"Since you have already named me the criminal, no amount of words I say will be enough to defend me. I am willing to accept any punishment you put forth. I just have one wish."
Mikhail spoke in a voice so hoarse that made the listeners think that they could feel the pain of a parched throat.
The audacity of this savage to still have no remorse for the crimes he did! Even daring to ask them to fulfill a wish! Truly! Evil people just think differently!
The court room is full of hushed whispers perhaps insulting him.
"What is your wish?"
The emperor asked more perfunctorily obviously expecting it to be something vain for satisfying his ego. The others thought the same except the only person in the room and perhaps the only person in the world who thought differently.
Neither they nor the emperor expected to be surprised yet they were proven wrong once again.
"I wish to become a commoner." Mikhail once again said in a croaky voice.
"Why?" The emperor couldn't help asking.
After all if he was demoted to a commoner, he would face the harshest punishment considering the extent his crimes.
"I do not wish for my name to be associated with Calix or Raelynn."
The emperor & the others again assumed that this was also related to his pride. He probably didn't consider these people who didn't help him cover up his crimes as family.
Except the only one who understood that it wasn't because they refused to help cover his crimes but rather that all his pleas to escape the hell hole he had been lured in were ignored by them.
Hearing this, Mikhail's "family members" were shocked. Their expression ranged from embarrassment, anger, incredulousness & guilt.
While his husband raised an eyebrow seemingly amused at what game he was playing now.
"Alright. From this day onwards, Mikhail Calix is stripped of his title as the Duchess of Calix & the third heir of Duke Raelynn and now be demoted to a commoner."
At this, the criminal suddenly flashed a big smile, one that seemed so genuine as if what he had heard was not that he was demoted to a commoner but rather that he had been forgiven for all his crimes.
Everyone in the room was stunned into silence for a moment at the sight of such a joyful smile.
They had long forgotten that the person on the ground had once been the sort of person who smiled regularly.
They searched their memories to remember the moment when he stopped being the smiling rebellious youth and turned into the pessimistic lowlife who didn't even know what a smile was.
Mikhail's "family members" were even more shocked as it had been the same for them.
It was then, they realized that they had never really seen the youth after he got married except for the periodic meetings which was mandatory for the current rulers and heirs to attend.
There were letters that he would send after his marriage containing pleasantries and lies which they promptly ignored.
His husband was also shocked as he remembered that it was because of this never ending smile which ignited his desire to trample it that he had originally seduced him. He could no longer even remember how it had looked originally.
During their delay, Mikhail swiftly pulled out a dagger that he had been hiding in his rags and unhesitatingly stabbed himself in the heart effectively killing himself. As he fell back to the ground, he had a mischievous thought.
'Humph I said that I would accept any punishment, I never said that I would bear through it.'
This outcome was a foregone conclusion. He could finally rest in peace now.
The crowd's shock turned to instant horror as they watched the grinning man suddenly stab himself.
"QUICK! GET THE HEALERS!!!!"
The man yelled to the horrified crowd before hurriedly coming to the side of the now dirty corpse which was still warm, hugging his body in his arms as his clothes get drenched with the blood flowing from the horrendous wound on the man's chest.
He instantly took of his robe and pressed it tightly on his chest to prevent the bleeding which was fruitless endeavor.
He was a warrior. He dealt with death on a daily basis and was keenly aware of the fact that the man in his arms had died yet he still wanted to cling to the hope that maybe just maybe he could be saved.
Sometimes having hope was worse than having no hope at all as it only brought more despair.
The healers came as soon as possible but gave the same verdict that everybody present knew.
'He is dead.'