Unable to bear it, Anais fled the scene.

“Please continue to be with me, Anais.”

Kylian’s words felt cruel, and the realization that Lilith, not her, who had received the bouquet and Kylian’s affection contained in it, made her feel miserable.

Anais felt as if everything was her fault. Yet, she was also deeply saddened.

It was as if she had become a stranger in her own world.

“Ugh…”

Anais ran until she was out of breath. She headed to the abandoned palace Phileal had shown her. A place where she hoped no one could find her.

* * *

It wasn’t until nightfall that she calmed down.

Anais decided to visit the Empress. She brushed her fingers once through the fish swirling around her, then picked up a piece of broken glass and left the abandoned palace.

Upon reaching the Empress’s palace, she found Kylian and the Empress together. Kylian sharply addressed her arrival.

“What brings you here again?”

“Let’s talk, just the two of us.”

“I have nothing to discuss with you.”

Kylian said firmly and glared at Anais. The Empress, amused by the situation, smirked at Anais.

“I’m talking to the Empress.”

“You mean you have business with my wife, not me?”

“Yes.”

Ignoring Kylian’s puzzled look, Anais focused on the Empress. The Empress smiled gently and instructed,

“Your Majesty, please go to your palace first.”

“But Wife, I thought I was going to spend the night here.”

“I’ll come to Your Majesty’s room instead.”

After hesitating for a moment, Kylian responded,

“…I’ll wait. Until the Wife comes.”

“Alright.”

Kylian didn’t want to leave. He was reluctant to leave the saint, uncertain of what she might say to his wife.

He had intentionally asked Anais to hold the flowers. He had hoped she wouldn’t notice the hidden meaning behind it, wanting to prove that all his affection was for his wife.

But in reality, he was trying to deny what his heart had realized before his mind did.

“See you later, Kylian.”

“Yes.”

As Kylian hesitated and looked back several times, the Empress prompted him to leave. He smiled like sunlight and finally exited the room. When his footsteps faded, Anais, having scanned the remaining servants and maids, then spoke up.

“Please tell them to leave.”

“You think you can do something to me?”

“Why did you send His Majesty away?”

“I pitied you for being rejected by your man, so I decided to listen to you just this once.”

“Tell them to leave. Lilith Isadora.”

At Anais’s quiet command, the Empress’s mouth snapped shut.

“This is your final warning.”

“Who would believe such nonsense?”

“Should I bring High Priest Raviel here?”

“Such useless talk. Fine, let’s just settle this now.”

Still, the Empress gestured for all the servants and attendants to leave the room.

Once the room was empty, Anais faced the Empress with a stern look.

“You said you wanted me to be happy.”

“I’m not Lilith Isadora. You are Saint Lilith.”

The Empress maintained her cool demeanor as she rose from her seat and approached Anais, who met her gaze unwaveringly.

“Swear to God.”

“…”

“Swear to God that you are not Lilith Isadora.”

A priest cannot carelessly swear oaths in the name of God. Baptism binds the soul. One who has dedicated their soul cannot casually use God’s name.

“Why should I do that?”

“Your inability to do so proves you are Lilith.”

“Did His Majesty agree to listen to you speak like this to me?”

“How did High Priest Raviel recognize you so instantly?”

It was then that Anais felt everything falling into place like pieces of a puzzle.

“Swear it. Lilith Isadora.”

“…”

“Swear it.”

As Anais spoke commandingly, the Empress uncrossed her arms. Although they were nearly the same height, the Empress’s high heels made her taller. Anais met her gaze squarely, looking up at her.

“A misplaced soul will eventually be expelled. How long do you think you can stay in my body?”

“…”

“You must have used Lewarren as well. The rumors about me trying to poison the High Priest of Death too.”

“…”

“Is this how you negotiated with the followers of the Temple of Death? Placing my soul in your body and entering mine to control Kylian?”

The corners of the Empress’s eyes began to droop.

“A saint of the Temple of Life conspiring with the god of death?”

That’s when the Empress, or rather Lilith, spoke.

“Why does Lady Anais speak like High Priest Raviel?”

“Lilith.”

“Lady Anais shouldn’t say such things.”

