The night sky over the southern coast of Trinvina was a vast canvas of deep obsidian, pricked with distant stars that mirrored themselves upon the gentle, rhythmic swell of the dark ocean waves outside. Inside the small, secluded beach villa, the world had narrowed down to the quiet crackle of a bedside lamp and the soft whisper of the tide against the shore.
Helio sat on the edge of the wide, feather-soft mattress with his back turned toward her, the pale linen bandages across his shoulders catching the warm amber light.
The bathroom door clicked open softly. Aefia stepped out, carrying a small ceramic bowl of warm water and a stack of clean white cloths. She pad-footed across the wooden floorboards, her bare feet making almost no sound, and settled herself on the edge of the bed right behind him.
"Alright, let's see how badly you have managed to agitate those stitches today," she murmured, her voice carrying a light, teasing lilt.
"I barely moved," Helio protested mildly, though he obediently relaxed his shoulders to give her better access. "Rosetta exaggerates every single twinge."
"Rosetta is the only reason your spine is still aligned correctly," Aefia retorted, dipping a cloth into the warm water and wringing it out.
She reached forward, gently beginning to unwrap the layered gauze across his back. Her movements were practiced and careful, a stark contrast to the chaotic battlefield medicine of a week ago. As the last fold of linen fell away, the jagged, healing line of his wound came into view under the lamplight.
Aefia pressed the warm, damp cloth against the skin just beside the scar, intending to wipe away a stray trace of dried ointment.
Then, her hand stopped dead.
The soft sound of the ocean outside seemed to hollow out, replaced by a sudden, heavy pressure weighing down on her chest. Her breath hitched. The warm water in the bowl before her wavered, her reflection warping into something else entirely—into a fractured, ash-choked courtyard bathed in the harsh light of an artificial twilight.
The soul.
Her garnet eyes dilated, staring blankly at the smooth expanse of Helio's skin, but seeing right through it to a memory she thought she had buried beneath the Mides ledgers.
"I... I was never always a bad person."
"I know. No one is."
Aefia's fingers began to tremble. The cloth slipped from her grip, splashing quietly back into the bowl of water.
Kazimir.
She had called him that in her final moments of mercy, honoring the person who had been overwritten, the historical shell that had been stolen. But that wasn't the haunting part. The part that had been clawing at the edges of her consciousness for the past seventy-two hours was what happened right as the star-steel blade severed the tether.
When she drove the dagger into Kazimir's neck, she hadn't just destroyed a parasite. She had seen the truth of the vessel.
Jack the Ripper hadn't just inhabited a stolen body—he had hijacked it completely, locking the original owner deep within the darkest, most unreachable recesses of his own mind. For all those years of cruelty, for every monstrous, blood-soaked basement experiment and tyrannical decree that bore Kazimir's name, the real Kazimir—the actual soul belonging to that body—had been trapped inside as a helpless captive.
He had watched through his own eyes as his flesh committed unspeakable horrors. He had screamed into a void that swallowed his voice, forced to witness every drop of blood his hands were made to shed.
And when Aefia had finally cornered the usurper, when she had raised her blade to execute the final judgment... she remembered looking down into the eyes of the soul she was erasing.
It hadn't been the defiant, twisted sneer of a devil.
Right at the end, as the dark miasma dissolved, she had seen a face peering up at her through the wreckage. It was the face of a terrified, seven-year-old child—wide-eyed, profoundly sad, and looking up at her with a quiet, heartbreaking resignation. A silent plea from an innocent soul who had never wanted any of it, wondering why the world had been so cruelly stacked against him.
A heavy lump formed in Aefia's throat. A cold shiver ran down her arms.
Was there another way? The thought pierced her mind like a shard of ice. Could I have separated them? Could I have saved the boy instead of burying him alongside the monster?
"Aefia?"
Helio's voice pulled her violently back to the present.
She gasped softly, blinking rapidly as the beach villa materialized around her once more. Her hands were shaking visibly, her face draining of all color.
Before she could pull back or mask the sudden wave of overwhelming guilt, Helio shifted. Despite the strain on his back, he slowly turned completely around on the bed, his green eyes searching her face with immediate, intuitive concern.
"What is it?" he asked softly, reaching out to catch her trembling hands in his own warm palms. "You are freezing. What just happened?"
Aefia stared down at her lap, her lower lip trembling slightly. She tried to swallow the tightness in her throat, but the confession slipped out in a ragged whisper.
"I killed an innocent child, Helio."
Helio's brows furrowed in confusion. "What? Who? In Mides?"
"Not... not physically," she choked out, her garnet eyes finally lifting to meet his steady gaze. "Kazimir's body... it wasn't just him. The real Kazimir—the soul that belonged to that body—was locked inside his own mind the entire time. He was just a kid when it happened. He watched everything. He watched the blood, the pain, the cruelty... and he couldn't do a single thing to stop it. Which meant he was profoundly innocent, when I killed him."
She looked down at the floor.
"I saw him looking at me. He just looked so sad. Like he was waiting for someone to finally notice he was trapped in there. And I just ended him anyway. What if there was a way to pull him out? What if I was too impatient, too eager to clean up the continent's mess?"
Helio didn't offer empty platitudes. He didn't tell her she had no choice, even though she technically hadn't.
Instead, he moved closer, ignoring the sharp, protesting pull of his healing stitches. Reached up, gently cupping the side of her face with his warm hand, using his thumb to tenderly wipe away a bit of soot below her eye.
