I Was Told to Drink Poison, So I Drank It - 2 - Who Is the True Evil?
“Extra! Extra! The most wicked woman in history, Chalize, has been executed!!”
“Give me a copy!”
“Me too! I want one!!”
People gathered around the newspaper vendor, snatching up copies from his hands.
The papers, dated today, reported the execution of Queen Chalize.
Chalize drank poison and died.
Evil has been defeated.
A middle-aged woman, likely a housewife, let out a sigh of relief.
“Ahh, finally. It took so long…”
“But now, our lives will get better. We should thank the king.”
A man wearing a beret spoke with deep emotion.
“Did the queen die?”
A small child tilted his head, looking at the adults.
One of the men grinned at the boy.
“That’s right! Evil has been defeated. No more suffering under her rule!!”
The entire city was in a festival-like uproar.
The butcher raised his voice, calling out to customers.
“Come, come! Take a look! Madam, how about a special roast lamb today? The wicked traitor, Chalize, is dead! Today is a good day!!”
A flower girl shouted in a sing-song voice.
“Flowers! Would you like some flowers? Today is a day of celebration! After all, the most wicked woman in history, Chalize, is dead! Why not gift a flower to your loved ones?”
The musicians performing in the square laughed.
“Today, we shall perform ‘The Comedy of Victory.’ The theme? The execution of the most wicked woman in history, Chalize…”
The entire nation rejoiced.
After all, Queen Chalize of Victoire was despised by the people.
[The Wicked Woman Who Ruined the Nation]
[The Most Wicked Woman in History]
These were the titles given to her.
☆
Queen Chalize of Victoire—died at age twenty.
Chalize was born into the powerful Zenefelder Ducal House of Victoire.
At the age of six, she was betrothed to the current king, Henry.
At the same time, she awakened to her talent as a Saintess.
Like other Saintesses, Chalize was sent to the temple.
She possessed immense holy power.
With it, she performed many miracles and saved countless people.
[The Saintess of Salvation]
She was revered, worshiped, and praised.
As long as she was there, magical beasts were nothing to fear.
The people adored her, believing she was a Saintess sent by the gods.
But everything changed when the temple announced the truth.
[Lady Chalize of the Zenefelder Ducal House has no holy power. All of her past achievements were the work of other Saintesses.]
The report declared that Chalize’s accomplishments were nothing but falsehoods.
The people were disappointed and disheartened.
‘Chalize of the Zenefelder Ducal House stole the achievements of other Saintesses and acted as if they were her own.’
‘She behaved as if she alone was the miracle-working Saintess.’
‘Chalize of the Zenefelder Ducal House is a terrible liar!!’
At first, the citizens were simply disappointed, but as the story spread, their disappointment turned into anger.
That was where it all began.
Even though she had supposedly lied and stolen credit for others’ achievements, the temple and royal family did not punish her.
That was suspicious.
Why wasn’t Chalize punished?
The people thought about it and came to a conclusion.
Zenefelder was a ducal house.
A powerful noble family.
Surely, they pressured the temple and the royal family.
Chalize was the crown prince’s fiancée. That much influence would be easy to exert.
To make matters worse, nobles and wealthy merchants began supporting this idea, making it seem even more plausible.
No one could tell if it was true or not, but speculation spread like wildfire, and soon, everyone was consumed by suspicion.
As time passed, the truth no longer mattered.
The people simply wanted someone to blame for their daily suffering.
Then, at that moment, the temple announced an increase in taxes.
Normally, the royal family imposed taxes, but the tax for combating magical beasts—the Holy Tax—was an exception.
Magical beasts were created by contamination from magical energy.
The temple was responsible for exterminating them.
If someone awakened holy power, they were sent to the temple to become a Saintess and devote themselves to purifying magical energy and healing people.
To the people of Victoire, becoming a Saintess was an honor.
Their work was funded entirely by citizens’ taxes.
The temple claimed that the Holy Tax had to be increased because the number of magical beasts was rising.
The temple was overwhelmed, and there weren’t enough Saintesses.
Upon hearing this, the people remembered Chalize.
‘If that woman had never entered the temple, a more promising Saintess could have taken her place.’
‘If Chalize hadn’t lied, the temple would have focused on training Saintesses. If only she hadn’t lied!’
‘Chalize again…’
‘It’s her fault again!!’
Their anger burned even stronger.
Their hatred for Chalize grew.
At age sixteen, Chalize’s fiancé, Crown Prince Henry, ascended the throne after the sudden death of the king.
He was twenty-two at the time.
At seventeen, Chalize married him and became Queen of Victoire.
As queen, Chalize became involved in politics—something no queen in Victoire’s history had done before.
She imposed heavy taxes: poll taxes, tolls, even a tax on fireplaces.
Then, one day, a scandal erupted.
Queen Chalize was having an affair with the king’s younger brother, Noah.
A maid reportedly witnessed them together.
Rumors spread that they had been lovers from the start.
Chalize was six years younger than Henry but only two years younger than Noah.
This made the rumors even more believable.
Prince Noah was punished.
He was sent to the frontier and ordered to serve in the military until the skirmishes with neighboring countries settled.
Since he was punished, their affair must have been real—at least, that’s what the people believed.
A woman ruled by greed and lust.
Once hailed as the greatest Saintess, she had become the most despised woman in the kingdom.
The scandal was the final trigger.
The people rose up in rebellion.
“Kill the Queen!!”
“Execute the wicked Queen!!”
“Death to the Queen who cares nothing for her people!!”
Uprisings broke out across the kingdom.
The army suppressed them, but resentment only grew stronger.
Everyone knew that, at this rate, a revolution would be inevitable.
Thus, it was decided—Queen Chalize would be executed.
‘The wicked Queen will finally be punished!!’
The people of Victoire cheered.
And so, the ‘Most Wicked Woman in History,’ Chalize, was executed.
Evil was defeated.
Peace would return—
Or so they thought.