But Musik’s words were cut off. It wasn’t what the Emperor wanted to hear. His sword moved again.

“Gah! Argh! Aaaaah!”

Thud. This time, a foot rolled across the floor. Blood poured out, far more than before. The Emperor, unaffected by the bloody spray that stained his robe, asked again.

“Who ordered you?”

His tone remained calm. Even as he cut Musik’s fingers and ankle, the Emperor was serene. Ormil, who watched it all from behind bars, shrank back in horror, crawling away on all fours. Her whole body trembled.

Musik, screaming like a madman, failed to answer. Or rather, he could no longer answer.

He had been a mercenary for quite a while, but he had always trampled on the weak, so this was the first time he found himself in a position where he was being crushed. Fear and anguish rendered him powerless. His mind, now blank, couldn’t come up with any thoughts.

The Emperor did not keep him waiting long.

*Thud!*

The blade pierced precisely into his knee on the leg that was not injured. Musik could no longer walk. However, the real concern was whether he would survive at all. He foamed at the mouth from the pain. And finally, barely managing to do so, he spat out a name amidst his screams.

“Ormil Petten.”

At the same time, Ormil stopped breathing. The Emperor’s gaze landed on her. The thoughts of claiming her innocence or asserting her purity had already left her mind.

Her confidence evaporated, replaced by a paralyzing fear. The Emperor, pulling the sword from Musik’s knee, shook off the blood clinging to the blade. A few drops splattered onto Ormil’s cheek. She screamed as if having a seizure.

The unique, musty smell of the prison was completely overwhelmed by the metallic scent of blood. Ormil was in no state to think clearly. A pool of blood gradually spread across the floor. It seemed that if it continued, it would reach her and swallow her whole.

She locked eyes with the Emperor again. He took a step closer. Ormil eventually lost consciousness.

—

The blazing sunlight was bright. The breeze was gentle, and the leaves sang a song. The flowers danced, and the grass added to the merriment. The newly sprouted violets blooming under the shade of the trees greeted her warmly.

Mail thought. ‘Oh, is this heaven?’

When had she arrived in heaven? She couldn’t say for sure, but the fact that she was in heaven made her happy. Moreover, if this was the kind of heaven it was, she welcomed it even more.

Mail beamed with joy, feeling proud of her past life. ‘So this is why I lived so hard! So that’s it, haha. I’m happy! Ahahaha!’

It was then.

“Mail.”

“Princess?”

Mail was startled. Turning around at the familiar voice, she saw Riela standing there with her arms crossed, looking somewhat displeased. Mail became increasingly confused. Wasn’t she in heaven? How could the princess be here?

“Are you allowed to just hang out here?”

“Excuse me?”

“Very carefree, aren’t you?”

“Excuse me?”

Riela squinted her eyes, looking stern. Her cheeks, puffed out in a cute yet irritating manner, added to Mail’s confusion.

Putting everything aside, Mail found Riela’s second remark absurd. Carefree? How could she say that? How could the princess say something like that!

“Uh, Your Highness, how did you come to heaven? Even if it’s heaven, shouldn’t you at least have some sense of conscience to qualify for residency…?”

“I don’t even care if I destroy the country anymore, you know?”

“What?!”

What was she talking about? Mail’s eyes widened in shock. Riela, having dropped a bombshell, turned away like a sulking young lady, aware or not of the weight of her words. Then she began to walk away.

“I think I need to go destroy it right now.”

“Y-Your Highness?”

“Guess I’ll just go destroy the kingdom now.”

“Princess! Wait a moment! Princess Riela!”

Mail sprang to her feet. However, it seemed that in no time, Riela had already disappeared far away.

Mail became frantic. It felt strangely familiar, but she couldn’t let Riela get away like this. Lifting her skirt to her ankles, Mail rushed through the flowers and grass.

“Your Highness, don’t go! Wait, Your Highness! Stop right there!”

“……wait…….”

“Mail?”

“Wait…… wait…… wait…… wait, I said!”

