To return to the Imperial Palace from the Franz mansion, Raytan had to go through the market.

He walked through an alley where people rarely wandered. He had been out during the night a lot the past few days, so his eyes were getting better adapted to the dark.

He was walking in a usually quiet place. But today, he heard a loud sound from a nearby location.

It was a scream.

Raytan, who finally walked out of the alley, looked out and saw an unexpected sight.

“…Sezh?”

Raytan confirmed what he saw over and over again, but it was undoubtedly Sezh. Standing next to her was also someone he knew: Mathias Kareem.

It was the moment when Raytan started to frown-

“Sob…”

At the sound of Sezh’s cry, Raytan’s body stiffened. Looking at Sezh’s condition, he forgot to breathe. Raytan didn’t even have time to think deeply about what’s happening and swiftly rushed toward her.

***

“Lu… na…”

A small, white hand gently shook Luna’s body, but there was no response. Luna didn’t move.

“Lie…”

It can’t be like this. Until recently, hers and Luna’s eyes had met. Luna had just looked and smiled at her a few minutes ago. Sezh couldn’t understand what had happened.

The blood leaking from Luna’s crushed head. Her limp hands.

“Princess…”

Mathias, who was by her side, was completely disheartened. He bent his legs with a downcast face and tried to move Sezh up from her current position. But Sezh waved off Mathias’s hand.

“I will call someone and tell them to move the body. So please…”

“No! Let go!”

“Princess-“

“Luna-!”

Sezh bawled. Holding Luna’s still warm hand, she put her head on her chest and cried her eyes out.

Luna was still holding the paper bag in her hand. Sezh could see the strawberries inside the ragged paper bag.

‘I just want to eat cake with Luna. The cake Luna makes is the best in the world…’

She didn’t mean it. She just wanted to say that she only needed to be with her. That would be enough. If she didn’t say that, Luna would never have died in this way.

No, is she truly dead?

Maybe Luna is holding her breath. She might not be dead yet. If she takes her to a physician…

Sezh shook Luna’s body incessantly.

“Luna, Luna……”

Luna’s lifeless body feebly quaked. However, that was all the movement that came from her.

“You said you will be by my side no matter what happens…”

Crystal tears fell on Luna’s face.

“You said you would do anything for me…. What kind of maid are you who dares to do this…”

Sezh didn’t want anything both then and now.

‘I thought you could just stay by my side. But how can you-‘

“You… You broke your master’s heart twice…”

‘Luna, you died twice like this?!’

At that moment, a dark shadow fell over Sezh’s face.

“…”

Running out of breath, Raytan looked down at Luna, who had become a corpse. His eyes moved to Sezh’s hand that held Luna’s as Sezh sat on the floor.

“Brother, Luna-“

“Sezh.”

“Luna…”

Raytan gently hugged Sezh’s quivering body.

“…We should take Luna home, Sezh.”

Sezh cried.

“And Luna wouldn’t want you to sit on the cold floor like this.”

Then he got up while still embracing Sezh. She also didn’t turn away from Raytan. Sezh instead buried her face in his chest and sobbed.

“Call someone.”

Raytan’s gaze turned to the Imperial Palace guard who was there among the onlookers.

“Bring the maid’s body to the palace. Handle it with the utmost care. If we see even the slightest bit of neglect, no one will escape from being held responsible. No one.”

The frightened guard nodded.

***

They brought the body to Sezh’s palace. However, there was no room for the body, so they moved Luna to the underground basement warehouse. Unfortunately, there was nothing Sezh could do about it.

Tomorrow, Luna’s body will be sent to her home. The maids who had known Luna for a long time, including Kaen, had cleaned her body. Luna, who laid in a coffin, sure looked like someone who was just sleeping.

“…”

Sezh sat down in front of the coffin and gently stroked Luna’s cheek. It was warm a little while ago, but regardless of it was the weather or the passage of time, Luna’s body started to get colder.

“Luna.”

Sezh called out Luna’s name with a crestfallen expression on her face. However, no ‘Yes, Princess?’ reply came out of Luna’s mouth.

Luna died because of her. So Sezh couldn’t blame anyone. Sezh couldn’t even say, ‘Why did you die twice?!’ or ‘Why did you let me breakdown twice by dying like that?!’ because everything was her fault.

Sezh sat while staring blankly, then started hitting her chest. But someone suddenly grabbed her hand. Sezh looked up at Raytan with her tear-drenched face.

Raytan held a blanket in his hands. Even though he looked nervous, Raytan wrapped it around Sezh’s shoulders. He then sat down next to her.

“If you keep hitting your chest like that, Luna will be sad. I’m sure she would fret about that. What if you get hurt?”

“…”

“You said it back then, right? You said that whenever a matter related to you happens, she always fusses about it.”

Just then, Sezh put down her hand. Blue eyes filled with tears stared longingly at Luna. After a while, Sezh finally parted her lips and spoke with a cracking voice.

“Brother, Luna… A few days ago.”

“Hmm?”

“She said she wanted to go home… I didn’t let her.”

“Hmm.”

“I should’ve let her.”

If Sezh had known this would happen, she would have let Luna go home.

“If so… she could have seen her family for the last time.”

Even if Sezh recalled what happened in the other future, she thought it had been better than it is now. Sezh felt pity for Luna, who eventually died without even seeing her family, and Sezh was damned for being the one who made Luna so pitiful.

“I told her not to go… It’s been a long time since she last saw her family… Instead, we were together every day.”

Raytan bit his lip, “Luna was family to you.”

“…”

“And it must have been the same for Luna. If it wasn’t for that… Back then, in that library, she wouldn’t have been able to stand in front of me so bravely.”

Sezh’s expression was vague.

“Right, Luna was my family. She was the only one who protected me…”

But now she’s gone. Today was the last. Tomorrow, Luna will finally go home and be buried in the ground. There wasn’t much time left to even gaze at her cold body.

“There were a lot of things… that I couldn’t give her. I wanted to properly say thank you and buy her a good gift…”

“Do it now,” Raytan patted her back. “I will protect you.” He then slowly walked out of the room.

Not long after, silence descended upon the entire warehouse. Sezh caressed Luna’s cheek several times.

‘You know, it was so good to see you again, Luna. So I thought I would absolutely be able to save you this time. I’m so sorry you couldn’t go home.’

Thank you so much, and…

And…

“… I love you, Luna.”

Sezh barely squeezed out her voice that was starting to fade.

“I really love you.”

Sezh wanted to apologize and pour out her thankfulness. She wanted them to be the words that Luna always remembered.

Sezh sobbed quietly.

***

The basement floor was freezing.

“…”

Raytan sat down as he guarded the warehouse door. He stared down at the floor silently. If he had known this, he would have brought a few more blankets.

‘No, it wouldn’t help much,’ Raytan shook his head.

No matter how cold the basement and the floor are, she would only focus on her feelings. Raytan quietly rested his head against the door. He heard a small sob from behind it.

He knew she was going to cry. That’s why he left the room so Sezh could be as sad as she wanted. Hearing her inconsolable cries, Raytan tightly closed his eyes.

‘What do you do now?’

‘The poor you who now has no place to lean on at all.’

‘And what do I do too?’

‘Even though I know I have to push you away, I can’t leave you alone.’

No matter how many times Raytan asked himself, he couldn’t figure out the answer.

Suddenly, a cold chill permeated through his body. Regardless, Raytan didn’t leave even when dusk deepened and the sun came up again.