Finally, they arrived at the sanctuary.
When the red curtain was drawn back, a disk-shaped relic lit up the whole room, glowing as bright as the sun. Aira Marceline, the heir of the noble House of Marceline, the only family that could resonate with the relic’s power, slowly raised her hand to it. Even though the sanctuary was sealed tight, strong winds rushed in, causing her golden hair to swirl wildly.
The moment her hand touched the relic, her crimson eyes deepened in color, and an overwhelming power surged into her heart. Her entire body trembled under the sheer force of it, but she didn’t pull back.
“It’s treason!”
“Break down the door!”
The soldiers’ shouts could be heard from outside, but it was too late—the relic was almost fully absorbed into Aira’s heart.
“So, it was true that the relic could only resonate with Marceline.”
Now fully enveloped in the relic’s crimson aura, Aira stood with a new presence and silently gazed at her husband, who had been waiting for her. Xavier von Amilleus. With his light brown hair and soft black eyes, he was a tall and handsome man, the second prince of the Kalanta Empire.
The Emperor was bedridden, and the Crown Prince had been away defending the northern borders for far too long. No one could stand in their way now.
“You will be the most noble woman in the empire. You already are, in my eyes.”
Aira remembered every day she had spent with Xavier, who whispered sweet words of love while holding her close. Seven years ago, after a passionate romance, she married Xavier and devoted her youth to supporting him.
And now, they had finally reached the conclusion he desired. With the empire’s protective relic now gone, the imperial palace was like a knight without a shield. Xavier’s well-prepared soldiers would soon bring the palace to ruin.
“…Your Highness.”
Aira, having absorbed the relic’s power, approached Xavier with a radiant smile. Next to him stood Julienne, her mother-in-law, with a gentle expression. Despite Aira’s shortcomings, Julienne had graciously accepted her as a daughter-in-law.
One step, two steps. Just as they were getting closer, her vision suddenly swayed.
Stumble—
Blood surged up her throat and spilled from her lips.
“Cough.”
The blood poured out, dripping down from her chin and onto the floor. Aira, who had started coughing up blood, collapsed to her knees on the cold ground. A searing pain wracked her body as if her insides were melting. It felt like molten lava was dissolving her bones and flesh.
This can’t be happening, why is this…?
“Your Highness.”
A bright, cheerful voice came from behind her.
Aira knew who it was better than anyone.
Luna Marceline. Her half-sister and political ally in this revolution.
*Cough.*
With her short chestnut hair, Luna reached out and linked arms with Xavier, as if she had been waiting for this moment. His large, strong hand wrapped around her slender waist without hesitation.
Julienne, her mother-in-law, smirked, clearly unfazed by Luna’s actions.
“It’s finally over. You’ve both worked so hard. You too, Mother.”
Mother…? Did Luna just call Julienne *Mother*?
Aira, blood dripping from her mouth, stared wide-eyed at this impossible nightmare. Xavier was her husband, and Luna was her sister.
*Cough.*
With another sharp pain, a chunk of blood was spat out. Aira could feel her body rapidly being destroyed from the inside.
Why? Why is this happening? Julienne had said that as a daughter of Marcellin, she would be able to absorb the relic’s immense power.
Xavier had also reassured her, saying:
“Don’t worry, research shows that with your potential, it’s entirely possible.”
Then why…?
Luna approached Aira, bending down with a sly smile. Her words shattered the truth Aira had believed.
“Foolish Aira, did you really think any human could absorb the relic and survive, even if they were from Marceline?”
“…!”
Her heart pounded violently in her chest.
The once-kind eyes of her mother-in-law, Julienne, now seemed icy cold. The air had changed as if a tiresome play had finally ended.
“No… no, Your Highness… cough…”
Kneeling on the ground, blood dripping from her lips, Aira crawled toward Xavier. She watched as Xavier gently pushed Luna aside.
Yes, Xavier… he wouldn’t betray me.
Aira remembered all the times he had sweetly whispered love to her. The nights they had looked at the stars and promised each other the future… Seven years as husband and wife. She had left her family behind, lived in the suffocating comfort of the imperial palace, and devoted herself to cleaning up his messes. When he was ill, she stayed up all night nursing him. She even obeyed her mother-in-law’s orders without complaint.
