Saving The Abandoned Empress

199 “Death Penalty”

Everyone slowly took their seats, still horrified because of the direct execution right now.

The emperor didn’t even thought twice before he pulled out his sword to cut off Rena’s neck.

She was an important person to prove Duke Raven’s treason conspiracy after all.

“The next testimony will be from me.”

The emperor coldly spoke and no one even dared to make a sound anymore.

They have never seen the emperor like this.

He gave off a unapprochable aura before, but after becoming the emperor; he had changed.

He become friendlier and always helping others.

So, this was their first time seeing the emperor’s fierce side.

.....

The emperor gestured Sir Brayden to take out some documents and give the high ranking nobles a copy of that exact documents.

One was given to Eleanora too and she curiously took the documents to read.

Everyone read those documents with disbelief in their eyes, but it wasn’t impossible compared to what they have heard before.

Especially Eleanora.

‘Where did he got this from?!’

‘No wonder i found nothing at that time... He had made a move before me.’

“As you all can see, this is the contract between the former king of Rua and Evan De Ravens. About helping each other.”

“Their plan was to kidnap the crown princess, mislead the army to lose this war, which would result the public opinion about me; the emperor to get worsen.”

“He knew that his own daughter, Lady Jennifer La Liana Raven might become a thorn on his way. So, he not only spread a disease which could only be found in the dark lands in our army troops,”

“He also poisoned his own daughter so that his plan doesn’t gets exposed. Our duke Raven knew that i would never endanger the whole army even if i felt something wrong with the plan.”

“Without Lady Raven, Duke Richardo, the crown princess- who was busy with treating patients in field hospital and in quarantine at that time; even if i oppose that plan, no one would support my decision alone.”

“Am i right, Duke Raven?”

The emperor spoke as he turned to look at Duke Raven, who just smriked after hearing the emperor’s explanation.

But he still didn’t spoke a word to defend himself.

“Their ultimate plan was to kidnap the crown princess and try to kill me at the same time by increasing the poison amount; but unfortunately it was his own daughter who used to make antidotes for me.”

“With the help of Lieutenant Raven and Duke Dalton, we won the war. Where Marquise Roselia and Duke Hertz completed their mission to gather evidence against him.”

The emperor paused on his words before he took a deep breathe and looked at the crowd again.

“I, Cathain De Valerian Valentino, the emperor of this empire- Accuse duke of Raven for the murder of the late empress, harming his excellency’s health, attempt murder of the emperor and the crown princess... And treason.”

“Do you have anything to say in your defence, Duke Raven?”

The emperor asked but Duke Raven was still silent, with a sinister grin on his face.

Seeing that he had nothing to say, the emperor turned his gaze to face the crowd again and opened his mouth to speak.

“Very well...”

“Before the declaration of Duke Raven’s punishment, i want to share something with you all; which has been approved by most of the officials.”

Eleanora become a little stunt as she wondered what the emperor wanted to say.

She was worried about Cedrick and Jennifer, as she couldn’t talk with the emperor to reduce their punishment or spare them.

According to the imperial law, the person who commits treason would be executed with his whole family.

No trace of the traitor should be left behind.

This meant, if duke Raven gets executed; Jennifer and Cedrick can’t be spared either.

Eleanora looked behind to see Dominic sitting at a corner with his head lowered down, who came to see Jennifer one last time.

He was ready to fight the emperor and escape with her by breaking into the prison.

He begged Jennifer to come with him, that he was ready to give up his position as the crown prince.

But she didn’t agreed.

She wanted to face her fate.

Every single cells in Dominic’s body wanted to take away Jennifer and ran away.

From the moment he learnt about the past life from Jennifer, he knew that this moment would come.

But he still kept helping her.

She kept pushing him away, because he was killed in his past life because of her plan to help duke Raven.

To Dominic, that was his past. Which he doesn’t even remember.

He assured her that she has changed from the past, she is no longer the same person and deserves to be loved by someone.

But she was stubborn and hold onto the past very deeply.

He didn’t gave up, hoped that his nightmare would never come true.

Dominic sat at a corner as he watched the trial procedures, his heart was getting heavier as each second passed by.

Right at that moment, the heavy metal doors opened once again as a few knights lead Jennifer and Cedrick to the podium.

Dominic jumped up from his seat as he desperately hoped for Jennifer to look at him.

But she didn’t.

She walked towards the podium and stood at the wooden box for the criminals, along with her brother.

Both of them knew that their death is waiting for them, but stood strongly.

