The thin, emaciated man was thrown onto the ground at Hanes's feet. His eyes were so swollen they were half-shut, his lips torn and wet with the blood that filled his mouth. The entirety of his face was covered in splotches of purple, blue-black bruises, and this poor man was sobbing, sniffling, trembling in utter terror.

I froze, a breath caught in my throat. This man looked like he needed to be on a stretcher and taken to the hospital, not thrown onto the floor like a sack of potatoes, his hands bound by rough ropes.

When the man saw me, he crawled over to my side, loud sobs tearing from his lips.

"Lady Helena! Oh Lady Helena-" Even his voice came out muffled. I was sure from the state of his mouth that at least a tooth or two would've been broken. "I greet you in this state but it is so good to see you well and alive. The former Emperor of Irennia would be so happy if he were alive..."

"You...know me?"

"I am the messenger from Irennia, my lady... You were so good to me, took care of my children as well, don't you remember?" The man was so thin it was like his skin was barely stretching over his bones. His clothes, once white and perhaps silk, were now tattered and grey, streaked with dirt and soil.

"I...did? And are you...what happened to you?"

Hanes raised a hand, and at that, the man immediately silenced himself, still trembling from head to toe.

"I care not whether you remember or not, Lady Helena. But I chose to bring you over to my kingdom for a reason." Hanes sipped his tea calmly. "I brought in this Irennian man Gretor to remind you."

"Of...what? Did you do this to him? Why?" The breakfast I'd just had was churning in my stomach.

"You told me that I will never have Irennia because I will never have its people. You're wrong. I will have your people as well. And that is precisely why I brought you. To win over the hearts of the Irennians."

Hanes put down his cup, and gestured to me. "In two days, you will follow me to Irennia and you will appear before the Irennians, with me. To show them that you are all right, and you will tell them that I will be a good king to them. That there is no need for the incompetent crown prince of Irennia to rise to the throne."

I didn't know exactly what was going on. But Hanes was basically telling me, that he was going to use me to justify war. War that Regica had told me killed many. So this was what Regica had meant, when she told me the one I should fear is none other than Hanes himself.

The man burst out in tears, a vein bulging on his forehead, pointing his trembling finger at Hanes. "You will receive the furore of the heavens, you cursed bastard! You killed women and children of Irennia, you brought blood and chaos to a country that was in peace! Leave us alone and leave His Majesty to take his rightful throne-"

This Irennian didn't get to finish his sentence, because with a single gesture of Hanes's hand, Hyle put his sword through the man's chest.

~ * ~

For the first few seconds, I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

The long, silver blade had gone right through Gretor's chest, the other side of the blade in its handle, in Hyle's hand. Hyle, without much emotion, calmly pulled out the sword from Gretor's chest.

I had gone through reports on autopsies of murder victims, I had witnessed crime scenes myself, and I had seen a man who was once my colleague shot before my very eyes. But not like this. Without context, without warning, a sword right through a bloodied up man's chest.

Gretor's eyes, slowly filling with tears, stared into mine, like he wanted to tell me something. Then, his mouth opened, and blood spurted, spattered out like a fountain, onto the skirts of my dress, onto the carpet. With that one last open of his mouth, the man fell over, his face slamming onto the carpet.

This wasn't really happening. This was...

"Before you pass out again, Lady Helena," Hanes said smoothly, "Here is my proposal. You follow me to Irennia and show yourself to the people as you should, and this man here will be the last Irennian to die under my order. You resist like this man, and despite the surrender that your father showed, Irennia and Catrinsa Kingdom will go to war. And in this state, you know that within a week of war, half of Irennians will be wiped out."

My hands under the table were shaking, and my legs had lost all energy. I stared down at Gretor, who was really dead.

"...So what is your answer, Lady Helena? The fate of Irennia is in your hands."

My hands gripped the handles of my chair, and I raised my head. Before I knew it, hot tears were streaming down my face, my chin quavering. Where were the tears coming from? "Is this man's life nothing to you? Nothing?" I spat the words, angrily.

Hanes's grey eyes looked into mine, calmly. "If it is something to you, you will follow my order. You will follow me there, you will-"

"This man is right. You will receive the furore of the heavens. One who takes the life of others like that of flies, never lives long. Look at history." The words, quivering in all sorts of emotions I didn't know where they came from- fear, rage, and disbelief- came in eloquent words I didn't know I was capable of. "I will go with you. I will go with you, on your journey to your own downfall. My pleasure to be your guide, Your Majesty."

My words, which ricocheted through the chambers, were followed by a deadly silence.

Hyle silently sheathed his sword, and retreated. The ghost of a smile touched the corners of Hanes's mouth. "Now that is the spirit of the Lady Helena I wedded."

I clenched my jaw. "Regica!"

At my call, Regica rushed in, and stopped short at the entrance, covering her mouth, frozen in horror at the sight.

I stood from the chair, wiping the tears from my face with the back of my hands, and then bent down. "Put this man on my back."

Regica was shaking. "M-my lady?"

"Now, it is my order."

"Yes, my lady."

This man was much lighter than a man treated like a human should be. I rose to my feet, steadying myself, feeling his warm blood wet my back.

Then, I stood in front of Hanes.

Up close, he smelled like a fresh cologne, something fresh, something expensive. Smelling his perfume and that of Gretor's blood, bile crawled up my throat.

Hanes, unlike Hyle and Regina, seemed scarcely surprised. "You're stronger than I thought, Lady Helena."

"I don't seek evaluation of myself from sub-human beings." Steadying my shaking breath, I left the room with the dead man on my back.