May Every Wound Be Fatal - Chapter 43.2
It was only natural, as Reyna had always waited for Elizer in the King’s garden.
Because of this, even when Reyna demanded her deposition and tried to leave the castle, and even when she attempted to follow her brother instead of staying with him, Elizer unconsciously believed that everything would be fine as long as she remained by his side, even if she lost everything else.
Now, however, far from waiting for him, she wished to leave this world without a single regret. Elizer was losing his mind from the raw shock of it.
“…Then I shall give you a reason to live.”
His only thought was that he had to keep her breathing by any means necessary. To do that, he needed something else to hold her down.
Elizer forced her defenseless body open. It was an act no different from violation, yet he lacked even the awareness of that fact.
Lacking the strength to push him away, she was forced to part her lips and accept him. Elizer kissed her frantically, and just as she was about to lose her breath, he pulled his lips away and moved down her throat.
It was then.
“How did Prince Kassian die?”
At the sudden question, Elizer froze as if time had stopped.
It was likely the first time Reyna had ever asked about Kassian.
“Did you see Prince Kassian’s body as well?”
Elizer had seen Kassian’s body. Kassian had died leaning against his shoulder. The scenery of that day, the sounds, the touch, and the terrible scent of blood were things he could not forget even in death.
“I think I finally understand why you regarded me with such horror.”
“…”
Elizer finally realized what kind of dreams Reyna had every day, and what visions she saw while shut away quietly in her bedroom. Then, a sudden fear seized him.
Picking her up, he moved with hurried steps as if he were running away from something.
The place he headed for was his own bedroom.
After laying Reyna down roughly on the bed, he locked the door and cleared away every sharp or pointed object in the room.
So that nothing could kill her, and so that she could not die.
***
When prevented from dying, Reyna did nothing but lie there and breathe. She seemed to spend nearly the entire day sleeping.
Elizer gradually spent more and more time in the bedroom. He could only feel at ease when she was within his sight.
Consequently, he could not close his eyes for even a moment, staying awake every night to look at her through the darkness.
Reyna slept without the slightest movement.
Feeling a sudden surge of anxiety, Elizer would lean down and listen closely. If he held his breath and closed his eyes, he could hear her faint breathing and the small sound of her heart.
Only then would Elizer slowly exhale the breath he had been holding.
After staring at her again for a long time, he suddenly touched her red hair that caught on his fingertips.
The hair that used to flow like crimson waves was parched and damaged at the ends. He had thought her shoulders and arms, resting outside the blanket, could not possibly get any thinner, but now the shape of her bones was clearly visible. And on her wrist, where the stitches had been removed, a large, indelible scar remained.
The woman who shone brighter than the sun was no more.
“…”
Elizer reflexively reached out and very cautiously touched her gaunt cheek.
Fortunately, Reyna did not wake.
As his fingertips brushed her cheek, barely making contact, he whispered in his heart.
Do not die.
Do not leave me behind.
You were the one who dragged me into this prison.
His Queen—Reyna was all he had left. He did not have the confidence to live in a palace where she did not exist.
“I…”
Sobbing despite himself, he cupped her cheek with his palm and pressed his trembling lips to her forehead.
He could feel her lukewarm body temperature and slow breaths. He wished this moment would last forever.
He did not know how long he kept his lips there. He did not even breathe, fearing he might wake her from her sleep.
‘Yes, I…’
Elizer had no choice but to finally admit it.
I met you on a day when stars poured down, and I fell in love.
Even though the “me” of the past has long been dead and I have become a monster who has killed hundreds and thousands, that feeling remains the same.
Therefore, I cannot kill you.
I cannot let go of you, even though you wish to die.
He knew it was a love that was nothing short of hideous.
No, could something like this even be called love?
Suddenly lifting his head, Elizer gazed at her pale face before bolting out of the bedroom as if escaping.
He had an intuition that she must never find out about these feelings.
However, it was not long before Reyna discovered everything.
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