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Todos los capítulos de Sent to the Altar for Her Tears: Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 10

10 Capítulos

Chapter 1

Dorothea's POVWhen Arabella Beaumont entered carrying a bowl of medicine, the palace attendants were in the midst of dressing me in my sacrificial robes.She dismissed them all and held the medicine to my lips herself. "Dorothea, His Majesty was afraid you wouldn't be able to withstand the cold at the altar, so he ordered me to bring you this calming draught."I looked at her in the bronze mirror. The corners of her eyes were still red, yet tucked into her hair was the pearl hairpin the king, Edward Fairchild, had ordered someone to deliver to her last night.It was supposed to be part of my coronation gifts as his queen.I didn't take the medicine. "There's deathvine in it."Arabella's hand trembled, sending ripples across the surface of the liquid.I turned around and asked softly, "Arabella, must you really destroy even my last chance of survival?"Her face turned pale. Then, the bowl crashed to the floor. The medicine splashed across the hem of her dress, and she dropped t

Chapter 2

Dorothea's POVWhen 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 vio

Chapter 3

Dorothea's POVArabella passed out in Edward's arms, faint black markings spreading across her forehead. No one dared to speak.At last, the high priest forced himself to pipe up. "Your Majesty, Lady Arabella is the true phoenix's reincarnation. Though she did not take part in today's sacrifice, she has still suffered backlash from the divine beast's malevolent energy."Without the protection of the phoenix's bone, I fear she will not make it through the night."Edward held Arabella, his eyes suddenly turning toward me.A golden needle was still pierced in my chest, drawing out my blood. The iron spikes driven through my collarbones rendered me immobile. The places on my body scorched by the fire had already gone numb.I understood the look in his eyes. He had already made his choice. Once again, he had decided who I was supposed to suffer for.I smiled. "Don't tell me you want my bone, too, Edward."Edward didn't answer me. In cases like this, silence was even more hurtful.A

Chapter 4

Dorothea's POVThe phoenix's bone was used to make a heart-protecting elixir while the sacrificial fire was still burning.Arabella swallowed the elixir, her shoulders trembling as she cried, "Your Majesty, will Dorothea resent me for this?"Edward wiped away her tears, but his gaze passed over the crowd and settled on the distant altar. I was still pinned there. Blood trickled down the marble steps, and when the wind blew, it turned cold as thin ice.He watched for a moment before ordering an attendant, "Bring the millennium-old kingsroot from my private treasury. She will be terribly weak when she wakes."Arabella's face turned ashen. She gripped his sleeve. "Your Majesty, are you still going to see Dorothea?"Edward looked at her. "Arabella, she is my wife. I only took her blood and bone for the sake of saving the kingdom and you. She has suffered a great deal today. Of course, I should see her and comfort her."Listening from afar, I suddenly found it absurd. To him, was thi

Chapter 5

Third-Person POVEdward stared at the shattered Soul Lantern. For a long while, he said nothing. The chamber was so quiet that even the soft crackle of a candle wick could be heard.The young palace attendant who had brought the news lay prostrate on the floor, trembling with fear.A sudden laugh escaped Edward. "Shattered?"He slowly rose, still holding the unfinished crown. "How could the Soul Lantern shatter? She has died 99 times, and each time, she relied on that lantern to come back."The royal astronomer dared not lift his head. His voice trembled. "Your Majesty, once the Soul Lantern shatters, there is no way for the soul to return. Lady Dorothea is—""Silence."Edward's voice wasn't loud, but everyone in the chamber immediately lowered themselves to the floor. He set the phoenix crown back on the bed with care, as though afraid of waking someone."To the altar."No one stopped him.By the time Edward arrived at the warding altar, most of the sacrificial fire had alre

