Alaric was the type of person who held grudges.
If I didn’t make him happy, he would make sure I didn’t feel joy either.
The flowerbed I had painstakingly cultivated was torn down, replaced with the peonies Vivienne adored.
The pavilion Alaric had built for me on the high hill was enclosed, and only Vivienne was allowed to visit.
All the places I once loved were now gone.
This palace had become my prison.
But it didn’t matter. I was dying anyway, and death would bring me release.
One day, a servant came to my quarters with orders to dismantle the swing Alaric had made for me.
After a moment of thought, I poured a bucket of oil onto it and set it on fire.
“No need to bother. Just burn it all,” I said, sitting on the doorstep and watching the scene unfold.
A group of servants scrambled to pour water on the flames, but by the time the fire was out, all that remained of the swing were the scorched, red iron rods.
That servant sighed heavily, unsure how to report back.
As he left, he bent his waist and sighed, “Your Majesty, please don’t be angry with me. His Majesty has been causing a great deal of trouble, but it’s only because he cares for you. That’s why he’s acting out.”
I grinned, unconvinced. Alaric cared for me?
Well, this would make it all the more painful for him in the end.
I stood up, brushing off the dust. “His things, his rules. I don’t care. Let him take whatever he wants.”
As I turned to leave, Alaric’s mocking voice came from behind.
“Such spine, my lady. Then you won’t mind if Vivienne chooses one more… souvenir.‘
My heart skipped a beat.
Vivienne’s expression soured–she didn’t like being used as a pawn in a petty quarrel. But still, she turned toward me, coyly agreeing.
Her finger swirled in the air before finally pointing to the sickly kitten Elara was holding. I nearly screamed, “No! It’s mine!”
Alaric’s gaze was cold, his voice devoid of warmth.
་ ཛི ྃ ཞ ཚ ཇ ཙྭ བྷ ཆ ཛ གཽ ཝཾ ཕ ོ
“Did you forget? Everything in this palace belongs to me. Only what I give you is truly yours.”
He knew how much I cherished the kitten.
Vivienne knew it too, and that was precisely why she was taking it from me.
She wanted to rob me of everything that brought me even the smallest bit of joy.
Because I was merely her substitute.
A substitute who had no right to laugh, no right to be happy.
She was out for revenge, and she wouldn’t stop until I was completely broken.
The kitten was locked in a cage, its tiny claws scraping helplessly against the bars as it cried out in fear.
The sound broke my heart.
I dropped to my knees, tears streaming down my face as I begged, “I was wrong. Please… don’t take it away. I can’t live without it.”
collapsed to the floor, sobbing like a child.
Chapter 7
I wiped away my tears, forcing a bitter smile. “Please, don’t take it. I beg you.”
Vivienne, however, was unbothered. She crouched in front of the cage, smiling sweetly.
“Alaric, do you remember? When you lost my cat as a child, it looked just like this one. Perhaps it’s come back to me to repay me.”
Her voice was soft, but there was a cruel glint in her eyes as she shot me a look of triumph.
Her mocking tone shattered my last hope.
I watched as Alaric’s expression went cold.
In the end, he took my kitten away.
Even after I had begged, I had nothing left.
Chapter 7
