Getting Yusha to fall asleep proved more difficult than anyone had expected. A single glance had been enough for the physician to reach his conclusion—Yusha was utterly drained, mentally, physically, emotionally. The elderly man prepared a mild medicine and instructed them to let him rest.

After dinner, Ren carefully fed it to Yusha. The effect was almost immediate; his tense body finally loosened, his breathing evening out as he fell into deep slumber.

The baby was entrusted to Eiran’s nanny for the night.

"Is Eiran still in his room?" Ren asked quietly.

The memory of their last attempt surfaced unbidden. He and Zayden had gone to see him, only to be met with a closed door and a voice sharp with refusal. The child had even threatened to stop speaking to them altogether if they didn’t leave him alone. Ren still didn’t understand it—didn’t know when his son had begun pulling so far away.

The nanny gave a small nod.

"Did you tell him about the baby?"

"No..."

Ren exhaled slowly and stepped out of Yusha’s room, careful not to make a sound as the door closed behind him. The corridor felt unusually quiet, the kind of silence that pressed in on his temples.

"Why is he doing this?" he murmured, rubbing them as if the ache might ease.

No answer came.

As Ren strode down the hallway, a faint murmur drifting from Zayden’s room caught his attention. His steps slowed, then halted altogether. The door was not fully closed—just a narrow gap, enough for voices to slip through.

He hesitated for a moment. He knew it was wrong. He knew he shouldn’t eavesdrop. Yet his curiosity got the better of him, making him a culprit of something he never knew he could become.

Ilyan used to always forbid him from doing what was not right. For example, lying. Or even... killing. He always guided Ren to do what was right.

But now, there was no one to tell him right from wrong. It was for Ren to decide and make his own decisions.

Through the small space, Ren could barely see the two men. Inside, Zayden sat on the couch, his posture rigid, hands clasped together. Enzo faced him, expression unusually serious.

"You seem to have been preoccupied lately," Enzo said. "Stressed. What is bothering you?"

Ren furrowed his eyebrows.

Is Zayden bothered by something? How come I don’t know?

His fingers curled unconsciously at his side as he leaned closer to the door. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"It’s nothing," Zayden replied. Too quickly. His expression stated otherwise.

Enzo didn’t look convinced. He let out a soft laugh, shaking his head.

"I have known you for centuries. Don’t even think of lying to me. Tell me what’s wrong. It can’t be about Yusha. He is doing all right now."

A long pause followed. The air felt heavy all of a sudden, and chilling.

"I think..." Zayden finally said, his voice quieter, rougher. "I think she is back."

"Who is back?" The omega asked, raising an eyebrow.

Zayden swallowed hard, clasping his face between his hands.

"...The exiled princess of Revahara."

Ren tilted his head to the side. Who was Zayden talking about?

Enzo’s muscles stiffened immediately upon hearing that.

"W-What? You mean to say... Princess Siera?"

Zayden looked at him through the gap of his fingers and nodded.

Ren felt something twist sharply in his chest. He didn’t wait to hear more.

Silently, he turned away and continued down the corridor to speak to Eiran, his footsteps soundless against the floor.

Who... is that? And why didn’t you tell me?

A bitter taste filled his mouth.

***

Later that night, Ren lay awake on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

Once again, Eiran hadn’t opened the door. The child was beginning to test Ren’s patience. If it kept going on, he felt like he might soon break the door open himself.

Just then, the door swung open and Zayden entered the room, wearing a radiant smile on his face.

The omega’s gaze flickered toward him before returning to the ceiling. He didn’t sit up to greet him, nor did he bother answering when Zayden asked, "What are you doing, lying down without sleeping?"

Zayden raised an eyebrow, perplexed. Was he being ignored? But why?

With quick steps, he sat on the edge of the mattress and looked at Ren.

"Is something the matter?" he asked, his voice laced with worry.

Ren swallowed hard. He couldn’t keep acting like everything was fine when it clearly wasn’t. He sat up straight on the bed, locking gazes with the General.

"I... I didn’t mean to, but I overheard your conversation with Lord Enzo."

Zayden stiffened, the corners of his lips dropping immediately. His expression turned serious in an instant.

"Who were you talking about? Who is that person? I have never heard of a princess..." Ren lowered his head, staring at the white bedsheets. He didn’t even know if Zayden would truly answer him.

The room fell silent for a full minute. Heavy. Suffocating.

"You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to," Ren said, lifting his head and forcing a smile, even though his chest stung. Zayden was willing to share his worries with Enzo—but not with him.

"No. It’s alright. You deserve to know everything related to me. It’s only right for me to tell you, as my lover," Zayden said as he climbed onto the bed, sitting at the center.

He leaned back against the headboard, gently pulling Ren closer and resting the omega’s head against his chest, his fingers playing with his hair.

"It’s not an easy conversation for me," Zayden continued. "So I would prefer not to look at you while I speak of... that. I apologize." He pressed a soft kiss to Ren’s hair.

Ren blinked, confusion washing over him.

What could be so difficult to say? What had that person done to him?

His thoughts spiralled, questions flooding his mind—questions Zayden would soon answer.

"The one and only princess of Revhara—Princess Siera," Zayden began. Just saying that name sent chills down his spine.

He could already feel tears welling up in his eyes, but he blinked rapidly, trying to make them disappear.

"She was Crown Prince Soren’s and my younger sister—she still is, of course. She is an alpha. A dominant one. However, due to her frail health, my brother, our parents, and I always made sure she was safe. She wasn’t allowed to leave the palace, but sometimes Brother and I would sneak her out just to see her smile."

A faint smile formed on Zayden’s face.

Ren stole a glance at him. He could tell how happy Zayden must have been back then—just recalling those moments was enough to make him smile so warmly.

"But then... when war broke out—a real war—she changed." Zayden’s expression darkened. "I don’t know if it’s because we are demons, but... none of the love she received was enough. She began killing people. Countless ones. Every day, there was a corpse Brother or I had to clean up for her. When we asked her the reason, she would laugh and say: Do I need a reason to kill someone? I did it because I can."

Zayden inhaled sharply.

"We demons can kill to increase our lifespan. However, it was not necessary. We could survive for a long time just fine without it. She was already half-immortal. She just needed to take care of herself, right?" Zayden let out a dry, forced laugh.

Ren didn’t answer. He didn’t know what to do. Instead, he straightened up, pulling Zayden’s head against his chest and gently patting it.

Zayden gasped, his eyes widening. A faint smile was forced onto his lips as he wrapped his arms around Ren, holding onto him as if letting go would make him unable to breathe.

"And so... after a while, our parents slowly stopped visiting her, leaving only Brother and me. When Brother became busy with his duties, I was the only one left to take care of her. She kept killing. She didn’t stop. The limit was crossed when she—" the alpha choked on his own breath.

The omega patted Zayden’s back, calming him down.

Once he did, Zayden continued.

"And one day, she chose to kill my friends."

Ren froze for a moment.

Friends? Which ones—

"The ones you mentioned in the past?" The words left his mouth before he could stop them.

"Yes... the only human friends I ever made," Zayden’s voice cracked.

"I thought about it for a long time. Why? I just couldn’t understand. When Father learned of it, a trial was held for all her misdeeds, and she was exiled outside of Revhara. Forever. But it seems she is somewhere close now. She sent a monster near the capital. I don’t know what she is up to, but..."

His voice faltered.

"Memories of her—everything—are rushing back. And I can’t even hate her. Nor can I love her. It hurts. She was... my beloved little sister. The one I would kill and die for."

The tears he had been holding back all this time began to stream down his cheeks.