Was her birth itself a sin?

Her sky-blue eyes, heavy with remorse, stared blankly out of the window. At some point, night had drawn its curtain across the heavens, and now the stars, each flaunting its own light, glittered against the darkened sky. Selonia drew the cold air deep into her lungs, trying to steady the unease tightening around her heart.

Believing herself to be an unwanted existence, she had lived all the more fiercely. There was a time when she believed that, if she tried hard enough, she might grasp something called happiness.

But now, it all felt like an illusion.

In hindsight, her life had been like walking barefoot across thin glass, supported by nothing but a fragile thread. That thread had finally snapped, leaving her exposed to the jagged shards of shattered glass.

Moonlight crept in unnoticed, faintly illuminating Velua Palace’s bedroom. Embroidered hangings lined the walls, the marble floor gleamed beneath her feet, and an enormous bed stood imposingly in the center of the room. By all appearances, it was a place of extravagant luxury. Yet to her, it was now nothing more than a golden-barred prison.

She had lived as though confined within the palace for the past six years, but it had never felt as suffocating as it did in that moment.

Drifting absentmindedly towards the mirror, Selonia gazed at her reflection. Her skin was so pale and translucent that it seemed unreal; her hair was soft and pink, like scattered flower petals; and her eyes were the color of an icy lake, rather than the color of the sea. To anyone else, she was undeniably beautiful.

But the reflection in the mirror told a different story.

During her confinement, her once thick, lustrous hair had become dry and brittle, and the color had long since drained from her hollow cheeks and lips. Over time, her body had deteriorated to the point that even a short walk left her gasping for breath, making it almost impossible for her to leave Velua Palace.

She raised a hand to the mirror, which showed her image with merciless clarity. Her slender fingers, so thin that they appeared fragile, slowly traced the sharp contours of her face. There was no trace left of the bright, resolute expression she once possessed in the features of the woman sinking into a mire.

The Emperor’s mistress — Selonia.

That was the term used in hushed whispers about her. She had believed herself to be nothing more than a woman loved by one man — his lover. But to the world, she was merely the Emperor’s concubine — or worse, a seductress — branded as such simply because she was the illegitimate daughter of an insignificant family.

Even as cold gazes pierced her like blades, she endured six long years, sustained only by her love for Alix. She had desired neither the position of empress nor honor or prestige, only his undivided love.

But now, even that…

‘Can I be certain?’

The words she could not bring herself to speak escaped her lips silently and dissolved into the air. Although Alix still addressed her with the same gentle tone and treated her with care, she sensed that something about him was subtly different — as though he no longer truly listened to her.

He had told her that he believed in her innocence and that he would clear her of the false charges. And yet, somehow, the situation did not feel so simple. Trapped within these walls with no access to information beyond what Alix chose to share, she had no way of knowing how events were truly unfolding — and that uncertainty left her feeling anxious and suffocated.

“A witch…”

Her voice, unused throughout the day, trembled as the word escaped her. In Ardian, a nation that proclaimed itself a Holy Empire, being branded a witch was tantamount to a death sentence. Perhaps death would have been kinder. Those who failed to prove their innocence in a witch trial were typically imprisoned for life in the Grand Cathedral’s underground dungeons. From time to time, public executions by fire were carried out in the town square as a warning to others.

And yet, someone had accused her of being a witch, claiming that she had used heretical magic to seduce and manipulate Emperor Alix.

At first, she scoffed at the absurdity of it all and dismissed it. In truth, she was the foolish one.

Somehow, the sacred relic of the Grand Cathedral had reacted to her blood. This was considered irrefutable proof that she was a witch with overwhelming magical powers.

She refused to believe it. She told herself it was impossible. And yet, a chill crept into a corner of her heart. She knew almost nothing about her mother, who was just a commoner. What if she had truly been a witch? Had she known that the baby she was carrying would be a witch?

Was that why she had abandoned Selonia at the Count of Brienne’s estate before she was weaned? Even knowing that her child would be despised and abused as a b*stard?

The woman standing before the mirror twisted her face in sudden anguish. Shaking her head as if to dispel her racing thoughts, she squeezed her eyes shut and murmured,

“It will be fine. His Majesty said he would take care of everything.”

As though to soothe the woman reflected back at her, she repeated the words she had clung to countless times before. But they were nowhere near enough to erase the fear pooling in her icy eyes.

