Escape (1)
I looked down at my own handcuffs and sighed deeply while still following Althea behind towards my end after getting off the carriage.
Today marks my execution or should I say, my death day.
I remember that I had already planned everything so we could escape.
But I don't know whether or not the plan will succeed since Cristo will carry out the most important part.
As for the citizens and nobles, they will not actually care about my death.
It doesn't matter whether I am a member of the royal family or not, they will only see me as a sinner who violates the orders by engaging myself in witchcraft.
Every time I think about it again, the more stupid it sounds.
When we arrived at the area full of crowds, the center lies the wooden stake that is already in its place and was still standing beside it.
Even if a little time passes, I could still feel shivers running down through my spine with subconsciously imagining myself in that state.
Althea slightly averts her eyes to me. She turned her head towards me in which I saw she smiled lightsome.
"To be honest, Your Highness,"
Althea started while looking back at the crowds that are surrounding the area from the top on each axis of the shape of the building.
"... You will be the first person that is going to be executed in a conscious state. I can give you sleeping pills right now or poison if Your Highness wants to. What do you think, Your Highness? Do you want one to ease the pain?"
She offered playfully as if my life was being tested and it's not really important to continue living.
I started to wonder deeply about what kind of person Althea truly is.
"What do you think of a human's life, Miss Genetta?"
I didn't answer her question and instead, I asked curiously about Althea's view of humans.
I didn't mind anything and was just trying to focus on her answer.
Althea blinked at my question as she chuckled,
"In this kingdom..."
She turned her head towards me, staring down at me as I couldn't sense any emotions coming from her.
"Lives don't matter."
From the tone of her voice, it was as if she was telling me that there is no use in asking such a question.
"I already told you, Your Highness. Refrain yourself from doing any funny business. In this Kingdom, even death won't save us. No one will help you. No one will believe in a sinner. There is no freedom even after death."
After saying those things, Althea can only smile at me as if she had given up her freedom a long time ago to the point that she didn't even care who would die or survive.
She doesn't care about anyone and anything that revolves around her, including herself.
To cut it short, she was just like an expressive robot that was doing her job based on the orders of her masters.
With the statement she exclaimed, I could only look down as I couldn't blurt my mouth to say anything back to her.
Between her and I, I can't find the right words to argue with her statement.
It's frustrating that I could even feel my heartache in pain from the harsh reality of this kingdom.
After thinking that there was no more question for me, Althea turned back as she faced the crowd.
With that, she announced my execution.
"For violating the rules of the Directive Order, Dorothy Lucretia O'bell will receive execution by burning."
A shiver ran down my spine the moment Althea announced that by herself.
"Your Highness, do you have any-"
Before Althea could even finish her sentence to me, she quickly stopped when she saw a Directive Knight hurriedly walk in front of her from the back of the place and facing her with his hand saluted.
"Report to Lady Althea Genetta Third Order. Cristo Oswald had escaped from his prison."
Althea looked surprised when she heard the information.
With the news that I could hear clearly from here, I immediately form a satisfied smile.
"It has begun."
Althea slightly flinches from my exclamation.
"What do you mean?"
She asked as she walked towards me with her hand pulling out her black sword from the sheath.
She pointed it towards me with a menacing atmosphere around her.
"What are you saying?"
She was outwardly calm but at the same time, she was annoyed and extremely angry with the situation.
I could feel that from her aura manifesting around her.
I just smiled sheepishly towards her as I was not the slightest intimidated by her threatening and shrug, which caused Althea to become more annoyed.
'... I hope Selene also succeeds in this mission.'
I thought hopefully, remembering the time that I asked Selene about it before I was transported to the Forest Dreams.
Not long after, another Directive Knight made his way towards us as he salutes.
"Report to Lady Althea Genetta Third Order. The Central Directive is on fire and half of the kingdom is burning with flames."
"What!?"
Althea's expression was priceless when she heard the news.
I sighed in relief when the building's ideal condition happened.
Burning the Central Directive itself is one of my plans.
The one that was responsible for the action was Cristo himself, who was burning down the building.
