Chapter 3

All of a sudden, everyone panicked.

Sebastian was incensed.

“This is absurd! How dare anyone harm the queen? Get to the bottom of this! I will have the perpetrator’s entire family hanged!”

The needle of the compass spun wildly until it stopped with a plink, pointing to the southeast corner.

Master Talebot immediately went to his knees. “It’s pointing to Lady Merione’s chambers!”

With that, the hall plunged into silence.

Sebastian stared at me with a complicated look in his eyes.

Meanwhile, Vasya spat out a mouthful of blood.

“It is my own fault; my sins are too great! This has nothing to do with Merione. Don’t listen to Master Talebot, Your Majesty!”

Mother’s eyes were red-rimmed as she clutched Vasya’s hand.

I was about to explain when Father rushed over and slapped me, sending me to the floor.

“You wench, it’s bad enough that you couldn’t keep the royal heirs alive, but now you curse your sister? How could we have had a heartless wench like you?”

Tears streamed down my face even as pain cut through me.

Sebastian ordered my chambers to be searched. In the end, they found a wooden box filled with dirt. In it was a doll with Vasya’s name and date of birth.

With it were tokens of my four eldest departed sons.

Master Talebot looked overjoyed.

“Yes, this is it!”

After a moment, Master Talebot’s expression turned somber.

“To restore Queen Vasya’s health, we must pierce the witch that cursed her with eighty-one nails made of willow. Then, all these items must be burned.”

Hesitation was clear in Sebastian’s eyes, but it was soon dispersed by his love for Vasya.

“Guards, apprehend Lady Merione and execute the punishment at once!”

Seeing how decisive he was, I could only find the situation laughable.

We had a few moments of sweet happiness, but because of them, Vasya had framed me for poisoning her tea when she visited me.

I tried my best to deny it, even going as far as to drink all the tea to prove my innocence.

However, Sebastian only laughed at my foolishness.

He knew that Vasya was madly in love with him and that she was only doing all of this because of jealousy. He knew that she was framing me.

Although I had been raised in a village, he knew that I was an honest person, not one who schemed.

He said he could not love me but would always trust me.

Thanks to those words, I used to think I could live by his side for the rest of my life.

However, at this moment, I knew how ridiculous that idea was.

I laughed without speaking, so hard that tears fell.

I was tied to a wooden frame as everyone watched.

A small willow nail—the length of a finger—was brought right before my eyes.

Sebastian frowned, visibly unwilling to see this play out.

“Does it have to be eighty-one nails?”

Master Talebot was about to speak when I interrupted. I said, “Your Majesty, I am willing to undergo this punishment. But you must spare the children’s tokens!”

The System said that the children’s souls could only be saved if tokens were preserved for them.

These were the only tokens I had.

Sebastian waved a hand.

The nail was slowly pierced into my flesh, cutting through the nerves in my wrist, right into the wooden frame.

The sound of hammering resounded in my ears. I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails cracked.

Blood flowed. The entire garden was filled with my heart-wrenching screams.

Hours later, night had fallen.

The last nail was hammered through my foot.

Blood had turned my white dress red.

I was weak all over. My weight pulled my body downward, letting the nails rip further into my flesh.

Just then, Vasya spat out another mouthful of blood, heaving more violently.

Master Talebot threw himself to the ground.

“Your Majesty, the spirits of the children sense that their mother is being hurt and are getting violent. If we do not stop them, Queen Vasya will perish!”

In that instant, I ignored the pain and struggled with all my might. I did not care that the nails hurt me even more.

“Your Majesty, you promised me you wouldn’t burn the tokens! I didn’t do it! I didn’t do any of it! Why would I hurt Vasya when I’m about to die?”

Sebastian’s expression changed.

“What do you mean by that?”

After he said that, Vasya fainted.

At that moment, Sebastian no longer cared about any promise he had made to me.

“How dare these spirits attack the queen? Burn them all!”