Once Ren was dragged away, Zayden could no longer hold himself together.

His knees gave out beneath him, forcing him to brace a hand against the floor as he struggled to breathe.

The footsteps gradually faded into the distance along with Ren.

A strangled sound escaped his throat. He quickly covered his mouth, trying to suppress it, but it was useless. The sobs came anyway.

Violent and uncontrollable.

He had spent the entire day forcing himself to remain composed. Acting like the Imperial General everyone expected him to be. Acting as though the accusations, the betrayal, and the sight of Ren standing before him had not shattered something inside him.

Yet the moment the omega disappeared from sight, that fragile composure finally broke.

His shoulders trembled. His chest hurt so much he could barely draw breath. And still, he tried to hold it in. He couldn’t show himself this weak. Not in front of the guards. Not in front of the servants. Not in front of anyone.

Yet here he was, crying in the middle of a palace corridor like a child.

How shameful.

The thought should have embarrassed him. He should have forced himself to stand. Instead, it only made him laugh bitterly through his tears.

What dignity was left to preserve?

The man he loved had been dragged away before his eyes. And despite all the anger burning inside him, despite every lie Ren had told, despite every reason he had to hate him—Zayden had wanted nothing more than to run after him.

He wanted to pull him back, to ask him to stay.

The alpha’s fingers dug into the floor. The memory of Ren’s tear-filled eyes refused to leave him.

That look in his eyes... His trembling voice... The way the omega had said his name... As though he was still someone worth trusting.

A fresh wave of pain twisted through his chest.

"Why..." he whispered hoarsely.

He no longer knew whether he was asking why Ren had lied. Or why he still loved him despite it.

***

While Ren was being dragged away through the palace corridors, he crossed paths with Zion—the very man who had manipulated him into fleeing in the first place.

The knight’s eyes widened the moment they landed on the handcuffs around Ren’s wrists.

For a brief moment, disbelief flashed across his face, eyes wide open. He had gone through considerable trouble to create an opportunity for the omega to escape.

Yet here Ren was—captured once again.

How foolish.

Zion shook his head inwardly. After all, he had made himself clear. He had told Ren that Zayden wanted him dead, and warned him that remaining in the capital would only end badly.

And yet the omega had returned willingly.

Because Zion knew better than anyone else that the Grim Reaper was not one anyone could capture. Not with his extraordinary powers.

"...He won’t hurt me," Ren mumbled under his breath, almost like a whisper.

Zion narrowed his eyes.

Was Ren speaking to him? Or merely trying to convince himself? Either way, he did not bother asking. Instead, he released a weary sigh.

"I told you," Zion said. "He doesn’t care."

The words were blunt.

Cruel, even.

But Zion saw no reason to soften them.

"You should have left when you had the chance."

Ren lifted his gaze toward the taller man. A frown immediately appeared on his face. There was no gratitude in his eyes, or any appreciation for what Zion had done.

Only disappointment. And perhaps a hint of anger.

The omega remained silent. Because no matter how many times Zion repeated those words, Ren could not bring himself to believe them.

Zayden cared.

That was precisely why everything hurt so much. If the alpha truly felt nothing, Ren would have accepted it long ago. It was because he had seen the pain in Zayden’s eyes. Because he had heard the tremor in his voice. Because he knew that beneath all the anger and coldness, the man still cared.

And that was what made this situation so unbearable.

Ren lowered his gaze once more.

For the first time since escaping the dungeon, he found himself wondering whether returning had been the right choice. Yet even now, if given another opportunity, he knew exactly what he would do.

He would still run toward Zayden.

Again...

And again.

No matter how many times it would break his heart.

"You should stay out of this," Ren exhaled.

Before he could hear Zion’s response, the guards yanked him forward once more, dragging him back toward the dark side of the palace.

The sound of chains scraping against the floor echoed through the corridor. Yet this time, Ren no longer feared that dark place.

He had seen Zayden.

He had spoken to him.

And now, all he needed to do was wait until the alpha realized his mistake.

Ren’s thoughts abruptly halted.

