Moonlight Ball - Chapter 182

“Li… live… please…”

Margaret repeated those words. Oh, yes. Regrettably, at this very moment, Margaret wanted to live desperately. She had thought that she didn’t mind dying since her youth had been taken away, but that wasn’t the case. She wanted to live. Even for just one more day with her aged body. She wanted to see sunlight and to walk. She just wanted to eat something delicious without any worries. She wanted to eat something. She wanted to live in peace without pain.

No, no, above all…

She wanted to live. She didn’t want to die. She didn’t want it to end like this. Death. Complete end. Annihilation. Banishment from this world. She wanted to see something with her eyes still open.

“Your Highness.”

The torturers bowed politely. The guards frowned. Even so, the sight of the elderly woman lying on the stone floor with her skin pale and covered in blood wasn’t pleasant to look at. But Pow and Sidrain didn’t bat an eye.

“Did you get everything?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Sidrain glanced through Margaret’s interrogation records and let out a dry chuckle.

“Duke Zeneth, you say?”

“Yes, Your Highness. She seemed to have been a spy for Duke Zeneth. And among the names mentioned… Elena En Sethang…”

Sidrain flipped through the records and tossed them on the table with a smirk.

“I’ve only seen Duke Zeneth’s name. What other names are there?”

Sidrain’s cold gaze made the torturers hurriedly bow their heads. They were public officials, but they belonged to the lowly ones. As soon as they were out of the king’s sight, their lives were in jeopardy.

“Oh, no, Your Highness.”

“Pow, organize this interrogation record.”

Upon Sidrain’s command, Pow picked up the interrogation record. He quickly scanned through it and understood Sidrain’s intention when he found Elena’s name. It was meant to exclude Elena’s name.

She was on the brink of death one way or another.

Elena En Sethang was a highly influential noble. Her husband was one of Sidrain’s surrogate brothers, and Elena herself served as the official representative of the queen. Most importantly, Elena’s actions were for the good of the king. Sidrain didn’t know the extent of Elena’s involvement, but he was aware that she was involved in some way. So Elena’s actions were done with Sidrain’s tacit approval, and this interrogation record wasn’t about Elena’s scandal but about Sidrain’s. After all, what king would simply allow a scandal?

In any case, Margaret’s fate was sealed. Sidrain glanced down at her briefly.

“Nevertheless, we can’t just let her die. Public opinion is strong.”

Public opinion clamored for those who harmed the queen to be brought to justice. Sidrain had to present the culprits, even if they had to be invented.

“Get a priest to come and give her cursory healing.”

Sidrain ordered while looking down at Margaret, who seemed almost half-crazed, repeating pleas for mercy.

“Hang her along with Samael.”

Pow nodded and left to carry out the orders.