[We have to kill him, tear his limbs, carve his body and bury the body in pieces.]

It was a legend that descended from generation to generation in the Royal family of Rowain, the Denhelder Empire. Some said that this legend was a prophecy left by a famous wizard, some said that it was a will left by the Emperor who wants to hold reign in more years. In fact, whatever the source was, it didn’t matter much at all. People treated that legend as a tale from the old people. 

The old tale continues to pass down from ancestors to ancestors, whenever someone asked them about a funny story, the story always come back without fail. Nothing special about it. It was until the crude Muhi, the person who was seen by Rowain III, led a ship as big as Namsan alone and entered the Imperial Palace. The child of Muhi had a hair as black as night, and eyes as red as blood, just like the legend said. Everyone was talking about the child. 

[We have to kill him, tear his limbs, carve his body and bury the body in pieces.]

Rowain III, who was not able to suppress the nobles’ opinion, eventually followed their offer. He threw the baby without breastfeeding him to the river and left it alone in a forest full of lions. But the child surprisingly didn’t die. 

Even if the rock was attached to it, it did not sink into the water, and it was not eaten by the wild animals when it was thrown into the forest with animal blood all over it.

The cursed child grew, survived and became Raytan.

It was a name that meant to be a cursed person. The royals of the Denhelder Empire all had blue eyes and blonde hair. And among the blond in the palace, Raytan’s presence was like a foreign object. No one accepted him. He was mistreated and harassed. 

Raytan was treated as a stranger.

A stranger who will never mix anywhere.

A horrendous monster.

Someone even insisted, “One day he’ll ruin everything, like what the legend said.”

People seemed to think it was a pretty reasonable statement. 

They talked about it whenever they could, and they said that they had to get him out of the castle as soon as possible before Raytan could rebel.

Contrary to everyone’s concerns, Raytan did nothing.

Raytan grew and grew more than the environment can think of. 

In other words, he lived like a dead rat, as if nothing had happened, as if it were dead.

Of course, he was bullied by his half-siblings, but never once was Raytan rebelled against them.

A living doll. 

Who is just being silent, no matter how it is treated.

And a cursed one. 

No matter what he does, he can’t be accepted by anyone. 

That was Raytan.

But when Raytan turned 23 years old, everything has been reversed since his biological mother, Lise, was killed.

It was another concubine, Yerena, who killed Lise.

In fact, she killed many concubines besides Lise.

But Yerena should not have killed Lise.

If so, Raytan wouldn’t have caused a Coup d’état, either.

He might have been as quiet as he had been.

If others despise him, he will let them despise him, and if they want to bully, they can bully him…

But the coin was turned upside down at once, like the legend that has been going down for generations said. The Imperial Palace became a living hell overnight. Raytan went insane and killed people. The servants, concubines, nobles, and half-brothers who faithfully followed Yerena and the Emperor.

Sezh Rowain was also one of those half-siblings.        

To be precise, she was the only daughter of Yerena, the concubine who killed Lise.

“Huff, huff …”

Next

As she ran off, she couldn’t believe what she saw.

A coup d’etat! And it’s Raytan!

It was really unbelievable. There was no way out.

But it must have been the assassins sent by Raytan who came to her palace and killed the maids and servants. Without luck on her side, Sezh would have died there too. But Sezh thought it was a little unfair.

It was safe to say that everyone in the palace knew about his plan because it was an open secret that Raytan was bullied. The same thing happened to Sezh, she was also bullied. And Sezh has never been involved in the harassment. 

For example, when the half-brothers and the nobles’ children who knew that Raytan was inside the library, they set fire to the place, when they pushed him to the lake when he was walking, or when they threw a stone as big as a fist, where the back of his head ended up bleeding heavily…

Sezh really didn’t do anything. Of course, she couldn’t stop it because she has no power to do so…

Frankly speaking, the treatment that Sezh and Raytan received in the Imperial palace was not much different. Raytan was bullied severely because they said he was cursed, but Sezh wasn’t in a good position either. 

First of all, it was because of Yerena.

She had never given love to her daughter. 

The reason was simple, Sezh was a woman. 

[It was because of you. If it wasn’t you. I wouldn’t be living like this. Why was it a daughter? A daughter!]

That’s what she used to say. 

The prince and the princess who were born by other concubines also ignore Sezh. 

She had been slapped just because her eyes met theirs.

The children of the concubines had a strong family as a backup and Sezh were in a different position from the time she was born. Even Yerena didn’t even try to protect Sezh, so they were not afraid to be mean to her.

Sezh was given a cold shoulder and Raytan was treated like a pile of rubbish. They are in the same position, like a comrade in a battle. 

She was in trouble and not in the position to help Raytan, who was being bullied and she couldn’t afford to pay attention to him. 

It would have been the same for Raytan had he seen her being bullied. Whenever she saw Raytan being bullied from time to time, Sezh only said this.

[Oh, it’s my turn tomorrow]

And the guesswork of her was always correct. Without doubt.

Sezh only thought about one thing. ‘How can I get out of this hellish imperial palace?’

Leaving the Imperial Palace is her only goal. 

So she secretly collected some jewellery that Yerena has lost interest in, and made an excuse about it. She has been trying a few times, to secretly ask the emperor, who might not know her youngest daughter’s age, to let her leave the palace. Of course, had she known that Raytan would do this, she would have left the Imperial Palace as soon as possible…

“You look very busy.”

Sezh who had been running nonstop, stood firm. Her heart sank listening to the voice from behind her back. She was as stiff as stone and she turned her head slowly.  

There, she looks at Raytan who stood behind her.

His eyes looked redder today, like the red blood that covered his face.

“Hello, Sezh.”

