A foggy morning descended upon the empire, the sky heavy with gray clouds, and the echo of thunder rumbling through the lands.
People gathered in the Judgment Square, whispering with malice and resentment about the "criminal" who had betrayed the empire.
A week had passed since she had been arrested.
And finally… the day of sentencing had arrived.
---
Earlier…
"Father! Do you believe that nonsense?!"
Diana cried, her voice filled with sorrow and desperate pleading.
"I'm not the one who did it—you know perfectly well that I'm innocent! You assigned guards to watch me, don't you remember?!"
The emperor glanced at her from the corner of his eye and said with a chilling coldness:
"I know."
Her voice trembled as she screamed in a hopeless question:
"Then why?! Why did you decide to execute me?!"
The emperor spoke with a tone sharp as a blade:
"I know—but the empire does not, Diana. You should have been more cautious about such matters."
She stared at him in shock and bitterness.
"So… if you had to choose, you'd choose the empire over your children."
He replied with quiet, icy calm:
"Besides being an emperor, I am a planet. My duty is to protect Aetheris and its people."
Then he turned toward her and continued in a decisive tone:
"To me, you are nothing more than pieces on a chessboard. I use them when they're of benefit, and I discard them to save the more important ones.
The empire suffered great losses… the people endured much because of the massive fire. To save them from another fire, the cause must be eliminated before the culprit is known."
Diana lifted her gaze to him with no expression, then whispered with deep bitterness:
"Eliminating a soldier who could become a minister… certainly a wrong move."
The emperor smiled faintly, an eerie smile:
"Perhaps. But eliminating the minister to save the game… is also a good move."
---
Back to the present…
Two knights stepped forward toward the execution platform, holding Diana as she walked with a calmness that choked the heart.
"Is she not even remorseful?"
One of the onlookers whispered with disdain, and they began pelting her with stones.
But she never bent.
Despite her gentleness and beauty, she was a princess filled with pride; admitting to a crime she had never committed was never in her nature.
She was tied to a wooden post, and the caller's voice rose through the square:
"The sentence will now be carried out.
First: All her royal titles are to be stripped.
Second: The punishment of mirrored execution shall be carried out—she shall be burned to death!"
Cheers rose, harsh applause erupting from the crowd.
Diana let out a long, quiet laugh—more like a muffled scream thrown in the world's face.
Everyone had abandoned her, even before the flames touched her.
Her father had never been a father, but an emperor who saw nothing but the throne and its reputation.
How foolish she had been to think he still carried any trace of humanity.
She should have known the truth from the moment he decided to kill her infant brother…
But was it too late?
"Kill her! Burn her!"
Voices roared through the square like a flood of hatred.
Diana lifted her head toward the sky and spoke with a strange calm:
"The clouds are gathering… Will you extinguish the fire for my sake? Thank you for believing in my innocence.
But it's alright… I only hope my brother will be safe when I die."
Tears streamed silently as she whispered to herself:
"When I vanish from this world… will there be anyone left to love you? Adrian…"
A soldier stepped forward and lowered the torch to the wood beneath her feet.
The flames ignited slowly, then grew, devouring the wood… then her body.
And still, she did not scream.
Instead, she smiled within the blaze and said in a voice cut by the dancing fire:
"Goodbye… my brother."
---
Elsewhere, Adrian was running between the trees as part of his morning training.
He stopped abruptly; a sharp sting touched his heart—Diana's voice slipped into his soul like a distant whisper.
"Adrian…"
The voice was a blend of tenderness and sorrow at once; something strange that made his conscience tremble. Tears streamed from his eyes for no apparent reason.
He wiped them with a trembling hand and muttered to himself, "Is it because I ran? Maybe the weather is cold…"
Rain began to fall, accompanied by mournful thunder echoing through the empire.
When Adrian returned to the camp, Albert stopped him.
"Adrian, I've been looking for you."
Adrian turned toward him with a cold question: "What is it?"
Albert answered with a tone heavy with sadness:
"In truth… I just heard that the crown princess has been executed."
Adrian let out a stiff, mocking laugh.
"Which crown princess? Were you dreaming? No such girl exists."
But Albert's expression didn't change.
"The crown princess is Princess Diana."
Adrian froze in place.
Then he laughed—a mad, broken laugh—as his red eyes shone with the lightning:
"Ha… hahaha… Diana?! You must be mistaken."