Eleanora clenched her fits as she couldn’t bear to see them standing there... Both of them is innocent in this life.

Without their help, it was impossible to get evidence against the duke.

She couldn’t escape her past if it wasn’t for them.

“From now on, there will be a change in the imperial law.”

The emperor spoke and Eleanora’s eyes lit up with a new hope.

“We will change the rules as the Crown princess had suggested, where only the person who committed the crime would be punished. Not his whole family, who had nothing to do with the crime.”

Eleanora felt a tear drop from her eyes and Alexander pulled her in his embrace.

She couldn’t believe that the emperor accepted her proposal to change the rules.

‘So he had been busy with convincing the officials for my proposal to change the rules...’

‘Rick and Lennie... They won’t die, they won’t...’

Eleanora felt happy in and thankful to the emperor.

Where, Dominic felt his heart stop breathing as he felt that he has heard it wrong.

The emperor changed the thousand years old rules!

Everyone was amused with this rule too.

Some opposed, but the majority agreed with this new rule.

“Therefore, with the power held within me, I, Cathain De Valerian Valentino, emperor of the Valentino empire; prove the Raven Siblings innocence and promote the young master Raven as the next Duke of Raven.”

“And Lady Raven will be awarded with ‘Pioneer’ the highest ranking award for saving thousands soldier with her medical knowledge.”

Dominic drop on his seat as he covered his face with his hands to hide his tears.

‘She is safe... She won’t die... Thank God... Thank you! Thank you for not taking her away from me...’

‘Thank you Elee... Thank you, his Majesty...’

Sir Brayden came forward as he uncuffed the silver hand cuffs from the Raven siblings hands.

Cedrick caught Jennifer, whose legs has went numb as she couldn’t believe that they won’t get executed.

As she walked down from the podium, she glanced at Eleanora; who smiled lowly at her with tears filled her blue eyes.

Eleanora really didn’t wanted to see her execution, she might have harmed her in the past; but Eleanora couldn’t ignore how she helped her in this life.

Either as priestess Liana or Lady Raven, she helped her in every point, whenever she needed help.

.....

Where, Cedrick felt ashamed because of his father.

He couldn’t face Eleanora because of this and lightly pushed Jennifer to walk out from the trial grounds.

Then it was finally time, everyone held their breathes as they knew the outcome.

“I think the evidence here has weighed in an obvious result. The former Duke of Raven have been found guilty of the charges against him.”

“According to the rules, Evan De Raven, The former duke of the Valentino empire, is sentence to death by immediate execution.”

The emperor spoke as he picked up the broadsword and looked at the former duke of Raven.

Eleanora’s heart clenched as the person who was responsible for all her misfortune is finally going to be punished.

But as the knights grabbed the former duke of Raven to hold him down on the large oak stump for execution, he finally spoke.

“Wait, Your Majesty.”

The emperor paused and he raised an eyebrow with a questioning look on his face.

“I admit all the accusations against me. I did all of those things, there is no use of hiding it now.”

Evan De Raven started.

“But perhaps, did you all forgot that, i was once awarded ‘The Agility’ award; for saving the late emperor during the war?”

Eleanora’s eyes widened with shock, as the person who have the ‘The agility’ award could escape any crime he did for once!

As the award was given a long time ago, when the late emperor had only ascended the throne; not many people remembered about this.

And only the person, who awarded this can take it back; where the late emperor is already dead for more then four years.

“So?”

The emperor just coldly stare at Evan De Raven, as he asked a short question.

“So, unless the late emperor comes back to life from death; you can’t execute me, Your Majesty!”

The grin on his face increased and Eleanora finally understood why he was so calm during this whole trial procedures.

He had his own tramp card from the very beginning. Which he kept hidden till now for the worst scenario.

Eleanora clenched her fist as hatred filled her heart, she doesn’t want him to escape his all crimes just like this.

He might have saved the late emperor once, but all the harms he have inflicted on the imperial family till now can’t be forgiven.

The late empress, her children’s, the Dalton Duchy, her own life- they all were sacrificed because of his greed.

Right then, the heavy metal door opened again as a person walked inside slowly.

Everyone looked at the person with their eyes widened with shock and stood up from their seats to pay respect.

Eleanora, who heard the noise from behind also looked back and stood up with disbelief.

‘Am i seeing things?!’

“Then i shall come back to life from dead as you wished, Evan;”

The late emperor, Valerian De Alfred Valentino spoke as he stood infront of the podium.