Ch.171Somehow… #6

“Kuh, kuuuh…!”

There’s a big difference between holding your breath and not being able to breathe.

John, rolling on the carriage floor with his hands clutching at his throat as if strangling himself, was physically experiencing that difference.

It was incredibly fortunate that he had survived a situation where his head could have been severed at any moment, but as this torture repeated over and over, his thoughts gradually changed.

I wish they had killed me. The thought wouldn’t leave John’s mind.

How much time had passed?

John had been rolling on the floor through the most painful experience of his life, and would have to continue rolling. All the way until they reached the imperial capital.

He had considered trying to escape several times, but feared an even greater punishment might follow.

That fear kept him from moving a step.

Moreover, John lacked the ability to escape the cold gazes of Helena and Ellen who sat watching him.

If he could have escaped, he would have fled on that night when he was first punished.

“Huh-ugh, huh-ugh…!”

When air finally seeped back into his nostrils, John opened his mouth wide as if he’d been waiting for this moment. He was trying to inhale as much air as possible.

To an observer, it might have seemed exaggerated, as if he would inhale even dust, but John’s mind was filled only with the instinct to breathe and survive.

“How much longer do we have?”

“At this pace… we should reach the capital in about four days.”

Four days.

John felt darkness descend upon him at those words.

Although he had already endured much longer, hearing that four days remained made him feel faint.

Meanwhile, Helena looked down at John, who hung his head low with a dark expression, thinking that everything was going according to plan.

She was grateful to Ellen, who had played along and answered her question about the schedule, despite already knowing it.

“Pl-please… please kill me! I beg you!”

Just as Helena had intended, John, half-crazed, clung to Helena’s slender ankle and wailed.

Normally, four days wouldn’t seem that long, but the thought of enduring torture during that time pushed John over the edge.

The periods of not being able to breathe had been unbearably long, and the pain had already been etched deep into his bones.

At a glance, seeing someone begging to be killed while shedding tears and mucus might soften one’s heart.

But far from softening, Helena frowned at the sight.

She was greatly irritated by the contrast between John’s face when he first thanked her for her mercy and his current appearance begging for death.

“I told you before. That I would keep you alive, not kill you. And instead of taking your life, I would substitute it with this punishment. In just four days, you will be free from even this punishment, yet you still complain? After committing the serious crime of poisoning a nobleman, my husband no less?”

“Uu, uuuuu…!!”

John had been about to scream for death again, but Helena’s chilling voice silenced him.

When faced with the immediate threat of death, his desire to live reared its head.

“Tsk. Normally, you would deserve immediate beheading… but because I cannot see blood before a joyous occasion, I am showing this much restraint. If it were up to me, I would not be satisfied even if I put over seventy holes in your body.”

Anyway. Helena’s voice seemed hoarse after her rather long speech, so she paused briefly before speaking again.

“In any case, seeing that you have the energy to struggle, it seems your breathing has eased somewhat. Isn’t that right?”

“Ah, aah…! Pl-please, stop…”

If she had intended to stop when asked, she wouldn’t have started in the first place.

Helena briefly made eye contact with Ellen sitting across from her and gave a small nod, whereupon Ellen withdrew the air surrounding John as if she had been waiting for the signal.

.

“How pitiful…”

After traveling for several days to reach the imperial palace stables, the heart of the empire, Hans sighed and muttered sympathetically.

Though clearly tired from driving the carriage for so long, perhaps he felt sorry for John, who was leaving with his body trembling in fear.

It looked pitiful to me as well, so I nodded quietly and said:

“It’s not my place to say… but it seems he suffered greatly.”

“Well… I suppose so.”

Although his crime was serious enough to warrant execution, it was natural that he looked haggard after being unable to breathe for such a long time, and it was understandable that Hans spoke with a sour expression.

Additionally, it was only natural that John’s eyes reflected his terror.

“At times like this, do you find Helena frightening?”

“Frightening… well. She is far above my station to begin with, so how could I not fear her? However, if the Grand Duke is asking about the Duchess’s manner of punishing that man… then yes, I think that’s entirely possible.”

The king had already departed with the guidance of the imperial palace servants, and Helena and Ellen had also gone ahead to the rooms where we would stay for the night.

In other words, only Hans and I remained in these stables.

Even the stable keeper who normally watched over this place had temporarily vacated at my request.

That’s why Hans was calmly expressing thoughts that would have been difficult to voice in front of them.

Although I had now become a high-ranking noble, I was originally from a viscount’s family, and I had built up a rapport with the servants by helping with chores around the mansion.

“Thank you for saying that.”

“Oh my, there’s no need for thanks. After all, she spared a life that should have been forfeit, and his body is still intact. Setting aside his mental state, I’d say that’s quite merciful.”

While the punishment was lighter than what other nobles might have imposed, in some ways it also seemed much heavier.

His body might be intact, but he had received trauma that he would carry for the rest of his life, likely living in nightmares for at least a few years.

Put differently, one could say a person’s life had been ruined.

Nevertheless, as Hans said, he was able to return with his limbs intact despite the mistake of poisoning someone, so perhaps that was fortunate in its own way.

Afterward, I spent an awkward yet uneventful day meeting with Helena and Ellen.

We also met with the Empire’s Emperor alongside the King to exchange greetings, and received mixed glances from imperial officials that combined discomfort with a strange feeling.