Albert grabbed his shoulders and shouted:
"Adrian!! I told you your sister was executed, do you understand? Will you ignore it?!"
Adrian shoved him away and ran into the trees, furious and shattered.
Albert shouted after him:
"Wait, don't go in this weather!"
But Adrian kept running until he vanished among the shadows, repeating to himself as the echo within him cracked apart:
"This is impossible… It can't be her… If she truly became crown princess, then why was she executed? Damn it… why didn't I know before it happened!"
He stole a horse from the neighboring camp and headed toward the palace—toward the place where it all began.
Night fell, thunder roared violently, and the rain continued to pour with unrelenting force.
Adrian struggled through the forest, trying to reach the main gate of the Aetheris Empire.
Mud smeared his clothes and slowed the horse, yet he didn't stop; he kept pressing forward.
He was panting, crying, as memories of Diana poured onto him:
"Diana… would never leave me."
"Would Father truly kill her…?"
"Diana… you said you'd always protect me… why are you leaving me alone now?"
"If you disappear from my life… then why should I live?"
"If I had known I would never see you again… would I have fought so hard to survive?"
Adrian kept thinking in grief and agony as he pushed on toward the palace.
But after so much crying and breaking, he made one decision:
"I'll kill him. I'll kill him! I'll kill him! I'll kill him!… I promise you, sister."
---
After a full day of travel, he finally reached the palace.
The guards did not allow him to enter immediately; they didn't recognize him.
Adrian looked at them coldly and said in an icy tone, "Have you forgotten? There is no human with red eyes but me."
They realized their mistake, apologized, and allowed him inside.
He headed straight to the main hall and pushed the doors open without permission.
He entered, walked forward until he stood in its center, and without offering any greeting, he spoke directly:
"Where is… Diana?"
The emperor dismissed everyone present, leaving only himself and Adrian face to face.
He glanced at Adrian with chilling coldness:
"It seems you have grown… but you've become insolent."
Adrian screamed again, sharper this time:
"Where is… my sister Diana?!"
The emperor smirked with provoking disdain:
"In hell."
Adrian's eyes widened with fury; he drew two daggers, one in each hand, and charged toward the emperor.
The emperor caught his wrists and shoved him powerfully, sending him crashing to the floor.
"You're still weak. How irritating."
Adrian rose stubbornly and attacked again, but the emperor used his magic, forcing him back and inflicting scattered injuries upon him.
Adrian didn't stop screaming:
"Why? You executed her… isn't she your daughter? She was innocent!"
The emperor replied with dark, emotionless cold:
"You are irritating despite your weakness. Will you stop this nonsense?"
Adrian laughed a feverish, broken laugh, his eyes filled with tears that refused to fall:
"Ha… haha… yes, nonsense. But I still have to kill you!"
The emperor moved like lightning, released a stronger spell, and knocked Adrian unconscious, causing him to collapse.
The emperor walked toward the hall doors and opened them with apathetic calm:
"Take care of the bastard lying there. Clean the place immediately and make sure he stays in his room."
The guards bowed, then carried Adrian away to his room.
---
"What are you saying!? Adrian returned already?"
The empress spoke with blatant irritation.
Her personal maid answered cautiously in a hushed tone:
"Yes, Your Majesty. And it seems… he attacked the emperor himself."
The empress's eyes widened with astonishment mixed with disbelief.
"He attacked the emperor?! Where does he find such audacity, when he barely has the strength of a child?!"
Then she suddenly burst into laughter, a strange, delighted laugh.
"Hahaha! So? Did the emperor finally kill him?"
The maid lowered her head and replied:
"Actually… he didn't. He only knocked him out and ordered he be taken to his room."
The empress's expression froze for a moment, then she let out a muffled, furious scream:
"He dared attack the emperor and still wasn't killed?! That means my son is still in second place… damn it!"
She began pacing back and forth rapidly, nervously biting her thumbnail.
Then she stopped abruptly, a dark smile curving her lips.
"It seems I'll be wearing black again…"
---
In the darkness of night and the coldness of the palace,
mysterious shadows slipped into Adrian's room, where he still lay unconscious.
One of them approached on silent steps, lifted him onto their shoulder, then disappeared into the depths of the darkness without leaving a trace.