Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 214

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 214
The Former First Prince
“Your Majesty?”
Quintana lowered her head to draw Jhin’s attention.
Along the garden path leading to the outdoor opera house where the execution would take place, nobles gathered in small clusters, exchanging idle gossip across the palace lawns. They pretended to shield themselves from the sunlight with fans and hats, yet their gazes kept stealing glances toward Jhin.
“Ah, yes.”
“Are you well, Your Majesty? Shall I have a carriage brought?”
“It’s not far. The weather is pleasant.”
“…If Your Majesty says so.”
Without Ian at my side to mediate, facing the central nobility felt unexpectedly burdensome. Until now, I had never met with them privately, and since most were older than me, our interests hardly overlapped. Without Ian to bridge the gap, I couldn’t help but feel more tense.
Quintana and the ministers matched their pace to Jhin’s, observing her complexion carefully.
“By the way, Your Majesty. Who is that person behind us?”
“Xiaoxi?”
“Did Count Ian assign him to you?”
Ian’s subordinate was famous for being the red-haired Mage Knight. I had never heard of the odd-eyed man called Xiaoxi. His bearing seemed perfectly sound—likely a knight brought in from outside through Romandro.
Quintana regarded him warily and whispered to Jhin.
“Surely he isn’t monitoring Your Majesty’s every move?”
“Quintana. I’m truly grateful for your concern all this time. But there’s nothing like that. Xiaoxi is my escort, just as Ian is.”
“Then I’m relieved.”
Only then did Quintana relax her guard slightly and smile. Though she might have been discouraged by the fact that Arcen was a mana user, Jhin appeared as bright as before, which was fortunate.
“This way, if you please.”
“Your Majesty, it’s this way.”
More than half the seats in the opera house were already filled with nobles. The atmosphere was one of barely concealed excitement, like those awaiting a famous performance.
As imperial authority and divine authority stood in inverse proportion, the nobility too welcomed the appropriate decline of the royal family. Moreover, today’s protagonist was none other than Prince Marib, the First Prince. With the man who had ruled the empire for over a decade about to perish, what greater spectacle could there be?
“The gallows is larger than I expected.”
“Your Majesty is seeing it for the first time. The elevated stage platform makes it appear larger. And the higher it is, the deeper the criminal’s guilt is understood to be.”
Jhin, Quintana, and Xiaoxi, along with the other ministers, settled into their chairs. They occupied the most prominent seats—the closest to the stage.
Shortly after, Ian returned from his inspection of the grounds.
“Did you enjoy your walk, Your Majesty?”
“Ian! Come sit here at once.”
“It will begin soon. If you wish, you may close your eyes.”
Ian showed consideration for Jhin, suggesting that her mere presence at the ceremony fulfilled her duty. The moment Jhin nodded, the Executioners’ supervisor took the stage with the verdict in hand.
“Ordinarily, His Imperial Majesty would have written this himself, but due to his poor health, we have borrowed the execution verdict from twenty-one years ago, when a member of the imperial family was executed.”
As Ian explained, the Executioners’ supervisor offered a respectful bow. The murmuring hall fell silent in an instant. At last, the execution of Prince Marib, the First Prince, was beginning.
Boooooo—
A buffalo horn trumpet sounded clear and resonant. The supervisor unfolded the parchment solemnly, then stood before the magical artifact that would amplify his voice.
“By the name of His Imperial Majesty, I now declare the charges against the criminal Marib.”
This section had been repeated countless times in the trial chamber. No one objected, yet the nobles offered elegant applause.
The atmosphere was completely different from when Der was executed in Bratz’s territory. Then, stones and filth had flown about, and we were busy maintaining order; now, it was truly serene, as if awaiting a performance.
‘Perhaps that’s why. It feels rather grotesque.’
Execution means a criminal pays for their sins with death. Since crime inevitably leaves victims in its wake, the crowd’s anger was a natural phenomenon.
But now? Not a single soul showed rage.
“…Therefore, I strip Prince Marib of all honor and glory of the imperial house forever. By imperial decree, I order the execution of Prince Marib by hanging.”
The verdict, spoken in scattered fragments, concluded. Then Prince Marib emerged from behind, blindfolded and gagged. He appeared composed, but the shackles around his ankles rattled severely.
Buuuu—
The trumpet sounded again. The purpose of hanging was to inflict shame until the very end. The executioners removed Prince Marib’s blindfold, making him aware that he now knelt before countless nobles.
“Bring the rope.”
“Bring the rope!”
Creeeeak. Creak.
The executioner standing beside lowered the rope. Prince Marib kept his gagged lips still. He seemed to have resigned himself to offering his neck without resistance. The thick rope tightened firmly around his neck.
“My. Goodness. How cruel.”
“I still cannot quite believe this is happening.”
“Tsk, tsk.”
At the executioner’s gesture, Prince Marib’s body gradually lifted into the air. Yet he did not struggle; instead, he went limp with acceptance. Though the wind caused him to sway slightly, Prince Marib did not resist.
“Raise him higher!”
“Raise him higher!”
Creeeeak! Creak!
In his final moment, Prince Marib gazed upward at the sky. It was a pristine blue, clearer and purer than his own pale eyes. It felt like a silent revelation that even as his life ended, time in Bariel would continue to flow.
“Ugh…!”
His long hair swayed gently. And against his will, tears fell. Who would notice them dripping beneath his chin?
As his vision blurred, Prince Marib thought of his mother. If he met her in death, he would embrace her first. Though he had failed, he would tell her that he truly loved Bariel and had done his best.
‘And if another life is granted to me, I will not let it come to this.’
It was his final resolve—an impossible will that would vanish like a midsummer night’s dream.
Prince Marib finally released his last breath and met death in Bariel’s sky.
“He’s dead.”
