Several days passed, and Shion Lan once again prepared himself to attend an important event.
Standing before the mirror, he saw himself dressed in black clothes embroidered with white patterns that shimmered faintly in the darkness. Yet the outfit resembled attire worn for mourning ceremonies.
Today is the day all the traitors will be executed, Shion thought. Jayden, the Ranus family, the Razor family, and the members of the Shine family…
'For days, I kept wondering whether I should feel happy that I'm finally free from them and that they'll receive punishment for what they did. And yet…'
He sighed and thought,
'No matter how hard I try to feel happiness, I can't find it. All I feel is sadness, pity, and bitterness.
I don't understand what's happening to me. They were the ones who started everything, so why can't I taste victory? Why does it only feel bitter? Is it because I once wished for a normal family? Or because their name will continue to follow me forever?
I don't even know if I'm being honest with myself anymore…'
He shook his head and left his room. He was immediately greeted by two small children under the age of five.
They were his younger siblings from his father's second wife.
Shion smiled gently.
"Do you want anything while I'm out?"
The older girl, who was around five years old, asked hopefully,
"Can we come with you?"
Shion's pupils contracted slightly.
"I'm going somewhere important, so I can't take you with me."
He patted their heads softly.
"I'll ask Marie to make you some sweets instead."
"Thank you, Lord Lan!"
The little girl said while teaching her younger brother how to thank him properly.
Shion sighed helplessly.
"I'm your brother. What are you doing?"
"They're still not used to it yet. Please forgive them," said Forite while lifting her young son from the ground.
Then she asked worriedly,
"Do you really have to attend?"
Shion smiled bitterly.
"All nobles are required to attend events like this. Besides, I don't have anyone who can represent me."
When he went downstairs, he found his mother waiting anxiously.
"Mother?"
She turned toward him slowly.
"Shion… I asked Marie to request that His Majesty excuse you from attending, but he refused."
Shion let out a sarcastic laugh.
"He's about to execute his own son in public. Compared to that, what is someone whose family treated him cruelly? It would probably seem strange to them if I still carried feelings for those people."
He then headed toward the door and departed for the execution grounds.
...
Inside the royal palace, King Jord Joul prepared himself with a heavy heart.
Memories flooded his mind one after another: the destruction of the Neumann family… his wife's coma… his daughter's awakened talents…
And in the middle of that storm, he realized that he had neglected his son.
Everything had begun during that period.
He remembered the first time he heard about those forbidden tools spreading rapidly throughout the kingdom. Back then, he had sworn before everyone that he would capture those responsible and personally judge them.
His greatest shock had been discovering that his own son, Jayden Joul, was involved.
And by the time he found out, it had already been too late.
Jayden had sunk far too deeply into it.
When he later learned that Shion had been the one who uncovered the entire conspiracy from the beginning, the king had initially grown suspicious of him. He believed Shion might have been seeking revenge against the princes.
But after meeting him… after seeing his achievements… his personality… the way he had changed…
The king could no longer believe it was some conspiracy against his son.
Then came the revelation of the unjust judgment placed upon the Neumann family, and the king felt profound pain. For the first time, he realized how greatly he had failed as a ruler.
'If anyone deserves punishment, perhaps it should be me… for being an incompetent king.'
Yet he was still alive.
So no matter how much it hurt, he had to continue forward.
Even if it meant trampling on his own heart.
The king looked at himself in the mirror.
His attire was majestic, yet at the same time resembled funeral clothing—black garments embroidered with gold.
He finally left his chamber.
As he passed by his first wife, he saw that she looked pale and lifeless, unable to speak to anyone.
Trying to comfort her, he said, "This wasn't your fault. Jayden wasn't a child anymore when he committed such a sin, so—"
He wanted to say it was Jayden's fault in order to lessen her guilt.
But the words refused to leave his mouth while facing her eyes.
Those eyes seemed to tell him that everything was entirely his fault.
And deep down, King Jord knew that as well.
Still, he chose to lie to himself.
"It was his own fault. What did Jayden even suffer to commit such crimes?!"
Immediately, another figure appeared in his mind.
"Look at Shion Lan!" the king suddenly said. "He suffered far more than Jayden ever did, yet he never committed something so foolish!"
He continued trying to justify everything—to his wife and to himself—until she stopped him with a faint smile.
"It's alright. I understand. You don't need to explain anything."
Those words only deepened the sadness in his heart.
Unable to remain there any longer, he left.
As he passed by the room of his daughter, the Second Princess Jina Joul, he thought she should never witness such a scene.
But then her door opened.
To his surprise, Jina was dressed perfectly, though her eyes carried an entirely different presence.
At once, he realized it was one of his ancestors: Celisia Joul.
"Let's go," Celisia said lazily. "The people won't wait long."
Before she could leave, however, the king grabbed her arm roughly.
"What happened to my daughter?"
Celisia sighed in annoyance.
"Ever since this girl learned that Shion was innocent and realized she had doubted him, she's been in terrible condition. Especially today, during the executions. But as the heir to the throne, she must attend an important event like this."
The king immediately noticed that Celisia was deliberately trying to distract him by mentioning Shion.
"If my daughter doesn't want to attend something this painful, then she doesn't have to," he replied coldly. "She is the Crown Princess after all. She can do as she wishes."
Celisia stared at him in disbelief.
"But executing traitors is the duty of kings and their successors! And you want to shield her from it?!"
