"Are you sure about your decision?"
Elizabeth said it as she sat in the chair across from me, in the room with dull gray walls, where only a faint light slipped through the heavy curtains. The wooden table between us was cluttered with papers and old memories...
"Yes, Elizabeth. I don't think backing down now would help anything."
"I'm sorry... All of this happened because of my weakness... I didn't... I never wanted this to happen..."
Her voice trembled, and her hands clutched the edges of her unsettled dress, as if trying to hold onto the last threads of her nerves. Her words came out with difficulty, and her tear-filled eyes begged for something that no longer existed.
And I... I remained silent.
I felt nothing.
I didn't forgive Elizabeth, but I didn't hate her either.
Maybe she was protecting something... something I couldn't see yet.
But I no longer cared. I no longer searched for reasons.
All I wanted now was a proper ending to everything that happened to me.
"Elizabeth..."
I called her name softly and lifted my head toward her.
She looked at me — that freckled woman with chestnut hair now faded like wilted leaves, and brown eyes that had lost their shine long ago.
She had withered... like a flower dried up in a pot forgotten on a closed window.
Elizabeth... the one who once invited me into her world, was radiant, full of life... completely different from now.
I only wished everything could go back to the beginning.
Maybe we could have become friends... if not for what happened.
Would I have been able to stop it if I had known?
"Listen to me, Elizabeth... just try to keep living."
"What? But... Your Highness, what are you talking about?"
I rose from the chair, adjusted my heavy royal cloak on my shoulders, then walked toward the door. Behind me, Elizabeth remained seated in the same position, staring at me with eyes full of unanswered questions.
And now... the time had come.
Today is the coronation day... the coronation of the new emperor.
"The Trash Prince," as they called him... the one no one expected to become emperor, here he is now, about to be officially crowned.
Who said the throne is given? I killed his entire family for him.
And of course, I was the one who killed them for him.
Yes... I opened that big door.
I pushed it with both hands, slowly, as if I were about to break into my fate.
I just wanted to see the proper end.
The emperor was sitting in the middle of the hall, on his tall throne studded with gold and ivory, his hypocritical smile shamelessly decorating his face as if he had gained everything.
The hall was huge, towering columns reaching up to the vaulted ceiling, sunlight piercing through stained glass painting the floor with patterns of false glow, matching only the deceit of this throne.
/Note: The Tenth Prince's eyes were golden, while his hair was light green, shining under the hall's light in a strange contrast to the coldness of his feelings./
Today... was hot.
Very hot. We are in the heart of summer.
As if the heat of the weather ignited the fire boiling inside me, a fire visible in my features, in the expressions on my face, in my burning eyes.
A handful of fools, those standing on the sides of the hall, greet him and flatter him with feeble voices, while their eyes betray their fear.
Yes, who made these nobles stand on his side? I did.
I made them eat the Centipede
I placed chains around their necks.
Now... they have become tools in the hands of the new emperor, just like I was.
It is a new empire that "Elikar" tries to build, not with justice, but by humiliating everyone... by turning them into slaves.
It is an empire of slaves.
As Mensis took her first steps into the royal hall, the orchestra's tone began to rise from the eastern corner, flowing like a silk thread through the air filled with the scent of perfume and the soft rustle of luxurious fabrics. The shiny marble floor reflected the lights of the huge chandeliers hanging from the vaulted ceiling, adding sparkle and magic to the atmosphere.
She wore a deep crimson red dress, tight at the waist, flaring out in a wide hem that swayed with every step she took. Golden embroidery along its edges reflected the light of the chandeliers dangling from the hall's high ceiling. Her long red hair flowed like a flame, swirling behind her like a fiery tail as she twirled. And her eyes... were the color of hot wine, deep, shining, as scorching as the midday heat in a silent desert, radiating a power that could not be hidden.
Mensis began to dance.
A step to the right… a slow turn… a graceful spin.
Her heels clicked against the marble floor, her steps calculated like those of a royal ballerina.
Her hand rose into the air, as if waving to a distant ghost, then gently descended to her side.
In her eyes, there was a blend of sorrow and resolve—a soft smile graced her lips, but it wasn't one of joy… it was a smile that said: "This stage is mine, and this is my final act."