Lilith’s voice softened, abandoning the pretense and reverting to her habit of speaking softly, without strength.

“Lilith.”

“What’s wrong with me conspiring with the god of death?”

“You see no issue with a god who takes the lives of the living?”

“That’s the fault of the weak. Who told them to be born weak?”

“Lilith!”

Overwhelmed, Anais raised her voice, and Lilith took a step back.

“Shouting won’t change anything. No one will believe you.”

“Lilith. What made you this way? Were all the words you said to me lies?”

“Yes.”

Lilith’s eyes turned bright red. The red rims contrasting sharply with her blue eyes, Anais found it odd. It was not the look of someone cornered, but of someone swallowing anger.

“Did you really think I became a saint out of pity for the weak?”

“You…”

“Do you have any idea how many people exploited my divine power like I was a slave? Why should I sacrifice myself for others?”

“Lilith.”

“Are you aware that my life was used like an object, not just my abilities? Yet, you expect me to help the weak?”

Lilith approached Anais, who didn’t back away despite the unfamiliar anger on her face. Anais tried to speak.

“Lady Anais is the one who saved me, not anyone else.”

“Lilith.”

“That’s why I lived as Lady Anais wished. I did good to the weak just as Lady Anais wanted.”

Lilith was increasingly agitated. Anais sensed something deeply wrong in her trembling voice.

“But it’s funny, isn’t it? Do you know what Goddess Julias showed me when I returned to the temple as a saint?”

“…”

“That my life fell apart because of Lady Anais.”

“Lilith.”

“Lady Anais changed the future laid out by Goddess Julias, leading me to be dragged around like a slave, raised like a dog.”

Anais felt guilty about this. That’s why she had sought Lilith, to return her life to her.

“Do you know the betrayal I felt?”

“Lilith. I’m sorry. I didn’t intend for this to happen.”

“Is saying you didn’t intend it, erase everything? If only you hadn’t changed the future… My life wouldn’t have been this wretched!”

Lilith was crying, her body trembling. She seemed unaware of her tears, but with every word she spoke, teardrops fell, leaving round marks on her chest.

“So you plotted all this? Lied to Kylian about being able to save me, offered a living sacrifice, and stole my body?”

“Yes.”

Lilith stopped crying. She was smiling. That eerie smile made Anais feel like she truly didn’t know Lilith anymore.

“Are you at peace now?”

“…”

“Did you enjoy watching Kylian fail to recognize me and cling to you instead? Wasn’t he someone you once loved?”

“You’re truly wicked, Lady Anais.”

Anais had thought Lilith and Kylian were lovers. After all, Lilith and Kylian spent more time together than she did with him.

“Why did you do this? Did you hate me so much that you resorted to such actions?”

“Yes. I wanted to see Lady Anais suffer.”

“…”

“It was really fun.”

Anais realized that Lilith, being so close to her, knew exactly how to make her feel the most shame. Anais was humiliated by her very existence.

Witnessing the destruction of others’ lives and the dismantling of the life Anais had steadfastly built, acting like a tyrant without any sanity, was a horrifying and shameful sight.

“Now you’ve done what you wanted. Stop it.”

Anais’s voice was now trembling. Even amidst this chaos, she felt sad from the realization that there was nothing she could do. If Lilith denied everything, Kylian would believe her outright.

He loved not Anais Percival, but merely a shell that erased him of his guilt.

“Lady Anais remains shameless to the very end. Don’t you feel sorry for me?”

“I saved you because I was sorry. I wanted to give back your life.”

“…”

“That’s why I was willing to give up everything for you.”

Tears threatened to escape Anais’s eyes.

“Kylian is innocent. And he doesn’t love someone like me. So leave him alone. If you hate me, just torment me.”

“What if I refuse?”

“What more do you want!”

“I want Kylian to die.”

“What?”

“A man who dares not love me is of no use to me. But I can torment him instead. I’ll torment him to the brink of death.”

Anais felt a sharp pain at those words. She brought the shard of glass she had taken from the abandoned palace to her own neck.

“Then I have no choice but to kill you. If this body dies, you’ll lose your place at the next purification and be sent to the underworld.”

With those final words, Anais thrust the shard of glass into her neck.

__