The clash of swords followed, the chaos of blows landing and furious voices shouting to seize someone. Reina slowly closed her eyes.

‘You should have just run.’

Kaelid would never let him live. She regretted not telling him sooner that if something like this happened, he had to run without her.

“Ugh!”

Amid the countless voices, Zephion’s was the one she recognized instantly. Her trembling arms braced against the floor as she tried to rise, though even that was nearly impossible.

“Reina! Are you all right? Reina!”

The sounds of battle continued. His desperate cries rang through the house, as if to reassure himself she was still safe. She wanted to answer him—but no voice would come.

“Zephion…”

Her cracked voice slipped out. Kaelid seized her and hauled her upright. Though she staggered, his iron grip locked tightly around her waist.

How much time had passed? The door burst open, and Zephion appeared. The sword in his hand—taken from another—still gleamed silver. Gasping for breath, his eyes widened the instant they fell on her.

Behind him, countless figures stirred and began to rise.

‘So… you really can’t kill them, can you?’

A bitter smile tugged at her lips. Kaelid wanted nothing more than to kill Zephion, yet how could a boy incapable of murder hope to defeat him?

“I’ll kill you.”

Zephion’s voice was low, teeth clenched.

At that, Kaelid gave a short laugh and pressed his blade against her throat without hesitation.

“Sit down.”

“Let Reina go.”

The cold edge touched her skin. A bead of blood slid down her neck.

“Drop the sword.”

Kaelid said calmly. Zephion’s glare sharpened. The sight of him gripping the hilt even tighter only spurred Kaelid on, pressing the blade deeper against her neck.

Reina, frozen stiff, thought for a fleeting moment that it might be better to die.

‘If I throw myself onto this sword, Zephion will live. With his skill, unmatched by anyone, he’ll escape. No one will be able to catch him.’

Her hesitation was brief; her resolve swift. She squeezed her eyes shut and leaned her neck forward. But Kaelid was faster. His hand yanked her hair back violently, forcing a short scream from her lips as her head snapped backward.

“Reina!”

Zephion’s anguished cry tore through the air as he hurled his sword to the ground. The sharp clang rang out.

“There! Now let her go!”

“Then say it. Whose idea was this?”

“I told you—it was mine! I wanted to leave!”

Reina cried desperately.

“Shut up, Reina. Before I rip your tongue out.”

“I… I was the one who seduced Zephion…”

Zephion ground his teeth as he listened.

“Reina, don’t you remember? You were kidnapped.”

Kaelid let out a laugh, as if amused.

“What a touching scene.”

“Zephion, stop.”

“I broke Reina’s cane. She couldn’t even run. I dragged her here by force. Reina was only kidnapped—so let her go.”

“Zephion!”

She screamed his name, her voice breaking, but he didn’t stop.

“You know it, too. She couldn’t have gone far on her own. She was only held here against her will.”

“All lies.”

Reina struggled desperately, but she couldn’t break free.

“You want to kill me, don’t you?”

Zephion asked, his face calm, his voice steady.

“Then don’t take it out on Reina. She was only dragged here.”

“Ahh!”

Kaelid yanked her hair harder, jerking her head back so sharply her neck ached.

At some point, his men had appeared at the door, standing ready.

“Tie him up.”

“Zephion, run!”

Reina pleaded in a desperate whisper.

“Please—run.”

“Ugh—”

The men forced Zephion down, hands clamping onto his shoulders until he was on his knees. They bound his wrists and arms, tying even his ankles tight. Only then did the blade at Reina’s throat fall away.

The instant Kaelid released her hair, she collapsed to the floor.

This was the one thing she had never wanted to happen. Zephion should have escaped.

‘I… I was the one who held him back.’

If she had died when that man appeared at the door… would Zephion have lived?

Kaelid stepped closer to Zephion.

“You knew this day would come, didn’t you?”

“……”

“It was a mistake to listen to Reina. I should have wiped out the Baltgars completely.”

He gave a short laugh.

“Or you should have died with your parents.”

“Stop it, please stop!”

