I Reincarnated as a Prince Who Revolutionized the Kingdom-Chapter 57: The Republic Dies Today

July 26th, 1693.

Prince Bruno stepped through the iron gates of La Bastille de Fer, Elysee’s harshest prison, where only the most dangerous criminals and enemies of the state were sent. The air was thick with the stench of damp stone and unwashed bodies. Torches flickered against the cold walls, casting long shadows as he moved deeper into the prison’s depths.

Two Royalist guards walked ahead of him, leading the way through the dimly lit corridors. Behind him, General Berthold, Captain Vallier, and Antoine Leclerc followed in silence. None of them spoke—the weight of what was about to happen did not require words.

Bruno had come to see them—the leaders of the Revolutionary Council, the very people who had overthrown his family and turned Elysea into a blood-soaked dictatorship.

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They had once ruled Elysee from the grand chambers of the Bureau of State Security. Now, they were nothing more than prisoners, shackled in chains, awaiting judgment.

As the group approached the final cell block, the warden stood at attention and saluted. "Your Highness, they are waiting inside."

Bruno gave a curt nod. "Open the door."

With the heavy scrape of iron against stone, the door swung open.

Inside the dimly lit chamber, Emilia Voss, General Hector Bellerose, and Jean-Paul Lafayette sat on a long wooden bench. Their hands were bound in iron chains, their clothes torn and stained with filth.

Voss, once the ruthless Minister of State Security, sat with her back straight, her piercing gaze locking onto Bruno with open defiance. Even now, she refused to bow.

Bellerose, the former head of the Republican Army, remained silent, his jaw clenched. His uniform was in tatters, his once-polished boots caked in dirt. He had spent his life leading men into battle, but now he had no army left to command.

Lafayette, the Minister of Trade and Finance, looked the worst of them all. His face was gaunt, his eyes bloodshot with exhaustion. He had lost his wealth, his influence, and whatever dignity he had left. He knew what was coming.

Bruno stepped inside, his boots echoing against the stone floor. He stopped before them, crossing his arms as he studied their faces.

For a long moment, none of them spoke.

Then, Bruno broke the silence.

"I was sent to Corse," he said calmly. "Officially, it was to ’prepare me for governance.’ But I know the truth now. I was sent away because the royal court had no use for a spoiled prince."

His gaze hardened. "And when the Republic took power, a fleet was sent to ensure that I never returned."

Voss remained silent, but there was a flicker of something in her expression. Recognition.

Bruno took a step closer. "Tell me. Were you the ones who ordered it? Were you the ones who sent men to kill me?"

Lafayette swallowed hard. His mouth opened, but no words came.

Bellerose kept his eyes on the floor.

It was Voss who finally spoke.

"The fleet was sent under my orders," she admitted. "The Republic could not afford a claimant to the throne. If you had lived in exile, the nobles would have used you as a symbol. They would have rallied behind you, as they have now." She tilted her head. "Killing you was necessary."

Bruno’s fists clenched. "And yet, you failed."

Voss gave a thin, humorless smile. "Yes. And that failure led us here."

Bruno exhaled slowly. He already knew the answer, but hearing it from her own mouth confirmed everything.

His voice was cold when he spoke again. "Then you are guilty of high treason."

Bruno turned to Bellerose. "Tell me something, General. How did it happen? How did you and your revolutionaries manage to overthrow my father?"

Bellerose finally raised his eyes to meet Bruno’s. "It wasn’t difficult," he admitted. "Your father was blind. The people were starving, and he did nothing. The nobles hoarded wealth while the commoners suffered. When the time came, the people rose up, and we gave them a banner to fight under."

Bruno narrowed his eyes. "And so you executed the royal family."

Bellerose nodded without hesitation. "The king, the queen, your older brothers. If we had captured you, you would have been among them."

Bruno felt something dark settle in his chest. The slaughter of his family had not been out of necessity. It had been a calculated, merciless act to erase the monarchy.

"And what did you do after taking power?" Bruno continued. "Did you build a better nation? Did you bring prosperity to Elysea?"

Lafayette laughed bitterly. "We tried," he muttered. "But revolution is messy. The Republic needed money, so we taxed the people into poverty. It needed order, so we built prisons and filled them with anyone who disagreed with us. In the end, we became the very tyrants we swore to replace."

Bruno didn’t respond. He had heard enough.

He turned to Berthold. "Have them brought to the square. We will make this public."

The prisoners tensed.

Voss, for the first time, showed genuine fear. "A trial—" she started.

"There will be no trial," Bruno interrupted. His voice was like steel. "You massacred my people, burned my cities, and murdered my family. You are not leaders. You are criminals. And criminals do not get the courtesy of trials."

Bellerose let out a slow breath, accepting his fate. Lafayette, already broken, began to weep.

Bruno stepped closer to Voss, lowering his voice. "You said the Republic’s ideals would never die. Maybe that’s true. But you won’t be around to see it."

Voss straightened her spine, inhaling sharply. She would not beg.

Bruno turned and left the chamber, giving his final order.

"Execute them at dawn."

Bruno’s voice carried no hesitation. "We will prepare the guillotine. The people of Elysee will witness the justice they have long been denied."

Voss inhaled sharply but said nothing. Bellerose closed his eyes, resigned to his fate, while Lafayette let out a strangled whimper. The weight of their impending execution pressed down upon them, and for the first time, they truly felt powerless.

Berthold stepped forward. "Shall we make the announcement to the public, Your Highness?"

Bruno turned to him, his gaze unwavering. "Yes. Let them know that the Republic dies tomorrow."

With that, he stepped out of the cell, the heavy iron door slamming shut behind him.