Ch 4: The death penalty [pt2]
'It's a cold morning. Is it going to rain? I hope it does not rain. Losing me on a cold day is not something I want my father to experience.'
Meria looked at the dark sky and the small group gathered before him. Only seven people were present on the scene - Meria's family, his ex-fiance, the law minister, Su Ming and the officer in charge of his assassination.
Out of everyone present here, the only person Meria felt sorry for was the executioner officer. He was sure his subordinates would give this man a hard time once they found out what he did.
'Am I even in a condition to pity someone else? I am about to die in a few minutes.'
Generally, criminals were asked for their last wish, but Meria was never asked. He was sure these people did not care and would spin a story to make up his last wish.
"It is time. Bring the criminal out and hold him straight. The execution officer will cut the head off in one go."
Meria looked at his ex-fiance and his smug face. That man had been calling all the shots since an hour ago, and no one stopped him.
His ex-fiance did not have the power to command anyone. Heck, he was not even a minister himself but just a son of one. But power and support from Meria's stepmother and step-sister had elevated his confidence to new levels.
It would not take long before the pair abandoned him. But the poor fool did not realise this.
"Meria, do you have a last wish? If you do, then now is the time to speak-"
It seemed difficult for Meria's father to speak to her. The man could not even look at him properly, much less look him in the eye and ask him a question.
And truthfully, there was much Meria wanted to say and ask for. But he decided to hold his tongue.
"No, I don't want anything."
What use was it to wish and dream now. The only one who had ever listened to Meria and acknowledged him was already dead.
So when the sword came toward his head, Meria kept his eyes closed and braced for the impact. He was sure that this was the end.
It was deadly around the clearing, so the whistle was heard clearly.
The law minister, Su Ming, reacted to that sound and quickly blacked the blade headed for Meria. The alpha looked surprised at his actions, his eyes wide and his hands shaking.
At first, no one seemed to know what was happening. The reason Su Ming stepped in to protect Meria and the reason they were all feeling tense seemed like a mystery.
But slowly, they all felt the pressure increasing around their shoulders and pushing them down. That pressure belonged to strong alpha pheromones that could not be denied.
Those pheromones felt familiar to Meria but he was sure he was mistaken. He knew the owner of the pheromones was dead. These pheromones might feel similar and touch him in inappropriate places in a similar way, but they must be different from those he knew.
"W-What is going on? This pressure…"
Meria's ex-fiance asked this question, but his knees buckled even harder when he opened his mouth.
A chuckle echoed in the clearing before bells chimed. Only one person in the whole empire liked to wear such soft-sounding bells - the royal guard and the bodyguard of the Emperor.
It was a position that Meria had aimed hard for, but in the end, it had gone to the Emperor's cousin.
Meria could not even be mad about losing that position to Rucia since she was a powerful alpha and the best political choice for being close to the emperor.
Plus, she had been incredibly polite and gentle with Meria.
He sometimes wondered if she knew his secret and was behaving like she would around other omegas. But Meria had never allowed it to show on her features, nor had she allowed Meria to take it easy.
'Rucia is here! Wait! Rucia is here? She is the royal guard and also the person who protects the emperor. Then, does that mean-'
Meria looked up before he could reason with himself, and as soon as his eyes met the curtain of the cart, he knew that he had made a mistake.
The one his eyes sought was no longer alive.
The emperor who had arrived to see Meria be executed was not the best friend he cherished.
"R-Royal guard Rucia, how may I help you?"
Meria's ex-fiance clenched his fist as he tried his hardest to keep his head up and show dominance.
It was a futile fight, but he likely did not want to lose in front of his chosen mate - Fiona.
It's too bad he had lost as soon as Rucia had shown her alpha side. Meria had noticed how his sister had subtly let go of the ex-fiance's hand and let her omega scent fill the air.
This was a subtle trick to make alphas notice unbonded omegas and attract their attention. Meria's step-sister was trying to reel in a bigger fish than her current one.
"You dare ask this question to me? You know who I am, right? Then, what reason can I be here except to accompany the emperor? Now, may I know why an innocent person is being executed today?"
Rucia asked with the same look of ease on her face. She did not turn to face Fiona even once, causing the omega to feel humiliated.
Meria was sure that his step-sister had never been ignored like this before. And this would only make her more determined to gather Rucia's attention.
"An innocent person? You must be mistaken, Miss Rucia. This person here is a criminal that we need to punish. Not only did he tarnish the honour of the guards and the previous emperor, but he also did money laundering with the state budget. He deserves to die."
Fiona's voice was soft, and she reached out to touch Rucia. Her omega scent was sickening and filled the area to seduce the alphas and make them take her side.
But Rucia had long gotten used to such tricks. The female alpha did not even react when she smelled that syrup-sweet smell.
"Oh! These are the crimes? And what else? What else did he do?"
Rucia asked, and everyone looked at her with a serious expression.
"What else? Miss Rucia, this is a serious crime for an ordinary person, and it cannot be pardoned-"
"An ordinary person cannot be pardoned for such a crime, but a future empress can be, right? Let General Meria out of his bounds right now. And someone, tell me right now who signed these execution papers in my name because I do not remember signing any."