Chapter 10

While healing the soldiers inside the warehouse, Elthia gradually began to feel an intense chill.

At the same time, a question formed in her mind.

Why had Edwin ordered her to heal the soldiers here?

Cold, damp air filled the warehouse.

It was hardly a suitable place to treat the wounded.

To make matters worse…

For some reason, her ability wasn’t working well today.

The soldiers continued gasping for breath, lying limply on the floor, unable to stand no matter how many she healed.

“…What’s wrong?”

“It’s already too late.”

“What do you mean… too late?”

“We’ve been poisoned.”

The soldier spoke in a quiet, bitter voice.

Elthia froze.

Poison.

Even she couldn’t heal poison.

And Edwin…

He had known from the beginning that her ability would never work on these people.

Her own body began to grow heavier and heavier.

As the soldiers closed their eyes one after another…

Elthia finally lost consciousness as well.

Darkness swallowed everything.

“Your Majesty, shall we decorate the banquet hall with flowers today?”

“No.”

“…Pardon?”

The attendant preparing the banquet hall was cut off before he could finish.

A twisted smile appeared on Edwin’s lips.

“Today’s banquet will be for me and the Imperial Consort.”

“But…”

The confused attendant hesitated.

Edwin fixed him with a cold glare.

“I-I’ll carry out your orders exactly as commanded.”

The attendant immediately bowed deeply.

Satisfied, Edwin smiled.

Then he turned around and leisurely walked away from the warehouse.

“Your Majesty… are you awake?”

When Elthia opened her eyes…

Beth was looking down at her with worry.

“Why am I here…?”

“Thank goodness…”

“I was afraid something terrible had happened to you, Your Majesty.”

Elthia gently patted Beth’s back as she sighed in relief.

Beth buried her face in her hands for a long while.

Then she finally looked up and whispered in a grave voice.

“The situation has become… much worse.”

“…What?”

Beth hesitated repeatedly before finally revealing everything she knew.

“After what happened before…”

“People have started saying Your Majesty is hiding something…”

Her voice trailed off.

It was nothing more than a baseless rumor.

Or perhaps…

Not entirely baseless.

To everyone in the Imperial Palace…

She was already known as the gloomy woman who had once caused someone’s death.

“I tried telling them it couldn’t possibly be true…”

Beth firmly believed Elthia would never kill anyone without reason.

Unfortunately…

No one except Beth shared that belief.

“It’s alright.”

Elthia gave her a faint smile.

Even though she understood perfectly well that she was becoming completely isolated…

She still smiled with the same harmless gentleness.

Seeing that only made Beth’s heart ache.

So Beth wouldn’t notice…

Elthia quietly turned her face away.

Her lips trembled.

Of course she wasn’t truly alright.

Inside…

Her heart was rotting away.

Yet she still couldn’t let Edwin go.

“…His Majesty…”

The words caught in her throat.

It felt as though something were lodged there.

She wanted to ask.

But she was afraid of the answer.

Beth hesitated before speaking again.

“Duke Petra came to see His Majesty because of what happened.”

“…My brother?”

The color drained from Elthia’s face.

Her own brother…

The man who hated her almost as much as Edwin did…

Was here.

She immediately stood up.

“You still need more rest!”

Ignoring Beth’s desperate cry…

Elthia hurried out of her bedroom.

Her clothes were wrinkled.

Her long hair hadn’t even been brushed.

The servants standing outside secretly glanced at her and quietly clicked their tongues.

“His Majesty is in the reception room.”

“He currently has a guest.”

The butler, Kent, spoke from behind her as she hurried toward Edwin.

His voice wasn’t malicious.

Only cold.

“I have to go.”

Desperation filled her voice.

But Kent stepped in front of her.

“His Majesty ordered that no one be allowed inside.”

Beth caught up and gently placed a hand on Elthia’s shoulder.

“Please return to your room and rest for now.”

Just as Elthia reluctantly turned away…

Someone knocked on the doors of Eldora Palace, the residence where the Empress lived.

“…Duke Petra wishes to see Her Majesty the Empress.”

The moment she heard Petra’s name…

Her delicate shoulders trembled.

Smack!

The sharp sound echoed through the room.

Elthia’s head snapped to one side.

