“Anais!”

Kylian rushed to his unconscious wife, calling out her name. She was carefully laid down.

“The Empress is safe.”

“What is the meaning of this?”

“We were merely following the High Priest’s orders.”

“Uhp… Uuhp!”

Anais’s mouth was gagged, yet not silenced by magic, allowing her to make noise.

“Quiet.”

After sheathing his sword, Kylian hugged the Empress’s body. He was checking for Anais’s heartbeat. In his haste, he couldn’t feel her breath or heartbeat, which alarmed him.

He thought if Anais died this time, he would die as well.

“Hah…”

Feeling like his chest would burst, Kylian placed his hand on the Empress’s neck to feel her pulse, trying not to shake.

“Uht… Your Majesty?”

“Wife.”

Finally relieved, he sighed deeply. Tears falling on her face as he exhaled shakily.

“Your Majesty.”

“I thought something happened to the wife… Ugh…”

Kylian couldn’t hold back his tears, having thought he couldn’t live without Anais again.

“Kylian.”

The empress called his name, urging him to compose himself, but he continued to sob, holding her tightly.

“Kylian, pull yourself together.”

But it wasn’t easy. It took him a while to calm down.

“Kylian.”

Kylian turned to the priests of death and demanded harshly.

“Explain what’s going on here.”

He was angry, so he ignored her call.

“We planned to offer Saint Lillith as a sacrifice.”

“Why?”

“So the Empress could fully settle into that body.”

“That’s a lie, Kylian. They’re lying.”

Lillith quickly interjected. Kylian grew increasingly confused.

“Wife, what do you mean?”

“The empress has a headache and is speaking nonsense!”

“How dare you speak to my wife like that.”

Kylian glared at the intermediate priest, who trembled under his murderous gaze.

“Kylian… Ugh…”

Lillith woke up but had no strength left, making it difficult for her to maintain consciousness.

“The high priest said that offering the saint as a sacrifice could perfectly stabilize the empress’s unstable state.”

“Why didn’t you do it at the palace then?”

“It seemed like Your Majesty had feelings for the saint… That’s why.”

“What?”

Kylian hoped Anais hadn’t heard that. Though he thought he had nothing to hide, seeing Lillith Isadora now reminded him of his wife’s behavior when she was alive, making it hard to stay detached. He felt exposed.

“But wouldn’t keeping my wife alive and well be more beneficial for you?”

“That’s only if Anais’s soul was attached to her body. In this state, reviving her might be impossible.”

“Ky, lian…”

Lillith was at her limit, drained by the murderous aura he emitted. She couldn’t even lift her arms in this foreign body.

“Don’t….listen.”

“Wife, why say that? If the saint has committed a crime, she deserves it.”

“Kylian…”

She wanted to protest but unintentionally passed out.

“So, sacrificing the saint can keep my wife’s soul attached?”

“Yes.”

Without hesitation, Kylian decided.

“Uuhp! Uhp!”

“Then use it. But I’ll take the empress back to the palace.”

“We need Lady Anais here for the ritual.”

“Then gather your strength and come back to the palace to do it.”

Surprised that Kylian knew such a method, the intermediate priest opened his eyes wide and agreed.

“…Understood.”

He attempted to lift Anais’s limp body, feeling his blood boil at the sight of her powerless form.

“Why did you insist on bringing my wife here?”
He spoke bluntly of his doubts.

“As mentioned, we wanted to keep it a secret from Your Majesty.”

“To dare touch the empress…”

“Isn’t preserving the empress’s life the priority?”

Kylian glared at the priest but held back further blame. He couldn’t argue with the logic.

“Ensure my wife suffers no harm in the future.”

“Yes.”

Kylian held Anais, containing his rage at the minor injuries on her body.

“Uuhhppp!”

Anais screamed, disbelieving Kylian would leave her like this. Yet, he didn’t look back, pausing only to ask.

“When is the ritual?”

“It begins when the moon is overhead, about 10 minutes left.”

