David stared blankly at Evelyn with his purplish-stony eyes.

“Everything I do is the truth …. you’re the one who knows nothing.”

Evelyn didn’t want to make herself look cowardly anymore and stood right in front of David.

“Yes, I don’t know anything about destiny, and I don’t want to know. All I know is that I want to live and die as a human, protect myself and my family.”

Evelyn didn’t want to die in loneliness as a “future person”. She couldn’t imagine how she would spend her life if she were really alone.

“And how weird. If you wanted to separate us because of fate … Why would you let us meet in the first place? Didn’t you say that everything you did was always correct? Doesn’t that mean that our marriage was also fate?”

This time, it’s David’s turn to get his mouth closed as he didn’t know what to say in reaction to Evelyn’s question.

“Save my child.”

David started to blink his pupils.

“You still have power left, don’t you? Save my child. Right here, right now.”

“From your words, it seems that you want to say that I have no other choice.”

“Yes, you do look at humans with only one eye. You have no idea how strong human’s love and bonding can be.”

David could only nod weakly. To this stage, he had no comprehension of why Fabian had acted in such a careless way. Evelyn was the same, even though she was the child’s mother; why was this woman so keen to get rid of him only for the sake of a child?

“Even so, saving your child is not the best option. And although your child survives and goes on to become the next Emperor,  you still…..”

He didn’t want to carry out any further words.

“My lifespan is just 30 years?”

“You do know that. The triggers for the bloody tragedy won’t change.”

“I don’t care; save my child first. I want His Majesty to be able to hug his healthy son when he wakes up.”

Evelyn spoke without even hesitating. Then Liam arrived a few minutes later and gave her a welcoming smile. She was happy to see his face but tried to conceal her excitement so that her face wouldn’t reveal her true feelings.

“Liam, take this person to Adrian’s place.”

“Yes, Princess……But, Princess…… Are you all right?”

“I’m fine; His Majesty is the only one who has been hurt. I couldn’t leave His Majesty’s side, so I want Sir Liam and Rebecca to step in for me… please help me keep an eye on him while he’s treating Adrian.”

“Please leave it to me.”

Evelyn felt relieved that she had a friend whom she could depend on and trust.

“David, if you need something during a treatment, just tell them to bring it to you.”

“…… Can we put our trust in that person?”

“….. I don’t believe him either. But for the time being, we only need to keep an eye on him.”

“If it’s your decision, there’s no need to question it.” Liam gave her a gentle smile, trying to soothe her feelings. “I will ensure the recovery of Prince Adrian.”

Evelyn felt better to see Liam’s kind and caring gaze. At this moment, she could only depend on him. Since her father, King Felice, and her mother had too much on their plate to care for Adrian.

“Thank you so much; I entrust everything to you.”

Evelyn turned around and saw the tied-up David. “I know what the world will look like in the future. No… I’ve seen it. If your only goal up to this point is to prevent the tragedy, then you and I share the same purpose. First and foremost, save my son. And don’t ever think about doing it your way. This is my problem. So…… I’ll find the way out with my own both hands.”

The violet color in David’s eyes glittered with something other than light.

“Liam, take him.”

“Yes, Princess.”

After David was taken away, Evelyn took off her obstinacy mask and lay down next to Fabian’s side on the bed.

Fabian’s complexion was noticeably pale. But fortunately, all of the bleedings had stopped, and his life was spared.

“Please come back….Fabian…” Evelyn said in a lulling voice, and stroked Fabian’s face, who was still soundly asleep.

“You said you were only going to sleep for a while …Wake up quickly….and save our child.”

Vaguely, she could feel a faint tinge of warmth from Fabian’s body. Evelyn put her ear over his broad chest to hear his heartbeat.

As she leaned, listening to Fabian’s heart, Evelyn could tell that it was still pounding. It seemed that the myth people believed about the Emperor would live on until he abdicated, wasn’t a figment.

“I thought…..about leaving you and Adrian.”

Evelyn thought that because she was stuck and couldn’t see another way out. But, looking back, she was starting to realize that it might be part of David’s scheme.

Now she had returned to his side, and Evelyn was grateful that she could still hug Fabian the way she did now. She couldn’t picture leading a lonely life when her two loved ones were not by her side.

“I’m sorry that I hurt you until you’re bleeding like this. I …… I shouldn’t have done that.”

Evelyn kept whispering in tears of regret as she buried her head deeply in Fabian’s wide chest. He was the one who saved her, pulling her into his arms without hesitation until she eventually returned to reality.

“I guess… I still don’t know anything about you,” She murmured hoarsely.

“When you come back …… tell me all your stories, Fabian…..”

Evelyn closed her eyes. She engaged her prayers full of hope with Fabian, dreaming of a beautiful future together with him.

***

The color of Adrian’s pale face had already begun to change into a sheet of blue.

Arthur didn’t say anything, even though the sight of his beloved grandson made his stomach heartburn.  Miriam, who was seated next to him, silently wiping the sweat from Adrian’s forehead.

“Your Majesty the King and Queen…… I have some news for you.”