“You’ve brought enough shame upon this family.”

Petra’s mocking words prevented her from lifting her lowered head.

“You don’t actually think becoming Empress has repaid everything this family sacrificed for you, do you?”

“…”

“You must keep that position.”

“Only then will you finally have the right to visit Mother and Father’s graves.”

Every time Petra mentioned their parents…

Elthia wished she had never been born.

“Even after your reckless behavior…”

“His Majesty, whose generosity is as vast as the sea, has decided to spare you.”

“So stop entertaining useless thoughts.”

“And serve His Majesty properly.”

“…”

“That’s the only way you’ll survive.”

“And the only way our family will survive.”

Petra never expected an answer.

He had no intention of listening from the beginning.

Elthia’s cheek was swollen bright red.

A tiny bead of blood appeared where he had struck her.

Petra didn’t even spare it a glance.

“If you can’t even keep your position…”

“…”

“Then you should just die.”

“…”

“Someone as useless as you is better off disappearing from this world.”

His threatening presence made Elthia instinctively curl into herself.

Memories she desperately wanted to forget resurfaced all at once.

After entering the Imperial Palace…

She had rarely remembered them.

Yet Petra’s few words alone were enough to make her entire body tremble.

“You know perfectly well…”

“That even your precious ability isn’t all that remarkable.”

He was right.

Everything that had happened…

Was her fault.

It all began with the ability to heal others.

The ability that had convinced her…

That perhaps she still deserved to live.

She had become obsessed with that thought.

Unable to escape it.

Unable to overcome it.

And that obsession had ultimately led her here.

Knowing that only made her hate herself even more.

Consumed by overwhelming self-loathing…

She failed to notice the cruel smile spreading across Petra’s face.

Suddenly…

Nausea overwhelmed her.

She ran from the room.

Watching her flee…

Petra heard the sound of her retching outside the door.

He simply shook his head before leaving.

She’s far too weak.

Though… that works in my favor.

After vomiting for a long time…

Elthia wiped her lips with trembling fingers.

Then she slid down the wall and sat on the floor.

“You should just die…”

Perhaps…

That truly was the best answer.

Where did everything go wrong?

Was it because someone as undeserving as me wished for happiness beyond my station… that the world became so cruel only to me?

She laughed bitterly.

She was exhausted.

Exhausted from clinging to a love that would never be returned.

Even though she knew Edwin toyed with her every single time…

She had continued giving everything she had for him.

At last…

She had reached her limit.

It was foolish.

She alone had struggled to protect this hopeless love…

For someone who had never once been sincere.

If only…

If only you had looked back at me just once…

I never would have let you go.

With empty eyes…

Elthia slowly returned to her bedroom.

Today was the fifteenth day of the lunar month.

When the full moon rose that night…

She intended to end her life.

“The moon is beautiful tonight.”

Standing in the imperial flower garden where blossoms bloomed in abundance…

Erika smiled softly at Edwin.

Edwin wasn’t someone who often spoke romantic words.

Yet with Erika…

He always did.

The full moon hung high in the night sky.

Large.

Round.

Its brilliant light bathed the two of them.

“I was worried.”

Erika spoke gently.

“What were you worried about?”

Edwin’s warm voice caressed her ears.

“I was afraid…”

“…that Your Majesty’s heart had begun to leave me.”

The rest of her sentence disappeared beneath Edwin’s sudden kiss.

Watching the two of them…

Elthia smiled faintly.

Edwin never looked at her.

Not even once.

At that moment…

Every lingering attachment she had to this life finally disappeared.

Only a month earlier…

She herself had been imprisoned in the highest tower of the palace.

Now…

Standing at the very top of that same tower…

She didn’t even know how she had managed to climb this high.

Perhaps…

Her overwhelming determination to die had carried her here.

Closing her eyes…

Elthia felt the icy wind sweep across her body.

Above her stretched the deep night sky, veiled by thin clouds.

It felt as though her soul might be swallowed by its endless darkness.

Without the slightest hesitation…

She took one step after another toward the edge of the fortress wall.

Only half a step remained between her and the abyss.

She tightly shut her eyes.

Just then…

A gentle hand grasped her wrist.

Startled…

Elthia turned around.

Her empty eyes met a pair of vivid green ones.