All eyes watched her in silence, captivated.
And at the center of the hall, on the golden throne, sat Elikar, the new emperor.
His lip curled into a crooked smile—a mix of triumph and longing.
He bit his lower lip silently, staring at her as if she were a dream escaped from a poem.
In his mind, only one sentence echoed:
"I truly love you, Mensis."
He wanted to rise, to run to her, to hold her hand and kiss it before everyone…
But he remained in place, bound by dignity, power, and doubt.
When the dance ended, Mensis gave a light bow.
Thunderous applause erupted through the hall. Exaggerated laughter. Enthusiasm from those who understood nothing.
None of them knew…
That Mensis, the girl whose eyes blazed like the sun, wasn't celebrating.
She was announcing the beginning of the end—with a dance.
The applause still echoed when Elikar rose from his throne with slow steps, as if time itself were swaying for me. His golden eyes never left my face, and his false smile carried something different this time… something like love—or its pretense.
He approached me, the music fading into the background, as if the entire universe held its breath to witness what was about to happen. He extended his hand slowly and wrapped it boldly around my waist. I didn't move. I didn't blink. I just looked at him and smiled.
He leaned in closer. I felt his warm breath on my cheek, and his lips brushed mine as if trying to weave an eternal kiss.
It was his first kiss… and maybe his last.
He tried to make it deep, heated, possessive.
But he didn't know… that I owned the moment—not him.
With deadly calm, I drew the small dagger from the strap on my thigh.
It was cold as ice… then hot as fire as it pierced his neck.
He didn't scream.
His eyes widened, and blood splattered across my face like a final embrace.
His head fell into my hands—heavy, warm, still.
I laughed.
Then cried.
Then laughed again as I trembled, blood staining my face, dripping onto my shoulders, soaking into my red dress—now darker… more honest.
The crowd was screaming.
Women collapsed.
Men stepped back.
The guards ran toward me, surrounding me—but I was hugging his head, holding it to my chest like a lost child.
I whispered to him:
"See? I gave you the ending you deserved."
My voice shook, madness dripping from my expression, and my eyes… my crimson eyes were blazing.
They slammed me to the ground. Bound my hands behind my back. My face hit the cold marble—and still… I didn't scream.
I whispered, with bleeding lips:
"Carlos…"
That name hurt more than anything else.
As I lay on the ground, I heard a voice among the crowd—a voice only I could recognize.
A man cloaked in a dark robe… murmuring.
Incomprehensible whispers—but I heard them.
It was like they came from the heart of pain itself.
Like they told me: "It's not over yet…"
I saw him from afar, as I struggled in the guards' grip.
Yes, I was sure…
That man I had seen ten years ago—before everything began—it was him…
It was Carlos.
But why was he here? Why now, of all times?
What is this… he's muttering strange words… what does it mean?
Suddenly, a sharp headache attacked me, and memories surged through my mind like fragmented, torn images.
"Stop… please, stop… it hurts… no, I can't take it!"
Then, as if time itself cracked—
The pain vanished. The voices faded.
The entire place sank into complete darkness.
No throne… no guards… no nobles… not even Carlos.
In the midst of that dense blackness, a tiny speck of light appeared—barely visible.
I moved toward it slowly, hesitated for a moment, then reached out.
The moment I touched it, it shattered like glass. Its shards scattered around me—and I fell inside it…
And when I opened my eyes,
I was fourteen again.
In the same alleyway.
Ten years before everything.
The air was still.
The place was utterly silent, except for the sound of my rapid breathing.
I stood there, stunned—Carlos in front of me, his composed body hiding something mysterious behind his calmness.
I didn't know what happened, or how I returned to this time.
But one thing I knew clearly…
That what I had desperately wished for had become reality.
He approached me and asked, in a soft and gentle voice:
"Are you okay?
I didn't answer right away.
Tears slid down my cheeks before I even realized.
And then, amid the chaos inside me, I smiled.
"Thank you… Carlos."
The surprise in his eyes was clear, but he said nothing.
As for me, I continued to smile and cry at once…
Like a lost child who finally found her way after a long torment