In a troubled tone, Rebecca delivered an urgent message after hearing the news directly from Nora.

“Seriously! So…. there’s no other way?”

Rebecca nodded in return for a response to Arthur’s perplexing question. She repeated just what she had heard from Nora without a phrase lost.  Arthur closed his eyes and accepted that nothing could be said.

“Liam will bring him here now.”

“What if he hurts Adrian?”

“Even so, this is the Princess’ order.”

Arthur, who was initially reluctant, eventually shook his head as a gesture of approval. There was no reason for someone else to inquire if Evelyn, the child’s mother, had decided it.

Immediately, Liam brought David to the room. He was about to set an example but Arthur quickly interrupted him.

“This is not the time.”

“Fine.”

Liam grabbed hold of David, dragging him to Adrian’s bed.

“Don’t worry, if he does anything strange, I’ll stop him right away.”

Arthur gave a slight nod as his gaze fixed on Liam’s sincere green eyes. Then he started to walk towards David, someone he saw as an enemy, trying to stifle his boiling fury that had risen in his head.

“Didn’t you say you’re a guardian?” Arthur’s voice was pressing. “No, whatever your identity … … I don’t care.” He said with exuberant dignity, just as the King of a nation.

“Look at that child. That poor child is suffering because of your evil deed.” Arthur kept on saying while gritting his teeth.

“What’s the difference between torturing an innocent child painfully and killing him outright?”

David’s eyes were weakly shaken.

“Is the balance of the world you’re worried about created by sacrificing the life of an innocent child?”

Arthur peeled away the fact that David always avoided.

“The death of this child is not my purpose.”

“Then, it will be an even more sinless sacrifice.”

Adrian’s condition looked painfully terrible. That child struggled to expel his wheezing little breath in front of David’s eyes.

“What will you do if anything can be fixed without sacrificing this child?”

For a brief second, David closed his eyes to digest Arthur’s words. What bothered him was that there were two elements in Adrian’s body that were closely tied together. The antidote to the demon’s poison, as well as holy water. Adrian would be able to recover if he could tamper and remove one of the two substances.

“I don’t have any spells that can cure the toxin. It’s just… I can move it.”

“I don’t care how you do it! Just save him right now!”

Finally, Arthur, who suppressed his rage, exploded and violently shouted that Miriam must hold her husband so he wouldn’t lose his control.

David focused his eyes on Adrian, who laid dying in his bed and started moving the demonic poison energies that had invaded Adrian’s body . As a guardian, David couldn’t eliminate the poison from the child’s body; however, he could change the movement from what was still there.

“I have to slit this child’s palm to see his blood.”

“Do you want to carry out your secret plans?” Liam couldn’t stay quiet and ran straight to him.

“Don’t be frightened; this child… I don’t want to hurt him either.” David said unequivocally since Evelyn had confided Adrian to him.

“I’m going to do the same thing for my palms. I’ll do a brief ritual by connecting our hands. If this works, the demonic poison will come out of his body.”

“If it works …… and if you fail?”

David didn’t answer.

“Just give me a hand so I can stay focused. Since I’ve lost much of my power, all I can do is my best.”

In his present state, even David could not thoroughly decipher the demon’s poison, and the fact that the medium was a child made it more complicated. Therefore, the only way was to connect himself with Adrian.

“We don’t have much time, I’ll get started right now.”

David took a silver knife from his belt and stretched out his hand first. He then raised Adrian’s small palm and slit it. Miriam couldn’t look, turning her head when the red blood started dripping down from his palms.

“Whatever happens … you must not touch this child until our hands are released.”

David let out a stern whistling of his breath, alerting everybody in the room.

( “The blood of the Emperor, Adrian. Remember the covenant of the tower.” )

He chanted the incantation and placed their palms against one another.

( “I, the protectress of the tower, once again, will do the balancing.” )

Nothing had happened for now, though. Adrian’s breathing was still erratic. Everyone started to panic and continued to sigh deeply as though their breath would halt at any moment.

( “…… so that I can put everything in its right place.” )

David closed his eyes as the sound of Adrian’s breathing grew fainter.

( “Remember the sacred covenant engraved in your blood, and accept my presence as a part of you.” )

Their palms, which were bound together, slowly became as hot as blazing coal.

Soon, a brilliant light-colored luminescence flickered brightly into existence, appearing between their palms.

( “To keep the blood covenant made in ancient times …” )

A blinding white light encompassed the entire space at that moment, shining the whole room brightly lit. David’s body hardened like a broken mannequin-like plaster figure, and Adrian stopped breathing since then.

“Koaaaakkkkkkk …!”

Adrian’s best friend, a black hawk, wretched out miserable cries from inside its golden cage. As if it were weeping for his friend, who was lying rigid and silent, like a dead person.

“Adrian …… Adrian… !!!”

“No, their ritual is not over yet.” Miriam gripped Arthur’s arm tightly as he began to wobble and tottered towards his grandson.

Their palms were still attached and continued to emit light. Adrian and David both looked like ice statues. Frozen.  As if the time in their world had come to a halt.

But those lights kept moving with ever-changing wavelengths, like a sign of hope before dying out.