Chapter 1
"Riena, praise me. Don't just keep crying like that. Hmm? You're making it look as though I've done something terrible...."
Despite the pleading tone of his voice, a sharp smile spread across his lips as he gazed at the woman whose eyes could no longer focus on anything.
But Riena gave him no answer. Like a broken doll, she seemed to have given up on everything.
"Ah... that's right! I brought back something you lost. Would you like to touch it?"
He placed the lost item on her neatly covered thighs, making her frail body flinch.
It was probably because something unexpectedly heavy had been placed on her lap.
Her delicate fingertips trembled as she cautiously felt around, as though she were handling a venomous snake.
"!"
Something thick and sticky clung to her pale, beautiful hand. The unpleasant sensation made her fingers freeze.
"Something... I lost?"
The woman who had done nothing but cry finally opened her mouth.
Delighted to hear her speak, he continued with a surprisingly affectionate and excited laugh.
"The crown. A crown that never suited that pathetic Emperor in the first place! It suits you much better."
Her unfocused eyes began trembling violently in horror.
She had realized that the thick blood staining her hand belonged to the Emperor.
"So what if you can't see? Riena, I'll stay by your side and protect you, so become the Empress. You have me, don't you?"
His emerald-green eyes curved into affectionate crescents as he gazed lovingly at Riena.
"Hmm? Riena?"
Gathering every last bit of her strength, she lifted her chin toward the sound of his voice.
Struggling to steady her trembling voice, Riena parted her lips, her expression filled with bitter resentment and loneliness.
"H-how could you? How could you do this to me? Kanter, how could you? You...!"
Overwhelming self-loathing rose in her throat, making it difficult to breathe.
She gasped desperately, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't catch her breath.
Watching her struggle, Kanter reached toward her with a bloodstained hand. The crimson blood covering it belonged to someone whose life he had taken.
His hand moved as carefully as though he were reaching for a precious sculpture, but before he could touch her, it fell helplessly to his side.
Perhaps he simply didn't want the Emperor's blood on his hand to touch her.
"Yes, I know this must be shocking. But you'll get used to it soon. I've only taken back what those thieves stole from you."
"Thieves...? Kanter... you're the thief! You're a traitor who took my father's life!"
Her furious scream echoed heavily throughout the room, but the wicked curve of his lips remained unchanged.
"Your father...? You're joking, aren't you? You actually consider someone like him your father? Riena, that bastard is the one who did this to your beautiful eyes. Do you understand?"
What complete nonsense!
Riena clenched her dress so tightly that the fabric nearly tore, grinding her teeth in anger.
"Don't be ridiculous! My eyes became like this because of an accident...!"
"Yes, if believing that makes it less painful for you, then believe it. But I've learned the truth, and I couldn't allow the people who did this to you to remain alive."
His voice trembled faintly, carrying a complicated mixture of emotions.
But how could she possibly care about any of that?
The only blood relative she had left had been brutally murdered by her own fiancé.
"What do you really want...? Was it the throne? Is that why you killed them all? Stop lying and tell me...!"
"Riena, my true intentions aren't important. I simply discovered the truth about what happened that day and gave those responsible the punishment they deserved."
The word punishment made her let out a bitter laugh.
But it was Kanter who suddenly became furious.
"They ruined my Riena and locked her away in that tiny room! And after doing all that, they expected to go on living? Happily, no less? Ha! Absolutely not. I would never allow that."
His voice, dripping with venom, escaped through his clenched teeth.
"You're an Imperial Princess in name alone. Just look at the state you're in! Ah... you can't, can you? Because that son of a bitch even destroyed your eyes."
His hollow laugh was filled with deep bitterness and resentment.
His bloodshot eyes were stained with blood that had splattered from somewhere.
Thick streaks of crimson ran down his pale cheeks.
"Riena, every single person who loved you either died or disappeared in an instant. And you still trust the Emperor?"
His hoarse voice sounded almost soothing, as though he were trying to comfort a small child.
Empress Chernuier, who treasured Riena more than her own life.
Countess Sertua, who had been like the princess's right hand, and Romi, her personal maid.
And that wasn't all.
The servants and ladies-in-waiting who had attended to her had also disappeared long ago.
"Every single person closest to the Imperial Princess was dealt with in a single day. All of them, except me, a duke who is only a duke in name."
Everyone had vanished except Kanter, whose birth had always been surrounded by scandal.
"No one but the Emperor could have done something like that. That's the truth I know, Riena."
The truth, mixed with his empty laughter, was utterly sickening.
Riena felt as though a sharp blade were scraping against her insides. Even sitting upright required more strength than she could muster.
She slowly exhaled and parted her pale lips.
"...I know. Perhaps I realized it even before you did. After all, the only thing I could do in this endless darkness was go over the past again and again...."
But what was she supposed to do about it?
Even if she knew the truth, what could a blind princess possibly accomplish?
All she could do was drown in endless self-hatred.
"...It's all my fault. I shouldn't have trusted anyone. That's why I tried so hard to forget...."
Tears rolled down her pale cheeks, falling one after another.
Clutching her aching chest, she struggled to speak through her sobs.
"...I was looked down on every time I took a breath, but it never hurt this much."
She had sacrificed a past and a reality she could never change, choosing instead to dream of a future in which she could enjoy a happy marriage with Kanter.
She had believed that if she pretended to forget, if she lived as though she had forgotten everything, perhaps she could come a little closer to happiness.
"I wanted to be happy. I wanted to live an ordinary life, loving you and being loved by you...."