It was inevitable, given that we had fought a war not long ago, and we were the ones who had delivered something of a decisive blow in that war.

“…Thus, both nations once again pledge at this gathering to promise peace between them…”

By the time the sun had risen quite high.

Watched by many nobles, the King and the Emperor successfully concluded a friendship treaty—or in other words, a peace treaty—in a spacious room where the thrones were placed.

The Emperor and the King took turns reciting the declaration, and shook hands while holding certificates stamped with each other’s royal seals, smiling at one another.

It was quite a fascinating sight, like something one might see on the news.

“I sincerely hope this peace will be maintained for a long time.”

“Yes. It certainly will be. And… thank you once again for accepting my request.”

Since this was an official occasion, and moreover, his counterpart was an Emperor, the King elevated his speech.

I wondered if it was because he had naturally spoken informally when accepting the surrender.

Though I knew it was right to speak formally, it still gave me a strange feeling.

“Now, to celebrate today, we have prepared a banquet hall, so please enjoy yourselves without reservation. Shall we?”

As the Emperor laughed heartily and suggested a banquet, we had no choice but to politely follow.

Since the King was the main figure of the day, it wouldn’t be a problem for me to stay in a corner, but I couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable in such a boisterous setting.

Still, I managed to smile since it was an occasion with various foods and even a band playing music.

Helena and Ellen must have been just as uncomfortable, yet they maintained expressionless faces and acted as if nothing was amiss.

However, that didn’t mean many nobles lined up to approach us to build relationships.

They seemed hesitant to speak to us, having met us as enemies and knowing our notorious reputation. The atmosphere of the banquet itself was simply uncomfortable.

Thanks to this, I realized anew that even a lavish and enjoyable setting could easily become awkward.

“The gazes directed at us are quite concerning. Even Viscount Anderson seems to be keeping his distance…”

Helena, who had briefly separated from me while looking around the banquet hall, approached and whispered in a low voice.

Now that she mentioned it, Anderson was only conversing with nobles who appeared to be part of the Emperor’s faction in a corner, showing no signs of approaching us.

In some circumstances, this might seem uncomfortable and unpleasant, but I also thought it was understandable.

His subordinate had just been released after enduring a harsh ordeal for a long time, and the overall atmosphere was somewhat strained.

“That’s to be expected. It hasn’t even been half a year since the war ended. Wouldn’t someone approaching us with a smile in this situation be more suspicious?”

“Hmm… that’s true. Moreover, imperial nobles must live within imperial noble society, so that makes it even more understandable.”

“Right. For us, this is just a passing connection, but they wouldn’t want to create unnecessary problems.”

Although Anderson was relatively friendly toward us, he couldn’t escape the framework of being an imperial noble.

Of course, even without such circumstances, I wouldn’t have felt disappointed. Since they were nobles of another country, I was just glad if they didn’t cause trouble.

I hoped that we could continue peacefully without incident, as we had until now.

However, as if reading my thoughts, the Emperor called Helena and me separately and arranged a meeting.

In a cozy room, at quite a late hour.

“I heard that one of Anderson’s people made a grave mistake, but I learned about it too late. I apologize.”

Perhaps because it was a private setting with no onlookers, the Emperor bowed his head and apologized without reservation.

Judging by his expression and gestures, he seemed genuinely sorry.

I suspected that these gestures and expressions might be feigned simply because he was the Emperor, but even if that were the case, it was fine.

Whether sincere or affected, the decision and action to bow to us couldn’t have been easy.

“Um… There’s no need for the Emperor to bow and apologize. The wrongdoer has been appropriately punished. Please raise your head.”

I comforted the Emperor and encouraged him to lift his head, speaking on behalf of Helena, who had frozen with her mouth slightly open.

I was worried he might continue bowing and prostrating himself, but fortunately, he complied with my words.

“I truly am sorry. To offer not help but poorly prepared potatoes is deeply embarrassing. It’s tantamount to giving poison.”

“That matter has been settled with Viscount Anderson, so there’s no need for Your Majesty to apologize. It’s fine.”

“No. Thanks to the mercy of the Duchess and the Grand Duke, we were able to quietly resolve what could have caused a major discord between our countries. I cannot thank you enough or apologize enough.”

I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was unusually friendly, perhaps because we had helped each other behind the scenes.

It was certainly better than being at odds, but it was quite burdensome.

Helena seemed to think so too, as she remained silent with her eyes half-closed.

“We couldn’t shed blood before a joyous occasion. That’s why the punishment ended up being more cruel than immediate beheading… In any case, the Viscount understood our intentions well.”

“Thanks to that, we were able to successfully conclude the treaty. I thank the Duchess and the Grand Duke once again for their decision.”

“Yes…”

What more could I say here? I thought it would be most appropriate to simply answer “yes,” so I let my words trail off.

Then, suddenly, the realization that he had heard the circumstances from Anderson flashed through my mind like lightning.

That would mean he also knew about the wine.

“By the way. Since you mentioned hearing about the situation from Viscount Anderson… did you perhaps also hear about the wine?”

“Wine…? Ah. Of course I did. But why…?”

“If it’s alright with you, I was wondering if Your Majesty might also be willing to taste it.”

It was strange that we might expand our market to the Empire before our own kingdom, but I couldn’t pass up this opportunity that had presented itself.

Setting aside whether things would work out well or not, I had to at least give it a try.