Chapter 174: The Truth: The Last Request [VIP]
Clang——
The door unlocked, and the prisoner looked up at the visitor in disbelief.
“You, you…”
The excessive emotions made him cover his face with his hands and sob, and his gray hair fell below his shoulders.
"I thought you would never forgive me, let alone come to see me..."
"No matter what, we are blood cousins."
Yaris said indifferently, and the wheelchair slowly entered the room pushed by the servant.
"Yaris..."
Edmund put down his hands and looked at Yaris in the wheelchair with tears in his eyes, his eyes filled with complicated emotions.
"You, you, your voice... and your legs... I know you've never been in good health, but, but... that time last time..."
“Everything is the price I have to pay.”
Yaris looked at Edmund coldly, his eyes, both pupils and irises of pure black, sparkling so brightly that Edmund was completely unaware that his eyes had become even more seriously abnormal.
He was immersed in the shock of Yaris's answer, and tears flowed unconsciously again.
"Ah! Yaris! My dear cousin! If I had been stronger, or more confident, less self-conscious and jealous, and had accepted my mediocrity and the fact that you didn't love me, many misfortunes might not have happened... But you are simply too gorgeous and brilliant, and I, at the young age of seven, became emperor..."
"It's not entirely your fault that things have come to this."
Yaris said nonchalantly.
This sentence gave Edmund great encouragement.
He clenched his fists with excitement and emphasized loudly, "Yes! It's not entirely my fault that things have come to this! It's the fault of those sparrows! They whisper behind my back every day, mocking me and blaming me! When I treat others unkindly, they think I'm a coward, incompetent and without dignity. When I carry out harsh executions, they blame me for being bloodthirsty, cruel, and dark-minded... They always judge me with harsh standards. No matter what I do, they will ridicule me..."
"Edmund..."
"When I was first crowned emperor, I also wanted to be a monarch respected and loved by the people. But... the harder I tried, the more I was ridiculed... the more... and you—my dear cousin, you were always so outstanding and beautiful. No matter what you did, everyone loved you... and so I began to love you, hate you, envy you, and be jealous of you... I wanted to possess you, and couldn't help but want to destroy you... You were too dazzling, too outstanding, too perfect. I... I... I didn't know... so many tragedies happened without me even noticing..."
Edmund's voice choked again. "Seeing you like this, I realized that causing you pain won't bring me any happiness at all... I regret it so much... I really want to start all over again... I swear, if I could do it all over again, I would never let jealousy and inferiority take over my soul again. I won't hurt you again. I... I... I want to go back to the way we were before, and get along normally and healthily as cousins..."
"That's impossible."
"Yes, it's impossible to go back to the past when nothing had happened yet..."
Edmund smiled bitterly, looking at Yaris greedily: "Even after going through so many bad things, you are still so beautiful and charming...even more so than before...Now you have both dazzling charm and splendor, and the delicate sadness of impending death...Alas..."
"You invited me here just to tell me this?"
"No! No! No!"
Edmund screamed repeatedly, "I asked you to come here because I want to apologize to you, to apologize to you in person. Although it is presumptuous, I really hope to apologize to you before I die... I'm sorry, it's my fault that things have turned out like this. I apologize to you from the bottom of my heart... I know you don't care about my apology, and those around you will never forgive me no matter what... But I still want to apologize to you... I..."
"Anything else?"
"At the end of the month, when I go on trial, I will plead guilty to all charges, and I will publicly apologize to everyone on the scaffold. I apologize not because I feel sorry for them or want to gain their forgiveness, but because I know you want me to apologize to the people who have suffered because of my actions. This is the last thing I can do for you."
"Edmund, you..."
Yaris was somewhat moved.
"Can you call me 'cousin' again? Like when we were little. You haven't called me that in years."
Edmund looked at Jarris pleadingly.
Yaris bit his lip: "——cousin."
"Thanks."
Edmund lowered his head. "Because you want me to go to the guillotine myself. Of course, being tried and beheaded, whether intentionally or under duress, I have done many things that I shouldn't have done and deserve to be punished for them, so you will be there before my death, right?"
"According to convention, after the verdict comes out, I will be"
"That's good..."
Edmund murmured to himself: "Although you rejected me and never considered loving me, but you... Yaris, where do you think I will go after I die? Will I go to hell?"
"Won't."
"Really?"
Edmund looked at Yaris suspiciously.
