"Don't go, Lian."
"Lian!" I shouted, my voice tearing through the air. The echo returned again and again, mocking the rage and resentment boiling inside me. Tears blurred my vision, yet I could still see him clearly—walking away without hesitation, without even the courtesy of a backward glance.
"Why…?" I whispered, my chest tightening painfully. "Why did you do this to me? I—I—"
Lian.
My only brother.
We shared no blood. I was never part of this rich, noble bloodline. And yet, I believed—no, I knew—that my first true friend had been the heir of this family.
Or was that belief mine alone?
To them, I was nothing more than decoration—something pleasant to look at, like a faded portrait hanging on the wall, long forgotten by time.
"Scoff."
He laughed.
The sound was soft. Lazy. Almost amused.
He stopped a few steps away and turned just enough for me to see his face.
I knew that expression.
It was the same one he wore on the battlefield—the look he gave his enemies when he had already decided they were no longer worth mercy.
"We were friends," I said quietly—too calmly for someone whose world was collapsing.
That was when he smiled.
Not warmly.
Not kindly.
It was the kind of smile that told me friendship was something he had buried long ago.
"Friends?" he repeated lightly, almost sweetly. "That was always destined to end, Pheona."
How could he say it so easily?
Twenty years.
Twenty years of shared laughter, whispered secrets, and silent promises.
The memories surged into my mind without warning, crushing my heart. Tears spilled freely, refusing to stop.
"Or should I call you…" He paused, eyes glinting with cruel amusement. "…the pitiful, withered flower of the Hellbarth Duchy?"
Pitiful?
How could I be pitiful—
when none of you ever saw me as a human being to begin with?
"You were a hindrance in my way, Pheona."
A hindrance?
What nonsense was he spouting?
He was the heir of the Hellbarth Duchy.
I was merely an adopted daughter.
He continued calmly, as if stating an obvious truth.
"Don't you know?" he said. "Your swordsmanship surpasses even mine—the captain of the Royal Knights. People whisper that a mere adopted child is more talented than the rightful heir. How irritating."
My breath caught.
"Even Father has begun to waver," he added. "He's thinking about who is truly more suited for the position. You… or me."
What?
I knew I excelled in many ways, but I never imagined they would go this far.
And that was why he framed me—for attempted poisoning.
Was it always about the position?
I had been adopted by Duke Henry von Hellbarth. We were never bound by blood, yet I believed we had become family.
Or so I believed.
Why would he frame me?
The Lian I knew would never do this.
Was I delusional… or simply foolish?
Perhaps it would have been better if I had never formed a bond with him at all.
"Are you still here, Lian?"
A bold yet composed voice cut through the tension.
Elegant footsteps echoed behind us. A silver brooch caught the light—a tiger's face adorned with feathers, symbolizing predatory freedom.
Duke Hellbarth.
Our father.
The man who remained blissfully unaware of the blade already pressed against my throat.
"Lian," he said coolly, irritation evident in his tone. "Do you know how much I despise wasting time on unnecessary matters? Why are you here instead of attending the monthly family meeting?"
It wasn't a question.
It was a warning.
"Go to the meeting hall immediately."
"Yes, Father," Lian replied obediently.
"Father," Lian added with a smile, "don't you think we shouldn't delay any longer in executing the traitor?"
"Yes," Father replied without hesitation. "The execution will begin tomorrow morning. No further delay."
Execution?
My mind went blank.
They were going to execute me—without hearing my side?
Were they all insane?
They were pissing me off.
"Father—!" I shouted, but he raised his hand, silencing me instantly.
"You need not concern yourself with this matter any longer, my boy," he said calmly, patting Lian's shoulder.
"Yes, Father. I'll be going now."
As he passed me, Lian leaned closer, his voice dropping into a whisper meant only for me.
"Good luck with your execution."
Then he walked away.
And this time—
he didn't even pretend to look back.
A lovely conversation between father and son.
I was nothing more than a distraction.
Father turned to me, his gaze cold.
Duke Hellbarth was a bold yet wise man. His sharp eyes and the dark aura surrounding him made him the most powerful man on the continent. Feared. Respected. Even worshipped.
Yet who would have thought—
that a mere woman could become his greatest weakness?
All his life, he had longed for a simple touch.
In his thirties, he was praised as the most elegant and handsome man of the era, yet he lived alone—untouched, distant, unreachable.
And that same man had adopted me.
Perhaps he had taken pity on me.
After all, I was just as lonely as he was.
"Pheona…"
His gentle yet cold voice pulled me back to reality.
"I have always been wary of those around me," he said quietly. "I never knew when—or from where—a blade might strike my back."
His gaze seemed to say: How dare you deceive me?
"I held a warm place for you," he continued.
For me?
Then why don't you believe me now?
"Tell me," he said, stepping closer.
"Did you truly do it?"
The treason. The accusations.
Was it really me?
"I would have believed it instantly if they had named one of my vassals," he said heavily. "But I never thought it would be you."
Something glistened in his eyes.
Tears?
No.
It was worse.
It was the look of a father who believed the daughter he trusted had betrayed him.
"Father, believe me! I didn't do anything!"
I cut through his words desperately, my voice trembling. "I truly loved Theodore—why would I ever poison his sister? Father, please… trust me!"
Tears poured down like rain. My throat tightened, my voice breaking apart with every word.
"Father… I'm being framed. This is all Lian's doing! He framed me—"
"You foolish girl!"
His shout struck my face harder than any blade.
"Now you dare to blame Lian?"
I froze.
I had always known Lian was more precious than me. I had accepted it long ago.
But still—couldn't he at least listen to me once?
"If the poison were fabricated," Father said coldly, "then what do you say about this?"
He flung several documents toward me.
They scattered at my feet.
My breath stopped.
They were the leaked royal documents—the very ones supposedly found in my wardrobe.
"I—Father, I've never seen these before—"
"Bring the maid," he commanded sharply.
A knight immediately left and returned moments later with Anna—my personal maid.
She was trembling violently. Her eyes were wide, unfocused. She couldn't even look at me.
It was as if an invisible blade rested against her throat.
"Y-your Grace!"
Thud.
She dropped to her knees in a panic.
"F-forgive me, Your Grace!" she sobbed. "I—I only did what Lady Pheona ordered me to do!"
What…?
"I don't know anything!" Anna cried desperately. "She told me to go to an address and bring back a potion. She never told me what it was for!"
Lies.
All lies.
My mind went blank.
Is she being threatened too?
Is this also Lian's doing?
"Anna!" I shouted. "What are you saying?! When did I ever ask you to do such a thing—"
Slap.
The sound echoed through the chamber.
My head snapped to the side as pain exploded across my cheek.For a moment, I tasted blood.
So… he didn't believe me.
Not even over a mere maid.
"Prepare the execution," Father said, his voice devoid of hesitation. "We cannot keep His Highness waiting any longer."
I fell silent.
What could I even say now?
Was this truly my end?
To die under false judgment?
Branded a traitor by lies?
Condemned without being heard?
How did everything go so wrong?
Oh God… if you exist—please give me one more chance.
Just one.
The man I loved my entire life never once asked if I was innocent.
Never questioned whether I truly poisoned his sister.
Never wondered if I really committed treason.
Why did I waste my heart so foolishly?
As the guards closed in, only one thought remained—
Is this the end of me? Pheona Hellbarth… or…
"Oh God… please give me a second chance to make everything right," I thought, clinging to the faintest glimpse of hope from the almighty spirit above.