The Red Throne | TUQ Book Two

13 | what if

        "No, you can't do this!" the Countess of Aldrige cried out as soon as the chief justice read out his verdict. Corinne had collapsed to her knees, her face so pale that there was likely not a single drop of blood left, blankly listening to her mother's futile cries.

        "The court's decision is final! Corinne Moreau shall be executed the next morning by poison!" the Chief Justice repeated, this time even louder. I could see my aunt shaking her head in disbelief, almost mad with grief.

My uncle, the Earl, looked as if he had aged twenty years in the span of an hour, while his son Benedict was standing agape and in complete shock, not noticing his wives who were smiling despite their tears.

The McCarthy sisters were rejoicing for the death of their brother's killer, and everyone could see the undeniable joy on their faces, contrasting heavily with the glum, anguished looks of the Moreaus.

        "I want to go home," I whispered to Edmund.

        "Now ? You don't want to witness the execution ?" he asked in return, and I swiftly shook my head, appalled by his question.

        "No, of course not. I've seen enough people dying to last me a lifetime," I remarked. As we headed out of the courtroom, we were stopped by the sisters Edith and Rachel, who had left their husband behind at the moment, their eyes shining with gratitude.

       "Your Graces," Rachel began. "I would like to thank you for ensuring that our brother's murderer would be punished. We, the McCarthys, are eternally grateful."

Edith nodded enthusiastically. "If it weren't for House Winterbourne pushing the case forward, the Moreaus would have had it swept under the rug. Our brother's soul is safe now in heaven, and we owe it all to you, Duchess Anne."

No, please. Do not thank me. Do you even know what I had done ? I killed her. Your beloved sister, Leanne. I killed her. I pushed her with my own two hands, and when she was dying at the bottom of the stairwell, I was more concerned about my dress being torn rather than her wellbeing. I felt sick to my stomach, and watching their bright, beaming smiles worsened it even more.
 
      "It's fine," I replied to them. "The incident happened in our own home, and the original target was my sister-in-law. We had to pursue the case out of fear that it will repeat in the future."

The sisters nodded in understanding, but Rachel was not done talking just yet. "Still, we are so grateful to you, Duchess Anne ! I wonder what would've happened if it weren't for you-"

I raised my hand, stopping her speech mid-sentence. "I shall take my leave first," I said, and Edmund proceeded to lead me out, allowing me to lean on him as fatigue began to take over me.

He brought me back to the carriage and carried me inside, fluffed up the pillows before laying me down, and ensured that the carriage was warm enough.

        "You are not well, Annie," he murmured as he gently removed the strands of hair that had stuck to my face. "Tell me, what is on your mind ?"
 
      "Leanne," I mumbled. I felt chilled to the bone despite the carriage being nice and warm, and my chest was heaving up and down as if I had just ran a hundred miles. "Did you see their faces, husband ? Did you see how they thanked me ? Do you think they knew what I had done ?"
 
       "Annie, that was years ago," Edmund said in an attempt to comfort me. "Besides, I cleared out all the evidence, ensuring that it could never trace back to you."

         "God knows what I did," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "He's seen it. He knows."

We arrived back in Rhyland just before sunset, while Gilbert and Cecily had remained to watch the execution. I had anticipated for a calming warm bath and a good's night sleep, but when I saw the white and gold coloured carriage, which was usually used by court officials, I knew that I might as well throw those ideas out of the window.