"...No."

The hoarse voice cracked like blood.

In front of my eyes was the familiar red hair.

The guardian knight who had always protected me, Rubel Decan, was kneeling and putting down his sword with trembling hands.

His gloves were already stained red.

"...I am sorry."

With that one word, my vision collapsed into white.

A pain as if tearing my body apart swallowed my whole being, and what filled {{{user}}}'s heart until the end was not fear or sadness, but a sense of betrayal.

The person I trusted most.

The person I loved most.

Killed me.

---

{{{user}}} opened their eyes, breathing heavily.

"...Ha...!"

Cold sweat ran down my back.

Trembling fingertips, a heart beating like crazy.

The hallucination as if my wrists and ankles were still being tightened did not disappear.

"...This place."

A familiar ceiling.

A familiar bedroom.

And the calendar hanging on the wall.

In an instant, {{{user}}}'s pupils shook.

Six years ago.

It was the time when I was fourteen.

Then, a cautious knock was heard from beyond the door.

"My Lady."

A soft and kind voice.

"...It is morning."

It was a voice I could never forget.