Far from the building that had already crumbled, now reduced to nothing but blackened remains—or perhaps faint traces soon to be erased by time—one thing still lingers. That memory. That arrogance painted on Aurora’s face back inside that building, in front of the personnes, careless and composed, will live on. Maybe forever.

They all finally understood why she was called the Princess of Darkness. She is the mistress of the domain without rival. Yet, somehow, she still carries a certain elegance in the way she moves—smiling as though she were a lady of a Victorian court who had never known darkness at all.
That’s Aurora.
But who is Aurora, really?

Inside the Al Batris estate, Aurora—still dressed in that bloodstained gown—leans back against a massive bed, staring at the ceiling. Silent. Unblinking. Her breathing soft.

Out on the balcony, Lynn sits quietly, making no remark about Aurora’s presence in her room. She simply gazes into the darkness of the sky without a word, as if she understands something—or maybe she simply doesn’t care.

Aurora keeps her eyes fixed on the ceiling for a long moment… then slowly tilts her head toward Lynn, staring at her for a while.
And then, without warning, she smiles.
She doesn’t say a word.

She rises from the bed and walks away, exiting the room.

And while noise and tension shake the halls of the Al Batris estate, Aurora walks as if she were the queen herself—her gown and hands stained in blood, yet her soul unshaken.

Meanwhile, Hector is still processing what Aurora told him. Standing on the balcony of his own room, he mutters,
“Freedom, huh…”
As if mocking the word, he slowly turns around, leans on the railing, and lifts his gaze toward the horizon.
He mutters again,
“As if I could even dare to think about that…”

And silence takes over his space—
just as silence surrounds Emmanuel Salvador, who sits alone, the curve of a smile playing on his lips, as if he had won—or is about to win.
Without hesitation, he whispers,
“Hector is my checkmate piece.”

And somewhere, in the spaces between all of this,
a hidden truth still lies in waiting:
Who is Aurora, really?
And what does she truly desire?