Knock, knock, knock.

How many times did the droplets fall? My entire body was soaked in something.

I was just hanging limp, exhaling ragged breaths in various colors. I could hear Carlothian’s voice calling me in a hoarse tone.

Ah, aaah. Just end it. Kill me.

But then, the masked man spoke.

“Sing.”

Clatter.

“You can sing to heal yourself, right?”

No.

“Come on.”

But before I could refuse, something sharp dug into my skin again.

I sang like a scream. A cursed divine power surged up, healing my body.

I could see.

Through tears, I saw Carlothian’s face, a mess and stained bright red.

His face was engulfed in pain and despair.

And then again.

“Now.”

Repeat.

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

She felt like her throat would tear from all the shouting.

Carlothian was on his knees, pressing his forehead against the floor.

“It’s getting close to the limit now.”

And Ariadeline was slumped over in the chair, her throat completely hoarse from screaming and singing.

The divine power had long since run out, and now not even a sound came out. She felt like her vocal cords had been slashed with a knife.

“Huff, huff.”

Carlothian began to beg.

“Just kill me, kill me…”

His trembling voice was pitifully shaky.

“Please, please. Kill me. Torture me. Let her go…”

Ariadeline remained motionless, slumped in the chair.

Tick, tick, tick.

Tick, tick, tick.

The sound of droplets had somehow turned into two. Carlothian felt he might go mad from that sound.

He had been screaming, cursing, and getting angry while Ariadeline was being tortured, but then he started to plead.

However, the man in the black mask paid no heed to his words and continued to slice into Ariadeline’s skin.

“Ari, adel, line. Ariadeline…”

Carlothian called out to her, gasping, but there was no response. Only the sound of her ragged breaths filled the air.

The man, mechanically moving his hands, soon pulled away his blood-soaked hand. Click, the short knife was placed on the tray.

As he removed his blood-soaked gloves, he thought. He had done everything His Majesty commanded. Honestly, it was a method so vile it made him feel a bit nauseous.

To butcher an innocent woman like this just to break Carlothian.

“Then, you two.”

He clicked his tongue inwardly.

“Have a good time.”

The man then dragged the tray into the darkness. He shoved the tray into a corner and ascended the stairs.

It felt like the taste of blood lingered in his mouth. He didn’t know how many times he had slashed, stabbed, and forced that woman to sing for healing, only to slash and stab her again.

As he emerged at the entrance of the underground prison, he commanded the guard standing watch.

“Go down periodically and check on the situation.”

“Understood.”

The emperor’s attendant removed the black mask. He took it with him as he exited the remote palace.

In the now-empty underground prison, only the disheveled Ariadeline and Carlothian remained.

The sound of droplets falling, or rather, the sound of blood dripping, could be heard. Tick, tick, tick. A ragged voice called out to her.

“Ari, adel, line…”

There was no response.

“Ariadeline…!”

A single, labored breath was heard. Her breath stubbornly continued.

The fact drove Carlothian mad. If only she would die, he could shake off this pain and return.

She was now caught in a crossroads of life and death, constantly suffering.

“I’ll, I’ll be there soon, so please…”

Just a little longer; just hold on a bit.

Carlothian struggled to shake off the handcuffs binding his arms. His wrists rubbed raw, skin tearing, and blood began to flow.

“Ah, aaah…”

Carlothian howled like a beast. The blood vessels in his eyes had all burst, and the color of his tears was red.

For a long time, the sound of a beast crying echoed in the underground prison.

Carlothian realized that an emotion he had never felt before was piercing into his brain.

It was…

Thud.

The sound of the howling in the underground prison suddenly stopped at one moment. The guard at the entrance turned his head and looked down into the underground prison.

‘Come to think of it, it’s about time to check down below.’

Had he grown tired and fallen asleep? Had he fainted? The guard began to lazily walk down the stairs.

A small sound came from the keyring at his waist, clanging against each other.

No sound could be heard from the underground prison. It was so quiet that it was hard to believe there were two people inside. The guard squinted as he relied on the torchlight to see ahead.

“…Ugh.”

He unconsciously frowned at the state of the woman tied to the chair. It was astonishing that she was still alive in such a condition.

Creak.

As he frowned at the woman’s wretched appearance, something made a noise inside the prison.

The guard recalled that there was someone inside the prison and turned his head to the right. But then.

