A Hand for a Hand
Imprisonment…
The emperor’s vision went black.
Imprisonment was no punishment a human being could endure. To be locked inside a single cramped room for the rest of one’s life, severed from the world entirely—most prisoners either went mad or took their own lives. If he refused to impose that sentence, he would need to deliver another penalty of equal weight. A punishment so cruel that everyone could accept it without complaint.
“The prince shall be…”
A lance of agony stabbed through the emperor’s chest. It felt as if his heart were being ripped in two.
“Sentence the prince to hand-severing.”
“…!”
The nobles erupted into agitated murmurs. Hand-severing—the punishment that meant cutting off the hand!
“F-Father!”
Crescent sobbed. His face was a mask of utter disbelief.
“H-Hand-severing? Father, please—Father, this isn’t right! It wasn’t me! It really wasn’t me!”
“Chief Justice, deliver the verdict.”
The emperor could not bring himself to look at his son. He lowered his head.
The Prince shall suffer the punishment of hand severance.
The gavel struck three times—bang, bang, bang.
“Father! It wasn’t me, it truly wasn’t! I didn’t do anything! I know nothing about this, Father!”
At that moment the empress spoke, her voice dripping with false sorrow.
“Would it not be wiser to carry out the sentence immediately, Your Majesty?”
“That way, no unpleasant rumors will circulate afterward.”
The emperor’s dry eyes flared crimson.
Vicious woman. Venomous woman. Wicked, heartless woman!
Yet she was right. The hand would have to be cut off eventually. If it had to be done, better to do it before the eyes of the nobility and quell their resentment in one stroke. Only then could the spark of this scandal be extinguished for good.
If the sentence was executed at once, no one would dare voice discontent later.
The emperor was a man who sought the optimal result even in the worst of situations.
“Carry it out immediately!”
“F-Father!”
The emperor turned his face away. The knights closed in. They seized Crescent and dragged him forward. He was completely bound, crushed beneath their merciless strength. His left arm was wrenched upward by force.
“Ah… ah, ah…”
Crescent’s expression was one of pure incomprehension. This reality. This moment. His lips quivered violently.
They’re going to cut off my hand? I am the emperor’s son!
It was a lie. It had to be a lie.
“No—no, it’s not true! I—I absolutely never—!”
In the next instant the knight’s blade flashed.
“KyaAAAAAAGH!”
Crescent’s scream tore through the hall.
The nobles turned their heads, swallowing their groans. It was an unbearably brutal sight.
But Canna watched every second without flinching. She kept her eyes fixed on the exact moment the prince’s hand was severed, fist clenched so tightly her nails bit into her palm.
Why? Does it feel unfair?
She wanted to ask him.
What exactly feels so unfair and tragic to you?
When you were so eager to cut someone else’s wrist, you should have been prepared for your own to be cut.
Canna gently stroked her own wrist—the very place Crescent had once tried to sever.
“Krgh… ugh…”
The prince, who had been shrieking like a madman, finally lost consciousness. The knights carried his limp body away.
“How tragic,” the empress whispered.
“Truly a shame. If only Concubine Teresa had disciplined her son properly from the beginning, matters would never have reached this point.”
The emperor no longer possessed the strength to curse her.
Tears gathered at the corners of his eyes. His chest ached, but there had been no other choice. This was the best possible outcome.
After all, it is only the loss of one hand. Better than spending the rest of his life locked away.
It was a shocking trial.
Throughout the history of the Aslan Empire, members of the imperial family had been punished before. Some had been executed. Others imprisoned. A few had been exiled to foreign lands forever.
But hand-severing?
The punishment of mutilating the body had never once been imposed.
The mere existence of a maimed imperial prince undermined the dignity of the entire royal house. That was precisely why they had always chosen death over such a sentence.
“Hand-severing, of all things. His Highness the Prince has certainly received a fitting punishment.”
“I only hope it brings some comfort to the noblewomen who suffered at his hands.”
The nobles whispered among themselves as they left the courtroom. Canna sat in a daze until she noticed the empress approaching. She rose quickly.
The empress placed a hand on Canna’s shoulder, her expression full of pity.
“Duchess Valentino, are you all right?”
“Your Majesty the Empress.”
“Why did you not tell me sooner?”
The empress clicked her tongue.
“Had you come to me, I would have exerted every effort to help you.”
Canna hunched her shoulders as though ashamed.
“I did not wish to burden Your Majesty with unnecessary troubles.”
The empress was inwardly startled.
Canna was the one supplying her with medicine. In other words, she stood in a position where she could exploit the empress’s power whenever she wished.
And yet she chooses not to use me.
It was incomprehensible. Why had Canna never taken advantage of her?
Just why?
If Canna had asked for help this time, the empress would have gladly given it. After all, Canna was an indispensable existence. Without her, the empress’s own life would collapse.
The unbearable itching. Only Canna could deliver her from that torment.
And the empress knew better than anyone that nothing in this world was free. There had to be a price for her salvation.
Yes. There is no way she wants nothing from me.
Having already prepared herself mentally, the empress was ready to grant any demand Canna might make.
This situation was no different.
If Canna had revealed the truth earlier and demanded Crescent’s punishment, the empress would have granted it willingly. Yet at the same time, her opinion of Canna would have plummeted. She would have been seen as just another mediocre noble trying to use her power.
But Canna was different.
The empress regarded her with genuine favor.
“If anything like this happens again, you must tell me at once. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Furthermore, I shall pay your fine on your behalf.”
“Pardon?”
“It pains me that I remained unaware of your suffering. Please do not refuse at least this small gesture.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Of course she wouldn’t refuse.
She had been racking her brain over how to handle the enormous sum of thirty thousand gold. This was perfect.
As expected, taking the long way around was the right choice.
The empress was a piece Canna would need to use for a very long time. Therefore she had to conceal the fact that she had deliberately manipulated her.
That’s why I leaked only fragments of information—so the empress could discover them one by one on her own.
Thanks to that strategy, the empress had not noticed anything and now seemed to view Canna even more positively.
“D-Duchess.”
This time it was Izek who approached, still bound by the knights. He whispered urgently.
“I told them everything honestly. Please convey that to Duke Addis.”
“…?”
Why her father?
Canna was puzzled, but she had no chance to ask. The knights dragged Izek away roughly.
One by one the people left the courtroom. Canna laughed hollowly and sank back onto the witness stand.
It’s finally over.
Thud.
Someone closed the door behind them, and at last only she remained in the vast, empty chamber.
She let out a helpless laugh.
“Ha… haha.”
Perhaps the tension had been holding her together until now.
All strength drained from her body at once. She felt as if every drop of blood had left her veins.
It was over. All of it.
It turned out differently than I planned, but…
What Canna had wanted was for Crescent to receive a life sentence of imprisonment. Or permanent exile.
That would have been even better.
She rose from the witness stand.
In any case, she had won. The duchess everyone had looked down upon had defeated a prince sheltered by the emperor’s favor.
With his hand severed, Crescent would finally learn the terror of the law. He would no longer be able to run wild as he once had.
There was only one thing that still bothered her.
The prince’s letter.
The letter that had ordered Izek to poison her. It was said to match Crescent’s usual handwriting perfectly.
That’s strange.
It shouldn’t be possible.
Because.
I was the one who wrote that letter.
Hadn’t she deliberately used her left hand so the handwriting could not be traced?