Chapter 1 New Life
Chapter 1
1.1
"Burn Euridice Arquitas!"
"Burn her!"
"Burn the witch!"
“…”
These were the cries that Oridsi heard when he was brought to the Judgment Square.
In the center of the Judgment Square, the stake has been erected high:
A crude wooden stake stood upright in the center of the stake, surrounded by piles of sticks and strips, with sawdust and flints scattered on top, soaked in tar and emitting a pungent smell.
"Countess," the knight escorting her nudged her expressionlessly, "please ascend the stake as soon as possible."
"Countess..." Euridice chewed on the title and smiled ironically.
Yes, Euridsi thought, this so-called "witch" was originally a noble lady:
She was the wife of Count Lorenz Ebrard and a "Countess".
Thinking of Lorenz—her husband—Olidesi slowly put away her smile.
She raised her feet and stepped onto the stake with an expressionless face.
The knight pulled her hands behind her back to the stake and tied a hemp rope around her chest, waist, and knees, securing her firmly to the stake.
Olidisi lowered his eyes slightly, and his gaze slowly swept across the noisy crowd in front of him.
It was the first lunar month of the cold season, and the weather had already turned cold. However, the people in the Judgment Square seemed unaffected by the chill. Instead, they craned their necks and stood on tiptoe, trying hard to see what was happening on the stake.
Ouli Desi's eyes suddenly focused slightly.
In the crowd, she saw her mother:
Mrs. Aquitas stood on the stone steps on the south side of the Forum to watch the execution, dressed decently and with her back straight.
Yes, thought Oledsi.
My mother is the head of the Aquitas family. She always dresses well and has a straight back.
Seeing her own daughter burned to death, she did not scream, did not go crazy, and did not try to rush to save her.
She just stood there, watching.
Among the crowd surging in the square, some were terrified of "witches," some were curious about them; some were excited about the very act of "burning witches," while others expressed compassion and sympathy, silently praying to God. They all revealed some intense emotions.
Among these people, the only one who stood still and watched all this was her mother.
The mother of a "witch" who is about to be tried.
Olidisi looked at his mother and suddenly found it a little funny.
"When I asked you for help, Mother," Euridice murmured, "you told me: 'Do not drag the Aquitas family into the abyss you created.'"
"Don't drag your family into your abyss", what a hurtful sentence.
However, when hearing these words, Oulidesi did not feel very sad.
She simply said, "The truth is, I know you will refuse to help me, Mother."
If it were not for the interests of the Aquitas family, she, Euridice Aquitas, the daughter of a common merchant, would not have married a noble like Lorenz Ebrard, nor would she have been framed by the Duke and Duchess and stood at the stake.
Her mother had long ceased to consider her a "daughter." Ever since Euridice became a "Countess," she had become a "commodity" of her mother's; a commodity that allowed the merchant family to ally with the nobility.
Now, Euridice was burned at the stake. The first thing his mother regretted was probably not the person "Euridice", but the marriage contract between the Aquitas family and the nobles that came to nothing.
From the beginning to the end, in my mother's heart, the interests of the family are above everything else.
Ouli Desi had known about this for a long time.
"So," she said, "why are you crying?"
——Two deep tear marks suddenly appeared on the mother's expressionless face.
Oledsi murmured, "Why are you crying?"
No one answered her.
The knight tied Euridsi's hands and feet tightly to the stake. After making sure that she could not escape, he stepped down from the stake and waved his hand, indicating that the "witch" was ready to be judged.
The executioner sang loudly: "The trial begins - please ask the Duke and Duchess to come to the podium and declare the 'witch' guilty."
The square suddenly became quiet.
The cold wind blew suddenly, and the long door of the temple opened outwards.
The temple bells rang again, and the knights of Oprunsi Castle changed their formation, forming two rows. As the knights moved, their silver armor made a slight "knock, knock" sound.
Under the protection of the knights, Duke and Duchess of Abrad slowly walked over.
1.2
Duke Luce Abrad, and his Duchess, Beatrice Carragher.
Not only are they the greatest nobles in the city, they also have a "close" relationship with Euridice.
They are Lorenz Ebrard's mother and father.
They were her husband's mother and father.
Oled turned his head to the west and stared at the two nobles:
Both nobles wore scarlet robes symbolizing power, their hair meticulously combed. Embroidered on their chests were the "Star Compass" crest and medals of the Abrad family, and they looked noble and righteous.
Duke Luce Abrad had a calm expression and an upright posture. He stood there looking like a wise and fair nobleman who was willing to listen carefully to the sufferings of the citizens.
Duke Ebrard glanced at Euridsi, then quickly looked away. His expression was compassionate, as if he couldn't bear to see Euridsi suffer, but simply had to ensure a fair trial.
However, it was he who personally stamped the seal of burning at the stake on the parchment scroll that executed Euridice.
Euridice sneered inwardly and turned his eyes away to look at the Duchess, Beatrice Karagaran.
The Duchess wore a crimson aristocratic dress, her black hair meticulously combed. Her eyebrows were deep and sharp, like the blades of knights' unsheathed swords; such blades were beautiful and dangerous, with a cold charm.
Elegant, noble, sharp, and hard to look at directly.
This was Duchess Beatrice, and when Euridice looked at her, she also looked at her.
The noble Lady Beatrice looked at the "witch" who was about to be tried with a complicated expression, as if she was looking through her at someone else.
Euridice knew whom the Duchess was thinking of.
She thought of her eldest son, Euridice's husband, Lorenz Ebrard.