"Death is death,"
"But the undead... the many undead, the vengeful
"If a deceased person's soul is unable to naturally dissipate and return to its origin due to a strong obsession, they may indeed be trapped in the gap between the living world and the afterlife for a long time, becoming a vengeful spirit, a ghost, or even a dead spirit. Unfortunately, everything about the deceased belongs to death, and death cannot have any impact on the living world. As undead souls, they can only wait, waiting for dissipation or for the balance between life and death to be broken..."
"wait……"
Tears welled up in Edmund's eyes again.
"Yaris, if you were unfortunately killed by Him and me, would you become a beautiful ghost wandering between life and death out of hatred or obsession?"
"Won't."
"Why?"
"Because I've never resented any fate. I've turned everything fate has given me into my weapon... Edmund, you've read the diary of the founding emperor of the Yula Dynasty, and you must already know some of my secrets... With a body like mine... even if I hadn't met you and Him, I wouldn't have lived to a natural death... To me, death is a friend who knocks on my door every day..."
"Yaris——"
Edmund wiped his tears and hugged his knees in pain. "You guessed right. I have read the diary of the founding emperor. I, I... I regret my stupidity. Because of my jealousy and inferiority, I lost everything. Now I have nothing... You also lost a lot of things you could have had because of my actions... What a stupid guy I am! Fate brought you to me at the right time, but I-"
"Edmund, stop harboring hatred for the world. Your hatred will have no impact on the world, but will only trap you forever."
"I know, I know, but I still can't accept it. I, I can't accept what happened to you... Why... Why did it have to be you... This isn't fair!"
"Death is the only absolutely fair thing in the universe. Everything dies, regardless of high or low."
"Yaris——"
Edmund raised his head and asked timidly, "Can gods die?"
"The universe we live in will gradually disappear over time, let alone the gods?"
"so--"
"Life must accept death. Only when you accept death can you truly have lived. Death is the truth of life. Death is both a blessing and a punishment that life must accept."
Yaris murmured, his black eyes flashing with a trance.
"Your eyes..."
Edmund, who finally noticed this abnormality, asked cautiously, feeling like he was almost out of breath.
“It’s just that what was coming finally came.”
“You, you…”
"I will soon face death."
"What about him? Will he die too?"
“…”
Yaris lowered his eyelids and remained silent.
"...I understand what you mean."
Edmund smiled bitterly and asked, "My mother... what will happen to her? Exile or..."
"On the third day after the liberation of the Capital of Light, Aunt Catherine was sent to Maga. There, as a member of the Holy Family and a former royal family of the dynasty, she will receive the respect and care she deserves until the end of her life."
"Has Grand Duchess Anna recovered?"
"On the day the Demon Prince died, she returned to her human form. However... she still can't accept that she was once a monster with a bird's head and a human body. She was severely traumatized and can only spend the rest of her life recuperating..."
“This result is actually quite good.”
Edmund murmured to himself: "Yaris, is today our last meeting?"
"The day of the execution will be the last time we meet."
"Will you remember me after I die?"
"Won't."
"...Good son."
Edmund lowered his head. "You can go now. I should also prepare to go."
…
…
On a quiet afternoon, clouds flow in the blue-purple sky.
After finishing his meeting with Edmund, Yaris left the White Tower in a wheelchair and met Ulysses who had been waiting for a long time.
"His Highness Yaris——"
"Ulysses?"
Yaris stopped his wheelchair and turned to Ulysses with a smile: "Are you waiting for me here?"
"Yes, I have a question I'd like to know the answer to."
"What's the problem?"
"Your Highness Yaris, what exactly are you?"
"Why do you ask this question?"
"I met with Edmund secretly some time ago, and he told me a few things, among which—"
"I see."
Yaris smiled at Ulysses and replied, "I am what you think I am."
"So—what is death?"
"die?"
Yaris said expressionlessly: "Death is everything in the world, and at the same time, nothing."
…
…
On the last day of September, Edmund III, as the last monarch of the Jura dynasty, walked to the guillotine. After publicly apologizing to the people crowded in the square, he calmly accepted his death.
This news spread throughout the Western Continent and shocked the entire continent.
because--
Over the past several thousand years, almost every country in the Western Continent has experienced a change of dynasties. It is not uncommon for the old monarchs to be beheaded or even tortured to death by the new dynasties. However—
Before Edmund, no monarch or former monarch had ever been sentenced to death after a public trial!
No monarch has ever publicly apologized to the people on the guillotine!
The monarch is on trial!
The monarch apologizes to the people!
This kind of thing——
“Unbelievable!”
“That’s crazy!”