“Prince Marib is dead.”
“Yes, yes! He’s dead! Prince Marib is dead!”
As his head, which had been held aloft, drooped downward, the nobles gasped and applauded. The mages waiting below the platform confirmed that Prince Marib’s breath had completely ceased, then activated the magical circle.
Ziiiiing. Zing.
Whoooosh!
“It’s magic!”
“But why would they use magic?”
“They must be disposing of the body.”
“Well, even though he was expelled from the imperial house, they might offer him some final courtesy. Count Ian, I didn’t expect such consideration from you.”
“It is not consideration, but rather a necessity.”
“What do you mean by that?”
The nobles glanced toward Ian at the sudden use of magic. But Ian kept his gaze fixed on Prince Marib’s corpse, witnessing his final moment.
“His status is ambiguous, is it not? He is no longer of the imperial family, so we cannot follow proper law. Is he a noble with a title, or is he a commoner? The situation is unclear, so it is better to erase it entirely.”
“Beyond that, if we erected a tomb outside the palace, the empire’s citizens, unaware of the circumstances, would mourn him. Mourning a criminal—it is unthinkable. If mourning unexpectedly becomes widespread, it would burden the next heir. We are cutting off that possibility at the root.”
The nobles whispered among themselves, each adding their own remarks. On the surface, it was a show of propriety, but looking beneath the surface, their true intentions were unmistakably clear.
“…Indeed, a fascinating individual.”
“It hasn’t even been half a year since he rose from the borderlands. Look at the position he now occupies. Isn’t it terrifying?”
“I hear he’s been trying to check Duke Haiman’s power.”
“If the Haimanga falls, what comes after is as clear as fire. He’ll become a threat to our entire central nobility.”
“Shh. Let’s refrain from speaking for a moment. There’s a rumor that mages’ senses sharpen when they use their magic power.”
It was a sound as small as an ant’s yawn, but the nobles cleared their throats unnecessarily and studied Ian’s expression. Though with only the back of his head visible, there wasn’t much to observe.
Whoooosh!
An undulation as beautiful as an aurora erupted upon the stage. It wrapped around Marib’s already-cold corpse from his feet upward, then engulfed it completely.
“Oh!”
“Butterflies.”
From Marib’s feet, his form blurred and dissolved, transforming into white butterflies. Hundreds of them, fluttering softly with delicate wings, rose skyward. In a brief moment, they scattered in all directions, drifting wherever the wind carried them.
Now no one in the world would ever see Marib’s intact corpse.
“Ian.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
….
Was this Ian’s graceful tribute to Marib’s final moments, or a method to leave no body behind? Jin felt curious and turned to look at him, but didn’t ask. Somehow, it seemed both answers were correct.
Saaaah.
As the aurora faded, only the rope remained, swaying in the wind. The Executioners’ supervisor, with the mages’ assistance, expanded the transmission range of the magical artifact. Now, Bariel would officially receive word of Marib’s death.
“Hear this. This is a proclamation from the Imperial Palace. Marib Verosion, who was the First Prince, has been stripped of his imperial surname and executed by hanging as punishment for his treason. Any who threaten Bariel shall meet this fate. Let all citizens of the Great Empire take note and erase Marib from history. I proclaim once more. Marib Verosion, who was the First Prince….”
As the Executioners’ administrator announced this throughout the empire, the nobles rose from their seats, congratulating each other that the event had concluded. Their brief applause and animated expressions seemed to testify that it had been a most satisfying spectacle.
“Deilaina, Lord Arcen. Shall we have a drink?”
“That sounds excellent. Before that, may I request a handshake? They say shaking hands with a magic user brings good fortune.”
“Of course. Come, let’s move to another location.”
“The weather is lovely. It would be nice to set tables in the garden.”
Arcen’s faction made a commotion, rallying their forces. Arcen laughed broadly for all to see and left the theater with the ministers, while Jin stood dazed, staring only at the empty stage.
“Your Highness, are you all right?”
“Yes. I’m fine. It’s just… how do I put it. My heart aches a little.”
He wasn’t close, but they still shared blood as brothers. Jin had a premonition he would remember forever the last words Marib had left in that courtroom.
That he loved Bariel more than anyone.
“Count Ian, are you heading directly to the Magic Ministry?”
“No. I intend to spend some time with the Sereo family. Will Your Highness join me?”
“May I?”
“Of course there’s no reason you shouldn’t. It’s all for Your Highness’s future, after all. Though the meeting may run long, so please speak freely if you grow tired.”
“All right. Yes, let’s do that. Oh, the doctor said that as long as Berik doesn’t swallow, it should be fine, so I’m planning to let him hold small pieces in his mouth.”
“I doubt Berik will simply hold it without swallowing.”
Ian furrowed his brow with a skeptical smile. But Jin clenched his fists with determination. Getting Berik well quickly was his most immediate goal.
“Quintana, what about you?”
“Your Highness. I apologize, but I need to speak with Count Ian for a moment.”
“Ah, I see. Then I’ll spend some time viewing flowers with Xiaoxi. Everyone, feel free to talk.”
As Jin withdrew with Xiaoxi, Quintana sent a glance suggesting they move elsewhere. While Ian followed her through the garden, Jin crouched in the flower garden and told Xiaoxi various things.
“When these bloom, it signals that spring has arrived. Everyone, look—”
Whoosh.
At that moment, a white butterfly descended simultaneously onto Jin’s fingertips and my shoulder. Jin carefully cupped his hand and whispered—
‘Farewell, brother.’
I sent the butterfly skyward with a gentle wave of my hand.
‘Farewell, Marib.’
Behind the hundreds of butterflies that had bloomed from the Imperial Palace, even the final two vanished. They existed somewhere, perhaps, but would remain unknowable—much like Marib’s traces.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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