It was an unmistakable provocation. Unfortunately, Lian couldn’t see Tassen’s reaction as his eyes were still covered. After a moment of silence, Tassen grabbed Lian’s chin and tilted his head upwards. Even through the blindfold, Lian could feel the relentless gaze of the duke.

“That’s impossible.”

The reply was dull. The Duke simply denied Lian’s claim that Tadelia would have wanted his death. He continued, his voice laced with amusement.

“Love makes people foolish. Tadelia, in particular, was exceptionally foolish. You’ve inherited that trait from her completely.”

It was strange. He truly seemed to believe that Tadelia had loved him.

“Putting love and trust on the same level, losing all sense of reason and ruining everything…”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think that’s quite right.”

Lian loved Hailla, but he could never fully trust her. Even if she had promised him forever, she was the kind of woman who could have left him if the opportunity arose. That was why he had worked so hard to forge unbreakable chains. Yet when he told his father, the old man merely clicked his tongue in pity and furrowed his brow.

“You really are just like your mother.”

“…”

“Even now, you don’t doubt anyone. Not even in this state…”

Almost involuntarily, Lian began to consider who the traitor could be, just as Tassen had intended. He hadn’t informed the Emperor, knowing that he would never permit Tadelia’s body to be burned. Veridian was to take care of the aftermath, and the only other people who knew were Miar and one of her trusted aides. And…

A chill of unease and disgust crept up his spine. He tried to deny it and lash out at his father for playing mind games. But in that moment, his vision cleared. Tassen removed the cloth covering Lian’s eyes, tossed it aside and stepped away. Lian could see again. From his kneeling position, he could see everything in the room.

Only then did he realise where he was: Riduca, the holiest space in the temple.

Yet none of this registered: not the towering pillar of light piercing the ceiling, nor the divine sword within it, nor his father’s face, which he had not seen in years.

There was only one person.

“Hailla.”

Hailla, standing pale-faced before Tassen, filled his vision.

“Hailla…”

He called her name again and again, standing beside Tassen like a statue. He wasn’t calling out in the hope of receiving a response; he was simply mouthing the words, trying to deny the reality before him.

“Mm. Hi.”

With those carefree words, Hailla confirmed her presence. It was as if a deity had confessed to forsaking him.

“Lian.”

She walked towards him, as beautiful as ever, seemingly unaffected by the passing of time.

—

Sometimes, dreams can drag people to the most horrifying depths of their past. If they were absurd, such as monsters flying through the sky to slaughter humanity or fire-breathing dragons destroying everything, they would be easy to dismiss as fiction. But the worst dreams mirror memory exactly, without straying an inch.

“I want to give you a chance.”

A few days ago, Hailla had a dream in which she relived her past. In it, Rethe stood in the kitchen of the old wooden house, her white clothes soaked in blood. She smiled like the Grim Reaper and turned to face Hailla. She was waiting for Hailla.

“How did Unni get here?”

Hailla thought dimly. Their mother had said that Rethe had been hired as a servant in the western count’s household to do menial work. Two years had passed since the plague, and Hailla hadn’t seen her sister since — that was the reason why.

Hailla tried to steady herself, convincing herself that Rethe might have taken a holiday to visit her. Despite her not responding to any of her letters, her sister’s return should have been a happy occasion. Even so, Hailla hesitated and took a step back. She was scared — scared of her sister, cloaked in dried blood.

“You don’t have to be grateful. Either way, you have to choose now.”

It was Rethe who made her notice the bloodstained dagger. With her head held high, she looked at her sister, communicating only with her eyes. Then she turned her head towards the underside of the table. There, a blood-soaked dagger lay, its blade honed to a sharp point. Her blood-slick hands, her red-stained clothes and the fallen blade matched each other unsettlingly well.

In that moment, Hailla realised what her sister had done.

The wretched bond between parent and child had finally come to an end.

Given how deeply their parents’ cruelty had scarred the sisters’ lives, there was certainly motive enough for murder. And yet, at the same time, the motive was lacking. Rethe had often threatened to kill their parents, but had never gone through with it. There was no obvious reason to suddenly shed blood. For the past two years, Rethe had not visited her parents, and likewise, they had left her alone. Hailla had believed this to be a great relief for her sister’s happiness.

So why?