A bitter smile tugged at his lips.

Realize his mistake?

How would Zayden ever come to that conclusion when every piece of evidence pointed toward Ren’s guilt?

His origins.

The secrets he had hidden.

Even Ren himself could understand why anyone would believe he was a spy. So how could he expect Zayden to think otherwise?

Surely, if there had been even the slightest hope of proving his innocence, the alpha would not have pushed him away the way he had earlier.

The memory made his chest ache.

The silver-haired omega bit down on his already split lip, drawing fresh blood once more.

His thoughts were so consumed by Zayden that he barely noticed when they reached the dungeon.

The next thing he knew, a forceful shove sent him stumbling forward.

His weakened legs failed him immediately. The silver-haired young man crashed onto the stone floor face-first.

Pain ran across his body. A sharp sting spread through his nose and his head throbbed.

For a few moments, he remained there, dazed and motionless. Slowly, he lifted a trembling hand to his forehead.

His fingertips brushed against something warm and wet. When he pulled them back, crimson stained his skin.

Blood.

Ren stared at it for a moment before letting out a quiet laugh. The sound was hollow—exhausted.

At this point, he was not even sure where one injury ended and another began.

***

Upon reading the newspaper Zion had spread across the empire, Enzo jumped to his feet.

The teacup in his hand slipped from his grasp, crashing onto the floor.

Yusha, who had been changing his child’s clothes nearby, immediately turned toward him with a frown.

"What happened?" the omega scolded. "Why would you do that? You’re going to scare the child!"

Enzo swallowed hard. Without answering immediately, he slowly approached the violet-haired man and extended the newspaper toward him.

He knew very well what Ren meant to Yusha.

How close the two of them had become over the years.

How much Yusha trusted him.

To suddenly learn something like this would undoubtedly come as a terrible shock.

What Enzo failed to understand, however, was why this news was spreading across the empire now.

Didn’t Zayden already know all of this?

If so, why wasn’t he stopping it?

At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before people began gathering outside the palace gates, demanding Ren’s execution—just as the newspaper seemed intent on encouraging.

Yusha accepted the paper and quickly scanned its contents.

The colour drained from his face.

A soft gasp escaped his lips.

"W-What?!"

Enzo merely nodded, exhaling sharply.

"Did you not know?"

The omega slowly shook his head.

"He never spoke much about his past..." His fingers tightened around the paper. "But who would have imagined he was hiding all of this?"

A heavy silence settled between them.

Finally, Enzo spoke.

"Do you believe he’s a spy too?"

"Of course not!" Yusha immediately snapped, glaring at him. "Ren is nothing like that. How can you even suggest that?!" His answer came so quickly that there wasn’t the slightest trace of hesitation.

"I am certain this is a misunderstanding." His expression slowly softened, worry creeping into his eyes.

"You should go see the Imperial General and clear things up for him. Ren won’t be able to do it himself..." The tremor in his voice was impossible to miss. Neither was the fear.

Yusha trusted Ren. He trusted him enough to stake his reputation on it. But trust alone could not erase reality.

If Ren was truly from Hianshu, then the accusations would carry weight regardless of whether he was innocent or not. And if the court chose to make an example out of him... His execution would become only a matter of time.

The thought made Yusha’s heart sink.

"No..." he whispered, lowering his gaze to the newspaper. "There has to be something wrong with this article. Maybe it’s just a stupid rumour."

Enzo stared at him for a moment without saying a word.

Then, he parted his lips.

"What if..." He hesitated, the words seeming unwilling to leave his mouth.

"What if?" Yusha narrowed his eyes, curiosity piqued. It was unusual for Enzo to hold back his thoughts. Usually, he would say exactly what was on his mind without a second thought.

Enzo swallowed hard.

"What if I told you the news isn’t entirely false?" he asked quietly. "What if it’s true that Ren is from the Temple of Hianshu?" The words finally left his mouth, yet they did nothing to ease the tension in his chest.

His heart continued to race because unlike the newspaper, he wasn’t speaking based on rumours.

He knew the truth.