“Right…”

He left without another word, leaving Anais shocked as he didn’t glance back. Tears started, soaking the cloth over her mouth.

“Don’t resent too much.”

Anais trembled, held by the intermediate priest ready to push her into the pyre at any moment.

She wasn’t afraid of death, having faced it twice already. Yet, this time, the sadness overwhelmed her, making it impossible to contain her emotions.

“Hu-uhp…uhp…”

It was Kylian’s abandonment that made her sad. Especially since this was the last time. She had always prepared for the end but never anticipated it would be so abrupt.

Anais’s tears didn’t stop, unbothered by shame or pride.

The towering flames seemed ready to consume her immediately, glowing intensely before her eyes.

* * *

Outside, Kylian found solace in the sound of his wife’s breathing.

Yet, the last image of Lillith imprinted on his mind was troubling. If he remembered what Lillith had done to him, she deserved death.

“Your Majesty, I am not Lillith Isadora.”

Her daring attempt to bewitch him with such words was infuriating.

But if it was true.

No, it couldn’t be.

Lillith had drugged him with painkillers from the Temple of Morpheus, deceitfully impersonating his wife and even wearing the necklace meant for his wife.

Seeing her with that necklace confirmed her shamelessness.

“I wish for you to walk the righteous path, Your Majesty.”

Yet, something in her eyes reminded him of Anais in her lifetime.

“Your Majesty.”

The aide finally arrived, leading a line of knights at the entrance. Their formation suggested that they were ready to follow any given command.

Kylian gazed numbly at him and tightly hugged the unconscious Anais in his arms. He then instructed.

“Take good care of my wife.”

“But Your Majesty…!”

Checking the moon’s position, Kylian estimated about 5 minutes remained based on the time it took to reach here.

“Your Majesty!”

Kylian didn’t understand why he was rushing back. Unlike his heavy steps leaving the place, his return steps felt lighter.

Reaching the previously shattered door, he gripped the handle. Thump, thump, thump. The anticipation made his heart pound.

Was this the right thing to do?

He had always sacrificed for his wife’s sake, even contemplating sacrificing Lillith Isadora, who had wronged them. There was no reason to stop now.

Yet, as he opened the door, Kylian needed to confirm the glow in her eyes that was reminiscent of Anais’s during her lifetime.

“I wish for Your Majesty’s happiness.”

Despite his brain’s denial, his heart couldn’t accept sacrificing her. When Kylian moved to check on Lillith, a familiar voice halted him.

“How dare you all do this?”

“Aargh! The High Priest commanded us to…!”

“Shut up!”

It seemed Phileal had arrived, piercing through the intermediate priest holding Anais with a summoned spear.

“Don’t mess with my prey.”

“The High Priest ordered… ugh!”

“You’ve challenged me by touching what’s mine, understood?”

Phileal spoke while smiling, activating the pentagram on his forearm even as the spear remained embedded in the intermediate priest’s body.

“Uwaack!”

In an instant, as the spear melted, the priest fell to the ground. Starting from the pierced area, his body turned black and began to decay.

“I was merely following the High Priest’s orders!”

“So was I. Just following the order.”

Phileal spoke coldly, removing the stola and placing it over the saint’s head. She clutched at it, her body was trembling as if crying.

“Ack!”

As Phileal made sure she was completely blindfolded, he fully unleashed his power.

“Ack! Please save me!”

“We were just following orders!”

“Second Priest!”

The screams varied, but the chains emanating from Phileal’s hands ensnared the nearby priests and the men who appeared to be nobles, dissolving them into decay.

“Kuhk…!”

The blackened objects that had melted no longer resemble humans.

Silence fell swiftly around them, and Phileal noticed Kylian standing at the door, watching.

“Anais.”

Phileal called her name directly, locking eyes with Kylian.

“Let’s go, Anais.”

“Huh…Phileal…”

“Come with me.”

With a naive smile, as if nothing had happened, Phileal lifted the stola off her face and said.

“Come with me, Anais Percival.”

__