# Chapter 25
The rain continued to fall.
Even the pouring raindrops couldn’t cover all the confusion filling the venue. Watching the ground grow darker and become repeatedly soaked, I realized my body was trembling helplessly. I couldn’t distinguish whether it was because of the cold or fear of the situation.
It wasn’t a lie that Zendal had few soldiers left. While the rebel army’s victories continued, the nobles of the palace had made their decisions early. The names mentioned in the conversations at the campsite each night gradually increased. Perhaps Zendal’s decision to remain in the palace to face the enemy rather than flee immediately was his own way of utilizing his small military force.
On the night the rebel army stormed the palace, Zendal made no response to Kadilen’s words as he pointed out his wrongdoings. Being inside the box, I couldn’t see his face, but I could imagine his thick eyebrows and impassive expression.
What had he been preparing that kept him from fleeing?
“Zendal’s execution has been postponed, but the punishment for the remaining prisoners will be decided today.”
Attention focused on the kneeling prisoners. Most eyes were directed at me. Rain-soaked clothes clung to my thin body. With each raindrop that fell on them, it felt like enduring one more damp gaze. Deliberately ignoring their curiosity, I stared intently at Kadilen standing in the distance.
After Kadilen looked around at the slightly quieter surroundings, he gave instructions to a soldier standing next to him. Soon the soldier unfurled a large scroll and began reading the punishment document. Each time countless names echoed throughout the venue, the expressions of the nobles changed. Most were names I was hearing for the first time, but some I had seen in the novel. As their treatment was decided, I could guess the severity of the punishments.
“You’re being too lenient!”
“How can you not hand down definitive punishments when we don’t know what plots they might hatch together?”
The murmurs gradually grew louder until they became shouts. They were right. Kadilen’s decisions were far milder than expected. For me, who could hardly escape responsibility for all this, the fewer lives sacrificed, the less my guilt. But for Kadilen, who had newly gained power, it was not a good move in many ways.
Those sentenced to death were those who had directly overseen Zendal’s evil deeds. Apart from them, most prisoners were sentenced to exile. Dissatisfied voices erupted from here and there. Kadilen, unconcerned, continued to give instructions to the soldier. His formal announcements continued as if nothing had happened.
At the end of the lengthy punishment document, my name was finally called.
“Ludin. For the crime of planting a curse to induce distrust, hatred, and mental collapse among our soldiers. Sentenced to death in exile.”
Death in exile.
I would meet my end among the prisoners who had escaped death.
I could understand Kadilen’s intention. He was trying to return to Zendal the bomb he had received from him. He had decided to repay Zendal’s people with the same threat his own people had received. Those who remained loyal to Zendal until the end would be at their most vulnerable, overwhelmed with negative emotions, at the moment my cursed body approached death.
A state where there would be no problem in continuing to live, but they also couldn’t newly plot revenge against Kadilen. A state where they would be mentally completely broken, allowing Kadilen to easily deal with them whenever he wished.
He was trying to use against his enemies the power of the curse that had made him decide on rebellion. This plan was clever and meaningful, but there was a big problem.
I had no curse.
I didn’t know his misunderstanding would continue in this way. I had no question about the death sentence, but the fact that my death would not create the situation he intended was important. As the nobles worried, one couldn’t know what plots those loyal to Zendal until the end might hatch. It would be dangerous if Kadilen thought he had completely covered that possibility by killing me.
“I understand your unease. Detailed explanations will follow later. As the heavy rain is severe, today’s execution ceremony is hereby concluded.”
I could hear some nobles who had grasped the situation explaining my curse to the person next to them. Among their curious gazes, I saw Kadilen stepping down from the platform. Never had the distance between him and me felt so great. Knowing it was useless, I still tried calling out his name. It seemed like Kadilen’s head turned toward me once, but before I could confirm where his eyes were directed, I was dragged away by the soldiers holding me.
Even as I was pulled back by their strong grip, I continuously tried to persuade the soldiers.
“I have something important to say about the punishment!! If you’d just give me one chance to speak to Kadilen…”
“You’re certainly stubborn as rumored. Stop this foolishness.”
The soldiers clicked their tongues and ignored my words. Even though I endlessly explained that it wasn’t about my death, the result was the same. I was frustrated despite knowing their reaction was natural.
The soldiers who pushed me back into the enclosure with strong hands disappeared from my sight without hesitation. I tried to catch their attention with deliberately provocative warning words, but it was useless.
Once again, endless waiting began.
Unable to dry my wet clothes, I shivered in the cold all night. Even trying to gather hay to somehow gain warmth, my fingertips turned purple.
Even at moments when I thought everything was over, new events kept occurring. Things didn’t flow according to my thoughts just because I was willing to endure a lot. People who got hurt alongside me appeared, and the content of the original work completely disappeared. At first, I clearly wanted to prevent Kadilen’s rebellion to save him, but the actions I chose to save his life had gathered to place him on the throne.
Yet events continued to occur endlessly. Maybe it was an ending that couldn’t be changed from the beginning. Zendal’s escape, someone who knew about Ludin’s illness making contact, my misunderstanding being used in Kadilen’s purge. Perhaps it was all caused by me trying to change an ending that shouldn’t have been changed. There were also inevitable events that occurred due to the success of his rebellion.
Then should I have anticipated all this from the moment his rebellion began? If I had anticipated the numerous consequences that would follow, would my determination have been different? Even if I had known about other problems that would arise from his rebellion and the ending that would change due to my actions, I would have made the same choice.
Because at that time, I was only interested in saving Kadilen. If Kadilen needed to become the protagonist to be saved, I was willing to help him. Although I knew nothing would be different, it was burdensome to bear the given situation. The salvation-like relief I had felt when accepting the end of life had completely disappeared.
