Lord Hilbert noticed a bit after, and his face tightened too. I gingerly stood and pressed myself against the door. It wasn’t a group. Only one person. Who was it? His Highness? Or...
“Is someone there...?”
A hushed voice came from the other side of the door.
Princess Mira’s and Lord Hilbert’s faces instantly brightened when they heard who was there. In contrast, I stepped away.
“Mr. Meyer?” The princess stood, and the soldier jogged over to the door.
“Please wait!” I tried to stop them from opening it, but it was too late. As soon as I saw Mr. Meyer, I braced myself nervously, but all he did was quietly enter the room and look around. No one followed him in.
“You’re all here?” he asked. “Good.”
“I’m glad to see that you’re all right!” Princess Mira breathed a sigh of relief. “I heard you all were attacked. What happened? Are Prince Severin and the others safe as well?”
Hidden behind the eager princess, I made sure to check our surroundings, searching for anything I could use as a weapon. There were four of us and only one of him—surely we could take him. Would throwing that round chair work?
“I didn’t check,” answered Mr. Meyer, “but I’m sure they’re all dead by now.”
His mild, uncaring tone caught the princess entirely off guard. “Huh...?”
“I prepared many men, thinking more of those knights would’ve been left on this side, but thankfully, the dumb Lagrangians went as far across the bridge as they could and left you all defenseless on the other side. It’s their fault for thinking that no one was on this island and only worrying about what was in front of them. Honestly, I’m surprised things went so well for us.”
He let out a cackle, and Her Highness was utterly bewildered. She hadn’t suspected him at all, so she wasn’t yet able to piece together what was happening.
“What...are you saying?” she murmured. “Mr. Meyer, what’s going on?”
I moved without making a sound, trying not to alert anyone else, and reached my hand out to the round chair. No one would expect me to strike first, so surely I could accomplish something as long as I caught him off guard...
But right before I could grab the chair, something struck me from behind. My breath hitched, and my vision dimmed.
Did... Did something just hit me?
I fell on the spot before I could look behind me. The cold floor pressed against my cheek, and my consciousness began to fade.
The princess’s voice came from far away. “Mrs. Marielle! Why did you...? What are you doing?! Stop!”
Another voice responded back to her. “It would be boring to just kill her normally. We have this nice tool here, so why don’t we use it?”
My head and neck ached. Wait, that’s right. It hurts. My neck was probably where I’d been hit. I hadn’t fainted completely, so I could still vaguely hear voices around me.
Someone grabbed both of my arms, and I could feel them being pulled behind my back. That brought my consciousness into reality somewhat. Urgh... My head is pounding, and my hands hurt. Oh, I can’t move them either. Are they tied together?
Whoever had tied my hands picked me up. When I managed to open my eyelids, I saw Lord Hilbert staring at me in shock. So it wasn’t him. Then the person who attacked me was...
My body was shoved, face down, onto the surface of a stiff board. My glasses collided with the wood, which hurt my face, but since I couldn’t move my arms, I couldn’t adjust them.
What am I lying on? Don’t tell me it’s...
“I’m sure there’ll be quite a stir when the young madam of an earldom is found without her head. I’m very glad you all ran into this room.”
“Stop! Stop it!” The princess was screaming.
Hands roughly gripped my shoulders and dragged my body toward the edge of the board—my face now hung off of it. Something stiff touched my throat, then something similar hit my nape. My entire neck was now fixed tightly in place. I was unable to move not only my arms but my whole body. Technically, I could move my legs, but thrashing them around wouldn’t free the rest of my body.
I could see the floor right in front of my eyes, and though I could no longer look up, I knew the blade was hanging there. If the rope was untied, that blade would fall freely and slice through my neck...
“Stop it!” The princess kept shrieking. “Why are you doing this?!”
Somehow, I managed to turn my head slightly. A few figures entered my vision. Standing next to me was the previously innocent-looking soldier, and though I couldn’t see Her Highness, it seemed Mr. Meyer had caught her. Lord Hilbert was whipping his gaze back and forth between us, not understanding.
Mr. Meyer cackled again. “There’s no need to be so distraught! The woman who was in your way will disappear, that’s all.”
