After a moment’s hesitation, she nodded and Jeremy’s face lit up with a happy smile.

“Cyrene.”

Hearing her name from him felt somewhat new. His voice and tone were completely different from Areos’. It gave Cyrene a strange feeling and she found herself with a dazed expression on her face.

“Uh…”

The hesitant man took a step closer.

“Um, may I sit down?”

“Sure.”

Cyrene nodded. The man sitting next to her smelled strongly of grass and earth. It was unfamiliar. And that made it all the more refreshing. Had there ever been another ‘man’ like this, seen up close, other than Areos? Cyrene turned her head and stared intently at his face.

He was ordinary. It occurred to her that when she looked at the faces of the guards or servants up close, they might look something like this. He didn’t have a high nose like Areos, nor deep-set eye sockets. Intrigued, Cyrene moved closer.

Jeremy’s face grew a little redder. Every time Cyrene blinked, his breathing became heavier. His gloveless hand brushed across her cheek.

“…Cyrene.”

A whispering voice was heard. The hand slowly traced her earlobe, much rougher than Areo’s. The rough fingertips made her skin tingle.

Cyrene’s eyes widened at the face that had come so close. Their lips touched. That too. It was the first time with someone other than Areos.

The kiss with him, which felt as if it could swallow her whole, was incomparable. As soon as their lips parted, he opened his eyes wide, as if waking from a dream, and suddenly jumped to his feet.

“I’m sorry, Cyrene. I must have got carried away for a moment. I really didn’t mean to. You’re just so beautiful, so…”

He stammered for a long time, then bent low at the waist.

“I can’t ask for forgiveness, but I know I was wrong. But I don’t regret it.”

“It’s okay.”

Cyrene replied calmly. It wasn’t like they had shared tongues, just a light kiss. It was something she had shared with Areos since she was very young. No one but him, of course.

Jeremy, looking at her, smiled brightly again.

“Next time… can we see each other again?”

“Next time?”

Would there be a next time? When?

Cyrene tilted her head slightly.

“Ah, is that not possible?”

His shoulders slumped. She blinked, her expression softening. Even though she couldn’t promise when, the thought of meeting again didn’t seem too bad.

“All right. I’m fine with that.”

“Then… I’ll wait.”

Cyrene looked at the man’s face, smiling brighter than ever. Could he really be so happy just by looking at her? It was hard for her to understand.

As he hurried away, he turned back several times. Cyrene stared at Jeremy’s retreating figure. The sun was still high and no one had come looking for her.

That meant Areos hadn’t returned yet.

I’ll stay a little longer.

Cyrene rested her head on the shard again. The weather was especially beautiful today.

***

“Welcome back.”

He nodded slightly at Cyrene’s greeting. Even with an expression that clearly showed fatigue, Areos pulled her towards him.

“It wasn’t serious, was it?”

He casually tossed the remark in the direction of his companion as they walked side by side, but this time there was no response. The prolonged silence brought the prince to an abrupt halt, his gaze shifting to his companion.

“What’s going on?”

His eyebrow twitched slightly. The hand gripping Cyrene’s arm tightened, causing a little pain. As she blinked, her eyes met those of one of his aides.

Areos frowned at the sight. Then a man approached cautiously and whispered in the prince’s ear.

“It hurts.”

Cyrene cried out, almost like a scream, as the pressure on her arm increased. The look on his face, as if he might break her arm, was terrifying.

“Take her.”

“…Yes.”

This time the man began to descend the stairs again. Unable to ask where they were going, Cyrene had no choice but to concentrate on keeping her balance, taking each step carefully to avoid falling.

Breathing heavily, they reached the front of the garden. There, surrounded by several knights, Jeremy was on his knees.

“Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”

Even the red glow of the torches couldn’t hide his pale face. As Jeremy lowered his head as if to bury it in the ground, Areos’ foot made contact with the back of his head.

“Ugh!”

His head was forced down.

“Cyrene.”

The Crown Prince pushed her forward, almost as if throwing her. In the confusion, Cyrene found herself standing next to Jeremy, her eyes instinctively dropping to the ground.

This was wrong. This was very wrong. She didn’t know exactly what had gone wrong, but there was something undeniably ominous about the situation.

“Tell me.”

Areos said coldly.

“W-what do you mean?”

“What you did to this man.”

Areos smiled, his usual cold grin. His golden eyes gleamed like those of a wild beast. Cyrene’s hand began to tremble.

She couldn’t say, “Nothing happened.” No matter what his aide had whispered, the fact that they had met was something everyone probably knew.

She thought of the missing maids. Everything depended on what she said. Cyrene gripped the hem of her dress tightly.

