Chapter 1: Execution

A man was being led away, his hands tied behind his back, his neck chained, bound. A frenzied crowd was shouting around him—"Traitor! Traitor!"

Sir William, once a powerful and respected knight of the Orinthia Empire, was nothing but a death row prisoner today. Today all this has broken down. He is being led away to be executed for treason.

This all started a few days ago.

William lived a happy life with his wife, Eliza. She was one of the most beautiful women in the country. However, his happiness did not last forever.

One morning, he woke up and realised that his wife was not by his side. William felt that something was wrong. His wife's behaviour had changed over the past few months. She no longer looked at him or spoke to him as before.

Suddenly the door opened and a maid entered. "Sir William, you have been summoned to the royal court. It is urgent."

William was the captain of the Royal Knights, so it wasn't unusual for him to be called in royal court. But William was feeling a little different today.

"Okay, you can go now."

Telling the maid to leave, William quickly got ready to go to the palace and set off.

An uneasiness arose in William's chest. He strapped his sword to his waist and set off for the royal court. On the way, he noticed that people were looking at him strangely. Some were talking in whispers.

As he entered the royal court, he saw that the throne was empty, and standing next to him was Prince Sigurd. But the most surprising thing was that his wife was also standing there.

"Captain William, or should I say Traitor William," the prince said in a serious voice.

"What do you mean, Prince!? Where is His Majesty?"

"Wow, your acting is very good. William, you have been charged with serious crimes. You have plotted treason, planned to destroy our empire, and tried to kill my father."

William's head spun. "Your Highness, that is a complete lie! I have never done such a thing!"

A smile spread across Prince Sigurd's lips. "William, your wife has confessed everything. She told us that you have been secretly in contact with the enemy kingdom."

William's eyes widened. He looked at his wife. "Eliza, is this true? You lied about me like that?"

Eliza looked at him, her eyes empty of emotion. "William, you don't know how long I've been trying to get away from you. You've been busy with your sword and constantly fighting. I'm worthless to you. I'm happy with Prince Sigurd now."

William's heart broke into pieces. He realised that his wife had cheated on him. Not only that, but she had also falsely accused him.

"William," the prince said, "your guilt has been proven. You are sentenced to death. Tomorrow morning you will be hanged."

Darkness fell on William's eyes. He looked at his wife, the one he trusted the most. "Eliza, you know it's a lie. Why did you do this?"

Eliza did not answer. She only looked at Prince Sigurd, and there was a triumphant smile in her eyes.

Now William wondered how his life had been destroyed so quickly. The empire for which he had done so much, his country for which he was ready to give his life, was now pushing him to his death.

Also, Eliza, his love, had also been unfaithful to him. Eliza was also the daughter of a farmer like him. She had loved him since childhood. They were from the same village and grew up together. But she had also betrayed him. This was a great blow to William.

His gaze was fixed on the palace balcony. There stood his wife, Eliza. There was no regret in Eliza's eyes, but a kind of satisfaction, as though his destruction was a carefully planned masterpiece, now finally reaching its conclusion.

"Eliza..." His voice crumbled like a dry leaf.

The crowd's shouts grew louder.

"Die, you bastard!"

"Kill him!"

"The devil must be purged!"

Prince Sigurd stood up. His voice was serious, but to William it sounded like a devilish smile. "Lord William, Archduke of the Empire, you are accused of treason. You plotted to kill my father, the Emperor himself, for power, who saw you as his son, and sold the secrets of our army to the enemy. Your punishment for this crime is only a hard death."

Lies. All lies.

William did not speak. What was the point? He knew the truth. He knew that the accusation was nothing but a cruel fabrication. A web of lies woven with masterful precision.

But no one wanted the truth.

His eyes returned to Eliza. The final piece of this wretched puzzle.

His beloved. His betrayer.

The pain in his chest twisted like a knife. A hundred battles, countless scars, and yet nothing had ever wounded him like this.

William was born into a farming family, and his journey from being a farmer's son to becoming the strongest warrior in the country was not easy. He faced many challenges in his life and came to this point after overcoming all of them. He himself had forgotten how much he had sacrificed. But now all of this seemed like a dream to him.

William was taken to the gallows. Thousands of people had gathered. Their eyes were filled with curiosity, some even shouting with joy.

The noose was put around his neck. William's last thought was, "If I come back, I will take revenge."

The noose was pulled. William's body hung.

But this wasn't the end of William's journey. It was just the beginning.