"... Today is the day where every Directive Special Knights are not in their place, right?"
I inquired Althea calmly while looking at her as she turned her head towards me angrily.
"What did you do?"
I ignored her statement while appearing with a confident smile as I continue my explanation.
"Not to mention, Central Directive is currently empty, right? With that in mind, I can assure you won't have any victims. I have also heard that exactly every 10 April, Directive Special Knights will do some special task. In addition to this, I'm actually grateful that you set my execution date for 10 April..."
After my sentence, Althea stared at me silently with a loathsome expression.
With the remaining silent, I continued,
"... But what about you, Miss Genetta? Shouldn't you be where the other Directive Special Knights are?"
"Your Highness, I will ask again. Is this your doing?"
Althea finally spoke up with her weapon hanging closer to my neck.
In the middle of the conversation, the crowds suddenly start panicking as if they are being chased by something.
"Fire!"
"Everything is burning!"
I could only gaze deeply at them.
While everything is burning into ashes, I remembered the day when I first told Cristo and Selene the mission.
-
[1 March 774/Backstory]
"Cristo,"
I started and look at him in the eye.
"Now that we know how to escape to the outside world, I already made a plan. It's risky and it depends on Selene too if she wants to cooperate."
Cristo shook his head as he has low hope that the plan would succeed.
"But we haven't met yet, Master. Please don't make a plan that yourself is not even sure--"
"Cristo."
I raise my hand to make him shut his mouth and listen to my explanation which worked because he immediately goes silent.
"..."
I sighed deeply before proceeding to explain,
"I want you to burn the Central Directive and this Kingdom."
When I exclaimed that, his eyes widened with his lips parted.
"I heard you can burn everything down. So if possible, burn everything including this whole Kingdom."
"B-but this Kingdom is a spacious and large land. Even with my power, It's impossible to burn everything down. And What about the citizens?"
Cristo explained the reason for his doubt.
I slightly nodded as I understand that the plan might be acknowledged as impossible by many others, including Cristo himself.
Which I have already thought of something that could lower down the risk of failing.
"It's not impossible to burn everything down if we have the help of witchcraft, that is Selene. About the citizens, Directive Knights will take care of it. That's why I asked you to burn everything down so that the knight's attention will be locked on citizens."
I explained everything in detail and relaxed myself on the couch.
"The Directive Special Knights. If they execute me on an important day, for example, 10 April, then luck is on our side. Because every 10 April, Directive Special Knights was never seen anywhere as they disappeared, much as well doesn't exist because of their secret task."
"... If you're not going to be executed on 10 April, what would you do?"
"Then we have no choice but to execute our plan with them getting in our way. It's a huge risk but if we succeed, we'll escape from this wretched Kingdom."
"..."
He stayed silent and didn't respond to my exclamation.
It was because we both already know that my plan is only based on luck and it has too many holes with a high chance of failing.
But I don't care anymore because I have to go to the outside world and reach the Carnival Trump just like what that creature said.
"The faster the better."
-
[17 March 774/Backstory]
"Selene, before you send me to Forest Dreams, I'd like to explain my plan to you if I came back alive. Would that be alright?"
"Hm~?"
She smiled gently with her hand touching her lips as she pretends to think before nodding.
"Of course~ I'm going to be your underling either if you're alive, now, now, please explain~"
I nodded and explained everything to her including that her job is to spread the fire from Central Directive to the whole Kingdom.
I even asked if that's alright for her to violates the order in which to my relief she didn't mind at all.
To me, Selene is like a person that had no determination to achieve something.
If she would die and get executed, then she would go along with it.
"... Alright. I am ready."
I exclaimed, signing her to send me to Forest Dreams.
-
[10 April 774/Present Day]
I sighed deeply as the flames spread through the Kingdom as the Directive Knights informed.
Even though Selene's only inside the cell, being able to do this kind of witchcraft is amazing and I'm quite satisfied to have her work under me.
Even though we didn't meet for a few weeks, she was able to remember her duty for the plan.
In which that I am glad that they didn't choose to execute Selene first.
'Now, time to execute the plan from my side.'
.
.
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