“I-I just spoke to him.”

“And?”

The foot pressing on his head applied more pressure. His face was buried deeper in the soft earth. The knights held him down as he struggled.

“I told him my name…”

“And?”

“…”

“Cyrene. You must be honest.”

Areo’s hand cupped her cheek. The inside of her cheek hurt. Her whole body began to tremble.

“What have you done?”

The Crown Prince smiled, his golden eyes growing even more terrifying. Without thinking, Cyrene wiped away the tears that fell, unable to stop herself. She gripped his arm tightly.

“I… I made a mistake.”

“You need to say what you did wrong.”

His voice was soft, almost as if he was trying to comfort her, but Cyrene knew he was angry. Every time she clenched her teeth, Jeremy’s body jerked as if in convulsions.

“I… I touched his cheek.”

“And?”

“I kissed him.”

“And?”

“And… I told him to see me again.”

“And?”

“And… and…”

What happened after that?

Nothing came to mind. Cyrene gasped for breath, stammering as she tried to force more words out, but nothing came. Her lips trembled uncontrollably.

“And….”

Like a parrot that only knew those words, she repeated “and” over and over. Her tear-stained cheeks had grown cold.

“Is that all?”

“Yes. Yes…”

Cyrene nodded her head frantically, her movements hurried and frantic. The hand that had been pressed firmly against her cheek was finally withdrawn.

“Cut off his hands and tongue.”

The command sounded surreal, almost unreal. Shaking uncontrollably, she stood frozen, dazed, as Jeremy’s wrist was cut off before her eyes.

Blood splattered.

“Ahh…”

Kyrene, unable even to scream, gasped for breath and staggered backward, her vision swimming with shock and terror. The knights, unflinching, dutifully carried out Areos’s orders. Forcing Jeremy’s mouth open, they severed his tongue, his screams piercing through the air in raw agony.

Two blood-soaked pieces of flesh dropped with a sickening thud at the Crown Prince’s feet.

It was lukewarm and sticky. Her blood-stained hands trembled uncontrollably. At a subtle glance from Areos, the knights dragged the unconscious Jeremy away to some unknown destination.

Cyrene frantically threw away what had been forced into her hands, desperate to rid herself of it. But the blood-soaked hand gripping her jaw tightened, making it hard for her to breathe.

“You should know without being taught.”

“Ah… hhic…”

Areo’s lips pressed against her trembling ones. Desperately, she rubbed her bloodied hands against her dress, unable to shake the feeling. The Crown Prince’s hand gripped the back of her head and his tongue forced itself into her mouth.

“Mm… ugh…”

There was no sign of the usual feverish excitement. Cyrene struggled desperately to push Areos away, her hands trembling against his chest. The more she struggled, the tighter his arms became around her, squeezing her until she was gasping for breath.

After a few shallow breaths, her strength gave out and she stopped struggling, her body going limp in his grip. Only then did he slowly pull his lips away, his gaze unreadable.

Tears streamed down her cheeks with each ragged breath. Areos clicked his tongue gently and leaned in to lick the tears from the corners of her eyes.

“You know what you did wrong, don’t you?”

Cyrene nodded frantically, her mind spinning with fear and confusion. Overwhelmed and dazed, she barely registered his hand brushing back her dishevelled hair. But no matter his touch, the trembling of her body refused to subside.

To be honest, she hadn’t given it much thought. There was only one person who had ever really seen her as “Cyrene”. She had just found it strange. After all, no one else spoke to her, acknowledged her or even touched her – it had always been Areos.

So wasn’t it natural to find Jeremy’s approach strange and intriguing? Besides, he wasn’t… her brother.

Her head was spinning with confusion. People whispered that Cyrene and Areos were “siblings”, but was it really worse to kiss or touch someone else? Slowly, Cyrene looked up at Areos’ face, her thoughts swirling as she searched for answers in his unreadable expression.

He stared at her for a moment, his piercing gaze unwavering, before he let out a soft chuckle. His anger seemed to have subsided and a faint smile tugged at the corners of his eyes.

“Cyrene.”

His voice was deep and commanding.

“You are not to speak to anyone else without my permission.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t make that stupid face. I expected you to have some sense, even if I never taught you properly. How disappointing.”

“Don’t make that stupid face. I expected you to have some sense, even if I never taught you properly. How disappointing.”

Areo’s fingers brushed against her tear-stained eyes, wiping away the lumped tears from her lashes. Her trembling refused to stop, her body frozen with fear. His touch, as he gently stroked her cheek, carried a tenderness that only deepened her unease. The faint, metallic scent of blood still lingered on his hands, making her cringe inwardly with every movement.