I Was Told to Drink Poison, So I Drank It - 51 - He too, likewise—

The arrest of King Henry and Queen Stella was widely reported.

Once the royal couple was captured, the rest of King Henry’s faction—the reformists—were arrested one after another.

King Henry and Queen Stella, who had disturbed the peace of the land, were deeply hated by the people. Thinking they might be lynched, Noah placed guards in front of their cell and strictly ordered them not to harm the prisoners.

Because of this, their safety was secured. However, for nobles like them, being thrown into prison was unbearable.

Among the two, Stella’s madness was the worst.

She was already suffering from severe drug addiction, and there was nothing that could be done.

She screamed for no reason, wailed, cried, and thrashed about. It was so terrible that even the jailers were overwhelmed.

In contrast, King Henry was calm and showed no signs of panic.

When he was told of Aidan Lips’s death, he looked devastated, but after that, he said nothing.

Stella, in madness. Henry, in silence.

The contrast between the two was strange and unsettling.

The Duke of Zenefelder, Stella’s father, was also held responsible. But their mansion was already deserted. Feeling the rising hatred of the people and sensing danger, they had fled the country.

Guards were watching the borders and catching fleeing nobles, but the duke and his wife were not among them. They had probably already escaped.

Clack, clack—the sound of shoes echoed as Noah walked toward the prison cell holding the former king and queen.

They must have heard the footsteps.

Stella grabbed the bars and began to scream.

“Who’s there!? Hey, help me!! Please help me!! I didn’t do anything wrong!! I’m innocent!! So please, let me out of here!!”

Henry, who was in the same cell, said nothing when he saw Stella like that.

As if trying to look away from a terrible truth, he turned his eyes away awkwardly.

Noah nodded to the jailer and stood in front of their cell.

Stella seemed to recognize that it was Noah.

She reached out through the bars, trying desperately to grab him.

“Noah…!! Hey, Noah!! Help me!! I didn’t do anything wrong. Really! I was tricked…!! They used me because I’m a commoner!! I didn’t do anything wrong. I swear… I’m not guilty…”

Then, her screams turned into sobs.

Her madness continued whenever she was conscious, and many jailers had broken down because of her wailing.

Noah had a chair brought by the jailer and placed it in front of the cell.

He sat down on it and looked straight at her—and at the king behind her.

“I’ve come today to tell you that your punishment has been decided.”

“Hic…”

Stella gasped.

Even then, Henry didn’t raise his head.

Noah stared at the two and spoke in a calm, even voice.

“You will be executed.”

“N–no…”

Stella whispered.

Her face turned pale.

“Noooooooo!!”

She screamed, holding her face.

Her voice was so loud that Noah winced slightly, then let out a sigh and spoke.

“Given the people’s anger, a public execution would probably be best…”

“No!! No!! Nooooo!!”

“…If you won’t listen, I’ll leave.”

Noah said, clearly annoyed. At that moment, Henry, who had been as still as a statue, grabbed Stella and covered her mouth.

Even with her mouth covered, Stella struggled, but for the moment, she was quiet.

Seeing that, Noah continued.

“At the very least, I don’t want to use such an outdated method of execution. It might be the surest way to satisfy the people’s hatred, and to be honest, I too want to kill you with my own hands.”

“……”

Henry said nothing.

Though his handsome face was now gaunt after just a few days in prison, and stubble had started to grow.

Noah looked quietly at his filthy brother and continued speaking.

“But even if I did, it wouldn’t make her happy. Brother, let me tell you one truth.”

Even after throwing his brother in prison and leading a revolution, he still called Henry ‘brother.’

Noah gave a bitter smile that didn’t suit his gentle features.

It almost looked like he was mocking himself.

“Chalize and I… we had nothing going on between us.”

“…That’s a lie.”

“You were made to believe a lie. Chalize—or rather, Aidan Lips, who saw the traditionalist faction as an obstacle, tricked you. Or what? Did you actually see me and her together?”

At those words, Henry glared at Noah with fiery eyes.

Even with a gaunt face, his eyes blazed as he growled.

“You two… understood each other…!! That woman trusted you. And you trusted her too, didn’t you!? You stole my woman—your brother’s woman—and you were happy about it. You looked down on me, didn’t you!?”

“Don’t speak so rudely about her.”

“You always mocked me…! I hated you so much. Everyone said you were more fit to be king than me, and I couldn’t stand it!! Did you think you could become king if you stole Chalize!?”

—Those were the same accusations thrown at Noah when his supposed affair with Chalize was exposed.

Even then, Noah denied it.

He said there was never a romantic relationship between him and Chalize.

But the king didn’t believe it.

As a result, Noah was exiled to Utis, and Chalize was sentenced to death.

“………”

That cold feeling he had back then came back to him again.

This all started from the very beginning.

If King Henry hadn’t been so easily fooled by Aidan Lips, Chalize wouldn’t have suffered.

If Henry had trusted Chalize…

If Henry had the intelligence not to be deceived so easily…

…No, it was his own lack of power that was to blame.

It was pointless to think about it now, but Noah had never felt more powerless than he did back then.

He had been toyed with by lies.

Manipulated by false information, he was tripped and brought down.

He still hadn’t forgotten those feelings.

He wanted to kill.

As long as this man was king, peace would never come to Victoire. He was a demon who brought misery to everyone—Noah had thought so.

Recalling that pain, that helplessness, that desire, Noah took a shallow breath.

(…Chalize is alive. She’s alive, in the Zehnefelder territory.)

He had received a letter from her just this morning.

So, it’s alright.

If he let revenge take over and punished King Henry out of personal feelings, Chalize would be disappointed in him.

That’s why Noah had to control himself.

He exhaled softly, lowered his lashes, and intentionally shut Henry out of his view.

Then, in a voice stripped of all emotion, he spoke to the man who had once been king.

“There was never anything between me and Chalize. I’ll say it again and again. You were deceived by Aidan Lips. I wasn’t the one aiming for the throne… it was him. The fact that you didn’t see that makes you foolish. I can only say you were ignorant.”

“…Noah.”

Henry said in a voice trembling with deep anger.

Without looking at him, Noah replied.

“I love Chalize. I was drawn to her strength. Even in a painful environment, she held her head high, faced forward, never hated anyone, and did her best. In her, I saw the future of this country. I believed in her. …Do you understand, brother? You destroyed all of that. You followed the temple blindly and became a puppet, leading this country to ruin with your own hands.”

“…”

Henry seemed like he wanted to argue back.

But he had no words left.

Aidan Lips was dead, and Henry had lost the throne.

There was nothing he could say now.

“You were swayed by your stupid pride and lost sight of what really mattered. Your biggest mistake wasn’t as a king—but as a person, you let your emotions take control.”

Noah’s eyes were red and bloodshot.

They looked like they were burning with rage—or like he was holding back tears.

Seeing the fierce look on Noah’s face, Henry could only tremble at the lips.