CHAPTER5: DID YOU WAIT TOO LONG, WIFE?

Several days had passed since the investigation, and the once proud Duchess Coretta now stood atop the penalty tower - the judgment house.

The place of judgment was filled with onlookers who had gathered to see her punished for her crimes.

Her clothing was now shabby, and the full-length silk garment that she wore was threadbare and disorganized, struggling to maintain its hold on her body. Coretta's appearance was vastly different from before- a symbol of her fallen status.

The crowd numbering in the hundreds gazed upon her with contempt and disdain. They jeered and laughed as she awaited her sentence, the weight of their judgment suffocating her.

The noisy chatter broke out in the great hall, echoing off the black adornments designed in keeping with the grandeur and might of the castle. Commoners filled one side of the hall, while the other accommodated the high-born and the well-pedigreed.

Lining up the center of the massive room stood a long, granite rectangular table decorated with booklets of judgments and overflowing margins of wines, and flanked by the royal guards, the entire members of the royal family demanded an appearance. In his kingly upright chair, Duke Ansel sat stifled, rigor mortis clouding his features incommensurate with reverie.

Beside the Duke was his new mistress officially juiced up to a duchess, perched, arrogantly as preserved, a black serpent ready to pounce on its prey. The Court leaders, including Lady Estrella, filled in the additional seats.

"Silence!" a command barked and hushed the crowd.

"The trial is in session!" cried out the guards before turning expectantly toward the judge's bench.

One of the court leaders, a tall bald man in a red cloak similar to other officials, rose and approached the assembled judges, carrying a large, aged parchment-bound tome in his stead. He signaled the onset of the judgment and proceeded to recite meaningful oaths to the assembly.

"We have all gathered here to witness the sentencing of Coretta Villan, once the Duchess of the House. She shall hereby be referred to only as the daughter of Count Philip Bourbon Villan and the late Constance Bourbon Villan.

We have accused her of the murder of Julius Capet Loughty, heir to the Loughty House. Her fate shall be according to the Holy book of law, which provides for the prevalence of the truth and the punishment of evildoers. May the judgment process begin!"

He raised the large book to the sky, tracing intricate designs on solemnized pages before slamming it shut with an intimidating thud. Consequently, the grating clamor of a large bell triggered a resonating rumble across the cavernous room, effectively marking the beginning of the sentencing of Coretta Villan.

"Bring the criminal. Let her come forth to the presence of the Almighty and bear the forfeiture of her offence."

In no time, two manly guards in silver armor brought Coretta out. They held the chains connected to Coretta's neck, arms and legs. One on each side. Strangely enough, like a deja vu, Coretta was reminded of the pain on her eighteenth birthday. 

"Heartless!!"

"You don't deserve to be called a mother!!"

"Die. Go to hell, you wretched being!"

"I curse you. Be gainless!"

As Coretta walked down the aisle towards the front of the crowded hall, her mind raced. The venomous curses of the onlookers and the overwhelming condemnation of their ignorance echoed in her ears. She realized that taking someone else's life could only stoke further anger in this volatile and insensitive populace.

She remembered the number of lives destroyed due to their narrow-mindedness and cruel tendencies. Of course, she wouldn't be another tally sign on such a list. Such a wretched end would undoubtedly bathe these angry mobs in the final satisfaction they sought.

But Coretta refused to indulge their vicious nature. They were simply undeserving. None of the praise, none of the respect. She vowed to make them pay each and every single one of them. In her poverty, she would rise; in her solitude, she would persist. She would destroy their prejudiced system and ruin everything that brought them pain. She was now a wildfire burn that would cleanse their cruel world of chaff.

"Let the verdict begin."

"Summon the witness to the wicked act," bellowed the bald man, as he stepped aside and handed over the reins to another court official. The new man had a long white beard, tied neatly into a ponytail. His stale breath was evident as he opened his mouth to speak. 

"Bring in the maid!" he commanded, his expression stern and unyielding. A high-ranking member of the palace, notorious for dispensing severe punishments, he was feared by all. His penalties ranged from being thrown to the wolves or cast out into the woods. 

Coretta turned her head to see the other cage being opened. Her maid, Blythe, slithered out, escorted by another guard. Her clothing was in tatters, worse than Coretta's outfit. Her eyes brimmed with fear as she reached out to embrace Coretta. The sight twisted Coretta's heart. Blythe looked unrecognizable. 

"What have they done to her?" she wondered, her thoughts turning accusingly towards Lucille. Could she have framed Blythe too?

Coretta wondered.

The court was silent, waiting for Blythe's response. She wept as they all stared at her. There were bite marks on her body, and she avoided Coretta's gaze.

"Lift your head, servant, and swear on your life that you shall speak the truth and nothing but the truth," the official said.

Blythe nodded her head and then responded, saying, "I swear on my life."

"Very well then," the official said, signaling silence in the court. At this moment, everyone waited to discover the truth. While most of the villagers believed Coretta wouldn't kill her own baby, whom she was already close to birthing, they all thought something suspicious had happened.

