Tears on Scorched Earth
I must be out of my mind.
Yes, completely and utterly mad.
To let my thoughts drift when the target stood right in front of me—how careless could I be?
The dagger buried in the ground only a few steps ahead snapped me back to reality.
To think he detected the faintest rustle of breath and hurled the blade.
It went beyond mere sharp senses. The title of God of War had clearly not been granted lightly.
Stay focused. No more lapses.
I steadied my breathing and erased my presence once more.
At the same time, Kaiden slowly turned toward his subordinates.
“It was nothing. I thought I sensed someone nearby.”
“Pardon? Who else could possibly be here with us, Your Majesty? We confirmed the area was empty before your arrival.”
“Must have been a wild animal.”
Approaching any closer would be too dangerous. Kaiden’s senses were far keener than I had anticipated; one more step and I would be caught without question.
This distance should still let me catch most of their conversation.
I remained at a safe remove and strained to listen.
Unfortunately, the constant rustle of reeds swaying in the wind swallowed their voices, making it nearly impossible to distinguish the words.
“...at that time... survivor of...”
“No matter... endless...”
I was focusing on the knights’ faint murmurs when Kaiden suddenly raised a hand.
The knights fell silent at once and retreated roughly ten paces.
What is this?
I couldn’t fathom the situation. Crouching low within the bushes, I watched him intently.
He dropped to one knee and sat upon the ground.
What on earth is he—
My confusion at the inexplicable action lasted only a moment.
My eyes widened as I took in the spot where he sat.
The earth there was an unnaturally deep black, as if scorched by fire.
Sssssshhh—
The reeds surged again like ocean waves.
A searing pain suddenly tore through my chest.
Burn it. Until not even ashes remain.
I clapped a hand over my mouth.
Sweat trickled down my forehead and darkened the soil.
This can’t be happening.
No wonder the place had felt eerily familiar.
Gritting my teeth, I stared at the reeds lining the riverbank.
This was the exact spot where, one year ago, Ian had killed me.
The day I had assassinated a noble conducting secret dealings with the Holy Emperor. On my way back after completing the mission, a blade had driven into my back.
And the hand that held that blade belonged to the man I loved more than anyone in the world—my lover, Ian.
Memories I had buried deep because I refused to be hurt any longer flooded my mind until my vision swam.
I barely clung to my sanity and lifted my gaze. Kaiden filled my sight.
He was running his fingers through the blackened soil.
The parched earth crumbled to powder in his hand and scattered on the wind.
“......”
The strange, silent way he touched the dirt looked inexplicably lonely and forlorn.
I clutched my burning chest and kept watching him.
At that moment, a stray beam of moonlight illuminated his face.
Is he… crying?
I was not mistaken.
Moisture glistened across the normally expressionless face of Adamant’s young king.
Silent tears slid from his empty eyes.
Why?
What possible reason could a monarch have for shedding tears on a remote riverbank in a foreign empire?
What could wound him so deeply?
“...la.”
Kaiden murmured something under his breath like a man speaking to himself.
Habitually reading his lips, I froze where I stood.
Kayla.
The word that fell from his lips was painfully familiar.
It was my name from my previous life.
Crack.
The noise as I scrambled upright was loud, but I no longer cared.
I spun and fled.
I thought I felt a subtle gaze on my back, yet I paid it no mind.
I simply needed to escape this place.
To escape the fire still raging inside my chest.
Bang.
Back at the prince’s palace, I slammed the door shut, locked it, and sank to the floor.
How is this possible?
On the journey back, my mind had not been consumed by thoughts of revenge against Ian, but by questions about Kaiden.
How does Kaiden know my name?
Well, the name itself was plausible. I had been the leader of the continent’s foremost assassin guild. A man of his stature might have known it.
But why there? With that expression?
Why had he spoken my name through tears, as though he had lost the most precious thing in the world?
I could not fathom the reason.
Did we know each other?
No matter how deeply I searched my memories, nothing about Kaiden surfaced. Not a similar name, not a familiar face.
Someone who knew me when I knew nothing of him.
Who exactly are you?
I bit my lip, recalling the sight of him weeping with that blank face.