The thought of there being two lifeless bodies in the house made her feel sick. Hailla clamped her hands over her mouth. Rethe grinned, her blood-speckled cheek twitching as though she could read her thoughts. Like a graceful noblewoman, she walked over to the door next to the kitchen and turned the doorknob. It was the room their parents used.

Click. The door creaked open, the sound of time worn into its hinges echoing through the room. In that instant, time seemed to crawl unbearably slowly.

“So, which one is it?”

When the door swung open, a revolting stench like that of a slaughterhouse rushed out. Bits of flesh were scattered everywhere, along with dismembered organs and pools of blood. Among them were strands of their mother’s golden hair and their father’s thick fingers.

Overwhelmed by the horror, Hailla collapsed. Yet Rethe merely murmured in a calm tone.

“Here?”

She pointed to the spot beside her with her thin, emaciated hand. Then, with a sudden smile—

“Or over there?”

She gestured towards the mangled remains of their parents. Smiling like an older sister playing a cruel trick on her little brother, she looked pitiful herself. No, more than that… Her expression was that of a frightened child, terrified of being abandoned by her parents.

Spark.

The dream — so vivid that it was indistinguishable from memory — shattered.

When Hailla opened her eyes, her face was soaked with tears. She carelessly wiped them off with the back of her hand and stood up.

“What a disgusting dream.”

As she tried to stand up, her legs gave way and she almost collapsed again. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to take a step forward. Though no one was there to watch or mock her, she walked out of sheer stubbornness, with deliberate strength.

“It’s all in the past.”

Her voice was a low, barely audible rasp, lacking in strength. She shuffled into the kitchen to investigate. Simple breakfast items had been prepared — Lian must have left the house early.

She then went to check on her sister Rethe. Rethe, who was known for sleeping late, was still fast asleep. Ever since she started taking the medicine obtained from the Blue House, her complexion had improved. If she received the right treatment at the temple, as Lian said she would, she might be able to walk and get out of bed again.

Perhaps then this wretched misfortune would finally lift. The mere thought of this lifted Hailla’s spirits slightly.

Like most people from the slums, she had led a wretched existence. But compared to others, hers had been particularly cruel. Not everyone had a sister sold to a brothel who returned with an incurable disease, or had to bury their parents’ dismembered bodies with their own hands. For a long time, Hailla had believed that God hated her and had ruined her life out of spite. If it hadn’t been for her sister and Lian, she would never have endured. She would have ended her life long ago.

But things were different now. Her sister was going to receive proper treatment and would soon return to being the strong, dignified woman she used to be. Hailla and Lian were going to marry and live happily together. For the first time in her life, Hailla was looking forward to the future. She had begun to feel bold enough to dream of a better future. She truly believed that Lian and Rethe had saved her world.

Everything would be all right.

Trying to steady her nerves after her unsettling dream, Hailla took a deep breath. There was no reason for her to be afraid; she no longer wanted to be held back by the past.

She started preparing a mushroom dish and a warm soup, both of which her sister liked. Since Rethe preferred a firmer texture, Hailla spent a long time at the stove, taking care to cook the dish just right.

She seasoned it carefully, simmering it slowly and stirring until it thickened. Then she ladled it into a bowl. After letting it cool slightly, she placed the bowl on the table. She then filled a basin with clean water and headed back to Rethe’s room. The walls were thin enough that the sounds of cooking could be heard clearly — perhaps that’s why Rethe was already awake.

“Did you sleep well?”

Hailla asked, smiling gently. Rethe nodded slowly, her face still a little dazed from sleep. Hailla, accustomed to the routine, sat beside the bed, soaked a towel in water, wrung it out, and handed it to her sister. Rethe took it and wiped her face and hands with the damp cloth before handing it back.

Hailla rewetted the towel, carefully pulled back the blanket, and gently wiped her sister’s legs. The new bath towel she had bought recently was as soft as ever. No matter how tight money was, Hailla always made sure to buy high-quality fabric with which to wash her sister’s body.

“You don’t have to keep wiping.”

“Oh—okay.”

Hailla gave Rethe’s ankle one final, gentle rub. Some dark patches had started to appear on it. They had been growing slightly larger lately, which had been getting her down. However, knowing how much her sister hated her showing it, Hailla forced herself to smile even more brightly.