Vol. 1 - Ch. 75
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Edmund looked down at his hands. At some point, his sword, drawn from his hip, and his entire arm had been drenched in blood. The agonized screams of the beast, whose long arm had been severed, buzzed faintly in his ears, as though muffled by a thin veil.
Edmund moved. At first, he hacked mercilessly at the beast that had tried to flee after counterattacking him. He moved and moved again, until Daphne's blood was entirely buried under the beast’s.
Only after a long while did Edmund finally stop. Amidst the beast’s dismembered remains, he caught sight of what was once Daphne’s clothes, now so tattered and blood-soaked they were beyond recognition.
‘Daphne.’
His knees buckled beneath him.
Rainwater streamed down his cheeks. His breath grew ragged, and a chill seeped into his bones. Reaching out, Edmund seized a piece of the bloodied fabric in his trembling hand.
A faint groan escaped his lips.
Daphne was dead.
Back in the North, when Daphne had first disappeared, even upon finding a robe soaked in blood, Edmund had refused to believe she was truly gone. But now, things are different.
Edmund stared blankly at the piece of dress clutched in his hand. It was so thoroughly soaked in blood that the original color was long lost. All that remained was the stench of iron. Daphne’s scent had vanished completely.
If asked whether he was sad, Edmund wouldn’t know how to answer. If asked how he felt, he still wouldn't know.
He had been taught not to feel. Not simply to hide his emotions, but to have none at all.
Yet the moment he first met Daphne, he had felt an uncomfortable flutter in his chest, and her frustratingly reckless ways had annoyed him. He didn't understand why his chest now felt so unbearably heavy. Even when he opened his mouth, no words would come.
It was only then that Edmund realized that he wasn’t breathing.
He gasped for air, the cold, damp air rushing harshly into his lungs. Even that simple act felt foreign to him. And in that moment, Edmund understood.
"...Ah."
I love Daphne. I have loved her – cursedly, helplessly – from the very first moment.
A violent shudder ran through his entire body.
"Ha."
A hollow laugh slipped from his lips, but it quickly faded, and his mouth sank into a grim line.
He truly, truly…
"...Edmund?"
A voice. So faint and delicate that it was almost drowned out by the rain. Edmund lifted his head and turned.