The dukes and royals remaining in the audience chamber swallowed hard. Red blood stained the sacred floor.

It was the blood of Ormia, a member of the royal family.

The image of Ormia coughing up blood repeated like an afterimage, even though Kaland had taken her away.

In an instant, her front was soaked with blood. Her pale face looked like that of a dead person.

The dukes, who commanded battlefields and showed no mercy to assassins, had seen blood before, yet they shuddered at the gruesome sight.

The princes, raised gently in the palace, looked even worse. Noyer dry heaved while Alian staggered, his face ashen.

“Who poisoned…”

“It hasn’t been confirmed yet.”

“Why would someone do that if she’s being sent away anyway!”

“…Is it really just an infertility drug?”

They glanced at each other, hesitant to speak rashly.

“Clean this up.”

The King left the audience chamber first.

He couldn’t stop walking, feeling as if Ormia’s blood on the floor was stickily clinging to his feet.

He recalled Ormia’s eyes calmly looking at him even as she collapsed. The King squeezed his eyes shut.

His heart raced anxiously.

“It was necessary. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

The feeling that he had made a mistake wouldn’t leave his mind.

An ominous feeling clung to his shoulders, like someone who had made an irreversible grave error.

The dukes also left the audience chamber with grim expressions.

“Who did this?”

“Who among us would do such a thing? What benefit would there be?”

“The princess was going to leave anyway. She took the drug herself. If she didn’t go, they would demand Princess Leticia. Why would anyone do this?”

“Causing unnecessary trouble…”

Duke Haiman muttered as he listened to the other dukes.

He had been briefed on the situation. The princess had insolently demanded a royal decree, angering the King. He told her to wait, then ordered the dukes to gather at noon the next day.

He thought it was just one of the King’s occasional tantrums.

The infertility drug was used by nobles on their lovers, so its safety wasn’t an issue.

Duke Haiman swallowed the bitter taste rising in his throat.

He had a strong sense of foreboding.

A subtle feeling, like gears slightly out of alignment, that would someday return as a major accident.

But in Duke Haiman’s estimation, nothing should go wrong.

Including the incident of Ormia collapsing.

‘What could possibly go wrong over something as trivial as Princess Ormia.’

“Be careful not to let rumors spread to the annex where the Imperial envoys are staying. It could become troublesome.”

Duke Haiman dismissed his premonition.

* * *

My throat was burning.

Hot air scratched my throat and nose with each breath. I once read a novel with a scene where the protagonist was above lava. I felt this must be exactly what the protagonist experienced then.

My body was burning from the inside.

In my third life, when I was trapped in the tower and drank the medicine sent by the King, it hurt like this.

I was exhausted and rather hoped it was poison. I coughed up blood and was in too much pain to even groan.

The maid who brought food thought I was being picky when meals were left untouched, and I suffered alone for a week.

Time lost meaning, and I couldn’t distinguish day from night.

The coldness of the stone walls that penetrated to my bones became a salvation.

“It’s one of the herbs used in infertility drugs. People who don’t react well to this leaf experience such side effects.”

“Is it this severe? Isn’t it poison?”

“We tested for poison, but it’s not. It’s just an adverse reaction.”

I could faintly hear others’ voices, but soon my memories were cut off.

Fever rose, and pain from an unknown origin gnawed at my body. Even in the midst of delirium, unable to open my eyes, I felt my hot breath.

I gritted my teeth against the pain that felt like clawing my insides with my nails. There was no point in screaming; no one would come running anyway.

I wished I could just die like this.

With that thought, I swallowed my groans.

Because it wouldn’t do for even a court physician to come and treat me.

Though my mind was hazy, a sudden fear swept over me.

What if this was still my third life?

What if the fourth life where I divorce as I want and meet Liam was just a hallucination created because the pain was too severe?

The thought that my third life might not have ended yet made my body tremble. I was sick of it. I was afraid.

Then someone firmly grasped my hand.

A large hand. Hot body temperature, but pleasant.

“Ormia.”

Because no one had ever called my name with such concern.

‘This is my fourth life.’

Only then could I feel at ease.

Feeling hot tears flowing down my cheeks, I fell into the abyss.

* * *

I opened my eyes, drawn by a heavy, sinking fragrance. The room was unfamiliar, but I didn’t feel anxious.

An attendant approached.

“You’re awake. This is the royal annex where the Imperial envoys are staying. Would you like some water?”

“Yes.”

The lukewarm water went down refreshingly.

“Please lie down. I’ll bring the court physician.”

After the attendant calmly left, the room was quiet. I could see the main palace through the window.

I turned my head towards the balcony.

Even small movements were difficult. I couldn’t even get up because my body had no strength.

The sunset entered the room.