“What is this?”

The inside of the prison appeared empty. The darkness contrasted with the torchlight, but it looked that way to his eyes.

So he approached the prison. Still, he couldn’t see any human figure.

‘Have they escaped?’

Gripping the iron bars of the prison, the guard peered inside.

And at that moment.

Suddenly, a hand shot out between the bars and grabbed the guard’s neck.

“Ugh—!”

Bang!

The guard’s head slammed hard against the iron bars. His eyes rolled back. Who is holding his neck right now?

The figure revealed was Duke Carlothian, but from his throat came a sound like a beast growling.

He looked like a demon risen from hell. His eyes were bloodshot and filled with rage, and his cheeks were stained red.

Grit, cough.

“Guh…”

The guard’s eyes began to roll back completely. Carlothian did not let go of his grip on the guard’s neck. The guard scratched at Carlothian’s knuckles with two fingers.

Carlothian’s knuckles were entirely red. No, the skin had peeled away, exposing raw flesh.

He had forcibly removed the handcuffs.

Flesh from his bleeding knuckles was scraped off by his nails. It should have been painful, yet he focused solely on cutting off the guard’s breath.

Thud.

Eventually, the guard’s arms fell limp. Carlothian, still gripping his neck, lowered his gaze. He spotted a keyring at the guard’s waist.

He reached out, snatched it, and then tossed aside the guard, who was either unconscious or now a corpse. His hand, completely peeled off, picked out the right key and clicked, unlocking the prison.

Clank.

The door opened, and the keyring was thrown to the floor. Carlothian’s knees buckled. His body felt devoid of strength. He crawled across the floor toward Ariadeline.

Hiss, hiss.

Horribly and inevitably, her breath was still continuing. Carlothian felt as if someone was tightly squeezing his own breath.

“Ah, Ari-adel, aaah…”

Carlothian let out a cry into the puddle of blood at his knees.

With his red hands, completely peeled and trembling badly, he untied the ropes binding her limbs.

At that moment, he heard something above his head. It was a breath, a sound fractured and devoid of any clarity.

“Ari, adeline?”

“- ……”

He lifted his head.

And he saw the shape of her lips.

It hurts.

It hurts.

And at the end.

Please kill me.

His eyes widened in shock.

Kill me.

It hurts.

Please kill me.

Please, end it.

It hurts.

Stop.

“Ah, no, no. Ariadeline. Just a little longer, just a little…”

But Carlothian knew. There was no carriage, no horse. He had to carry her and run.

And he knew well that she could not hold on until they reached the healer.

Silently, she continued to plead.

I don’t want to hurt anymore.

Please end it like this.

End it.

Kill me.

“Please, please, Ariadeline. Please…”

Ah, ah. The wails continued. Yet, Ariadeline had no strength left to writhe in pain.

Her throat was raw from forcing out songs, her voice barely coming through, and her divine power had run dry.

There was no way for her to survive now.

Kill me. Please. Please.

Carlothian called out to her as if he were spitting blood. There was only one way to ease her suffering.

And he knew that he alone could bear it. He was the only one who could make her comfortable now.

Such a cruel method.

Carlothian.

Ariadeline’s breath called out to him once more.

It’s okay.

It’s not your fault.

The nightmare of that day overlapped.

He heard his mother’s voice. He heard his father’s cries. With his trembling red hands, Carlothian brought his hand to her neck.

If he could go back, he would apologize to her.

He knew he could not seek forgiveness by any means.

Yet, that was all he could do.

With a face stained with blood tears.

Crack—

He choked her.

“Gah, huck…”

Carlothian felt a sensation as if his own neck was being choked. Despite the strangulation, Ariadeline closed her eyes peacefully.

Time passed like that.

One.

Two.

Three.

Thud.

He felt her last breath escape her body. Her life had ended.

Ah. Now, I return.

Carlothian thought.

But then.

“…Ariadeline?”

This place was still the dark and black underground prison.

“Ari, adel, line…”

He opened his eyes wide.

This is impossible. This can’t be happening.

Her breath had ceased. The broken her no longer breathed.

But.

“…Ah.”

Time did not turn back.

“…No.”

He denied reality.

“…No, no, no.”

He crawled on the floor, screaming.

“Ahhh—!”

Yet, reality did not change.