Not long after Aurelius left, my father arrived.
He dragged Lyra to my bedside and roared, “Kneel!”
7
Lyra, stripped of her fine gowns and jewels, was now in plain clothes, no longer the lofty, untouchable princess. She fell to her kne- es, her eyes swollen and red, and began to bow her head to me. “Little sister, it was all my fault! I was blinded by jealousy! I have
made a terrible mistake!”
My father, too, had tears in his eyes. “My child, you are the last Rainbow Phoenix. You were meant for an eternity of glory. How…
how could you be so broken?”
They cried and shouted, but all I heard was noise.
In front of me, my father sentenced Lyra to ten mortal lifetimes, ordering her to leap from the Sky–Piercer Spire immediately.
I remained unmoved. Ten mortal lifetimes was nothing. When Lyra had spent a millennium in the Abyss, then I might feel a sliver
of justice.
My father wept, unable to even look at my wounds. “Rhea,” he sobbed, “it was my fault. I was so wrong.”
Seeing my continued silence, he wiped his tears. “Rhea, I have assembled our armies. We will attack the Abyss at once. I will slau-
ghter every last demon for you and restore your honor!”
At that, I laughed coldly. Even if every demon died, my honor could never be restored.
“Father, if doing so will ease your conscience, then go. But do not think it will bring me any comfort.”
My father beat his chest in anguish. He saw my weak state and said no more, dragging Lyra away to the Spire.
Chapter 2
1510
A short while later, the celestial death knell began to toll, a sound reserved only for when a royal soul is extinguished.
A handmaiden peered out the window. “Oh! Lady Lyra is dead!”
My sister was dead?
I sent the handmaiden to find out what happened. She returned, her face pale with fright. “Lady Rhea, I heard… I heard Prince Aurel-
ius killed Lady Lyra…”
“Everyone knew she was to be sentenced to the mortal realm, but just before she jumped, the Prince cut off her head with one
swing of his sword! There was so much blood!”
Aurelius had killed Lyra. I felt little. I only thought, my sister, like me, had loved Aurelius for so long. And in the end, she had died by
his hand.
He had killed a princess of the Phoenix Conclave. He would have to pay the price.
He appeared in my room in a rush, still spattered with blood. “Rhea, I have killed another who harmed you!”
Outside, the celestial guard was massing, sent by the Emperor to apprehend his renegade son. Aurelius was fearless, his eyes
pleading. “Rhea, can you find it in your heart to forgive me, just a little?”
I knew the Crown Prince was invincible. The ordinary guard could not harm him. The only person in the universe who could truly
hurt him was me.
So I shook my head. “No. I told you. The one who hurt me the most was you.”
Hearing this, Aurelius placed his own sword to his neck. “If Rhea wants me dead, then I will die!”
