The gods will not allow the prophet to exist on their own. They will only exist if there are things that need to be done. They may see the future and the thread of a person's life, but being a prophet has a dark side. However, if it can save the world from darkness and havoc, then he won't regret being a prophet to his friends, family, and people.