Coretta looked to her ex-husband's eyes nonchalantly, blinking away softly, and then realized he had been staring at her all-along. Their eyes spoke unspoken words and unexplained emotions for the minute, but Coretta didn't want to allow herself to break down. She shifted her gaze to Blythe and the judge.

"Servant, were you aware of Lady Coretta's abnormal behavior?" the official asked.

Blythe hissed and then said, "Y-yes."

"Oh, I see. Did Lady Coretta try to harm the child at some point, or perhaps neglect the health of the child out of selfish reasons?" the official asked, incredulous.

During this interrogation, Blythe and Coretta's eyes coincidentally locked in a few heartbeats.

"Overall, Lady Coretta loves her child. Yes, there were times when she might have had abnormal behavior, but above all, she loved her child," Blythe finally replied while avoiding Coretta's eyes.

The crowd began to murmur and fidget with suspicion levels escalating when Blythe pointed to the abnormal behavior of Coretta before the baby delivery.

"That unfortunate night, were you with Lady Coretta when she stabbed herself?" the official asked, trying to dig deep.

Blythe opened her mouth, about to reply, "She didn't," but noticed a deadly glare from Lucille warning her against painting things in any suspicious lights. So, she closed it without speaking and bowed her head dejectedly.

"What do you mean, she didn't...she didn't stop?" The judge demanded Blythe to finish her sentence.

Coretta's heart raced in her chest because Blythe, her dear friend and loyal servant could determine her fate. 

Blythe guiltily pressed her fingers to the ground as tears rolled down her cheeks uncontrollably. "S-She didn't stop stabbing herself," she confessed, and a sob broke out.

"What do you mean? Speak the truth!" The judge grunted impatiently.

After quivering in fear and turmoil, Blythe revealed, "She wanted the baby gone for good. She was enraged, infuriated by the Duke. She killed him," and fell into a weeping mess.

The judge carefully asked if there was anyone besides the two of them present in the room at that time. 

Blythe turned stiff, thinking to herself that there was someone else, but didn't dare speak the truth. So, she told a lie, avoiding Coretta's shocked expression. Blythe was sorry and ashamed, realizing her betrayal to Lady Coretta.

"Then Lady Coretta stabbed her child because she wanted revenge on the duke, is that correct?" the judge asked intensively.

Feeling trapped and uncertain, Blythe answered weakly, "Yes."

"You tried to convince her countless times to be more affectionate towards her child, but instead she ignored your warnings, right?" the judge asked, his skepticism growing stronger.

Blythe nodded.

"Y-yes"

"I can't believe it. She killed her child! She is very cruel" A member of the crowd yelled hatefully.

"Quiet down!" The judge growled. He signaled the guards to take the maid back as she was needed no more.

Blythe cried out in regret. She was very sorry to have betrayed her Lady.

Coretta suddenly felt a pang of pain gripped her. Ache from betrayal.

She lied? Why? Was she threatened? 

Why her? Of all the people, not her.

Why?

She wanted a companion, one she could address as her family, was it that hard? Is she so hateful?

Did she deserve nobody? 

None at all.

Was this the end of her life? Where was the happiness? The dream? The family? 

Did she get nothing but death in the end?

"With the truth concluded, Lady Coretta, a murderer mercilessly taking the life of an infant, shall be beheaded as her penalty. Her head will be hung at the center of the market square and anybody who refuses this shall be beheaded along with her" The man proceeded to stamp on the death booklet.

A huge outroar resided inside the hall. The walls of the building also bore witness to the statement.

Count Philip, who came to witness the case blinked the tears from his eyes away while he watched his daughter's vulnerability. He was hurt, deeply. He wiped his tears with the handkerchief clocked into his suit pocket.

He failed her and his late wife.

All he truly wanted for her was happiness. Maybe, she could finally have that through death. She would be at peace with her mother in heaven.

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On the portal of the beheading slate, Coretta's eyes fell shut as she braced herself for whatever terrible fate awaited her. Several heartbeats passed, and all she heard was the footsteps of the butcher. She narrowed her neck, feeling her back ache badly.

Just when she had readied herself, a whooshing sound came through the air, and flying arrows ascended through the sky. 

"Ahhh! My eyes"

"Son of a bit*h! What is happening?"

Coretta opened her eyes with a gasp. The guards and the butcher. They are dead.

Terror occurred inside the hall as people staggered to leave. Arrows continued to fly through the air. One of them stuck one of the officials straight in his leg, causing the poor man to flee. Another directly stabbed Lady Estrella's feet as she fell to the ground.

"Safeguard the Duke and the Duchess. They are assassins" someone broke into the horrified crowd.

Coretta screamed as the arrows came flying over her head. She instantly jolted from the slate and tried to run for her life, when suddenly, a pair of cold hands grabbed her waist, delaying her steps.

Behind her ears, she heard "Did you wait too long, wife?".