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ALICIA Chester Jorum, a descendant of the House of Chester, which had ruled Heilland since its founding, and wife of the current King Fritz, fled down the corridor with her attendants.
With shining sky-blue hair that captured the tones of a sunny spring sky, eyes of the same blue, white skin like silk, and unparalleled beauty, the people had adored her and given her the name Blue Rose Princess. However, even the beauty of the Blue Rose Princess was no longer enough to appease the population.
“Queen Alicia, the mobs haven’t reached the route ahead yet.”
“There is a waterway coming up. If Your Majesty wishes, we can clear a path for you there.”
“I know, I know.”
Compared to the panicked attendants hurrying their queen to safety, Alicia’s actions seemed slow. Her gaze swept over them, her beautiful eyes impatient, though her mind was elsewhere.
“Is His Majesty… Is King Fritz safe?” she asked. “I don’t see him. He hasn’t fallen into the hands of the mob, has he?”
“Your Majesty!”
Frustration tinged her attendant’s voice, but Alicia missed it. Her mind was too filled with worry for her beloved husband, who had not been seen since the riots began.
Alicia was still in danger herself. The waves of riots that started just as the sun had sunk beneath the city had already surged their way to the castle gates. Her attendants had said that the mob included not just civilians but young nobles and knights of the Imperial Guard as well. It was only a matter of time before the mob overwhelmed the castle.
One attendant, noticing the worry in Alicia’s eyes, explained patiently, “There is no time. Your Majesty, you are the last living blood descendant of the illustrious House of Chester. Who will rule Heilland if we lose our Queen? Please, let us endure and make haste for now.”
“What are you saying?!” Alicia snapped. “King Fritz will rule Heilland. I will not forgive anyone who disrespects him.”
The attendant had spoken the truth, but it had the opposite effect on Alicia, spurring her to head in the other direction.
“I’m going to save His Majesty. Only follow if you have the same resolve.” Her ringing declaration was answered by none, but their eyes said more than their lips. Alicia scanned her attendants, then she sighed and turned on her heel. “Fine. Go ahead and clear the way. That is an order. I’ll bring His Majesty back with me.”
Alicia dashed alone down the maze of corridors, her long hair shining in the light. Swords clanged in the distance, almost rhythmically, but her path remained clear.
She knew many of her people harbored ill will toward King Fritz, the eldest son of Empress Elizabeth and the ruling monarch of the neighboring Erdal Empire and heir to the throne of Erdal.
As countries sharing a border, Erdal and Heilland had fought many wars against each other. Her marriage to Fritz came about after Heilland’s previous monarch, King James, was felled by an arrow fired by an Erdalian soldier during the latest war. Many considered their union an act of dominion by a victorious nation against their fallen enemy.
Despite the grudge her people held against Fritz’s homeland for the death of her father, Alicia still loved him. From the moment they’d met at the royal court ball, he had stolen her heart.
Even though King Fritz’s own heart had never belonged to her.
She dashed through numerous spacious halls and finally spotted her beloved’s back. Her body trembled with joy and relief, and she cried out with everything she had. “Your Majesty!! My King!!”
He was standing in the middle of the Hall of Time—a corridor full of Heilland’s history, lined with statues of past great kings and saints. Hearing Alicia’s call, he turned. His face, framed by soft, wavy gold hair, was so gorgeous it could be mistaken for that of an angel from the legends, yet the sight of it caused Alicia’s smile to freeze.
“Alicia…” he hesitantly said her name.
“Your Majesty…” Alicia paused. “…Lady Charlotte.”
Amidst the countless pillars, the handsome king’s arms were still wrapped around his lover as his eyes wavered with uneasiness. Alicia’s heart constricted as Fritz tried to hide his favorite mistress from her view, as if protecting her.
If Alicia had to pick one word to describe the girl in the king’s embrace, it would be “lovely.” While she couldn’t compete with Alicia’s own dazzling beauty, her large round eyes were filled with naïveté, and her signature red hair caught the eyes of many admirers.
Alicia had long ago known of their affair, but witnessing it with her own eyes was overwhelming. Charlotte Yggdrasil was the sole keeper of King Fritz’s heart.
“There they are!! In the Hall of Time!”
A voice from behind Alicia broke the trance that held them both. Countless footsteps echoed across the stone floor, reminding them that they didn’t have much time left. Stifling the urge to run, Alicia motioned to the king which way to go.
“Please hurry, Your Majesty. Head towards the waterway,” she instructed. “My attendants should be waiting for you there.”
“But what about y—”
“Hurry!!”
Cut off by Alicia, King Fritz seemed to want to say more, but after a moment, he schooled his expression and nodded, having made up his mind about something. Then he wrapped an arm around Charlotte. The girl snuck an anxious glance at Alicia through the red bangs obscuring her face, then they dashed down the statue-lined hallway.
