A silent library.
The wandering moonlight spills through the windows.
Under the soft glow, corpses are scattered all around, and the bookshelves are covered in bloodstains. Puddles of fresh blood lie here and there.
All of it creates a grotesque atmosphere.
In the center, sitting atop a corpse, was a blonde woman.
She was Aria von Shpenheim, the princess of the empire and the mastermind behind this scene.
Contrary to the horrific surroundings, she seemed to be lost in thought, with no particular feelings.
As she sensed a presence beyond the library entrance, Aria turned her head.
Creak.
With the sound of an old door, a man in black armor approached with a rustling sound.
He looked somewhat threatening, yet her expression remained calm as she gazed at him.
Although the man wore a helmet, Aria could vaguely remember the face behind it.
Among those who wore black armor, there was only one with such a gait.
“It’s been a while, sister.”
“Yes, it has. Brother.”
Luke von Shpenheim.
It was a face she hadn’t seen since his official death. She might have spotted him at large events like the Hunt Festival.
Of course, it would have been hard to recognize him due to that helmet.
With a smile, Aria wiped her bloodied hands. Unlike Luke’s complicated expression, hers was entirely serene.
While wiping her blood-stained fingers with a handkerchief from her pocket, she asked him.
“What brings you here? You wouldn’t have come to see me without a reason.”
“It’s a command from His Majesty.”
“His Majesty, huh…”
She mulled over that title a few times before bursting into awkward laughter. Even upon reconsideration, that title didn’t quite fit him.
Especially not for Luke, who had lost everything to that man.
“By the way, how is your mother?”
“…She’s doing well.”
After a brief silence, his answer followed. Along with it, a low voice could be heard.
‘What reason do you have to ask when you already know.’
His thoughts entered her ears. Did he answer, expecting her to read his mind? There was a clear difference from that time when he was still inexperienced, even as a Swordmaster.
Well, considering that was almost a decade ago, it was natural for him to change.
A decade is plenty of time for a naive boy to mature into a man.
“Really? If you say so, then I guess so.”
Nonchalantly stating so, Aria approached Luke. She could see him slightly furrowing his brow through the helmet.
Despite standing beside him, Aria urged him to move.
“What are you doing, not leaving quickly?”
“…Yes, understood.”
His sigh seemed like he was giving up on her careless words. He then started walking ahead, and Aria followed slowly.
What words could possibly be exchanged between long-separated siblings? She thought about potential topics but found none worthy to bring up.
After all, due to the engraving, they couldn’t talk about anything related to the imperial family.
Once he had been a boy who followed her everywhere, but now they had become strangers, hardly able to exchange words. A bitter sigh escaped her.
“We’ve arrived.”
At the emperor’s office.
It didn’t take much time to get there since it wasn’t far from the royal library. Of course, it took some time to disarm the assassin traps along the way.
“Thanks for the guide.”
Passing by Luke, who stood beside the door, she grabbed the doorknob. Without knocking, she swung the door open, catching him off guard. It amused her to see him still so rigid.
Really, seeing him like this reminded her of their childhood.
“Come in.”
The inside of the room was filled with golden decorations. Surely, if all this gold were sold, it could buy a decent kingdom.
Aria continued her distraction as she approached a man holding a golden goblet.
He was Yud von Shpenheim, the emperor of the Empire of Arye, also known by the title of Conqueror; her biological father.
“It seems you’ve caused quite a stir.”
“Yeah, well.”
The emperor quietly gazed at Aria. An unspoken pressure seemed to weigh down on her, as if her mental strength was being drained just by facing him.
His golden eyes met hers.
“Ultimately, those were nothing but trivial toys, right?”
“That’s true.”
“You said you wouldn’t care about what happens to toys. That was you, Father.”
“Yes, I did say that.”
She felt chills all over.
“Child.”
His voice was gentle, but his gaze was cold.
The emperor’s eyes locked with hers. A terrifying malice began to crush her body. She gasped for breath under the intense pressure.
“Weren’t you being too reckless with your little games?”