Dragging her leg, Reina crawled forward and threw herself in front of Zephion. Kaelid’s laughter vanished at the sight. His blue eyes glinted coldly before his hand struck her cheek without hesitation.

“Ahh!”

“Reina! Stop—hit me instead!”

Zephion twisted against the ropes, but they had bound him so tightly he couldn’t move an inch.

“Isn’t it amusing? My father killed your parents—and now I’ll be the one to kill you.”

“I said stop it!”

Clinging to her spinning senses, Reina forced herself upright. Fear twisting inside her, she glanced back—and froze when she saw the shock on Zephion’s face.

His wide eyes told her he had never heard of any of this. The story of his parents. That Berend had killed them.

Desperately, she clutched at Kaelid’s leg.

“Please, stop….”

She knew her pleading would only provoke him further, yet she couldn’t hold back. Even if Zephion were to die, she couldn’t bear for him to die resenting her. She couldn’t let love turn into hatred. Because love was the only pure, untainted feeling she had ever received.

“Haha. So my dear little sister really was kept in the dark.”

Kaelid’s laughter rang cruelly.

“Your true name is Zephion Baltgar. If you’d studied history, you’d have heard it at least once.”

“…Don’t lie to me.”

Zephion’s face twisted in anguish. Reina squeezed her eyes shut, then forced them open again.

“Isn’t that right, Reina?”

His trembling voice brushed her ear. She should say no. Say it was a lie. But her lips wouldn’t move. Was it because she couldn’t bring herself to lie? Or because she knew that no lie could stand against the truth?

‘The Baltgars…’

A house crushed in the early days of the battle for the throne. Barely clinging to survival, only to be utterly destroyed in the end by Berend.

Zephion’s golden eyes trembled violently.

It was the face of someone who had just realized that the one who killed his parents was Eldan Berend, and that he had grown up under his enemy’s roof.

Kaelid studied Zephion’s expression with cruel amusement.

“Never has the saying ‘like parent, like child’ been more fitting.”

“……”

“I’ll be the one to kill you with my own hands.”

The boy’s eyes widened in shock. Reina couldn’t speak a word.

“If you had died back then, at least you could have met your end honorably—as the last Marquis of Baltgar.”

Kaelid burst into laughter.

“Tell me—were you happy living under the same roof as your parents’ murderers? As a trophy? I can only imagine what the late Marquis of Baltgar would have thought, watching you crawl and tremble. The thought alone is laughable.”

“Shut up. Shut up!”

“You fool. Did you ever think about what it truly meant, once you realized you were nothing more than a prize of war?”

At that, Zephion’s eyes flew open wide.

“If not for Reina, I would never have had the pleasure of seeing the wretched sight of you groveling through life. In a way, it’s been a blessing.”

Kaelid chuckled, tapping Zephion’s shoulder with the tip of his blade.

Reina bit down hard on her lip.

An arrow, once loosed, could only fly toward its mark. The secret they had fought so hard to keep hidden was now laid bare. Even when it seemed to pause, the arrow still sped relentlessly toward its destination.

‘If Zephion survives this, he’ll seek revenge.’

She knew it. And yet, she still wished for him to live.

‘It’s only the plan returning to its course.’

For the briefest moment, she had allowed herself a dream—a foolish dream of living happily with nothing else to think about.

Slowly, Reina raised her head to look at Zephion. The golden eyes that had always brimmed with love for her were now clouded with turmoil.

The sight filled her with unbearable sorrow. She had braced herself for this moment dozens of times while raising him, and yet, the pain cut deeper than she could bear.

She could no longer hold his gaze. Her eyes slid away.

“Rei… na.”

Zephion called her name in a voice she had never heard from him before.

Kaelid’s face twisted with displeasure as he raised his sword. In that instant, Reina gathered the last of her strength and threw herself in front of Zephion, shielding him.

Watching her, Kaelid let out a short, derisive breath.

“Fine. Before you die, I’ll make sure you know your place.”

His hand seized her platinum hair, and he hurled her to the ground. A cry tore from her lips as she fell, and Zephion’s shoulders jolted in anguish. His lips moved soundlessly.