Alicia watched her beloved husband and his mistress escape, fully prepared to die. Even before they were out of sight, the sound of metal on metal reverberated behind her as a group of about ten armored men rushed into the Hall of Time.
Despite some of them wearing the uniform of the Imperial Guard, it was clear from their faces that they hadn’t rushed here to protect their king. Judging by the angry scowl on the face of the leader at the center of the group, they must have spotted King Fritz and Charlotte fleeing down the corridor.
“Still bringing more shame to your name at this time, King Fritz?!”
“You are not to pass!!”
Alicia’s slender limbs trembled as countless swords and glares turned towards her. Despite that, she maintained her royal dignity, with her chin lifted resolutely and her arm raised to block the way forward.
The same courtliness was reflected in the members of the mob. While it would have been easy to force their way past the lone Alicia with their swords, they did not do so.
“Queen Alicia.” The man in the center of the group took several deep breaths, as if quelling his rage before he lost control. Then he stepped forward.
Despite the dire circumstances, Alicia was surprised by the man’s beauty. If this were a resplendent royal court ball instead of a violent revolution, he would have caught the eye of many young noble ladies.
While Alicia’s hair was the color of a sunny sky, his resembled the cloak of night. His almond eyes were a rare deep violet, adding to his mysterious aura. His straight nose and thin lips were masculine, and while the clothes on his tall, slim frame were nothing extravagant, it was easy to tell that he was part of the nobility from his graceful demeanor.
A man with such an appearance should have stood out, yet Alicia didn’t know him. His glossy hair was jet-black, a rare color only members of an old, once-glorious noble family possessed, or so Alicia once heard. She wondered if this man was descended from that family.
However, the man’s handsome features were sullied by violent rage and absolute loathing. But, with great difficulty, he addressed Alicia, a descendant of true royalty, with proper language.
“Please let us pass, Queen Alicia. We seek your forgiveness for pointing our swords at your esteemed person, the symbol of Heilland’s royalty.”
“In that case, you should sheathe your swords.” Alicia glared at her attractive assailant, her body frozen. The man’s grip on the hilt of his sword tightened.
“With all due respect, why is Your Majesty protecting King Fritz? He is the enemy of our late king, and as if ruling over Heilland with tyranny is not enough, he has now made a mockery of Your Majesty by taking a mistress. That man has trampled on our pride too many times.”
“So what?!” Her clear voice soared through the stone hallway like a flying bird. Rousing herself up, Alicia continued, her tone cold and dignified. “If I am the symbol of Heilland to the people, then King Fritz is the person whom I, as that symbol, love. If you claim to be loyal to the Chester heritage, shouldn’t you be using those swords to protect your king?!”
“…Has our kingdom’s pride fallen so low?” the man spat bitterly, all pretense gone from his expression as his violet gaze turned cold.
This is bad.
Filled with instinctive terror, Alicia attempted to back away, but the man moved first. Something struck Alicia through the chest, and her eyes widened. When her swaying vision dropped, she saw the man’s sword sticking out of her breast as her blood trickled down the blade and dripped onto the floor.
“…Why?” she croaked.
“You are nothing but the Poisonous Rose of Ruin.”
The man withdrew his sword. Alicia collapsed onto the marble floor. She touched her chest with a trembling hand, staining her slender fingers with fresh, warm blood.
Dimly, she registered the men running past her and the pool of blood around her body, but she no longer had the strength to stop them. Her vision clouded over as she bled out, her limbs going numb and powerless.
“Blinded by love, you have turned your back on the people, and this is the result. Repent for your sins in the afterlife.”
Violet eyes gazed down upon Alicia in contempt. The man’s jet-black hair made him look like the god of death. How fitting, since it was his sword that had mortally wounded Alicia.
Mind hazy, she questioned herself again and again.
Where did she go wrong? Her father, renowned for his wisdom, had loved her. The people, too, had adored her, singing her praises as the Blue Rose Princess. Her life should have been happy.
Yet the one she loved did not love her back, and now even her subjects had abandoned her, watching with scorn and hatred as she lay dying on the cold floor.
Hot tears ran down Alicia’s cheeks. If she had made the right choices, would she have lived a different life? Would she be able to avoid such a tragic end?
Alicia didn’t know how long she lay there, but the sudden thud of something heavy falling to the floor roused her out of her stupor, and she opened her eyes slightly. She didn’t remember closing them.
Something was moving in her field of vision, which was unfocused. A well-worn wooden cylinder rolled over and bumped against her cold fingers, coming to rest beside her hand.
And that was the last thing Alicia Chester Jorum ever saw before the light went out in her eyes forever.