“Ra, Raytan Orabeoni…” (TL/N: Orabeoni means older brother)

“Where are you going?”

Where is she going? She was busy running away… Sezh’s hands trembled at the sight of him. Raytan stared at her and began to approach her slowly. As Raytan got closer and closer, she heard something dripping.

It was blood. Blood. The dark red blood falling from the tip of the sharp sword in his hand. Whose blood is it? The faces of countless people rushed quickly on her mind. 

Their half-siblings who constantly bullied Raytan, her mother, the Emperor who threw him to Lion’s den, or the imperial palace’s people who dared to ignore Raytan, the royal family, and nobles. Sezh thought while looking at the dripping blood without knowing the owner of the blood. It’s her turn this time. 

Sezh looked at him with fear.

“Bro, brother… I-”

“What about you?”

“That… are, are you going to kill me?”

“What do you think?”

“I-, I don’t know… but I don’t have any ill feelings towards you.”

Sezh didn’t continue her words. Instead, the head was cut off in an instant and fell with a thumping sound, making a loud noise in the hall. Raytan shook the sword to get rid of the blood with a weird face. Then he picked up Sezh’s head that was rolling on the floor. While holding her shining blonde hair, Raytan glared at Sezh’s face, as if it were abhorrent, his expression hardened.

“…Damn fucking blonde.”

“It’s not just you, Sezh. I’ll kill all the blonde. ”

Sezh’s severed neck rolled like a rag.

Raytan stared at the head of his half-sister, expressionlessly, and began to walk without hesitation. As there were still too many people to kill.

“…”

Above the lifeless blue eyes that were loosening its life force, only Raytan’s back was reflected on it clearly.

[Fucking blue eyes, fucking blonde, it’s not just you, Sezh. I’ll kill anyone with blonde hair, every one of you. ] 

Raytan’s cold voice pierced her eardrums sharply.

‘You son of a bitch. Is it my fault that I have blue eyes and blonde hair?’ Sezh thought it was unfair. It was so unfair to her.

‘It’s not like I choose to be born with blue eyes and blonde hair. I just happen to be born this way. Furthermore, I didn’t do anything related to him at all. It’s not like I could help him too though… No, to tell you the truth, how am I supposed to help him when I got a cold treatment now.’

Sezh thought Raytan’s action was outrageous. ‘What kind of misdeed that I committed! What kind of misdeed! Misdeed!’

“Mis…deed!”

Her eyes shot open. The first thing that comes to her view was a chandelier. The chandelier in her room was so old and worn out that it would make creaking sounds even when the slightest wind come by.

Sezh lay down and stared blankly at the ceiling, proceed to get up quickly. She looks around only to found out that it was her room.

If there’s anything different about it than the last time she saw it… it was the blood-soaked carpet. It was the same carpet, but it was clean without any drop of blood, and there were no dead bodies of the maids rolling around the floor.

It looks the same as how it used to be. Before Raytan plot a coup d’état. 

Sezh reflexively touched her neck.

“My neck…I still have my neck, right?” She touched her neck several times, and it was still there, all the same.

She couldn’t believe it. The cool blades that cut through the flesh, the sound of the broken bones, all of those memories were so clear like water.

“Am I dreaming…?” Sezh muttered with a dumb face. Was that a dream? All of it?

No matter how real my neck felt when I touched, the anxiety lingered.

Mirror. I had to look in the mirror.

Sezh stretched out her feet to get out of bed. But her feet couldn’t reach the floor.

“Kyaaa…!!!” Sezh who fell off the bed screamed.

Her knee who kissed the floor hurt. It hurt.

‘Realizing the pain, I guess it’s not a dream that I came back to life. …’

Sezh who sat in a daze rushed to the front of the mirror. Then she opened her mouth wide.

“What is… this?”

She felt so unfamiliar with her reflection in the mirror. Of course, the blue eyes and the blondness of her hair were the same. And her neck was still attached, but the problem was…

She is a child now.

“Princess! What happened?” 

Sezh turned her head when she noticed there’s another voice behind her. It was Luna, the maid.

“Lu, Luna…”

Sezh looked like she is about to cry while looking at Luna who came right away after opening the door.

“Oh, my God, have you had a nightmare?”

Luna stretched out her arms and embraced Sezh carefully. Sezh buried her face in her chest, clasping Luna’s shoulder tightly. There was a familiar scent around Luna. Luna was right in front of her now.

“Your Highness…”

As Sezh trembled in her arms, Luna called her in a worried voice.

But Sezh didn’t move. She just hugged Luna tightly. Luna is dead.

It was just before Sezh’s 17th birthday. An accident happened

Luna, who had been home for a long time, was hit by a carriage on her way back and died.

Sezh could remember the memories of that vividly. Luna was like a mother figure to her rather than her biological mother, Yerena.

“Luna…”

“Oh my God, Your Highness. You must have had a nightmare.”

‘Yeah, it was a terrible one, to be honest.’

Sezh released herself from the hug and stared at Luna, her eyes wide open. If this wasn’t a dream. Then I’m back to the past.

“Luna, how old am I?”

Luna looks puzzled at Sezh’s question but proceeds to answer her.

“You just turned 12 years old yesterday.”

I see. 

Sezh had a small concussion, and Luna was still alive too.

“Are you sure that you’re alright, Your Highness? I think we’d better call a doctor…” said Luna with a worried tone.

Luna, my Luna. She made a fuss for a small concussion and want to call a doctor… It makes me happy.

“No, no need. I’m fine, Luna. Don’t worry.”

“Your Highness…”

“It’s true. It’s just a nightmare.”

A terrible nightmare.

Sezh repeats it herself. And then she started to recall the sword that had been flying to her neck.