Betrothed to My Sister's Ex

“I-I’m sorry. I never imagined it would come to this. I’m sorry, I regret it. Please help me. Please...”

Tears streamed down from her large, amethyst-colored eyes.

Even seeing that, Lord Ruifeng’s expression didn’t change at all. He raised one slender eyebrow halfway and tilted his head, saying, “Hm?”

“Even if you ask me for help, I’m currently here as the knight commander of the Dirts Kingdom. I won’t be swayed by emotion.”

After stating that firmly, Lord Ruifeng’s eyes turned cold.

“Just so you know... the title of ‘Kingdom Knight Commander’ means I’m actually showing you the utmost kindness. —If I were to judge you as Cyrus Granado’s close friend Ruifeng, driven purely by emotion, I’d have your head cut off right here and now.”

Ella swallowed hard at those words.

Yes... knights are permitted to execute on the spot. Of course, only for heinous criminals, but if one were to justify it by saying something like, “Ella Fuchs resisted violently, endangering the kingdom’s most important figures and civilians,” that would suffice. And he was the knight commander, the one who could seal such a justification.

If he really wanted, he could easily commit injustices. Without good or evil, he could easily take human life. That’s precisely why Lord Ruifeng does not wield that power. Because he’s strong, he chooses not to fight. Cyrus Granado surely feels the same.

Perhaps realizing this at last, Ella finally began to panic seriously. She looked up at Lord Ruifeng with a strained expression, but he only shrugged lightly.

“I really hate women who use their tears as weapons.”

At his words, Ella’s expression was filled with nothing but fear and despair. Her large, sparkling tears receded, leaving her pale and trembling.

“So, I’ll be taking her to the courthouse. If the ‘victim’ wants a harsh punishment or a reduced sentence, I’ll state that accordingly. Anything else?”

When Lord Ruifeng asked, Lord Cyrus closed his eyes briefly, took a deep breath, and then answered calmly.

“...No... I’ll leave it to the fair judgment of the law. I have nothing to say...”

“I agree. But the punishment should be commensurate with the gravity of the crime.”

I nodded beside him, thinking that would be the harshest punishment for Ella and also her salvation in the future.

Ella was a “pitiful child.”

She convinced herself of that and played the part, justifying her actions. I truly pitied her, sympathized, and empathized with that.

Because of that, I wished for her to receive a fair punishment. This country basically forbids cruel penalties, and since the crime was only attempted, she would likely avoid execution. She would have to prepare for decades in prison... but that was fine. That is the price for the crime she committed.

Just because one is unhappy doesn’t give them the right to make others unhappy — someone must teach her that. Receiving a just punishment for her crime should brighten her future.

The carriage that confined Ella began to move. As it slowly receded, I muttered quietly to myself.

“Goodbye, Ella. Please be reborn and this time, be strong and happy...”

Then, suddenly—

“Wait!”

A man shouted as he ran after the carriage.

—Marquis Dario!?

Dario, hair disheveled and crying, chased after the carriage and then leapt onto the rump of the moving horse!

“Waaah!?”

Startled, the horse reared wildly, nearly throwing Lord Ruifeng off the coachman’s seat. We hurried to help.

Though the carriage wasn’t yet moving very fast, embracing a horse weighing many times a human’s weight was life-threatening. As expected, the marquis was thrown off like hitting a wall, flipping backwards. Covered in mud, he immediately got up and pressed his forehead to the ground.

“I’m going with you too! I’ll defend Ella at the courthouse! It’s all my fault; Ella isn’t to blame!”

—What!?

Lord Cyrus was as shocked as I was, lost for words.

Dario stood up and pressed himself to the carriage window, gripping the iron bars with both hands and calling to Ella inside.