"What on earth is King Aura I thinking? If he wanted to avenge his brother and the civilians harmed by Edmund, he could have tortured Edmund to death, torn him to pieces, burned him in public, or had the people stone him to death. But... why a public trial?"
"I heard that His Highness Edmund voluntarily apologized to the people after he walked up to the guillotine. Furthermore, on the day of his trial, he repeatedly shed tears of regret in response to the people's tearful accusations..."
"Rumor has it that the day before His Highness Edmund was executed, His Majesty Aura I and His Highness Yaris went to visit him in his cell... Sigh, I wonder what these former cousins talked about that night..."
…
From the court nobles to the common people in the towns - almost everyone in the land of the Western Continent was discussing this shocking news and the unprecedented measures recently implemented by Aura I.
"I heard that His Majesty King Aola I not only plans to build schools in all important towns across the country, but also announced that children under the age of fifteen can enjoy tuition waivers!"
"After the civil war, a large number of officials were unable to continue their duties for various reasons. It is said that all the vacant positions were given to young people, and half of them were even civilians!"
"Oh my God! Commoners! Commoners can also become state officials!"
"And there's more—the Holy Sun Empire is now implementing a two-crop-a-year farming model. Winter wheat is planted in late autumn, and after the wheat is harvested, a crop called rice is planted."
"I heard the new government will manufacture farm tools and rent them to farmers during the busy farming season. The new tools are very strange, with names like curved plows, harrow carts, and hoe carts... but they work great! Really, really well!"
"We've even organized people to dig canals along the riverbank to divert water for irrigation!"
“…It’s incredible!”
"Thinking about how unique His Majesty Aura I is, I suddenly had a bold idea - perhaps His Highness Edmund was moved by his charisma and took the initiative to apologize to the people on the guillotine..."
"I'm even beginning to understand His Highness Edmund's jealousy... His Highness Yaris is already known to be flawless, yet His Majesty Aura I is even more brilliant than His Highness Yaris... If I were Emperor Edmund III, sitting on the throne every day looking at two cousins who are countless times more outstanding and more popular than me, I would definitely be in pain and anxious to the point of going crazy!"
"Ah, after listening to your analysis, I suddenly feel that His Highness Edmund is also very pitiful... although I still can't forgive him!"
"I also... I understand his pain, but when I think about the asshole things he has done over the years—"
…
People expressed their opinions, some marveled at how the first emperor of the Holy Sun Empire, Aura I, was worthy of being a member of the Holy Family, with such unique ideas and practices; others lamented that although Edmund was a tyrant, he showed the true demeanor of a monarch in the last moments of his life.
Of course, there were also some who were keenly aware that they were standing at a turning point in history. The world was about to see an event even more turbulent than Edmund's death. Their once peaceful, simple, and ordinary lives would be forever destroyed by Aura I, an unprecedented monarch...
…
…
"How are you feeling today?"
Xiao Yun walked into the bedroom and saw Yaris sitting quietly in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in a white nightgown, admiring the quiet garden under the moonlight.
"not bad."
Yaris spoke slowly, his voice hoarse and weak.
"Really?"
Xiao Yun didn't believe it: "Dr. Moss said that this afternoon you--"
"It was just an accident."
"Accident?"
Xiao Yun angrily grabbed Yaris's hands and pointed at his left wrist and right palm, which were wrapped in layers of bandages. "How could you accidentally cut your wrist by holding a large piece of glass in your hands while the servants weren't paying attention?"
"——Xiao, you hurt me."
Yaris said aggrievedly, tears in his eyes: "And the wound, the wound..."
Hearing this, Xiao Yun quickly and carefully held his thin hands that could break at any time, and pleaded, "You said you would never secretly think about death behind my back again, why..."
“…Because I’m really in pain.”
Yaris said slowly, "Xiao, I'm terrified. My body is dying. Every breath I take places an unbearable strain on my lungs... Before long, I'll be reduced to a monster, only my head alive. I'll be numb from the neck down, barely clinging to life surrounded by doctors and servants... Then I'll become a burden to you... You're already exhausted from your duties, yet you still force a happy smile in front of me just to be considerate of me..."
"What are you talking about? How could you possibly be a burden to me! No matter when—"
"I have always been a bird with clipped wings."
Yaris raised his hands in pain and tried to grab Xiao Yun's shoulders.
"So, when 'He' managed to sneak me out of the cage and kidnap me to the Eastern Continent, the excitement I felt far outweighed my fear... I really wanted to leave the cage... I wanted to fly freely... You chased me to the Eastern Continent to rescue me, and took me across most of the True Human Empire... That period was the happiest time of my life..."
