❖ ❖ ❖

The liquor she had downed in a single gulp spread rapidly through her entire body.

For someone like Freya, who rarely drank, it was practically a lethal dose.

‘I feel dizzy.’

Her vision began to blur, and then suddenly a wave of dizziness hit her.

She couldn’t keep herself conscious.

She was momentarily surprised by the Emperor’s gentle touch as he laid her down on the bed, but that surprise quickly faded as she realised that simply resting her head somewhere wasn’t going to bring the comfort she had hoped for.

Her breathing soon became unbearably shallow.

Her heart was beating fast and a searing heat coursed through her veins, spreading throughout her body.

It was a strange sensation, as if she was burning from the inside out.

She desperately needed something cool, something to bring relief.

And just then, a pleasant scent tickled Freya’s nose.

Coolness brushed against her flushed cheek.

Everything felt incredibly good – so much so that she forgot he was the Emperor.

This refreshing presence, so close to her, wrapped itself completely around her burning body.

Now that her body had cooled somewhat, the pain eased.

‘The Emperor.’

Even as the overwhelming intoxication made it impossible to control her limbs, Freya was still fully aware—

That the man pressed so close against her was the Emperor.

‘Wait…’

She felt the Emperor suddenly trying to pull away from her.

“Mm…”

‘Not yet.’

Just a little longer.

Without realizing it, she reached out, her arms wrapping around him as if clinging to him.

And then, with all the strength she had, she pulled him back toward her.

Her body was still burning—she wanted to feel that coolness just a little more.

“Damn it.”

A low curse, breathless and rough, brushed her ear.

Then came that familiar voice, curling softly beside her.

“You’re the one… who said you wouldn’t leave…”

His fresh scent rushed in, enveloping her completely.

That cooling sensation once again spread through her overheated body.

This was a ritual they had to complete.

And the Emperor, too, had clearly made up his mind.

‘Yes… just one night. Tonight is all.’

Once this night passed, she would never have to go through this again.

As she felt the weight of his body settle over her, Freya exhaled shakily.

‘Goodbye, Aaron.’

His name came to her suddenly.

For some reason, she felt like she might cry.

‘Now… truly… goodbye.’

Clear tears streamed from beneath her closed eyes, slipping down her cheeks in silence.

Her consciousness slowly sank, as if being pulled deep beneath the surface of a still lake.

❖ ❖ ❖

The sound of a woman’s ragged breathing filled the entire room.

Seated alone at the table, Rabion now looked far more disheveled than before.

His loosely tied robe revealed his chest, which rose and fell in obvious agitation, as if something was troubling him deeply.

“…Ha.”

He had never intended to spend the night with a woman so drunk that she couldn’t even hold herself up.

Especially not her.

And yet he had dared to desire her.

Was this his punishment?

Crash.

The glass in Rabion’s hand shattered with shocking ease, breaking into shards that fell to the floor with a dull thud.

Blood, mixed with the strong liquor, quickly spread across the carpet.

His hand was already red, but he paid no attention.

Compared to the pain that was already tearing through his heart, this injury was nothing.

Moments ago –

Just as he was about to press his lips to her br*ast, a faint voice echoed in his ear

“…Aaron.”

All the blood in his body seemed to turn cold in an instant.

He recoiled, pulling his body away from hers as if burned.

If he stayed any longer, he truly didn’t know what he might end up doing.

“…Haa.”

Rabion stared into Freya’s face, his eyes frozen.

A groan of pain escaped his lips.

What now trickled down her cheek was undeniably a tear.

A burning rage surged through him, quickly followed by a deep wave of humiliation.

The two emotions intertwined and began to crush his heart, tearing it to pieces.

“Are you… really okay with this?”

“If this is what must be done, then so be it.”

“In truth, the goddess is satisfied with even the most minimal effort – so there’s no need to worry too much.”

“What?”

“All you have to do is share the bed. That alone fulfils the requirement, so if nothing happens, there’s no need to worry. Haha.”

Even now Rabion could clearly hear the voice of Cleric Helien, who – as always – spoke with that faint smile on his lips as he watched Rabion’s reaction.

“Shall I also inform Her Majesty the Empress?”

He could still see himself instinctively shaking his head, nervous and unsure.

‘Is that why… I’m being punished?’

He should have told her.

Told her that simply sharing the bed was enough.

That she didn’t have to do what she so clearly did not want to do.

He should have said it—

But instead, he dared to want more.

And now, perhaps this was his punishment.

His anger turned sharply, pointed at a single person.