Chapter 6

Third-Person POVThree days later, Edward still hadn't returned to court. The entire court of nobles and ministers knelt outside the royal audience hall. No one dared urge him to appear.At the Radiant Palace, Arabella wrapped herself in a fur cloak and went to see Edward with a maid supporting her. Her face was pale, but some of her former delicate beauty had returned."Your Majesty."Edward sat by the bed in the Willow Palace, the broken horseshoe charm clutched in his hand. The bedding was neatly arranged. The brazier burned hot, and the candied fruit had been replaced with fresh ones.Little did he know that Dorothea would never wake up again. She wouldn't complain that the medicine was overly bitter or that the fire was too hot.Arabella took a few steps closer, and tears immediately spilled down her cheeks. "Your Majesty, this is all my fault. If you hadn't had to save me, Dorothea would never—"At last, Edward looked up at her. The coldness in his eyes made her voice free

Chapter 7

Third-Person POVAs Arabella was dragged away, she was still crying and screaming, "Your Majesty, I've loved you for years! I only wanted to live! What exactly did I do wrong?"Dorothea had the System! She died so many times! Who could've known this would be the one time she didn't come back?"Edward stood at the entrance to the Willow Palace, his face so pale that he almost looked translucent. When he heard those words, he laughed eerily."Indeed. That was my belief, too. I thought she was used to dying, to pain, and to returning. So, I drew her blood, carved out her bones, and took away her Soul Lantern with my bare hands."As he spoke, his eyes slowly reddened. "Arabella, I should resent you, but truthfully, I resent myself more."In the end, Arabella's mouth was gagged, and she was dragged away to the abandoned palace.Edward didn't kill her. Instead, he ordered that the phoenix's bone be removed from her body and returned to the Willow Palace.Then, he stripped away the st

Chapter 8

Third-Person POVOn the seventh day, Edward conducted a grand soul-summoning ritual. He offered up years of his own life and half the kingdom's fortune in exchange for a single fragment of Dorothea's soul.The ministers knelt outside the hall, desperate as they tried to dissuade him."Your Majesty, you must not! The kingdom has only just survived the disaster with the divine beast! Its fortune has already been greatly diminished! If we conduct this ritual, the kingdom may be thrown into utter chaos!"Edward was still wearing the black-and-gold royal robes from the day of the sacrificial ritual. His expression was frigid. "The kingdom?"He chuckled. "Without her sacrifices, the kingdom would not be standing now. Now that she's gone, what do I need a kingdom for?"No one dared to object again. With that, the soul-summoning ritual began outside the Willow Palace.That night, heavy snow fell over the capital. It was the height of summer, yet snow blanketed the palace roads, as white

Chapter 9

Dorothea's POVThe soul-summoning ritual could only hold me for 30 minutes.Edward knelt in the snow, clinging to me as if I were his very last lifeline. "I can change, Thea. From now on, I won't see Arabella. I won't take another wife, and I won't crown another queen."I'll stay in the Willow Palace every day and keep the lamps burning for you. I'll recite prayers for you. You love winterblooms, don't you? I'll have the whole capital planted with winterblooms. Just… come back and see me, will you?"As I gazed at him, the floodgate of old memories crashed into my mind.Years ago, Edward had knelt in the snow just like this. Back then, he was still a teen, bruised and covered in blood. He pulled a frostbitten winterbloom branch from his robes and held it out to me like a treasure."Thea, once I have a palace of my own, I'll fill a courtyard with winterblooms just for you."Later, he not only got his own palace but also his kingdom. But he forgot the promises he made along the way

Chapter 10

Third-Person POVWhen the soul-summoning fire finally died out, Edward collapsed unconscious in the snow. When he woke, half his hair had turned snow-white.The royal physicians told him that he had burned through years of his life and suffered a severe strain from the shock. He might not live for another three years.Edward heard them out, then asked only one question, "Will she ever come back?"No one dared answer, but the silence was the answer he needed.From that day on, Edward became a different man. He still attended the court, read petitions, and ruled the kingdom as its king. But every day after court, he would go to the Willow Palace and sit there for a respite.Everything in the palace remained exactly as it was. The brazier was still burning. Fresh candied fruit was still laid out. A newly cut branch of winterbloom stood by the window.He forbade anyone from calling Dorothea "Lady Dorothea". Instead, he announced, "Dorothea will now be known as Queen Dorothea."No o

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