Suddenly, Mail jolted awake. The blanket that had covered her upper body slid down. Huh? Mail blinked blankly at the sliding blanket.

“What? Did I have a dream?”

“……Your Highness?”

Mail turned her head in bewilderment. She saw Riela sitting in a chair and Rose standing loyally beside her. She was lying in bed—not someone else’s bed but the very one she had slept in every night since arriving at the Empire. Mail finally regained her senses. Ah, it was just a dream.

“……Wait, where does the dream begin and end?”

“What are you talking about?”

“What day is it today? Did we have the first announcement of the selection competition?”

“Why is she acting like this?”

Riela raised an eyebrow and leaned in closer, as if examining whether something was wrong with Mail. Of course, she wasn’t a doctor—nor even if she were a doctor—could she understand Mail’s condition with just that. Riela straightened her posture again.

“You suddenly disappeared during the banquet and were later brought back, all disheveled.”

“Excuse me? Brought back?”

“I heard you were attacked in the detached palace. Are you feeling alright?”

Ah, hearing Rose’s words, Mail finally understood. It was only now, with her words, that she realized that being attacked by the assailant wasn’t just a dream. The only part that could be called a dream was the glimpse of heaven—a scene that, sadly, had been just an illusion.

Realizing this, a sudden ache seemed to creep into Mail’s whole body. She reached toward the bedside table, shaking her head to indicate she didn’t feel great.

As she swallowed a glass of cold water from the glass, she felt a little more alert. Putting the glass down, Mail asked, “How long was I out?”

“Ten minutes.”

“… Really?”

“No, not really. You were out for a whole day.”

Riela’s nonsense was promptly corrected by Rose. Mail had fainted last night and hadn’t opened her eyes until tonight. That meant over twenty hours had passed.

As she recalled her dry mouth and stiff limbs, Mail could believe she’d been out for a full day.

“Oh, and what happened to the attacker?”

Mail suddenly remembered the important matter and asked. Right, they needed to catch the culprit. That was the top priority. Mail was ready to testify immediately, even now.

The physical features and distinct details of the attacker were vividly imprinted in her memory. It would be best to record them quickly before anything blurred.

“Can you call the guards, or… actually, could I have some paper and a pen first? I remember several details about the attacker. First…”

“The attacker’s already been caught.”

“Short legs… Wait, what?”

“I said the attacker was caught.”

“The one who left you in this state was apprehended.” Riela clicked her tongue as she added.

Mail’s eyes went wide. If even Riela knew, it was safe to assume the news had already spread through the castle. They likely hadn’t posted a formal notice, so it must’ve been a noisy arrest.

In any case, it was good news. Mail shook her head lightly, erasing the unnecessary details of the culprit from her memory.

“But it happened quicker than I thought. It was just last night.”

“They say the attacker was caught red-handed, based on eyewitness accounts.”

Rose, who seemed well-informed, provided the details. At her words, Mail’s memory began to piece things together. Caught red-handed meant the culprit had been apprehended on the spot. Soon, she recalled the last scene she had seen before losing consciousness.

“Mail.”

“Hm…”

It had been His Majesty, without a doubt. Even though it was dark, she had seen his face up close, close enough to support her. There was no way she had misseen it. His striking features, even in the darkness, had surely been that of the emperor.

‘So, was I mistaken in thinking he called my name?’

At the time, she had been certain she heard it, but after fainting and waking up, it seemed unclear. Mail couldn’t be so sure; she might have misheard.

Perhaps he had muttered something like “What’s this?” and, in her dazed state, she had mistaken it for her name.

With a small frown, Mail rubbed her nose thoughtfully before relaxing again. There was no point in overthinking it alone. If she was truly curious, she could ask about it at a later opportunity.

“Did His Majesty capture the attacker?”

“That’s what I heard.”

“Oh, I see… It’s great that he was caught red-handed. With the evidence so clear, he’ll be sentenced quickly. Do you know what happened?”