“To everyone else, she will appear dead. Tell them her body was discarded. I have no intention of being seen as a merciful emperor who spared a woman of the Berend house.”

“I understand.”

“You do realize what it will mean, taking in a woman of Berend.”

“I will be careful.”

If Reina woke, she would have to live out her days within the Baltgar lands. Quietly, without giving others cause to whisper.

Still kneeling, Zephion gazed up at her, then bowed his head deeply.

First, he had taken her legs. Now, he was to strip away her memories as well.

‘I’ve done nothing but break her.’

A bitter smile escaped him. He had left her unable to walk properly, and now this had happened. He had locked her away inside his prison. Maybe he loved her because he had ruined her.

Everything about Reina had been shattered by Zephion. Was it a warped kind of possessiveness? Or responsibility? Whatever it was, it had ultimately become love. This made him feel all the more monstrous.

Suppressing the darkness clawing at him, he finally spoke in a steady voice.

“Thank you… Your Majesty.”

“This is a debt I owed Reina Berend. It is not your gratitude I need.”

What debt could be so great as to spare her life, even once? He knew she would never answer, so he did not ask.

He rose slowly and left the emperor’s chambers. When he placed a hand over his chest, he felt the hard weight of the vial against his heart.

***

‘To think I’d stand on the execution platform twice.’

Reina let out a bitter smile. Once again, she had been given white clothes. She had asked to see Aaron, but no one so much as acknowledged her words.

What happen to my child? Would Zephion truly be the one to kill him? She had begged—begged so desperately—that someone else take that burden instead. She prayed her last request might be granted.

“Haa…”

She gripped the cane tightly. This time, she was certain she would die. He wouldn’t hesitate this time. If he failed to kill her a second time, disaster would befall him.

Unthinkingly, she laid a hand on her stomach and smiled faintly.

Until dawn, the two of them had sought pleasure without rest. Because it was the last time. They had thought of nothing else, simply following instinct: holding each other and feeling each other. Because of that, she still felt as if her belly were full.

‘Maybe… there was still a little love left.’

The thought left a bitter taste in her mouth. She had been happy to be loved, but that was precisely why today felt so awful. It wasn’t because she was going to die; it was because Zephion, who still loved her, would have to kill her with his own hands. That was what made it so awful.

If only they could have left every lingering feeling behind in each other’s arms until morning. If only they could have left nothing behind. Then perhaps he could have carried out the execution with a clear conscience and she could have died happily.

‘The weather is nice.’

She was glad it wasn’t a special day. Had it rained or snowed, he might have remembered this day whenever the skies looked the same. It wasn’t dazzlingly bright nor drearily grey — just an ordinary day. And that was enough.

The sound of the locked door opening told her the time had come.

As expected, Zephion was the one who entered. His face was set, hard and unyielding. What had happened only hours ago already felt like a dream.

Reina began to walk slowly. The sharp tap, tap of her cane against the floor seemed louder than ever. Once outside, she walked at a pace just slow enough that the man could follow close behind.

“Let me see Aaron.”

She had expected him to take her straight to the child. But no matter how hard she looked, she could see no trace of him. Zephion didn’t respond to her plea at all.

She bit down hard on her lip and followed behind him. The place they arrived at was the execution platform.

After a short wait, a man arrived carrying the child. She reached out her arms to take him, but Zephion’s voice came, cold and firm.

“Don’t hand him over.”

“Let me hold him… one last time.”

Reina pleaded softly.

After a moment of hesitation, Zephion gave a slight nod.

She clutched Aaron tightly. The plan of ending his life with her own hands rather than letting his father kill him had long since become impossible. She couldn’t bring herself to strangle this delicate neck now.

Wordlessly, she pressed a kiss to her child’s warm forehead. Breathing in deeply, she caught his familiar, gentle scent.

“Kyaa!”

His bright cry, oblivious to the situation, made her laugh. If this was how things had to be, she would wait for him so that he wouldn’t have to wander alone.

She pressed her lips against his for a long moment before slowly lifting her head. Looking at his smiling face, she forced herself to smile as beautifully as possible.

She couldn’t let the last image he saw of her be of her crying. She squeezed the small hand reaching out to her, smiled once more, and watched as Zephion took the child from her arms.

“This much will have to be enough.”

She wanted to beg for a little more time, but she knew she couldn’t prolong the situation any further. Obediently, Reina nodded slightly.

She walked slowly up onto the platform. The crowd wasn’t as large as when Kaelid was executed, but many eyes were still on her.

Drawing in a deep breath, she exhaled and cast a sidelong glance towards Zephion. She prayed desperately that there would be no trace of emotion in his eyes.

Those golden eyes were darker and harder than ever.

‘I’m glad.’

Had he cast away everything from the night before? She felt relieved, certain he had resolved himself fully.

Reina clasped her hands tightly together and stretched her neck forward.

No sound of a blade being drawn came.

Even after a long wait, there was no movement. When she opened her eyes, what lay before her was not a sword—but a vial filled with a blue liquid.

“Drink it.”

Reina turned her head toward Zephion. His expression remained rigid and unyielding.

‘Could he not kill me with his own hands?’ 

Or perhaps… he only meant to preserve her body intact, even in death.

She took the vial. It was warm, as though he had been holding it close to his chest all along.

In a way, it was better this way. Rather than showing hesitation again, it was far cleaner for him to kill her with poison.

Without a moment’s pause, Reina uncapped the vial. Tilting back her head so that everyone could see, she swallowed the poison.

Death was sweeter than she had imagined.

She lowered her hand, keeping her expression calm.

‘When will the effect begin?’

The thought no sooner crossed her mind than she felt her body stiffen, starting from her fingertips.

“Gh… ngh.”

She couldn’t breathe. She wanted to clutch her throat, but her arms were already rigid, beyond her control. Her vision blurred. Pain surged through her, consuming her whole.

Within seconds, Reina collapsed.

“Hhkk… ahh…”

Her strangled breaths rang louder, as though she were being choked. She wanted to thrash, but her body refused to obey. Countless eyes bore into her.

Her ragged breathing stuttered, then stopped altogether.

At Zephion’s glance, the man beside him stepped forward and checked her breath and heartbeat.

“She’s dead.”

Though softly spoken, it was enough to satisfy the watching crowd.

And so, before countless witnesses, Reina Berend was executed.