whether in destined lovers or karmic retribution.
I, too, am among those who believe that this life is not the first I've lived, nor the first in which I have sinned.
Though I recall no wrongdoing, I find myself shackled by a sorrow I cannot name.
Tomorrow, I am to be executed.
To others, such fate may seem the wrath of Heaven, the punishment of gods.
But to me—Heaven does not exist. Nor does Hell.
Only the endless turning of birth and death, without beginning, without end.
I can only pray…
that in the next life, I shall not awaken to such sorrow again.
Creaaak…
The doors long sealed by death creaked open.
Soldiers, some familiar, others not, marched in boldly.
But it was the man walking behind them that drew my gaze above all else.
I rose with reluctant grace, brushed my unruly hair, and approached him—
then knelt at his feet, offering my respect.
"Your Majesty," I whispered.
No order came to rise. I remained there, eyes lowered, seeing only the hem of his robe, faintly stained.
The silence around us made me smile faintly before I dared ask…
"Why have you come before the time, Your Majesty?
The execution is not until tomorrow…"
I looked up slightly, a small smile on my lips.
For a fleeting moment, our eyes met. I glimpsed something—perhaps sorrow, perhaps regret.
But I lowered my head again, awaiting his reply.
"Tomorrow is the Empress's birthday," he said coldly. "We've no time to spare on you.
Today is best—for it allows me to see you depart with my own eyes."
His words cut deeper than any blade.
I wanted to rise, to scream, to strike—but I did nothing.
I simply bowed deeper, swallowing the pain rising within me.
"In that case… there was no need for Your Majesty to come at all.
I am not someone worth remembering."
"You were the beloved daughter of my father…
and once, you were Empress of this empire.
How could I not come?"
A large white porcelain cup was placed before me, filled with a dark, bitter liquid.
Just by the look of it, I knew—I would not finish it easily.
With a long sigh, I reached for the cup, my gaze empty.
"I recall… that those condemned are allowed final words.
May I speak mine?"
Our eyes met once more.
"You may."
His simple reply tore at my heart.
Memories surged back, and the walls I had built within me crumbled.
Tears streamed down, unbidden, splashing into the white porcelain.
I had thought I had no tears left to give.
"After I die… may I ask that my ashes be scattered in a quiet valley,
a place untouched by the cruelty of men…?"
He did not flinch.
"You may."
With his final permission, I drank the poison—no hesitation.
Its heat, its bitterness, tore through me like fire.
I collapsed, every breath a torment. My vision blurred, darkness creeping in.
Fearing I might not say what I must before the end, I used what strength remained…
and let out one last whisper into the void, not knowing if he still stood there.
"If… another life awaits me…then in that life…
I shall flee from you, in every lifetime…
"Let us never meet again…for all eternity"
For all eternity