Selena had always treated Enzo no differently than her sons since they were children. Having lost his mother at a young age, she felt deep sympathy for him at first. And gradually, as Soren began bringing him to the palace, she genuinely came to care for him.

For the past two decades, they hadn’t been in contact at all, making her think perhaps he had begun living so well that he forgot about Revhara and the hardships he faced here.

She often heard nobles criticize him for not being strong like demons were supposed to be, or like his older brother—an alpha who asserted his dominance wherever he went.

Enzo would sit in a corner, surely hoping no one would notice. But Soren and Zayden always found him, keeping him company.

For years, Selena watched this occur countless times, yet she could only remain seated on her throne, like a statue made for decoration. Meant to look pretty, but possessed no voice.

Despite being an Empress—the one everyone said controlled the Emperor—she didn’t hold real power to intervene in that child’s life.

Not being his real mother gave her no rights either, so she couldn’t even oppose the Duke when he announced Enzo’s marriage to a High Priest from their centuries-long enemy kingdom.

Standing beside the bed, she looked at Enzo’s sleeping face. She raised her hand, wanting to gently brush his hair, to let him know he wasn’t alone, but she didn’t dare.

What if her touch frightened him?

After all the pain he had been through, he must despise the warmth of another being against his skin.

A groan left Enzo’s mouth, and he stirred on the bed. He blinked, finding a blurry shadow standing before him. As the figure sharpened, he immediately sat straight up.

"Y-Your Imperial Majesty?!" Enzo tried to spring to his feet, but the Empress stopped him.

"I remember saying such formality wasn’t needed," she said softly, her hands firmly gripping his shoulders.

"B-But that was a long time ago..." Enzo’s muscles stiffened as he quickly pulled himself away from her grip.

Selena noticed his unease and gently let go.

"Are you feeling better?"

Enzo’s gaze darted around, checking if someone else was in the hall. But there was no one other than the two of them.

"If you don’t mind me asking... how did you come in?" he asked, ignoring her question.

"I came to give you this," she said, turning toward the small table at the center of the room.

A bowl filled with dark green liquid sat there, steam curling upward.

The Empress picked it up and approached him.

"This is?.." Enzo hesitated, eyes narrowing as he examined the suspicious liquid.

Poison?

His breath caught in his throat. But... Did the Empress hate him so much that she would resort to poisoning him?

Selena chuckled, shaking her head.

"You are so easy to read. It’s a medicine I discovered in one of my books. It’s said to be good for your legs... your current condition. I had some knights go South to bring the proper herbs."

Enzo blinked, his jaw dropping.

"The South?"

If in the North there were monsters, in the South lived the most poisonous creatures. For them to have gone that far....

"Did someone get injured?" He inquired, worried.

Selena shook her head.

"You are the one sick yet you worry about others... You are too kind," she sighed, pulling a chair with one hand before taking a seat.

"And while this medicine does its work, we will focus on your healing abilities."

Healing abilities—every non-human possessed that power. However, it had to be worked on, built through rough practice. During the wars, almost every citizen of Revhara trained in it, although now only knights went through that training.

"In my current state?.." Enzo asked hesitantly.

He wasn’t allowed to train under his father’s roof simply because he was an omega—someone who would only "waste his wealth and time," as the Duke often said.

After all, Enzo’s only purpose in his eyes was to marry a wealthy alpha and bring his father more fortune than he already had.

"Yes, in your current state," Selena said gently.

"Is something wrong with you? Nothing is, if you ask me. You survived that pain—the kind most alphas couldn’t bear—and surely, you will make it through the training just fine." She smiled softly, keeping her voice low and soothing.

The words were so comforting that Enzo felt tears prick his eyes. Would his mother have told him the same if she were still alive?

"Get some sleep. It’s quite late. I shouldn’t have disturbed you now."

"No, I don’t mind..." He bowed slightly, fidgeting with his hands.

Selena smiled, placing the bowl on the night table beside the bed before rising to her feet.

"Good night."

Enzo didn’t respond immediately, his gaze fixed on the bowl. The liquid looked... repugnant. Was he truly supposed to drink that?

"Wait!"

Selena turned back, raising an eyebrow.

"How... do I use it?"

The Empress covered her mouth, stifling a chuckle.

"You drink it."

Enzo forced a smile and nodded. Of course, he had to drink it...

"Thank you..." He murmured, his voice barely above a whisper, lowering his head.

"You shouldn’t thank me. I only did what your mother would have done."

Enzo’s head snapped up, eyes widening slightly.

"She was a very good friend of mine. I told you when you were younger, remember?"

The young man nodded, a faint smile tugging at his lips. The memories were blurry now, but he remembered her saying they were childhood friends. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Perhaps that was why she had favoured him more than the other children—besides her own.

But how can they be childhood friends?... Mother was from Revhara, and the Empress comes from Fyue—the Kingdom of Elves.

The door closed behind the Empress with a low thud. Soon, the room was empty and cold once again. So cold Enzo felt chills running down his spine. However, it still brought him peace—because there was warmth that tortured his soul now.

Enzo looked at the medicine, wondering what it would taste like.

Hopefully it’s not as bad as it looks...

He reached for the bowl, took a breath, and swallowed the liquid in one go.

Warmth ran down his throat; thankfully, it didn’t burn. But the taste—awful, bitter, almost numbing—forced tears to prick at the corners of his eyes.

It wasn’t the bitterness alone that made them fall down his cheeks.

It was the sudden, quiet ache in his chest—the realization of how long he had lived without a mother’s care, and the void left in his life because of it.