It was the most bewildering night I had endured in either lifetime.
[No, Your Majesty, contacting me at this ungodly hour is beyond rude…]
In the image projected by the crystal orb, Aurell yawned so widely it seemed his jaw might split.
His irritation at having his sleep disturbed lasted only a moment. The moment he read the gravity on his lord’s face, his own expression grew solemn.
“I think I’ve found him.”
[Pardon? Found what, exactly?]
Kaiden’s face was ice-cold as he spoke.
“The man who killed Kayla.”
[The one who killed Kayla? Your Majesty, she’s already dead. What purpose would revenge serve now? That woman…]
“And I believe I can find Kayla herself.”
[What? Is that truly possible?]
Aurell’s eyes flew wide, all traces of boredom gone. He rubbed them as if doubting his own vision.
[But I was certain the ritual had failed completely. We turned the entire continent upside down and still found no trace of her.]
Kaiden stood motionless in the unlit room, both fists clenched tight.
On the small table beside his bed sat a plain box that had not been there before.
A faint scent of scorched earth seeped from it.
“Aurell.”
Kaiden spoke the mage’s name in a low, quiet voice.
“That black magician said that if the ritual succeeded, traces would remain on the revived person’s body, did he not?”
[Yes, he did.]
Aurell continued, stifling another yawn.
“Today I visited the place where Kayla was killed.”
[Your Majesty… are you telling me that after accepting the emperor’s invitation, you wandered the empire’s lands without permission?]
“The soil was warm, unlike the last time I went.”
If a body had remained, traces would have lingered upon it. But Kayla Angel had left no corpse behind. Whoever killed her had burned her until nothing—not even ashes—remained.
“Embers still lived within the earth.”
[…Then it seems the ritual truly succeeded.]
Aurell sighed as though the news brought him nothing but trouble.
[In cases with no body, the sign appears at the site of death.]
Kaiden reached silently for the box on the bedside table.
The container holding soil from the lakeside was still lukewarm—close to the temperature of human skin.
“…Yes. There was never any chance she would vanish so easily.”
Golden eyes swirled with quiet, ecstatic madness.
“My angel.”
Kaiden whispered the words to himself in a voice thick with bottomless obsession.
The founding festival had begun in earnest.
The imperial capital of the Ventrum Empire had never been more alive, more clamorously festive.
Songs poured endlessly through the streets, mingling with the mouth-watering aromas of roasting meats and spiced delicacies.
A warm breeze carried the empire’s banners and scattered drifts of rose petals through the air.
“Good heavens.”
The atmosphere inside the imperial palace was every bit as vibrant.
Servants received special bonuses for the duration of the festival, and even non-nobles were granted premium cuts of meat and fine wine that would normally be beyond their reach.
“Your Highness, it suits you perfectly!”
Perhaps that festive mood was to blame.
Catherine’s voice rang brighter than usual as she gazed at Edwin in his formal attire.
“They say the clothes don’t make the man, but in this case the man truly makes the clothes!”
The ceremonial robe—snow-white silk embroidered with lavish gold thread—could easily have overwhelmed a lesser face, yet Edwin wore it with natural grace.
If anything, his golden hair and clear blue eyes stood out even more vividly, making his features appear strikingly alive. The boy who already resembled a doll now looked like a flawless porcelain figure untouched by a single speck of dust.
“Oh my, oh my! What prince in any nation could possibly be this handsome?”
Edwin’s cheeks flushed at the praise. He scratched the tip of his nose, clearly unsure where to put his hands.
“Don’t you agree, Nanny? There isn’t a single prince who can compare to our Edwin in looks, right?”
I had been standing in a daze. Catherine’s call pulled me back to the present.
“…Yes, of course.”
My indifferent nod and lack of enthusiasm earned a crestfallen look from Edwin.
“Nanny, are you feeling all right?”
Catherine, too, seemed to sense something was wrong. She sidled closer, then glanced at Edwin before lowering her voice to a whisper.
“Did something happen that day?”
“That day?”
Her eyes already shimmered as though she might cry at any moment.
“The day I went into the Adamant king’s chambers in your place.”