However, a complex expression flashed across the Duchess's face, and she quickly made up her mind, turned around, and went up to the trial stand as planned.
The judgment square was silent. The Duchess raised her head slightly and looked down at the whole place. The noisy crowd quieted down the moment the Duchess stepped onto the judgment platform.
"Eurydice Arquitas," the Duchess said in a deep voice, "Now, let me pronounce judgment on your guilt."
Olidisi said nothing.
The Duchess did not need her to answer.
The noble lady calmly took up the parchment scroll in her hand—Oulidesi's execution order—and read clearly:
"Eulidesi Aquitus, Countess of Oplenci, plotted to murder Joan, the judge of Oplenci, and Adelaide, the administrator, in the name of alchemy and potion-making, in an attempt to seize the castle of Oplenci."
The Duchess said this, paused, and her eyes fell on Euridsi again.
When Oulidsi heard the familiar name, he finally smiled.
"Adelaide and Joan are dead," she said. "And you got them."
She sighed softly as she spoke. "You killed the county judge and the county magistrate, whose interests were in direct conflict with those of the nobility. Then you pinned the blame on me, a 'witch,' and got rid of me all at once. Killing two birds with one stone—quite a good tactic."
As Euridice said this, the Duchess looked down at the "criminal" on the stake with a proud look, and a cold smile suddenly appeared at the corner of her lips.
Olidisi looked at the smile and said slowly, "If Lorenz were still alive...if Lorenz hadn't died, what would he think of all this?"
The Duchess's smile froze slightly at the corner of her mouth.
"Stubborn," she said.
The Duchess no longer paid attention to Euridsi, her eyes returned to the execution order, and she continued reading:
"Euridice Arquitas, by using alchemy to plot murder, has violated Articles 27 and 64 of the Hydebot Code. The Oprunsi Citizens' Trial Assembly has decided to put an end to Euridice Arquitas' crimes by burning him to death in accordance with the laws of the Wanzeta Empire."
The Duchess's voice was not loud, but every word she spoke echoed clearly throughout the entire Judgment Square.
There was silence in the square, and then, someone suddenly spoke from somewhere:
"Burn her! She killed the administrator!"
"Burn her! Burn Euridice Arquitas!"
"Burn her!"
"Burn the witch!"
“…”
The crowd erupted in a huge, chaotic roar. They screamed, shouted, and waved their fists in the air. Some threw stones at the stake, while others fell to their knees, praying with tears in their eyes: "Burn her! Burn this witch!"
Some people looked at the "witch" on the stage anxiously, wanting to say something, but they were pushed around by the noisy crowd and were unable to resist the crowd's frenzy over the "witch hunt."
The Duchess looked at all this with a sinister smile.
"I finally see your miserable state, Euridice Arquitas," she said.
Euridice looked at her. The Duchess had a cold expression and a low voice: "You should have thought that when you bewitched Lorenz and made him reject Prince Constance's kindness, you would have to pay the price -"
The Duchess said this, and a hint of deep hatred finally appeared in her eyes.
"Euridice Arquitas," she said, "had you not bewitched Lorenz, would he have betrayed his family and died in battle? It was you who cost him his life. It was you who killed my Lorenz. For this, even if you were burned ten thousand times, it would not be enough to atone for your sin."
The Duchess's low voice was drowned out by the screams and shouts of the crowd. No one could hear her private conversation with Oulidisi. Only a stone hit Oulidisi's forehead with a "bang".
The man who had thrown the stone screamed, "Die, witch!"
The sharp stone scratched the tip of Oulidesi's eyebrow, and blood flowed down her brow. She smelled the rusty smell of blood.
"Oh, yes, I almost forgot," she murmured to herself, "and Prince Constance."
She pronounced the name coldly, and there was finally some gritted teeth in her tone.
From beginning to end, this noble prince did not appear in Oplensi Castle, did not appear in the Judgment Square, and did not appear in front of the stake.
However, through her own blood, Euridice seemed to see the prince's smile in mid-air.
A ruthless, noble, confident smile.
The Duke and Duchess of Abrad were too stupid and greedy to devise such a sophisticated conspiracy.
All of this was manipulated by Prince Constance behind the scenes.
The Duchess saw the hatred on Euridsi's face and finally smiled with satisfaction.
"Very good," she cried. "Fire—execute!"
1.3
The moment the stake was lit, Olidesi closed his eyes.
She clearly heard the tinder being thrown into the firewood pile, making a soft "puff" sound.
The next moment, flames suddenly rose, carrying the smell of tar and burnt feathers, sweeping across the entire stake.
Olidisi did not open his eyes.
Flames curled around her ankles; the burning radiated from the soles of her shoes, crackling the leather. Her clothes began to burn, and her long, rose-gold hair ignited, emitting a scorching smell. Olidesi could even hear a drop of her own sweat fall onto the firewood, making a subtle "snap."
There was a huge pain in her body, and Oulidsi's body was shaking because of the pain, but she still did not open her eyes.
The fire turned the darkness before their eyes into a bright red, the color of blood.
In this blood-red scene, even if Olidesi closed her eyes, she could still clearly see every one of her enemies—
The mother as a bystander.
The Duke and Duchess as executors.
Prince Constance, the instigator.
Oledsi felt herself burning.
Her body was burning, and there seemed to be a raging fire in her heart, burning angrily.
"I was wrong," she said.
"I should have killed them all... long ago."
A huge flame engulfed her body. Before Euridice's consciousness faded, she seemed to hear Lorenz's terrified screams.
"Oulidsi!"
However, she could no longer respond to him.
Euridice is dead.
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