“Don’t be stupid! I never wished for this!”
“Two women had an ugly spat over one man. It happens all the time. You’re going to be overtaken by your heightened emotions—and you’re going to kill your rival in love.”
“What are you talking about?! Do you even know what you’re saying?!”
“But upon seeing the flowing blood, you’ll go mad with fear and throw yourself out of the window. This filthy performance will end with both of you dying.”
“Meyer...!”
“A rather stale script, indeed, but it will contribute enough of an impact on the world. There’s no need to make it into a beautiful story. The more lowbrow and disgusting it is, the more it will pique the people’s interest.”
Princess Mira might not have understood what was really going on, but at the very least, she knew that both of us were about to be murdered. She was shocked into silence for a moment, but then she began shouting desperately. “What are you doing, Hilbert?! Save Mrs. Marielle!”
Lord Hilbert was the only one not being held captive—his body was free. The princess was asking him why he wasn’t moving, but all he did was sit there, flustered.
“Huh...? No, but...?”
“Please! I’ll do anything you say later, so just save her!”
That seemed to resonate with Lord Hilbert for a moment, but when he glanced at the soldier standing over me, he faltered. It seemed he truly didn’t have the courage to fight.
Mr. Meyer then spoke in a saccharine voice. “Lord Hilbert. If you don’t want to die, don’t get in my way. Just stay quiet and watch. Wouldn’t it be great for you if the princess died?”
“Huh...?” squeaked out Lord Hilbert.
“After all, with her gone, you wouldn’t just become the prince consort—you’d be the king. But only if you shut your mouth and watch.”
“N-No, but there’s also Julius...”
“You’re more suited to be king than some weak-bodied prince who’s bedridden every other day. And it’s not uncommon for sickly children to die before they reach adulthood. No one would suspect you if he died.”
Lord Hilbert gulped at the suggestion. He shook his head, blue in the face and quivering. It seemed even he wasn’t so evil. “I-I don’t want... I don’t really want to go that far...”
Mr. Meyer guffawed. “What a pathetic man you are! You spout arrogant nonsense all the time, yet you don’t actually have the will to steal the throne! How feeble. Is this all the northern royalty amounts to?”
I couldn’t see Mr. Meyer, but I had to speak. I finally managed to push my voice out. “You... What is your real name? Is it just a lie that you’re the nephew of a member of parliament? Did you switch places with the real Mr. Meyer? Or are you actually him and determined to betray your country?”
He didn’t answer my questions. He just uttered one cold, curt phrase.
“Kill her.”
The soldier moved.
“Nooo!” The princess’s scream drowned out all other noise. “Stop! Stop! Nooooo!”
Her words didn’t stop the soldier. He began to manipulate something above my head. Surely, he was fiddling with the rope.
This has to be a farce... Are they really going to kill me...?
Sweat flowed down my face—my heart thrummed so quickly in my chest that it seemed noisy in my ears. No! What should I do? What can I do? I’m so scared. Somebody, save me! No! No...!
A vision of my husband flashed through my mind.
Lord Simeon...! Save...me...
Would I ever get to see him again? What would he do if I died here? We’d promised each other we’d be together forever. No...I don’t want this to be the end! I don’t want to leave Lord Simeon!
God...!
Suddenly, a piercing, clanging noise resounded right next to my head. I squeezed my eyes shut without realizing it.
Death is upon me.
S-So this is what it sounds like... Wait, I don’t feel any pain. Can I not tell because I’m already dead? Beheadings are supposed to be over in an instant. My head must not be attached to my body anymore.
Despite that, I still possessed all five senses. As I lay on the guillotine, my erratic breathing persisted, and my muscles were tense with nerves. Nothing was supporting my face, so the weight of my head was pressing my throat into the board, which very much hurt. Indeed, the weight of my head is...
“Huh?”
Does...that mean I’m not dead? Realizing this, I opened my eyes again. The floor was as close as it had been before, meaning my head was still attached.
I was scared to look elsewhere, but I willed myself to do so. A white uniform filled my vision, very close to where I was. I couldn’t peer up any farther to check, but I knew that figure. Even if someone else wore the same clothes and had a similar build, I could never mistake them for him.
“L-Lord Sim...”