"Get out of here," the Emperor rasped, his voice thick with emotion, but his tone laced with authority. He didn't even turn to face Jae Hyun. His focus was only on her.
Jae Hyun took a step forward, still holding onto the last remnants of his rage. But seeing the Empress's lifeless form, something in him cracked too. There was no glory in this victory—no triumph in watching a woman die for a man who had shattered her spirit for years. He let out a breath and lowered his hand, the sharp wood around him retreating back to the ground.
The Emperor's hands cupped her face now, his thumb wiping away the smudges of dirt and blood that marred her once-beautiful features. "I never... I never meant for this," he whispered, his voice barely audible, as though speaking louder would make her death real.
But she couldn't hear him anymore.
Her chest no longer rose, her breaths ceased, and her eyes—still open—had lost their focus. She was gone.
