Escorted by court guards, Anna Bell appeared in public as she had long anticipated, wearing an exquisite white suit adorned with jewelry. Although she had lost weight and her face was pale, her eyes remained bright.
Reporters swarmed her with questions, but she maintained a smile and silence, allowing herself to be led away.
A woman’s voice screamed on the television: “Anna Bell, you orchestrated the bomb attack that killed my daughter and grandson. Now that you’ve escaped the death penalty, what do you have to say?”
Anna Bell raised an eyebrow and said, “I’m sorry.”
“Just sorry?” The grieving woman’s voice intensified.
“Sometimes achieving something requires sacrificing little people…”
Before Anna Bell could finish, the guard pulled her away. She smiled at the woman and turned her head.
In the crowded camera view, William Minna and others were still processing the situation when they heard a woman’s scream.
The crowd froze and scattered, but bold reporters remained, frantically pressing their cameras.
Anna Bell looked shocked, blood gushing from her left chest and soaking her white clothes. She collapsed softly, her hat falling off, captured by the cameras as a reporter stepped on her.
“Guards! Ambulance!” shouted the guards, crouching down to cover Anna Bell’s wound, but blood continued to flow down the steps.
The woman who attacked her dropped the knife and stood numbly until the guards arrested her.
Medical personnel arrived, and the doctor shone a flashlight into Anna Bell’s eyes before checking his watch.
Reporters frantically photographed the scene, with one host exclaiming: “We just witnessed an assassination of the former Queen, Countess Adelgard… Oh, right, Anna Bell Osenberg, who was just sentenced to life imprisonment for treason and murder.”
Amidst the noise, the camera focused on Anna Bell’s body. Her white clothes were stained with blood. She lay there softly, eyes still open, bathed in camera flashes.
William Minna raised her hand and turned off the television.
A deadly silence filled the study. The Queen’s face gradually turned blue, an expression rarely seen, causing unease among her attendants. Only Prime Minister Hanborg and Prince Albert remained calm.
William Minna put down the remote, bit her lip, and said, “Mr. Hanborg and Prince, please stay. Everyone else can leave.”
Everyone quickly left the study and closed the door tightly.
