Chapter 2

Dorothea's POV

When the sacrificial fire was lit, the wind carried the stench of charred bone.

The kingdom's guardian beast was brought out of the royal dungeon.

It was as massive as a mountain, its eyes glowing crimson. Black mist curled around its scales. Every step it took sent hairline cracks through the marble steps.

The assembled nobles recoiled in terror.

Edward, however, stood at the very front, his back straight and unwavering. If he weren't standing there shielding Arabella at his side, the scene might have almost made him look like a good king.

The divine beast caught the scent of the phoenix's blood and threw its head back with a deafening shriek. The high priest raised a flaming whip, its burning tip coiling around my waist.

The first lash struck. I nearly bit through my tongue.

The flames didn't burn my clothes, only my flesh and soul. Pain shot through me from my spine straight into my skull. My vision swam in and out of darkness, the horseshoe charm swinging violently.

Edward looked up at me. My face was drenched in sweat, and my voice came out raw and broken. "Edward, stop. I can't come back again…"

His brow twitched. Then, all of a sudden, Arabella cried out softly. He immediately turned and caught her. "Where does it hurt?"

She leaned against him, her eyes blurred with tears. "I'm just scared. The way Dorothea is looking at me is as if she wishes I were the one dying in her place."

Edward's expression hardened when he looked at me again. Whatever hesitation had been there disappeared. "Dorothea, if you must hate someone, hate me. Don't frighten her with that look."

I was trembling from the pain, yet I still managed to laugh. "I'm dying, yet I still have to worry about whether she's frightened?"

The high priest called out urgently, "Your Majesty, the divine beast's fury has not yet subsided! We need more of the phoenix's blood!"

Edward pressed his lips together and walked onto the altar himself. The entire court dropped to their knees.

I watched him approach, step by step. For one absurd moment, a ridiculous thought occurred to me. "Maybe he'll spare me."

Edward took a handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped the cold sweat from my forehead. The tenderness of the gesture was enough to break my heart.

"Thea, you've always feared pain the most."

I stared at him.

"I remember that," he said softly.

A single tear rolled down his face without warning, but the next second, he took the gold knife from the high priest. "That's why I'll do it myself."

My entire body went rigid.

Edward gripped the knife, his knuckles turning white. "The others might not know how to handle it. I'm afraid they'll hurt you more than necessary."

I couldn't believe my ears. "You're about to draw blood from my heart, yet you say you're worried about hurting me?"

Pain finally flickered in his eyes. "Only one cup. Once the divine beast drinks your blood, it won't hurt you anymore. When you come back, I'll have the finest physicians in the kingdom tend to you."

I looked at Edward, my mind taking me back many years.

Back then, he wasn't the king yet. He was merely the Ninth Prince, bullied and humiliated by everyone around him.

When I took an assassin's blade meant for him, I lost my life. Before I died, my blood covered his hands. He held me in his arms in the pouring rain and screamed, "Why would you save me? Why would you die?"

When I came back to life afterward, he shut himself inside the chapel for three days, kneeling until his knees split open, praying to the gods to spare me from ever suffering again.

Now, he had become the sovereign of the kingdom. He had learned how to do the cruelest things in the gentlest voice.

The gold blade pressed against my chest. My voice was so faint that it barely sounded like my own. "Edward, what if I really don't come back after this?"

He didn't even glance at me. "I don't believe that."

The blade sank into my flesh. The pain was so unbearable that all I could manage was a hoarse, muffled cry. His other hand firmly held my shoulder down, as if afraid I might move and ruin the sacrificial ritual.

At last, my blood dripped into the cup, one drop after another, painting it a terrifying scarlet. The divine beast gradually calmed down.

Below the altar, the assembled nobles bowed to the ground and shouted their praises. "A wise decision, Your Majesty!"

Arabella dropped to her knees as well, weeping. "His Majesty has sacrificed the one he loves for the sake of the entire kingdom. On behalf of the people, I thank Your Majesty!"

I scoffed, thinking, "Sacrificed the one he loves?"

I couldn't help but laugh so hard that the blood oozed out of my chest even faster.

Edward looked at the blood staining my lips, a flicker of helplessness crossing his eyes. He wanted to wipe it away, but I turned and dodged him. His hand froze in midair.

"Thea—"

"Don't touch me."

His face went pale, but only for a moment.

The high priest chimed in, "Your Majesty, the phoenix's blood may have subdued the beast, but Lady Arabella is suffering a backlash from the phoenix's fate. I fear…"

Edward whirled around. Arabella clutched her chest and crumpled to the ground. With that single move, whatever trace of reluctance he had for me vanished completely.