The rain kept falling. It hit the stone floor in steady drops, mixing with the mud around the Duke's knees.
Behind him, the knights started whispering.
"Hey, what happened?"
"I don't know. She's the girl he told us to find—but why's he kneeling?"
"The Duke? Are you serious?"
"Dead serious. He didn't even bow when the Emperor showed up. Look at him now—on the ground, like a statue."
A cold breeze passed through the broken gate.
"Does anyone know why?"
"Ask Cedric. He was the one inside."
All eyes turned to Cedric. He leaned against the stone wall, arms crossed.
"I was there, alright?" he said. "I went into the house. There was a woman, lying on the bed. Looked sick. She reached for something, so I stopped her. I thought it was suspicious. That's all."
He paused.
"Then she just… stopped moving."
Cedric didn't meet anyone's eyes. The rain filled the silence.
No one spoke. One of the younger knights shifted, uncomfortable. Another glanced toward the Duke. Still kneeling. Still silent.
Someone opened their mouth to say something—
"Hey! Quiet down!"
The voice snapped across the courtyard.
A higher-ranked knight stepped forward, eyes sharp.
"You're being disrespectful. All of you. Keep your mouths shut."
The whispers died instantly.
The wind quieted.
But he didn't move.
Duke Aurelien Virel Ashgrace, kneeling in the dirt like a beggar.
A man who once made armies kneel, now unable to lift his eyes.
He didn't see them. He didn't hear them.
Only the door. Only the silence. Only her.
His clothes are soaked.
The wind cuts in like blades.
He is...
"I... I never... I never intended... to..."
the duke mumbles to himself.
"I didn't kill her. Right? No, it's not me."
But the facts scream louder than he ever could.
"I killed her... I killed her.
If I didn't... If only I didn't... issue that order. That damn order..."
"I wish she was angry. I wish she would hit me instead. At least... it would hurt. It would make sense.
This? This silence? This door? This... nothing?
What do I do with that?"
...
"My knees hurt.
But maybe that's fair.
Maybe if I stay here long enough, it'll balance things out.
Maybe then she'll open the door."