The suffocating silence of the lower dungeon corridors was broken only by the echo of heavy, deliberate footsteps—each strike against the stone floor resounding like the drums of doom. The air was frigid and damp, seeping into the marrow of anyone unfortunate enough to linger there. Shadows clung to the walls, and the hollow gazes of prisoners followed every movement, lifeless eyes reflecting despair without end.
Dragged forward by two armored soldiers, Olivia stumbled, her wrists bound with iron cuffs that had bitten cruelly into her flesh. Red marks marred her pale skin, each one a silent testament to her fall from grace. The soldiers stopped before a cell. One pushed open the door, its hinges groaning like a dying beast, while the other shoved her inside with brutal force. She fell hard against the cold stone floor.
"Enjoy your husband's company on this, your last night together," one guard sneered before the heavy door clanged shut, sealing her fate in darkness. Their footsteps faded, swallowed by silence.
With trembling arms, Olivia pushed herself upright, her body leaning against the icy wall. A ragged sigh escaped her lips, weary and full of anguish. And then she turned her head—only to freeze, breath catching in her throat.
He was there.
In the dim light sat Matthias. Chains bound his wrists, bruises and wounds painting his once-proud frame. His black hair fell in disarray over his sharp features, and yet, even battered, his piercing green eyes glowed with defiance. The man who once commanded armies with a single word was now reduced to a broken prisoner.
Olivia's lips parted, but no words came. Shame strangled her voice. Matthias, however, needed no silence to make his thoughts known. A smirk tugged at his battered face, his low voice cutting through the stillness.
"So… they abandoned you too."
The words struck like a blade. He was right. What kind of father casts his daughter into the imperial dungeons? But she refused to show weakness—not before him. She forced a hollow smile.
"No… my father hasn't abandoned me. Don't speak nonsense."
Matthias's bitter laugh echoed against the stones, sharp as glass.
"Are you blind? Look around, Olivia. You're a prisoner. Tomorrow, we'll both kneel before the executioner's blade. Still think he hasn't thrown you away?"
Her breath quickened, tears welling until they spilled, unstoppable. She had sacrificed everything—her loyalty, her dignity—for her father, only to be discarded. She had betrayed even her own husband for him. And for what?
Matthias's gaze hardened. He had carried his silence too long.
"We've been married three years. Three years of nothing but chains—chains forged by the Emperor himself. Two families who hated each other, bound by decree. I refused at first. I wanted no part of it. But who dares defy the Emperor's will?"
His voice dropped, heavy with memory.
"I swore I'd honor our marriage, even if you despised me. I thought… perhaps one day, you'd be the mother of my children. But what did I receive? Cold eyes. A stranger for a wife. Still, I respected you. I gave you wealth, I ignored your cruelty to servants, even when you cast my sister from our home. Do you know what became of her? She ended her life—with her daughter."
His voice faltered, tears shining unshed in his eyes. "And still… still I believed in you, Olivia. Even when you betrayed the duchy for your father, I defended you. I told everyone they were wrong. But they weren't. You betrayed me."
Her trembling voice broke the silence.
"When I married you, I dreamed of a life like any young girl's dream… even if you were my enemy. But you crushed those dreams, Matthias. You never showed me kindness. I felt like nothing but a tool—a vessel for an heir. And in the end… I lost my son."
His fury ignited, raw and cutting.
"An heir? Was it not you who chose that path? Do you think I didn't know about Lavin's Potion? I had it tested—it left you barren forever. Do you know what I felt when I discovered that? Do you hate me so much you'd rob us of children? Of a family?"
Olivia's fingers dug into her dress, her gaze falling to the floor.
"It was… a mistake. It wouldn't have happened if you hadn't betrayed me first."
"Betrayed you?" His voice thundered. "What betrayal?"
She met his eyes, anger laced with grief.
"I saw you at the imperial banquet—laughing with that girl, holding her in your arms as if she were your world. My husband, who never spared me a smile, cherishing another woman before my eyes. Do you know how that shattered me?"
Matthias's rage withered into heartbreak. His voice cracked.
"That girl… was my sister. My illegitimate sister. If you had ever trusted me, you would have known."
Olivia's tears fell freely, her voice breaking.
"What have I done? I misunderstood everything…"
He shook his head, despair coating every word.
"Now you realize it? You tipped off your father. You betrayed me to the Emperor. And for what? What did you gain, Olivia? What victory do you hold now?"
Silence swallowed them. No excuses could mend what was broken.
At dawn, the guards returned. They seized Matthias, dragging him from the cell. He turned once, his green eyes meeting hers, soft despite the ruin between them.
"Olivia… look at me. One last time."
Her shattered gaze lifted.
"I want you to know," he said, voice steady despite his chains, "I never betrayed you. Not even in my dreams. You were always my wife. My only wife. After my death, I pray you'll find peace—away from your family's shadow."
She could not understand his hope; she too was condemned.
"Enough!" barked a guard.
As they dragged Matthias toward the executioner's blade, Olivia collapsed against the wall, her body wracked with sobs. Were her tears for her family who had forsaken her—or for the husband she had only come to understand when it was far too late?