It was clearly a tragedy, yet the voice coming over the phone carried a hint of mockery.
Under the circumstances, anyone who heard that tone would have flown into a rage.
"What... is going on...?"
Caught between anger and fear, Empress Kaguya's voice trembled as she weakly "demanded":
"What does your royal family... want to do?! Why would you give an order like that... If you only wanted to perpetuate hatred, wouldn't pressing this button be enough? Why order a massacre?!"
"Are you taking your anger out on me?"
Clang-!
The voice was gentle, yet it felt as though a bucket of ice water had been poured over her from head to toe.
Fear instantly extinguished her anger, and Empress Kaguya shuddered.
"No... I just..."
"Take what you see as the truth. Digging into the reasons won't do you any good. However..."
The voice on the other end paused, then continued:
"Use the button I gave you, too. Leaving those explosives there will always pose a risk."
Beep-
The call ended.
He had never intended to wait for Empress Kaguya's reply, nor did he care whether she would obey.
The choice had always been left in her hands.
Of course, she would also have to bear the consequences of defying him.
Empress Kaguya stared blankly at the phone in her hand, with nothing but a busy tone coming from it. Tears streamed uncontrollably from her eyes, tracing her pale cheeks and dripping onto the floor.
Murmuring a quiet "I'm sorry," she pressed her slender finger against the red button.
Click-
Boom, boom, boom-!
A series of explosions instantly thundered throughout Ashford.
She did not know what had happened outside, but judging by the noise, the carnage must have been unimaginable.
Empress Kaguya slumped helplessly to the floor, covering her face