CH 185

Not Easy (6)

The horse passed through the heavy drawbridge and entered the birch forest. It ran, splashing dirt in all directions.

Other than that, all of her senses were paralyzed, so she couldn’t smell the fragrant spring in the mountains.

When they reached the northern gate, the soldiers standing on the border were horrified.

Talin gasped. “Didn’t Madam come? Open the gates now!”

Since no one had the authority to stop anyone coming down from the north, the door opened.

The sounds of the horse galloping filled LIly’s ears.

They were going at a good speed. No matter how much she tried, they couldn’t get any faster than this. Still, it felt like she was crawling on the floor with her hands and feet. It was as if the horse was pushed back by three steps when it took one step forward.

The landscape, which seemed to be in place, was dyed into a different scene from the very end.

Her heart was beating like it was going to stop. The scenery of the execution square got closer.

As her vision became clearer, confusion filled Lily’s eyes. So did Talin’s.

Talin murmured, taking the reins and slowing down, “The square… couldn’t have been this empty…”

The horse walked into the area.

On the day of executions, crowds flocked to the square from any estate. It was only natural that the crowd was so crowded that it took half a day just to get out after the execution was over.

However, it was empty, as if someone had swept the people with a huge broom.

The sparsely seated citizens found Lily and Talin and bowed their heads. The square was so barren that a bunch of leaves rolled between them.

The horse stopped.

Lily’s green eyes frantically scanned the top of the execution platform.

The shining guillotine blades on the podium reflected the sunlight in all directions. A long shadow fell before the public execution platform and the towering guillotine.

The area was clean. Some of the Cadis security guards were just handling the ropes.

The magistrate who commanded the subordinates jumped up and saluted. “I greet you, Madam.”

Instead of Lily, who was frozen with a bewildered expression, Talin spoke, “Is the execution over, Marshal?”

“Yes. There were few people to execute, so it was already over at noon. There was no criminal to be beheaded… It was all hanging, so it was just a matter of time. Is there any problem?”

“Hanging?”

The magistrate nodded.

Blasphemy was a felony. The criminal had limbs cut off before the head was placed on a spear. It had to remain on the square until its skin rotted and receded to reveal the white bone.

However, there was not a single trace of blood in front of the execution table, let alone a spear.

It was a sight as if nothing had happened.

Lily, who had been busy taking a break from her rapid breathing, finally came to her senses and asked him, “The prisoners that were sentenced to death…” She swallowed her words for a moment. Something stopped her from speaking, as if a lump of stone had blocked her throat.

She croaked, “Who were they?”

The chief of security looked at them and reported, “One was a thief who robbed citizens in the capital. He used the money to eat so much that it is said that his newborn child starved to death. Another two men were in a gang, but they got drunk and stabbed a disabled person with a knife. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured and he was hanged.”

“…”

Lily had a hard time keeping up with the situation. Her hand trembled softly as she let go of the reins she had been holding so tightly.

Could it be that Dandelion lied?

She dismissed the hypothesis quickly.

Dandelion couldn’t have thought like that, and it seemed like Talin and her maids knew. Judging by the reaction she had been trying to hold on to the whole time, it was clear that the execution itself wasn’t a lie.

Talin was also confused. She jumped off her horse and stood in front of the magistrate. “Tell me more about the execution today.”

The magistrate kept hesitating about his words, trying to figure out if there had been any mistake. As he scratched the back of his head, Lily was troubled by impatience.

She, fortunately, did not have to rush and he reported first.

“That… The convoy of prisoners was nothing like before. Last night we escorted all the death row inmates to Cadis Jail, brought them back this morning, and executed them on time.”

“And what’s different?”

“The lord did not come previously, but the lord came right before the execution ceremony and oversaw some of it. Normally you would still be there, but that is different.”

“You don’t even know why.”

“Yeah… That’s right.”

Lily, who had been listening silently, found a gap in the Marshal’s words. “Are the prisoners you brought with you the same as the ones you executed?”

“That… well.”

The magistrate, whose voice was getting smaller and smaller, abruptly stopped talking. As if he had discovered something, his gaze was fixed over Talin’s shoulder.

Talin and Lily looked back reflexively. The knight’s expression wrinkled.

From a distance, the familiar face froze.

“Uhm, sister…” Dandelion wiggled his hands gathered in front of him. “Did you come because of my letter? You’re now… Can I talk to you?”

A shadow fell on Lily’s face. “No. I didn’t come here because of you,” she answered bluntly.