Just then, the silence was broken by the soft click of a door opening. Even in the dim light, the man’s red hair gleamed as he moved.

It was Alix — the Emperor of the Empire and her lover, for whom she had given up everything.

“Selie.”

A gentle voice brushed against her ears, almost tangible. For a moment, color returned to Selonia’s pale face. Despite the uncertainty surrounding his true feelings, one truth remained unchanged: she still loved Alix.

She had fought desperately to secure a position as a palace maid, exhausting all her luck in the process. In doing so, she had abandoned favorable marriage prospects and the honor that should have been hers. Some whispered that she shamelessly coveted the Empress’s seat, but no one knew her humble origins better than she did, and she had never dared to dream of such a position. She could endure the insults spoken behind her back and the comparisons to a kept woman. Alix’s love — whispered softly with smiling eyes — had simply been too sweet.

“Your Majesty…”

Though she was confined to the detached palace, he still came to see her almost every day. After all, within the imperial palace, no one could bar the Emperor’s path — except perhaps the Grand Cathedral.

When he stepped closer and cupped her cheek, Selonia leaned into his hand without thinking. Seemingly pleased, Alix curved his lips and lowered his head. He slipped his tongue between her parted lips, entwining them briefly before drawing her into his arms and carrying her towards the bed.

Guided by his gentle pressure, Selonia found herself seated on the edge of the mattress. She lifted her gaze to his, her expression tense. Her sky-blue eyes trembled faintly, revealing the turmoil churning within her heart.

“What about the trial? Please, at least let me attend it. I want to prove my innocence myself—”

Before she could finish speaking, he sealed his lips over hers again. Instead of answering, he played with her tongue and lifted her chemise. As his hand slid down her lower abdomen, the nape of her neck, which was held in his other hand, flinched.

His rough touch and breath revealed his raw desire.

“Y-Your Majesty… ah.”

Gasping for breath, she managed to call out to him. She had always liked seeing his face darken with desire. It had felt like proof that he wanted her more than anything else. But now, there was no way she could accept this.

Ignoring her attempts to stop him, Alix pressed against her impatiently while she was still unprepared. The familiar, sharp pain flared up again, but this time she didn’t have the presence of mind to force her usual smile. Frowning, Selonia grasped his taut arm and finally managed to make him stop.

“Hah… What’s wrong, Selonia?”

Alix spoke, as if trying to soothe her, and released a rough breath. But a deeper, more irritated sigh came from above her head, as though her hesitation had felt like rejection to him.

“You said there might be a witch trial. What’s happened with it?”

She had almost never defied his temper before, so her shoulders tensed up instinctively. Even so, this mattered more to her than anything else. She had believed that Alix, who claimed to trust her, felt the same sense of urgency. But now…

Unable to calm the turmoil churning in her heart, she looked up at him with a pleading gaze. Alix, who had been watching her with an unreadable expression, let out a quiet sigh and ran his hand over her body once again. His fingers naturally closed around the curve beneath her chemise, and Selonia’s composure cracked as she struggled to maintain it.

Come to think of it, it had been like this for quite some time. He no longer listened to her, only intent on satisfying his own desires. When had it begun? She bit down hard on her lip, the red deepening as though it might bleed at any moment. Her heart felt unbearably heavy, as though it were sinking into an endless abyss.

Perhaps displeased by how rigid her body had become, Alix pulled her closer, coaxing her gently as though attempting to soothe her.

“I’m already under a great deal of strain because of you. There’s no end to the talk that even letting you remain here is a special favor.”

“…You could move me to the underground prison even now.”

From the outset, it was Alix who stopped her when she said that she would go to prison. He told her that she was too frail to endure the underground dungeons. Thankful for what she perceived as his concern, she accepted his decision. However, with hindsight, she realized that she should not have done so.

Accused of being a witch yet living in comfort in a palace, she lent credibility to the slander that she had ensnared the Emperor with wicked magic.

Nevertheless, when she voiced her desperation, Alix merely shook his head in firm refusal.

“I can’t place my woman in a place like that.”

Hearing his sweet-sounding words, her expression softened slightly. Was the situation not as bad as she had thought? But what he said next took her breath away.

“Still, things aren’t going as smoothly as I’d hoped. The blood test results are unequivocal: the Grand Duke of Laharden insists that you be executed by fire.”