“Come out. I know you’re there.”

Liam’s scent.

Pushing aside the fluttering curtains, Liam came out from the balcony. Even the attendant didn’t know he was on the balcony.

“You woke up after four days.”

“I see.”

Before, I had suffered alone for a week. Being cared for made me wake up faster.

“There was nothing else in the medicine. They say it caused side effects because it didn’t suit the princess’s body.”

“Yes.”

In my third life, the court physician who came belatedly to the tower to examine my condition said the same thing.

That one of the herbs used didn’t agree with me.

Liam fell silent for a moment.

“Did you know it would turn out like this?”

“I don’t know everything either.”

I just believe.

That human nature doesn’t change.

During my three lives, I recalled their choices and did as they wished.

They wanted me to take the infertility drug, so I took it in front of them.

With his back to the balcony window, I couldn’t see Liam’s expression.

“Forcing infertility medicine on one’s child. How cruel.”

“There’s no history of royalty going to another country. His Majesty values bloodline, so the options were limited.”

“And yet the princess…”

He fell silent again. I heard the sound of him taking a deep breath.

“It was the only choice to go to the Empire.”

“So you even obtained this.”

There was a crumpled paper in Liam’s hand. There was a dark red mark at the end.

It’s the King’s decree that I obtained.

“It was in front of the dukes and family. They say the princess wanted the decree, but they made you drink the medicine in front of everyone. Knowing what reaction would occur, you drank it in front of them.”

It wasn’t a question expecting my answer. It was just confirmation.

“They must have deliberately shown it.”

Liam approached the bed and leaned down, placing his arm next to my head.

His cold eyes, which felt chilling, held me in place so I couldn’t move.

From his lips came a soft, low voice that contrasted with his expression, as if whispering words of love.

“Shall I break your legs? I can make it so you never walk again. If you like being in such pain, I’ll cater to your taste. Tell me what you want.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“You don’t mean it.”

“This won’t happen again.”

“Right, this won’t happen again, but you’re planning something else.”

It was so accurate that I couldn’t deny it.

Liam seemed to read my thoughts and smiled faintly.

“Princess Ormia.”

His shadow covered me, but I wasn’t afraid of Liam.

Though I had seen him invade Glishia and the King and Queen die bleeding under his sword, to me, Liam was not the Grim Reaper.

“I protested that it was an assassination attempt to prevent sending the princess to the Empire. The Empire’s knights are coming to protect the princess. From now on, the princess will be under the Empire’s protection until she leaves Glishia.”

Then he whispered sweetly.

“So take care of yourself. I’ll take you out of this Glishia. If you save my sister, I’ll grant any wish, so cherish yourself.”

“A wish…”

“Yes, I’ll grant your wish. Whatever it may be. Anything the princess wants.”

In my first life, I ran away to the streets only to be chased and stoned by people. In my second life, I couldn’t leave the cage, and in my third life, I was confined in a tower.

Yet the passing commoners, servants, and maids bringing meals would say:

“You’ve lived abundantly as a princess all this time.”

“What could you possibly be dissatisfied with when you’re so cherished? There are many people suffering more than you, Princess. There are countless people worrying about affording their next meal. You should endure this much. At least your stomach is full.”

“I envy you, Princess. At least you eat proper meals. I wish someone would prepare meals for me like this at every mealtime.”

People who justified their conscience by comparing themselves to me, claiming my pain wasn’t real and my suffering wasn’t an illusion.

Because I lived abundantly, because I never lived in poverty, because there were many more miserable people, they condemned me and dismissed my pain as childish tantrums.

‘I didn’t do anything wrong.’

Hot tears flowed.

Without even the strength to cover my face with my hands, I cried in front of Liam’s gaze.

Living three lives, I asked God:

‘Why did you push me back into such pain when I’m terminally ill anyway?’

I hoped that maybe this time would be different, that I could escape, but the pain continued.

I prayed for the peace of death, to never wake up again.

Yet I opened my eyes in my fourth life.

Despite the suffering, I was happy.

Sweet cakes were delicious, and sometimes I laughed at silly things. The ordinary things I had missed, like good weather and cool breezes.

I don’t hope to become happy now.

I just want to live like this and never open my eyes again.

“I…”

I clutched Liam’s shirt with my weak hand. He lowered his head over me.

At least I want to choose where my body will be buried.

I don’t want to leave even a piece of my soul, my body in this country.

“I want to leave Glishia.”

Glishia, the country God supposedly loves so much.

I wish to trample on the pride of being a citizen of this God-loved country, just as they trampled on me.

“Alright, I’ll make it happen.”

That wish has already been granted by Liam.

Now it’s my turn to grant his wish.

There is no future in my world, but I can save Liam.