"I don't want to make things harder for her," the king answered. "In the end, she's not watching an ordinary criminal being executed… she's watching her brother."
"And he's your son," Celesia replied mockingly. "If you spoil her now, she'll never be able to rule the kingdom in the future."
At that moment, the Second Queen approached from behind.
"I agree with her, my dear. Jina needs to temper herself so that a tragedy like this never happens again while she's incapable of dealing with it."
The king suddenly felt an overwhelming headache.
He no longer wanted to see his children suffer like this.
Amid the tension, Jina regained control of herself.
"Father," she said quietly, "let me come. I'll only stay for the opening and leave afterward."
Seeing that it was truly his daughter speaking now, the king hesitated for a moment before finally agreeing.
Together, they descended into the grand hall where all the nobles had already gathered.
"Greetings to His Majesty!" they all declared while bowing.
The king gestured for them to rise.
His eyes then landed on Solan Neumann standing beside her beloved, Shion Lan, seemingly completely unconcerned with the event itself.
'Well,' the king thought, 'as far as status goes, she's a second-rank noble and the head of her family. And considering this is the execution of the son of the man who destroyed her family, there's no reason for her to sympathize.
But looking at Shion…'
The king noticed his daughter trembling slightly before quickly wiping away her tears and pretending she was merely mourning her brother.
But the king realized she couldn't take her eyes off Shion as Solan spoiled and comforted him gently.
The king observed him carefully as well.
Unexpectedly, Shion truly looked saddened.
'Some people may think he's pretending to hide his happiness,' the king thought, 'But he genuinely feels sorrow for how things turned out. My eyes have never failed to judge a person before. Among everyone here, Shion and I are the only ones who truly pity them.'
Then the king announced firmly:
"Let us proceed to the execution grounds!"
Everyone boarded their carriages, and after a short journey, they finally arrived.
The moment they did, they discovered enormous crowds of commoners already gathered there, shouting for the deaths of the traitors—especially Jayden because he had once been the First Prince.
The king took a deep breath and moved forward.
The royal guards cleared a path through the crowd.
But as soon as the people saw the king, their cries grew even louder.
"Death to the traitor!"
"Execute them!"
The king's expression darkened instantly.
Fury exploded from him as his aura surged outward, overwhelming everyone present. The crowd collapsed to their knees, clutching their chests in agony.
"Silence yourselves and you will receive what you want," the king declared coldly. "And if any of you dares speak again, I will drag you personally onto the execution platform!"
The crowd immediately fell silent in terror.
The Second Princess looked utterly miserable amidst the atmosphere.
At the same time, Celisia whispered to her that she should calm her father in order to gain the people's favor.
Yet Jina found herself unable to act.
Then, unexpectedly, Shion walked forward toward the king.
"Your Majesty," he said calmly, "those who shout only see the false surface. They cannot distinguish lies from truth. Yet they are still your people, and Your Majesty must endure their ignorance and preserve their lives until the full truth is revealed."
The moment the king saw Shion standing beside him, he could clearly see the sadness in the young man's eyes.
His anger slowly subsided.
Then Shion requested permission to address the crowd.
King Jord granted it.
Shion stepped forward before the commoners and spoke with a cold, commanding voice:
"To those who question the king's integrity—do any of you possess the courage to do what His Majesty is about to do for the sake of preserving the kingdom?
Would any of you willingly endure an eternal humiliation like this?
Do you even have the courage to part with your wealth, let alone your own child?"
His gaze was so cold and sharp that nobody could meet his eyes.
"Our king is human just like the rest of us," Shion continued. "Yet he chose a path none of you would dare take—for your sake and for the stability of the kingdom.
But now, instead of attacking his authority as king, you strike at his heart as a father. That is unacceptable.
He chose to carry this out publicly so that no doubt would remain, yet you continue shouting meaninglessly!"
His voice was firm and perfectly clear.
The entire crowd listened in silence.
Meanwhile, Celisia burned with irritation because Shion had used this moment to his advantage.
As for the heads of the Six Great Families, they silently nodded in approval.
'If one of us had stepped forward, they thought, it would've looked like an attempt to suppress the people and paint ourselves in a better light.'
'It could have sparked uncontrollable outrage.
The only two people capable of calming the crowd were Jina—the king's daughter—and Shion, whose situation resembles the king's in many ways.'
'But because Shion's status is closer to the people's, his words carry more weight.'
'And the fact that he suffered the most while still defending His Majesty makes his voice even more powerful.'
That was the thoughts of the heads of the six great families.
Just then, someone in the crowd tried to stir the masses again.
Shion immediately pointed at him.
"Whatever you wish to say, save it for after the executions. You are the one delaying the proceedings!
Or are you trying to buy time?!
Are you helping the traitors escape?!
Are you perhaps from the Kingdom of Amorichi?!"
Instantly, every eye in the crowd fell upon that man.
Terrified, he shut his mouth completely.
Shion then bowed respectfully to the king and returned to his place beside the Pure Spirit.
Peace finally returned to the execution grounds.
Once everyone had taken their positions, the king sat down with Princess Jina beside him.
He greeted his people coldly, his displeasure obvious.
Then, with a wave of his hand…
All the traitors appeared:
the Ranus family, the Razor family, the ten members of the Shine family…
…and finally the one who had caused chaos before—
and would cause even greater chaos now:
Jayden.