“Hah, I don’t think so.”
She still couldn’t read his thoughts.
It felt different from Abel or Adele. They felt like individuals who could be influenced, while the emperor felt like he could nullify abilities entirely.
“You still talk too much.”
Woooom…
A golden magic circle unfolded in the air. Suddenly, Aria found herself forced to kneel by the weight pressing her down. Luke, watching from behind, frowned.
“Ugh…”
“It seems you’re having quite the fun, but…”
The emperor fiddled with his goblet as he continued.
“You should know where to draw the line.”
The line.
His approach never changed.
As long as one stayed within the boundaries, anything was permitted. But crossing that line would require one to pay the price.
That was how the emperor dealt with the puppets of the imperial family.
“Aria von Shpenheim.”
At his summons, her heart began to constrict. The pain felt like blades piercing through her body, making her stomach churn.
A curse that had been passed down through generations and a leash the emperor held.
Unlike the engraving on Luke, this was more of a congenital trait. Meaning, since the moment she was born, this body had never truly belonged to her.
Tap.
When the emperor snapped his fingers, the pain vanished. That’s what a leash meant. No matter what she did, that curse kept her trapped within his grasp.
“A little punishment is needed for a troublemaker.”
“Another finger? I think it was the left ring finger last time.”
Aria said with a smile, and he chuckled.
“No, this time it’s a bit different.”
The emperor beckoned to Luke, who grimaced and approached him reluctantly.
The emperor reached out to him as he stood beside him.
“Pierce Aria’s left eye.”
“What do you—”
Before he could finish, his body moved on its own. The engraving burned fiercely, trying to take control.
Gritting his teeth, he tried to resist, but the emperor merely watched silently.
“Ugh…”
Swish.
Contrary to his will, Luke drew his sword from its sheath. Trembling, the sword was firmly aimed at her.
Seeing this, Aria couldn’t help but let out a laugh.
Instead of waiting there, she stepped closer to Luke, grabbing his right hand and guiding the blade towards her left eye.
Startled by her sudden action, Luke shouted.
“Sister!”
“I don’t mind, just stab me.”
“But—”
“Just stab!”
With those words, the sword pierced her eye. A sharp pain registered, but it wasn’t unbearable. She had long grown accustomed to this level of pain due to the curse.
The one who looked more pained was Luke. His face turned pale as he trembled with shaking hands.
Even after being abandoned like that, seeing him still care made her think he was still a good kid.
“Are you satisfied now?”
“This is amusing.”
The emperor seemed genuinely entertained, giving a slight smile. The red glow of Luke’s engraving began to fade.
As the emperor watched, he chuckled and reached out his hand.
Woooom…
A golden magic circle unfolded around her eyes.
“I’ll be back in a month.”
The blood trickling down her cheek ceased. The bleeding came to a stop, and the pain faded quickly.
Glancing at her reflection in a display cabinet, she found her left eye restored to normal without a scar.
However, the vision in that eye now seemed clouded, as if blind. Did he mean that her sight would return in a month?
Aria roughly wiped the blood off her chin with her hand.
“Be careful next time.”
“Yes, I’ll try.”
Bang!
With that, Aria slammed the office door behind her. Watching her retreating figure, the emperor chuckled softly.
“Children in their rebellious phase are so difficult to manage.”
“…Is that so?”
Luke, behind his helmet, glared at the emperor, his lips twisted in anger. The emperor, aware or not, simply took a swig from the goblet.
“Go now.”
“Yes.”
He left the room as if he had been waiting for those words. The emperor set his goblet on the table.
Steam still rose from the cup, indicating it was still warm.
Turning his gaze out the window, he saw a pitch-black night sky.
A complete darkness without a single shining star. The last bit of starlight he had seen had long since faded.
Suddenly, the memory of the first time he looked up at the night sky emerged.
The brilliant starlight that dazzled him back then no longer existed. What remained was only a dulled self and an abyss of darkness.
“The destiny is on the verge of breaking.”
With those words, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
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