Someone might laugh if they heard this, but…

Those days felt like a dream.

A simple daily life filled with laughter and chatter with someone else. It was something she had longed for her entire life but could never achieve.

For the first time, she had shared a drink with another person.

For the first time, she had poured her heart out to someone.

For the first time, she had played mischievous pranks and tossed around silly jokes with another.

Every moment was a first.

That’s why each day was delightful.

Every day was new and exciting, with a smile that simply wouldn’t leave her face, and the once dreary world now appeared beautiful for the very first time.

Gone were the nights she cried, wishing the next day would never come.

It’s hard to believe that all this change came from just one boy; her life had completely turned upside down in the past few months.

She found herself being swayed by someone else.

She knew that was unfit for royalty, but the changes he brought her were too fulfilling for her to care.

She thought, “Isn’t it a good thing to be this happy? Does any of that really matter?”

She tried hard not to see the minor contradictions or suspicious signs.

But…

That was clearly a mistake.

A foolish mistake that made her loathe herself.

She should have questioned it more.

She should have been more cautious.

After all, how could she receive such overwhelming happiness?

‘…Ah.’

Voices began to shatter her happiness.

The fact that those joyous days were merely a momentary illusion was brutally thrust in front of her.

-“Please report periodically as you have today. And be careful not to let the target catch on.”

What on earth was this “report”?

Who was the person Sion was secretly watching? It was clearly obvious.

-“The execution is set for tomorrow. Please ensure the work is neat so as not to disappoint His Highness the Second Prince.”

As expected…

Even the smallest glimmer of hope crumbled instantly.

While such discussions were happening, Sion hadn’t uttered a single word of protest. No matter how she looked at it, the situation was crystal clear.

Betrayal.

That boy had never been on her side to begin with. It was just her foolish delusion.

‘…a clearly predictable turn of events.’

Looking back, there were many awkward points.

Who is Sion?

He was the biological son of the Second Prince.

A man who had rapidly risen to power, carrying Renya on his back, possessing abnormal influence.

Yet, to so easily cast aside someone he had favored—it felt unrealistic, even if Renya was a bit impulsive.

She was completely blindsided by the shock of betrayal. It wasn’t impossible, but…

Then why hadn’t he sought revenge?

Renya hadn’t taken action against Sion for months, despite the intense rage she had felt.

She had a clear upper hand in the struggle for the throne. Eliminating one person would be no trouble at all. Yet, she showed no reaction whatsoever.

On top of that, his strange excuses to be absent, just like today—if that was evidence of betrayal, it was in abundance.

But she had ignored all those signs, all for one reason: she didn’t want to ruin her happiness.

What happened here was apparent.

She had let her guard down while Renya had been wise.

He had seized her lapses, and planted his agents, who were now feeding information back to Renya.

In a bloody power struggle for the throne, it was natural to use any means necessary.

Therefore, her next steps were starkly clear.

She needed to acknowledge her mistake and find a way to remedy it. Since she couldn’t turn back time, there was no way to undo what had transpired.

Feigning sleep and pretending she hadn’t heard any of this and instead plotting to turn Sion, the Second Prince’s agent, to her advantage would be her best move.

So she should just stay quiet for now…

But…

She could hardly breathe.

Her heart felt like it was tearing apart.

Her vision was blurred by tears.

“Why…”

Those words slipped out without her thinking.

She knew she shouldn’t have, but she couldn’t stop.

“Why did you betray me?”

Because she trusted him.

This time wouldn’t be like the last.

Sion truly cared for her; there was no way he would betray her.

But no response came from Sion. His lips were sealed, and all he did was stare at her with a mix of emotions that twisted her heart.

“Say something! You can’t just let him talk like that; tell me you’ve never reported anything about me to him! Just say what he’s saying isn’t true!”

Seeing that expression only fueled her anger, and she shouted at Sion.

Now, she felt completely in the dark.

She didn’t even know what Sion was thinking.

She didn’t even know what she was thinking.

“Why even say that? Are you hoping I’ll believe you if you make excuses?”

Are you planning to brush this betrayal under the rug and return to how things were before?

That was ludicrous.

Yet, here she was, secretly hoping for that kind of foolishness. She genuinely wanted to be deceived by Sion’s lies.

It felt like her mind was slipping.

“You… you shouldn’t be like this.”

No, it was clear she had completely lost it at this point.

Her emotions were flaring up.

The facade she had held began to crumble.

Suddenly breaking down in tears drew the attention of those in the tavern. Someone murmured they thought they recognized her.

A dangerous situation indeed.

Yet, she prioritized shouting at Sion instead of maintaining her disguise.

“You shouldn’t do this to me.”

They had shared all their secrets.

That boy knew about her past.

Her first friend who betrayed her, everything she had been through, all her position and trauma.

A bit embarrassing, but…

She had even used the power of alcohol to voice it once.

“I’m so grateful to you; I really like you. No matter how tough things get, as long as you stay by my side, it’ll be okay.”

So, please, don’t betray me.

And she remembered what Sion had said back then. She couldn’t forget it.

“Don’t worry. I’m your bodyguard. I’ll fulfill my duty, even if it means death.”

That response…

Just thinking about how happy it made her lightened her mood, making her smile like an idiot.

But…

No matter how often she tried to reach him, that boy didn’t respond.

He just continued looking at her with a complex expression.

All those memories and stories were now just a cruel reminder of the lies he had fed her.

Tears streamed down her cheeks endlessly.

She didn’t want to see anything, didn’t want to think anything.

“Just… die.”

The girl spat those words, squeezed her eyes shut, and burst through the door.

*

Trash.

This junk is definitely going in the trash can, no matter what happens today.

That was the only thought etched in my mind.

‘What? Stay calm?’

Unprecedented intensity.

As if my head was about to explode with the advice I received, I pondered for a moment before ultimately deciding to heed it. But that judgment led to disastrous consequences.

My relationship with Yuli completely shattered.

Unless I turn back time, there’s no way things would return to how they were.

But then this junk earring declared it had achieved a perfect result the moment Yuli shouted for him to “die.”

I couldn’t help but feel my insides boiling.

And then…

‘Just as I suspected.’

The suspicious imposter Heinrich had made his escape in the chaos. I thought I could at least give it a shot when Yuli wasn’t under threat of being taken hostage.

But now that avenue was blocked as well.

“Did I drink too much? That girl…”

“Maybe it was just someone who looked similar, right? I felt something nasty, like a curse or something, and her hair was all black.”

And it seemed like there had been a massive incident on top of that.

Was it the heightened emotions? Either way, Yuli’s disguise crumbled just when eyes were on her.

A string of bad luck hit me.

It truly was a frustrating situation.

A sigh escaped my lips, but I couldn’t afford to stand still.

Holding back my growing worries, I pushed the tavern door open to chase after Yuli.

And what greeted me was…

‘…What the hell is this?’

The sight of a black sun and a blood-red sky.