Chapter 3

3

I turned around, confused. He looked frantic as he grabbed my wrist.

"Sienna is hemorrhaging! Only your blood can save her now. Come back!"

I understood immediately. The Essence I once carried can only survive in a host body.

Once it was ripped out of me, it stopped being a cure. It turned into a lethal poison.

Sienna was dying, and her child wouldn't last much longer either.

I yanked my arm away from him. "Why should I give her my blood?"

Sterling's eyes darted around. "You're a witch, aren't you? Your blood has special properties."

He didn't wait for an answer. He dragged me back into the bedroom despite my struggles.

The floor was covered in blood. I could see faint black streaks swirling in the red puddles.

"Doctor! Use her heart's blood to make the medicine!" Sterling yelled.

"I won't do it!" I shouted back.

"You're the one who saved the Prince! You have to save her too!"

I started to laugh. It was a low, bitter sound.

Just moments ago, they called me a fraud and a monster. Now, they wanted to use my powers.

I opened my mouth to refuse again.

Suddenly, a sharp blade was driven into my chest.

I looked up in shock. I saw Sterling's face, which was filled with a hollow kind of regret.

"Seraphina, a life is at stake…" he whispered.

This was the very dagger I had crafted for him. I had climbed a frozen peak to find the rare stone for its handle.

Now, it was the tool he used to pierce my heart.

He waited until he had filled half a bowl with my blood. Then, he pushed me aside and rushed to Sienna's side.

I collapsed like a discarded rag. The world went dark.

When I woke up, Sterling was kneeling by my bed. His eyes were bloodshot and wet.

"Seraphina, are you in pain?"

"It was an emergency. I didn't have a choice."

I looked at him silently. He looked pale and exhausted.

It wasn't just because he had stayed up all night with Sienna. It was the poison.

I had placed a Heart-Bind curse on him.

Years ago, after Silas betrayed me, I became cautious. On our wedding night, I put a drop of the curse into our wine.

If he remained faithful, he would be fine.

If he ever betrayed me, he would bleed from every hole in his face until he died.

I hid my thoughts and offered a gentle smile. "It's okay. I know you were just worried. I don't mind."

After all, why would I argue with a dead man?

Sterling's eyes widened in surprise. He wanted to say something, but a maid burst in.

"General! The twelve sets of pearl jewelry for the Princess are ready. Please come and inspect them."

Sterling's eyes lit up. He stood up immediately and tucked my blanket in.

"Rest well. I'll be back."

Outside the window, the autumn wind was howling. The tree we planted together had already withered.

I put on a heavy coat and pulled out a trunk from under the bed.

Inside were all our keepsakes. The matching pendants, the hand-woven sachets, the old letters.

I threw every single one of them into the fireplace.

The flames licked at the memories, turning them to ash in seconds.

"Seraphina? What are you burning?"

Sterling ran back into the room, reaching toward the fire.

I blocked his path. "Just some old letters."

He looked uneasy, but seeing my calm face, he let out a sigh of relief.

"The Palace is hosting a gala in a few days. You're coming with me."

"Sienna is touched that you gave your blood to save her. She wants to make peace with you."

Make peace with me?

I almost laughed out loud. I had never met anyone with such thick skin.

But the timing was perfect. That gala would be the day the poison finally claimed Sienna's life.