The Death

With a deep and resolute voice, a man from the altar spoke, "The grave sinner, Cassio Genevieve Scamnder."

A bright light instantly pierced Cassio's eyes right after the blindfold blocking her view was removed. She found herself kneeling on the high altar, something that did not correspond to the dignity of a Noble Princess.

The man on the altar continued, "You will be punished for your crimes that have tarnished the kingdom's good name. Committed adultery while your husband, Duke Eluned Clothilde Scamnder, was performing his duties. Did you admit to the crime you committed?"

Cassio, who was initially shocked by this situation, tried to keep her composure. She looked around quickly. Among the crowd of people who looked at her with a look of hatred and disgust, she saw a man in a royal military uniform looking at her with a wistful expression from a special place provided.

Cassio's lips curved slightly upwards, forming a mocking smile. She would never be fooled by the fake appearance of Eluned, or what they used to call her husband.

Cassio knew if all this was a plan that the man had made to get rid of her without getting his own hands dirty.

Basically, the marriage of the two was only for a political agreement in the interests of the kingdom. There was no love between the two from the beginning. They never even slept in the same bed or even the same room.

And that man, Eluned, is a man who is always lonely in the absence of other women. Knowing that his wife could not be used for his pleasure, he chose to indulge outside with other women.

From the very beginning, Cassio already knew his habits. Only, she chose not to care. And vice versa.

However, for some reason, suddenly Eluned was very ambitious to get rid of her. And a few days ago, Cassio was successfully framed by him. In a room with a strange man, who was Eluned's errand boy.

Fortunately, Cassio managed to protect herself by overthrowing the man. But still, according to the man's plan, citizens immediately broke in and arrested the two in droves after hearing the news from someone they didn't even know.

And now, this is her fate. Tried in front of many people without a chance for her to defend herself. She doesn't even know the whereabouts of the man arrested with her.

"Cassio Genevieve Scamnder, I'll ask you one more time. Did you confess to your crime?" The same question is repeated. This time made Cassio laugh out loud.

At that moment, the crowd that had gathered around her turned silent. Before they could vent their anger at the sinner's arrogance, Cassio opened her mouth.

Her voice was loud yet cold, "Admit something I didn't do? That's funny. What did I do wrong? Just because you heard the news from someone you didn't even know, you immediately arrested and tried me without knowing the truth."

Someone from the crowd responded in a loud and angry voice, "Not only did we hear, we saw what you did with our eyes."

"Watch me do what? Tell me what you have seen right in front of me!"

There was no response from the person who responded earlier. Only silence surrounds them.

Cassio took a deep breath before her loud voice echoed again, conveying all the thoughts that had been harbored, "Since you can't ignore what you have seen, then you must also have seen Duke Eluned Clothilde Scamnder, my beloved husband, commit a crime similar to the one you accuse me of, right? Shouldn't he also be punished here with me?"

Cassio's head looked up, looking directly at the man in the royal military uniform who was looking at her with his eyes wide open. Cassio's smile widened seeing the reaction that could not be hidden.

"You saw it, didn't you? He admitted everything was-- " Before Cassio could finish her sentence, her mouth was smothered tightly, stopping everything she said.

This time there were no angry cheers, only whispers heard from each other. They know, but refuse to acknowledge it.

"Cassio Genevieve Scamnder, you have committed two very damned crimes. Adultery, and now slander. You have no right to open your mouth. And according to the laws of the kingdom, you will be put to death."

The Royal Military Commander raised his hand, beckoning the soldier to carry out the punishment. A sharp-bladed sword was raised, ready for the death penalty.

Cassio, although aware of her terrible fate, still did not close her eyes in the least. There was no fear in her eyes. Instead, she displayed a firmness that made everyone feel hesitant.

As the blade of the sword fell towards her neck, a thought popped into her mind, 'it's not too bad to killed by my favorite thing.'

*******

Cassio Genevieve Marquesse. She was the daughter of Marquesse Nobility in the Empire of Nordiff. However, she was not a recognized daughter from birth.

Her mother came from a lower caste, a courtesan who was ordered to serve Duke Marquesse. Their relationship was supposed to end there. But fate had other plans.

The courtesan, unexpectedly, became pregnant with Duke Marquesse's child. In fact, Duke himself only discovered this three years after the child's birth.

Of course, it wasn't Duke who sought the truth. It was because the courtesan brought the child to Duke Marquesse—an offspring carrying the blood of one of the nobility's members.

Duke Marquesse, being a member of the nobility, couldn't afford to tarnish his reputation. So, he decided to acknowledge the illegitimate child as his legitimate heir, even though he was already married to a princess from another kingdom.

At the tender age of three, Cassio had the foresight to understand that her life would change after being separated from her mother.

In the grand and opulent palace that she now shared with her two other half-siblings, the coldness and cruelty couldn't be ignored. The treatment she received there wasn't fit for a noble princess but rather a servant, or even worse.

These dreadful days persisted until she reached the age of 19, an ideal age to pursue her ambitions or even to marry for a noble princess.

Of course, the latter was not her desire. Since she lived with her birth mother, she had been determined to become a swordmaster. Her determination was so strong that she secretly joined the training of the palace guards.

Unfortunately, her father, Duke Marquesse, vehemently opposed her wishes as soon as he found out. He forcibly married Cassio off to a noble from another kingdom for his own political gain.

There was no way for Cassio to refuse at that time. Her thoughts were still filled with the gratitude her family had always emphasized.

Until she realized that Duke Marquesse's intention was to remove her from the palace. Even moments after she accepted this fact, her husband attempted to get rid of her as well.

And eventually, he succeeded. She was ousted by her own husband.

The only regret she carried in her life was not knowing the whereabouts of her mother after she was left in the hands of Duke Marquesse.

Even the sole source of warmth and affection was the first person to leave her in this painful world until she breathed her last breath alone.