The future was dark. The more I ruminated on past choices, the more I pondered future choices, the less visible the answer became. I no longer felt confident about my actions as before. Having seen him reach the highest position while still breathing, unlike in the original work, I had conflicting thoughts: that I should be satisfied with this and disappear from the novel, yet simultaneously feeling that I couldn’t just watch him face difficulties.
What ended this worry of mine was neither my own decision nor any action of Kadilen’s.
While I wrestled with my troubled mind all night, the falling rain gradually subsided. The cold wind still carried moisture, but the pouring raindrops had stopped. The sky at dawn was regaining its cool blue hue.
Soldiers entered the building and lifted me from where I was lying. Startled by their sudden action, I asked:
“Is today the execution? What happened to Zendal?”
It was right after a sleepless night of worrying about my end here and concerns about the remaining threats to Kadilen. If today was my last day, I wouldn’t even have a chance to make a choice.
But they didn’t answer my question and silently dragged me into the palace. My body, which had been shivering from the cold, had lost its strength and was limp. I looked around frantically, examining where I would be taken. The initially unfamiliar path gradually changed to a familiar place. As I stepped onto stairs leading downward, a familiar darkness arrived.
“Devan…?”
“Leave him here.”
It was Devan’s basement. Still without windows, this place was filled with heavy darkness unlike the outside where the sun had begun to rise. At his instruction, the soldiers left me and quickly disappeared. Devan sat with his back arched in a relaxed posture, quietly looking at the liquid in a glass. In the suffocating silence, I couldn’t open my mouth and just watched his actions.
After a considerable amount of time had passed, he stood up as if he had just discovered me. Gesturing to me, he seated me in the deeply sunken chair where he had been sitting. Hiding my bewildered expression, I moved as he directed. I looked toward the door that the soldiers had closed when they left, but no sound could be heard. Only he and I were here.
Devan slowly opened the drawer beside me. At a glance, something like paint was neatly arranged, displaying vibrant colors. He took them out with slow movements and laid them out in front of me. Not understanding what was happening, I looked at him, and Devan’s hand approached me.
“What is this…?”
His hand gently brushed aside my hair. Devan, who stared at me as I flinched at the soft touch, answered in an affectionate voice. It was a low voice, as if soothing a child.
“You will be displayed in the center of the coronation ceremony.”
I felt an indescribable feeling. While there was relief that there was still room for choice, I was also frustrated that life had not ended. It was a complex emotion. Devan, examining my expression, added:
“I volunteered to make you pretty.”
I didn’t immediately understand his words. Using me as a spectacle at Kadilen’s coronation was not unusual. After all, I was both the beginning and the symbol of victory for the rebel army. However, there was no reason why I should be made pretty. Devan noticed the puzzlement on my face and smiled slightly.
“Everyone will sing, drunk with the feeling of victory. Someone will ascend to the throne, and someone will remain as his exclusive property.”
“…”
“Although everyone will be completely out of their minds… they won’t be able to resist looking at you. You’ll be beautiful enough to satisfy everyone.”
His voice was monotonous, as if dreaming. Gradually, the scene he was describing formed in my mind. A glass box containing me, decorated in brilliant colors amid a festive atmosphere, and beyond it, Devan smiling brightly. And Kadilen, sitting on the throne, looking down at me.
Devan dipped his finger in red paint and gently applied it to my cheek. His touch was delicate and careful. Nevertheless, every time his fingers touched my face, my entire body shuddered. It was probably due to his pitch-black eyes, which didn’t match his affectionate movements.
“And then, how fun would it be to possess you.”
His black pupils burned even darker. Without realizing it, I backed away from him slightly. Seeing my body instinctively shrink back, Devan smiled with satisfaction.
“You’re afraid of me, Ludin.”
“…”
“Then you’ll listen well now.”
His smile was genuine. I looked around, avoiding Devan’s persistent gaze. Everything was familiar. Between the familiar scenery, the time we had shared was imbued. During my stay at the palace, I spent much time in his room. I approached him to extract information that could help Kadilen’s rebellion, but he always drew natural conversation from me.
I looked back at Devan in front of me. Having noticed all my complex feelings, his face was utterly comfortable.
“I’ll get you out after the festival. This is the last time here too, is there anything you want to do?”
He asked in a sweet voice, as if whispering to a lover. If Devan’s plan truly succeeded, as he said, today would be my last day in the palace. It was time to answer the worries that had been tormenting me all night.
“Let me meet someone just once, Jiman or Wimu or anyone.”
My face reddened with shamelessness. As if he hadn’t expected me to actually say something, Devan’s relaxed body stiffened. He adjusted his posture and moved closer to me.
“Why?”
“…Once is enough.”
“Is it because Zendal escaped? Are you afraid Kadilen will be in danger again?”
The obsessive questions continued. With my thoughts exposed without a chance to hide them, I couldn’t give any answer. It wasn’t easy to choose words that wouldn’t provoke him. Devan, with an expression as if he might explode at any moment, came to within less than a centimeter from me. His breath touched my cheek.
“Should I just kill him?”
“…What?”
“That won’t work. Then you won’t keep your promise.”
A shiver ran down my spine at his drooping eyes that looked regretful. As he slowly began applying more paint to my frozen form, he knew I was racking my brain for a way to overcome this situation. Devan’s lips curved.
“Is it that hard to stop thinking about that guy?”
“That’s not it…”
“Shall I help you?”
Large hands suddenly enveloped my head. Devan’s breathing, with his face buried in my nape, gradually quickened. His tongue slowly traced up my neck. My surprised body trembled slightly, but he paid no heed and moved from my collarbone up toward my lips.
“I’ve thought of a good method. I’ll make you pretty.”
With those tender whispers as the finale, a languid kiss followed that seemed to warm my entire body.