Aira had endured rude noblewomen and fake smiles, bowing her head to anyone and everyone for Xavier’s sake. She had given everything to support him, never once pursuing her own advancement. She had even turned a blind eye to the decline of her family.
She had stood by his side, even in this treacherous moment of rebellion, where failure meant certain death.
For her, there was only Xavier.
“I love you.”
Xavier stepped toward her, his dark eyes cold as he looked down at her bloodied face.
The words “I love you,” once so sweet, now felt like ice.
“…But the shoulders of a hero are always heavy. For the sake of great deeds, you must be willing to endure anything.”
The chilling sound of the sword being unsheathed echoed.
“Even the death of the woman who loves me.”
The legend of men who sacrificed their families for the greater good had stirred the hearts of many. But while everyone sang the praises of heroes, they forgot the pain of those who were sacrificed.
At least, those people had chosen to sacrifice themselves for their heroes. But this was…
“So, this whole time…”
Laughter rang out in the background. As Aira coughed up blood, Luna chattered happily with Julienne.
“With Aira gone, the era of His Highness and the Empress can finally begin.”
Suddenly, Aira remembered a conversation about the relic that she had once brushed off. Something Xavier and Julienne had mentioned in passing.
“If you kill a person who has absorbed the relic, you can become a ‘Dragon Slayer’—an extraordinary being with immense power. While they can’t absorb the full force of the relic, even a fragment of its power is enough to make them the strongest human on the continent.”
Who had told her that? The pain was too overwhelming to remember.
“Aira, don’t worry about your dream of restoring the House of Marceline.”
Cruelly, his lips curled into a smile.
“Xavier, how could you… do this to me… cough…!”
“Luna is carrying my child, and the name of Marceline will live on.”
Aira had never been able to conceive in their seven years of marriage.
Luna and Xavier, the two people who had comforted her when she felt empty inside, were now looking down at her with smug faces.
“Goodbye, my love.”
“…Ha…”
Xavier swung his sword in a wide arc.
*Slash-*
With a terrible sound, Aira’s vision dropped downward.
Her entire sight flickered red as she heard Julienne brushing off her son’s collar, offering words of encouragement.
“Don’t worry about a girl used as a sacrifice. It was all destined anyway.”
Aira, filled with the power of the empire’s sacred relic, made a wish.
O sacred relic that has protected Kalanta for a thousand years, can you hear my wish?
Take my foolish grudge and grant them the most painful end possible.
I’ll even offer my soul if it means getting revenge.
At that moment, the red aura swirled around her like a storm, enveloping her completely.
* * *
“Hah… hah…”
Aira woke up, drenched in sweat, gasping for breath. She found herself back in her childhood bedroom at the Marcellin Count’s estate, where she’d stayed before entering the palace as the Crown Princess.
It seemed to be early morning, with a slight dimness outside the window. Stumbling, she quickly made her way to the mirror.
The unbearable pain that felt like her bones were being crushed and her organs were being stabbed was gone, and here she was, walking on her own two feet after having her neck cut.
“…Ha… hahaha…”
Aira let out a hollow laugh as she stared at her reflection in the mirror.
Her radiant, golden hair gleamed like gold thread, and her scarlet eyes stood out vividly.
Her face still had the baby fat of youth, looking like she had just become an adult, with a healthy complexion.
*Thud-*
Just then, the door suddenly swung open, and a cheerful voice filled in the room.
“Oh my, Miss, you’re up early! Well, I guess today is the day.”
The girl in a maid’s uniform was Gemma, the maid who had served her back in her family’s estate.
She seemed to have brought a basin of water, which she placed on the stool with a small grunt.
“What day is it today?”
Gemma flinched at the odd tone in Lady Aira’s voice.
The window seemed properly closed, but… did she catch a cold or something?
“Why, it’s the day you go to greet Her Majesty, Empress Julienne, for the first time! Are you feeling alright, though…? Oh dear, Lady, you’re sweating!”
Julienne—the Empress who had encouraged her death and watched without intervening.
The memory of her first meeting with Julienne just three months before her wedding came flooding back. It must be the spring of her twentieth year.
Gemma, noticing Aira’s pale complexion, hurried to take out a handkerchief and wipe the sweat from her forehead.
In the mirror, Eira’s crimson eyes flickered with the same dark energy that had once come from the Empire’s holy relic.
She was back. Seven years before her husband would take her life.
