Her body felt heavy and sluggish.

“Alana, Alana. Can you hear me?”

Someone was squeezing her hand.

It was warm.

But she shouldn’t feel happy about the warmth.

-You mustn’t enjoy it. Don’t be happy. Don’t be sad. Don’t cry. Don’t be angry. Don’t be human. Don’t be alive. 

This was her daily mantra.

And it came back to her, circulating her head.

She tried to lift her heavy eyelids, but she couldn’t.

”Alana, pull yourself together.”

She thought she heard a voice say.

But she couldn’t. Her lids would not open. She felt awful, but she didn’t deserve to feel that way.

So she took the time to open her eyes. The view was still blurry.

“Alana!”

And then she was being hugged tightly.

Up close, she could see silver hair. Not short, long hair.

Alana was absent-minded at the impeccable face at such a close range.

-It’s him. 

What happened to the hot droplets of water dripping down? However, she was sure she held felt them. Alana was glad that she had opened her eyes. She was glad she had opened her eyes because she could see him clearly.

Mileia had said it was the fairy Aetu, and she was sure it was true.

“You were screaming. Are you in pain?”

– Only ten more days of suffering left.

“…… No, I’m not in pain. Emilio, why are you here?”

He moved away from her a little and looked at Alana. The tears were gone as if she had been mistaken.

“I heard you had fallen ill,” he said.

“I came back as quickly as I could. Don’t be so sure you’re not in pain. How could you not be in pain? You look so pale, and you’ve lost so much weight.”

Luciano was more expressive than Alana had ever known him to be. Perhaps more so than the solitary man she had seen in Serrat. She had thought Mileia and he were opposites, but he was still her emotional brother.

She closed her eyelids and looked around; there was no sign of anyone. It was just Luciano and her.

“Emilio, have you heard from Callisto?”

She lifted her eyelashes to see him looking down at her, his brow furrowed.

“Yes, I heard. Alana, I’m….”

She spoke before he could look up.

“It all began with a careless remark on my part. I mentioned the black soil and water of Nava Serrat. ––Regret. I never had any regrets in my life; I didn’t even know what that meant. But I have learned that it is useless. What has happened can never be undone. Regret is useless.”

“No, Alana,” he said, “you said so yourself.”

“You said that Nava Serrat is a land of flowers.”

Alana interrupted him. “I know your country. Nava Serrat was indeed a land of flowers. You said that the night sky was more interesting than the flowers. I agree with you. I saw a starry sky, so beautiful that it was out of this world. It was more magnificent, overwhelming, and infinite than the books say. The night sky at that time shining so brilliantly is irreplaceable.”

“You said that your sister and I could have been friends, but yes, I made my first friend in your country. Mileia is my dearest friend. I have also met your parents. It was only natural that you respected them. Even though I knew you were the prince of an enemy country, you still taught me to be sincere and warm-hearted. I saw you in the castle; you were a solitary and dignified man, and Mileia said that you were her brother and that she was proud of you. King Ismael, Queen Carmelita, Mileia and you. I took away the happiness of Nava Serrat and destroyed the future of the wonderful people ….”

Her cheeks were wet with tears. But Luciano wrapped his hands gently around Alana’s hands. She didn’t want him to do that. She wanted him to take out on her a grudge full of hatred and resentment.

“You took away our future, our happiness? No, Alana, why do you think so? You didn’t order it; you didn’t slaughter. It’s not your fault. Even if you think it was your fault, I don’t think so. I am the one who is at fault. I made you suffer, afflicted you, an innocent. If I say I forgive you, will that save you? It’s undeserving of me to forgive you. I heard from Frian and Leandro, from Callisto and Baron Gusman. You came to save Serrat. Save the knights who were supposed to die. You are mistaken. You’re the one who saved me. Your subordinates said they were being treated for injuries, and that’s why I’m still alive today. I’ll repeat it over and over again. It’s not you that sinned. It’s not you.” he said, his beautiful eyes watering, and a trickle of water ran down his cheek. He nuzzled his face into Alana’s shoulder to hide his tears.

“On the contrary, I want to beg your forgiveness. I didn’t know what I was doing, and I tried to kill you. I want to kill myself for trying to kill you. I don’t hate you. I can’t hate you. I hate and resent myself for hitting you so hard and pushing you so hard. I want you to live. I don’t want you to die. Please don’t take away my future and my happiness…”

As his body trembled, Alana’s trembled as well.

She was struck by intense, sharp pain.

As the tremors racking her turned to convulsions, Luciano seemed to notice the change in Alana.

“… Alana?”

That’s when it happened.

After all, a child of a beast is also a beast.

It should not be alive.