The precise location of Legal Square sat at the southeastern edge of the White Queen District, bordering the Lohe District,
Connected by
Lohe Prince Avenue
, which linked the two areas together.
Long, long ago, this place had once been the seat of the Kingdom of Avalon’s Ministry of Law.
Even though the Ministry of Law had since been abolished and its duties absorbed into the Judicial Court—
With the Minister of Law becoming the head of the Court—
The locals still called this place
Legal Square
.
Aiwass didn’t go there on foot.
He took a carriage instead, accompanied by “Annie Alexander” and his son.
"I have a question for you, Annie."
Inside the carriage, Aiwass interlocked his fingers with Lulu’s, gently holding her hand.
To keep her from getting bored—
And to soothe her nerves—
Aiwass casually asked,
"Do you know which district Legal Square belongs to?"
"…The Lohe District?"
Lulu was momentarily startled before realizing “Annie” meant
her
.
Without hesitation, she answered,
"It
is
east of Lohe Prince Avenue, after all."
"But the people of the Lohe District don’t consider Legal Square part of their district."
"…Huh?"
Lulu blinked in surprise.
"Why not?"
"Because the entire square is paved with white marble, and all the surrounding buildings are white official structures.
It doesn’t match the gritty, seafront style of the Lohe District at all.
If anything, it resembles the streets and architecture of the White Queen District."
The biggest difference between the Red and White Queen Districts was color.
Buildings in the White Queen District were mostly white or pale gray,
While the Red Queen District leaned toward browns, dark browns, and reddish tones.
"Now that you mention it… that does make sense."
Lulu nodded thoughtfully.
"But from another perspective, the people of the White Queen District
also
don’t think Legal Square belongs to them."
Aiwass’s lips curled into a sly smile.
"Because it’s
filthy
.
The place is dirty, stinks, and the law and order is a mess.
"Ever since the reign of the previous king, Tudor III,
People have preferred to call it
Gallows Square
—"
…Why?
That question had barely surfaced in Lulu’s mind—
When her pupils suddenly trembled in shock.
Just as Mr. Fox finished speaking,
She saw the wide marble square ahead—
Flanked by
two long rows of gallows
, each one occupied.
Forty bodies in total, suspended in eerie silence.
Six or seven of them were visibly decayed, swarming with flies.
The rest were relatively fresh—no more than two days dead.
Many corpses wore tattered clothing.
Some had bloody wounds and visible disfigurements on their faces and bodies.
Several had their abdomens hollowed out.
Others were missing limbs.
It was unclear whether the mutilations occurred before or after death.
Even though hanging was considered more "civilized" than beheading,
A faint, persistent smell of blood still lingered in the air—
Seeping into the carriage.
Instinctively, Lulu tried to free her hand from Aiwass’s grip to cover her mouth—
Afraid she might vomit and embarrass herself.
——But Aiwass wouldn’t let go.
In fact, he squeezed her hand tighter,
Just enough for her to feel a sting of pain.
Oddly enough,
That small distraction helped Lulu momentarily shake off her nausea.
"Are you alright, Annie?"
Aiwass asked with a hint of concern in his voice,
As if genuinely puzzled.
"Is this your first time at Legal Square?"
"…It’s the first time I’ve seen so many bodies."
She murmured,
"I’ve seen plenty of death.
I’ve long grown used to it…"
But this was her first time witnessing
this kind
of death.
Cruel. Brutal.
She thought she would throw up.
But she didn’t.
All she felt now was a silent, overwhelming shock.
"Sunday is execution day.
We missed it this week…
But on Sundays, when people have time off,
Many come here to
watch
.
That’s also when pickpockets are most active."
As Aiwass spoke, their carriage passed under one of the hanging corpses.
Lulu couldn’t help but glance at it—
The face was half-slashed, one eye missing,
The expression twisted in agony.
Aiwass leaned close to her ear and whispered mischievously,
"Look, this one’s fresh. No more than two days old.
Otherwise, there’d be maggots in his empty eye socket.
Someone must’ve stolen the eyeball and sold it on the black market.
Some demonic rituals call for a man’s left eye.
"And judging by the tear in his pants…
Something else down there got taken too."
He paused briefly.
"That means thirty-three people were executed this week.
The other seven must be leftovers from last week."
"…Is that a lot?"
"For the current era? It’s pretty normal."
Aiwass didn’t elaborate.
Fourteen years later,
The death penalty rate on Glass Island would decline significantly.
But not because crime had decreased—
It was due to a mining collapse seven or eight years from now,
Which would spark a labor shortage.
"Fifty years ago… no, thirty-something years ago…
That was the golden age of executions.
Even minor theft could mean death.
And dying wasn’t even the worst punishment—
There was torture both
before
and
after
death.
"Queen Sophia abolished thirteen cruel methods of execution,
Including beheading—
Leaving only hanging.
"She also drastically reduced penalties for other crimes.
Many offenses that once warranted death
Now result in exile, imprisonment, or forced labor.
And during wartime, convicts even have the chance to atone in battle…"
As he spoke, the carriage came to an abrupt stop.
"Sir."
The rough voice of the driver called out,
"Where exactly is that bar you mentioned?"
"Oh, we’re almost there."
Aiwass responded kindly,
"You can drop us off here."
"Watch out for the Stranglers, then."
The driver warned them kindly.
"That’ll be five copper coins—
Consider it half a coin off the meter."
In Avalon, copper hourglasses weren’t limited to whole units.
There were also
half-coppers
and
quarter-coppers
,
Two-thirds and one-half the size of a full coin.
They weren’t used much.
Quarter-coins stopped circulating twenty years ago.
Half-coins stopped being minted five years ago—
Only leftover stock remained in the market.
But since this was
fourteen years ago
,
Half-coppers were still fairly common.
At the driver's words, Aiwass looked toward Lulu.
She blinked for a moment before realizing she was holding the money.
She rummaged through her belongings,
Then stepped forward and politely handed the driver a
red coin
—
Worth
ten coppers
.
Double the fare.
"No need to give change, sir."
She said earnestly.
"Thank you for your work."
"You’re beautiful and generous, madam."
The driver praised her,
Then cheerfully pocketed the tip and drove off.
Once he was gone, Aiwass strolled up with a gentle smile.
"You do remember that all of this is an illusion, don’t you?"
He asked softly.
"I remember."
Lulu nodded, her expression a bit conflicted.
"But even if they’re not real…
My feelings right now are.
I didn’t know what else I could do—
So I gave him some money."
"That sounds suspiciously close to the Path of Devotion, my dear Annie."
Aiwass replied lightly.
"I don’t care,"
She said without hesitation.
"I grew up like every other child born on Glass Island—
Raised under the Path of Authority.
But I still chose the Path of Beauty.
"Because I want to do what I
want
to do—
What I
feel
I
should
do.
"I like the principles of the Path of Beauty.
I like its mystic arts.
It’s not about the powers it grants me—
I never planned to shackle my life and identity to a single Path."
Normally indecisive and insecure,
Lulu suddenly became assertive—
As if something had been triggered inside her.
She said all of this in one breath,
Unprompted by Aiwass.
"…That’s not an easy path, you know."
A cold, young voice—deliberately lowered—
Suddenly cut in from behind them.
A young
newsboy
,
Who had been silently watching them since they got off the carriage,
Now walked up and spoke mockingly,
"You’re walking a naive, romantic…
And
extremely dangerous
road.
"The path of the extraordinary demands the sacrifice of humanity—
Lady Lulu
."
(End of Chapter)
Reading Settings
#1a1a1a
#ef4444
Comments