[Alvar's POV—The Garden of Celebration—Later]
I had imagined many futures with Leif.
Some full of laughter, some full of arguments, some full of lazy mornings and silent nights—but in every single one… he was alive.
But then....Everything was ruined.
The sound of celebration still rang in my ears. Laughter, music, clinking glasses, applause, and Leif's soft, shy smile when I whispered let's escape later.
I was holding his hand. I was right there.
And then —A scream.
"My lord—!!!"
I barely turned before I felt it —a shift in the air, a collapse of something fragile, a silence that swallowed the world whole.
Leif swayed.
Confusion flickered across his face—innocent, startled—and then something wet dripped onto his suit.
Trickle.
Trickle.
Red.
Blood.
For a moment, my mind refused to accept what I was seeing.
Not today… not on this day… not now…
Then Leif lifted a trembling hand to his lips. His fingers came away red. And my whole world stopped.