‘Yes. Aaron… if I can’t find you—‘

A rather satisfying idea came to him.

A way to tear that man to pieces.

Whether it was his body or his heart—so long as he could rip something apart, that would be enough.

Whatever pain it caused him, it surely wouldn’t compare to this.

❖ ❖ ❖

“The Emperor left first?”

“Yes. He said there was urgent business to attend to and returned to the palace at dawn.”

Hearing this, Freya pressed a hand to her forehead and grimaced.

Her head throbbed as if it were going to burst – the retribution for drinking alcohol she wasn’t used to, and the toll was greater than she’d expected.

Estel, watching Freya with a worried expression, asked gently,

“Are you feeling better, Your Majesty?”

Freya nodded, but Estel still looked unconvinced. A short time later she returned from the kitchen with something in her hand.

It was a pale green juice.

“It’s asparagus juice. If you drink this, you should feel a bit better.”

Seeing her pull out a well-known hangover remedy, it was clear that she’d already guessed that Freya’s headache was the result of last night’s drinking.

A little embarrassed, Freya slowly raised the glass to her lips.

Sweet and tangy, with a hint of honey, the juice tasted surprisingly pleasant.

‘Why did he leave first?’

‘He didn’t seem to have anything that urgent just yesterday.’

A vague memory came back—her body overheated from the alcohol, clinging to the Emperor to cool herself down.

‘He must have been… deeply uncomfortable.’

She could still vividly recall the Emperor frowning the moment he was told their marriage wouldn’t be recognized unless they spent the night together on the day of the vow.

‘Then… what about me?’

At that thought, Freya suddenly felt her strength leave her body.

The last hazy fragment of memory she had was the sensation of his body pressing against hers.

But strangely enough—

It hadn’t felt horrible.

The more she thought about it, the more absurd it seemed.

‘Why?’

Still, the fact that she couldn’t remember the night clearly due to the alcohol, and that she had been left behind alone like this…

‘That was a relief.’

With a sigh of relief, Freya handed her empty glass of juice to Estel.

It was then that she noticed how unusually spotless the room had become.

Normally, rooms weren’t cleaned until their occupants had left. It was strange.

At that moment –

“Your Majesty, your bath is ready!”

It was Sienna’s voice, announcing that the bath had been drawn.

‘Once I wash myself in the warm water, all these thoughts will disappear.’

Nodding, Freya gave her orders to the maids.

“Prepare the carriage. I’ll go to the palace right after my bath.”

All she wanted was to get into that carriage as soon as possible.

She was determined.

As soon as she left this place, she would erase everything that had happened here from her memory.

Freya clung to this decision.

❖ ❖ ❖

The carriage didn’t arrive at the palace until late in the afternoon.

Riding alone this time, Freya felt a strange emptiness in the carriage – so different from yesterday.

And yet, even then, she and the Emperor had barely spoken, the air between them cold and stiff.

The thought struck her as ridiculous, and she let out a small chuckle.

‘Still not thinking straight. How absurd.’

To be honest, she felt lost again.

The Emperor had remained cold and distant, but he had occasionally made unexpected gestures of kindness.

Like holding her hand as she got into the carriage, slowing his pace as he walked beside her, lifting her into bed when she was too drunk to move…

Well – he had done it all with the same icy expression, of course.

Sigh…

It was the same cycle all over again.

Allowing herself to become hopeful over the smallest of things.

Lost in her thoughts, Freya finally lifted her head and looked out of the window.

The carriage had already passed through the palace gates.

“What is that…?”

In the distance, near the spire, she saw a crowd gathered like a swarm of ants – pitch black and dense.

A feeling of dread crept over her.

Leaning her head out of the open window, one of the mounted guards riding alongside the carriage approached.

“Isn’t this the place of execution?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. It is.”

At the guard’s reply, Freya’s eyes wavered with growing unease.

“Tell the coachman to turn the carriage around immediately. We’re going to the place of execution.”

“Pardon?”

The guard’s eyes widened in surprise.

“What are you waiting for? Give the order to the coachman – now.”

The carriage quickly turned from its original path and began to speed toward the execution site.

‘What spectacle is this?’

Freya, watching the huge crowd murmuring amongst themselves, turned to Estel and asked.

“Why are there so many people?”

“It seems to be a public execution.”

“A public execution?”

“Yes. If the crime is particularly serious, or if there’s a special reason, they sometimes hold public executions. It’s common for cremations… and it seems… today is one of those days.”

“What?”

Freya hurried out of the carriage and began to push her way through the crowd towards the centre of the execution site.

Something didn’t feel right.

Not at all.