"Yaris, you should lie down. Your forehead is a little hot."
Xiao Yun picked up Yaris and tried to put him on the bed.
Yaris put his hands around Xiao Yun's neck and said breathlessly: "It's okay, it's okay... It's really okay..."
"I don't believe it."
"I'm sorry, but—"
He raised his head with an effort and gently rubbed Xiao Yun's neck: "My time is running out. I'm very happy to be with you and I'm very happy that you chose me, but I, I still have some things I want to accomplish... before the end of my life..."
"What do you want?"
Xiao Yun looked at Yaris nervously.
In recent times, his health has been deteriorating and his face has always been as pale as a ghost, but at this moment, when he mentioned the thing he wanted to accomplish deep in his heart, Yaris's cheeks turned a rare red.
"Xiao, I...I want to go to the ruins of the Eternal Empire's capital in the deepest part of the Death Desert."
"What did you say!"
Xiao Yun was startled.
"I want to go to the Great Desert of Death. I want to visit the ruins of the Eternal Empire's capital hidden deep within the Desert of Death—even if it's just to walk on the scorching sand and take a glimpse of the Salt Pillar Forest, a symbol of divine punishment and destruction, from afar..."
"…Do you know what you're saying?"
"I know, of course I know."
Yaris hugged Xiao Yun's shoulders tightly, and his thin shoulders kept shaking.
"It's very dangerous there, extremely dangerous. Even Kairusha, who's in great health, can't... But I still want to reach the deepest part of the Death Desert and see the ruins of the Eternal Empire's capital. I don't mind dying there..."
"You really should lie down and rest."
Xiao Yun tried again to get Yaris to lie on the bed.
"Xiao..."
"You're going to die there."
"I wouldn't mind dying there."
"But I mind!"
Xiao Yun said in panic: "I can't lose you! I absolutely can't lose you! Nothing scares me more than losing you!"
"But……"
Yaris resisted weakly, but his body was too weak and he couldn't shake Xiao Yun's shoulders even with all his strength.
Watching the blush on Yaris's cheeks gradually fade away and his face turn almost transparently pale, Xiao Yun couldn't help but worry that he would die in front of him because of the heartbreak of being rejected by him.
He carefully let Yaris lie flat on the bed and hugged him gently: "Yaris, I don't want to lose you, I can't lose you, please, I really, really..."
"Yes, I understand your point...but..."
Yaris burst into tears again, his voice hoarse and fragile.
"For many years, I have been dreaming of the ruins of the Eternal Empire hidden in the deepest part of the Death Desert. There lies a great secret from six thousand years ago... I want to see it with my own eyes, I want to touch it with my own hands... I know that the harsh environment of the Death Desert will shorten my life, compared to someone who can move around freely... I am different from you. I don't have that much time. I... For this one and only opportunity, I can... I want to use the rest of my life... No, I must do this, I..."
His emotions became agitated again, and he struggled to grab Xiao Yun's shoulders with his weak hands, causing the white bandage to bleed.
"Yaris——"
Xiao Yun was shocked: "Kelly! Come here immediately! Yaris's hand... my brother's hand..."
"What!"
The moment he shouted, Kelly and others pushed the door open.
They were all shocked when they saw Yaris lying on the bed, exhaustedly grabbing Xiao Yun's shoulders.
"Your Highness—"
"—Doctor! Send a doctor here immediately!"
"Yes!"
The two servants ran out without saying a word.
Kelly looked at Xiao Yun angrily: "What did your Majesty just do?"
"I--"
Xiao Yun was trying to explain when Yaris suddenly spoke again: "Don't be angry with him. This is not his fault. He didn't do anything wrong. It was me... I ignored his obstruction and insisted on doing something that was absolutely forbidden..."
"Your Highness..."
Kelly frowned.
At this time, the doctor also rushed over. While checking Yaris's pulse, he reminded: "Your Majesty, His Highness's body is extremely fragile. Even the slightest emotional fluctuation can cause his heartbeat to become disordered... In short, we must calm him down as soon as possible..."
"Yaris——"
"Don't reject me, this is my last request..."
Yaris opened his eyes, looked at Xiao Yun weakly, and spoke in a weak voice.
"I...I promise you!"
"That's so nice."
Yaris smiled with joy, like a butterfly that might break into pieces at any moment.
"But you also have to listen to the doctor, relax, and let your body recover as much as possible. I won't let you go until your body is in good condition to support this journey."
Xiao Yun added.
Yaris nodded with all his strength: "I will try my best, I will definitely try my best."
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