Capital Punishment
1399 Words
“Stop. Queen Alvina, it isn’t time for you to leave yet.”
Alvina stopped walking as she slowly turned back around to look at Lucius coldly.
“Queen Alvina, how dare you break the rules of the Baldamia Empire?!” Lucius’s smile immediately disappeared as he spoke firmly.
All of the ministers looked towards him in confusion, including Alvina.
“King Lucius, I already gave up my throne. How did I break the rules?”
Lucius Cohen stood up from the throne, “Is committing treason not breaking the rules?”
Alvina knit her eyebrows together, “How did I commit treason?”
Lucius looked towards the guard standing near the door and nodded his head. The guard opened the huge door and spoke to someone who was outside.
A second later, a woman walked into the room.
“Lady Alegra!” Alvina’s eyes widened in surprise. Alegra Whit was Prime Minister Edward’s wife, and when she had gone to look for her a few days ago, Alegra was nowhere to be found.
Alegra Whit glanced at Alvina before walking over to Lucius, bowing down, “King Lucius.”
“Rise. Lady Alegra, do you wish to tell everyone what happened?”
Alegra Whit gulped before nodding her head, facing Alvina and the rest of the confused ministers.
“My husband, Prime Minister Edward, was murdered! By Queen Alvina!”
Everyone in the room gasped, including Alvina.
Murdered? By her? How did she not even know about this?
The ministers all looked at Alvina in shock, and several of them took a step backward.
Alegra Whit then went on to tell her story of what happened. How she saw Alvina’s lady-in-waiting kill Edward with a knife, and how he was buried near the forest behind the castle.
Meanwhile, Alvina had absolutely no idea what was going on. What is this nonsense?!
The ministers were also confused. Many of them did not believe the one-sided story of Alegra Whit, but the suspicion inside them rose with each word.
“Bring Queen Alvina’s lady in waiting. Send ten guards to the forest grounds to search for Prime Minister Edward’s body. Also bring in the Royal Priest, just in case. . .”
Alvina looked over at Lucius and narrowed her eyes. It was him. . . He had it all planned out. Maybe even the marriage in the very beginning was part of his amazing plan.
Alvina scoffed. So in the end, he was the real mastermind. . . And all she could do now was wait to see what the fate her husband had given her would be.
A few minutes later, Charlotte was brought into the room by two guards, and her eyes nervously scanned the room as she entered, landing on Alvina.
Their eyes met in midair for several seconds before Charlotte looked away.
At this point, Alvina didn’t know whether she could trust her lady-in-waiting anymore. Will their years of “friendship” break down at this moment?
“Your majesty,” Charlotte curtsied to both Alvina and Lucius after the guards let go of her arms.
“Lady Charlotte, I have a few questions to ask you. You must answer truthfully, as your life is on the line.”
Charlotte shuddered slightly as she nodded her head, “Yes, your majesty.”
“Prime Minister Edward, do you know what happened to him?”
Charlotte widened her eyes as she glanced over at Alvina, whose heart dropped when she received the look on Charlotte’s face.
“I. . . I don’t know.”
“If you do not want to be executed, I advise you to tell the truth,” Lucius said as he sat back down on the throne.
All of the color in Charlotte’s face had drained out as she stuttered, “I. . . I was only receiving orders from Queen Alvina. I didn - didn’t know what to do!”
Alvina closed her eyes as she took a deep breath, trying hard to remain calm.
“Orders? What orders?” Lucius leaned forward and all of the ministers also listened attentively.
“Queen Alvina told me to murder Prime Minister Edward without anyone knowing. . . I - I didn’t want to, but. . . but I could not disobey Queen Alvina’s orders!”
All of the ministers gasped as they began whispering amongst themselves, throwing scared and angry looks at Alvina.
“Queen Alvina, this evidence is irrefutable! What do you still have to say?”
Alvina glanced at Lucius and grinned before saying, “I didn't do it.”
All of the ministers scoffed, obviously not believing Alvina’s words.
One of the ministers who was especially close with the Prime Minister knelt down on the ground, facing Lucius.
“Your majesty, Queen Alvina should be punished for treason, and by the Baldamia Empire’s laws, the punishment for treason is capital punishment.”
All of the other ministers knelt down behind the first one, nodding their heads in agreement. Nobody wanted to be the next “Prime Minister Edward”, meaning they had to get rid of the person who caused it.
Just as Lucius was about to speak, a guard rushed in.
“Your majesty, Prime Minister Edward’s body was found buried two feet underground right in front of the forest.”
Alegra immediately burst into tears as she fell down onto the floor, glaring at Alvina like she was her mortal enemy.
“Your majesty, the evidence is irrefutable. Queen Alvina deserves her punishment for her wrongdoings!” The ministers all voiced their agreement.
“Wait!” Lucius looked over at Alvina, who still had a calm smile on her face, and frowned.
“There is something else.”
Alvina raised one eyebrow. She was very curious about what else she “did”.
An hour later, it was clear. Alvina was screwed.
Lucius had somehow found evidence about Alvina not distributing the money evenly to all the ministers, and how she had taken more for herself.
Of course, none of this was true.
Alvina calmly tapped one finger onto her leg and closed her eyes. So it was the end for her?
To her and everyone’s surprise, she wasn’t scared. She was very surprised to know just the type of person Lucius actually was. It seemed like they were strangers until now.
With the crime of treason and embezzling money from the palace, it was enough for capital punishment. Adding on to that, she was no longer the monarch of the Empire, and the Queen could not escape the punishments.
Lucius Cohen. . .
Alvina smirked as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She would be seeing her parents soon. . . Would they be angry at her?
Alvina shook her head. Although they were the King and Queen, they had always been very supportive and understanding.
She hadn’t failed them. . . But she had failed herself.
She fell down onto the ground as the King, ministers, and the royal priest began discussing her destiny. Her ears blocked out all of the noise for her, and it was replaced with a loud buzzing noise.
Only when the priest announced her punishment did she finally hear clearly.
“I hereby declare that Alvina Asber is sentenced to life imprisonment in the Boltonite.”
Alvina kneeled in the middle of the enormous Audience Room, and a mocking smile crept across her face when she heard the royal priest’s words. In just one afternoon, she had lost her throne and her. . . life.
Lucius Cohen walked over to where she was, looking down at her.
“Your service and contribution to the Empire saved you.”
So, being the first female monarch of the Empire still helped her slightly. She didn’t die, but she was stuck in the worst prison of the Empire for the rest of her life.
Maybe she would rather die.
“Before she is sent away, I propose a divorce!” The King of the Baldamia Empire shall not be married to a traitor.”
- Writer