Helio leaned forward, pressing his forehead gently against hers, then sliding his lips up to plant a long, lingering kiss right between her brows. He wrapped his arms securely around her, pulling her upper body against his chest as he buried his face in her dark hair, slowly and rhythmically stroking the strands to calm the violent tremors in her frame.
"You are the Guardian of Death, Aefia, not a miracle worker of lost souls," Helio whispered softly against her ear, his breath warm and grounding. "You carried the weight of an entire empire, fought a war, and ended a parasite that was destroying thousands of lives. You did what had to be done to free this world. If the real Kazimir was trapped... he isn't suffering anymore. Because of you, he is finally free of that prison."
Aefia let out a long, shuddering breath.She closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face into his shoulder.
"Do you really think so?" she whispered.
"I know so," Helio replied, pressing another gentle kiss to the crown of her head. "Now, stop torturing yourself with what-ifs. You are retired, remember? Ten thousand gold pieces, a southern estate, and a very stubborn fiancé who isn't going anywhere. Let the ghosts rest, Aefia. You have earned your peace."
Aefia let out a sigh, smirked silently. "Easy for you to say. Though I suggest trying a bit better the next time—you are worse as a motivation speaker."
"Hey—and then why are you with me then?" He asked, looking down at her.
"Because I was stupid. And I fell." She muttered.
"Fell how?" His eyebrow arched up.
"Fell in love. Unfortunately."
Helio burst into a soft, genuine laugh, the vibration rumbling gently against her cheek where she lay pressed against his chest. His arms tightened around her waist, holding her close as if to anchor her completely in the warm, peaceful present.
"Unfortunately?" he repeated, his voice rich with affectionate amusement as he leaned back just enough to catch her garnet eyes. "You say that as if loving the Archduke of Trinvina is a terrible tragedy."
"It certainly has its hazards," Aefia murmured back, though a soft, genuine smile finally curved her lips. She rested her chin against his chest, looking up at him with a quiet, relaxed warmth that she hadn't felt in months. "You get carved up by rogue knights, complain about herbal tea, and give terrible motivational speeches."
"And yet," Helio whispered, his green eyes crinkling at the corners as he reached out to tuck a stray lock of dark hair behind her ear, "you still rode four hours through the dark, bled through your bandages, and threatened my entire vanguard just to be by my side."
"I had to make sure my ten-thousand-gold-piece estate wasn't going to be wasted on a widowed life," she retorted smoothly, though there was no masking the tender, soft light glowing in her eyes.
Helio's smirk softened into something deeply tender and profoundly grateful. He leaned down, resting his forehead against hers once more as the gentle sound of the ocean waves washed over the quiet beach villa.
"I love you too, Aefia," he murmured softly against her lips. "Retired Crown Princess, Guardian of Death, and the absolute love of my life."
Aefia closed her eyes. "I am not so sure about that. I like to act like my favourite title and I love to be called 'The absolute disaster of my life'." She smiled before leaning up to peck a kiss at his lips.
***
Four years had passed, and at twenty-six, Aefia was currently engaged in the most high-stakes mission of her post-retirement life: sprinting down the street without ruining a cake box.
She wore a simple white shirt, black straight-leg trousers, and a dark green cloak fluttering behind her. Pushing open the front door of their modest apartment, she locked it behind her with her foot, kicked off her boots, and called out, "I am back!"
"Welcome home, love," Helio called out from the kitchen, stirring a pot at the stove. "Did you—"
Before he could finish, Aefia shoved the ribboned cake box right into his hands.
"Unwrap this! Carefully! If a single strawberry is out of place, I am holding you personally responsible."
"Wait, Aefia, I am cooking—"
"No time!"
Aefia rushed straight down the hallway and threw open the nursery door.
Sitting on the playmat was a tiny girl with long, silky black hair and bright, luminous green eyes, happily chewing on her blue pacifier. The moment the door opened, the baby's eyes lit up. She spat out her pacifier, threw her chubby hands up into the air, and giggled.
"Mama!"
"My sweet girl!" Aefia squealed, diving across the room and scooping her up into her arms.
She showered Lyra's cheeks, nose, and forehead with frantic, loving kisses while the baby squirmed and giggled in delight.
"Did you miss Mama? Yes, you did! Look at you, happy one-and-a-half-year birthday, my little angel!"
Footsteps echoed softly at the doorway. Helio leaned against the doorframe, watching them with a warm, fond smile before walking over and pressing a sweet, gentle kiss right onto Aefia's forehead.
"You know," Helio murmured, shaking his head with a quiet chuckle, "you completely forgot our wedding anniversary last month, but you somehow buy a full custom cake for every single month this child ages."
Aefia didn't even look up, still nuzzling her cheek against Lyra's soft face. "And your point?"
"She is eighteen months old, Aefia," Helio laughed softly. "She doesn't even realize what a birthday is yet!"
"She knows what strawberry cake tastes like, and that makes it an official milestone," Aefia retorted smoothly. She shifted the baby in her arms and looked up at him with a mischievous smirk. "Besides, the kid is obviously more important than the father."
Helio feigned a wounded gasp. "Ouch."
"Don't 'ouch' me, Archduke," Aefia grinned. Without warning, she leaned down and blew a loud, vibrating raspberry straight into Lyra's tummy.
Lyra let out a high-pitched, squealing laugh, her tiny hands clutching Aefia's collar. She looked up at Helio, her garnet eyes sparkling as she held Lyra up slightly.
"Look at her, Helio. Doesn't she look like a little fantasy princess straight out of an old storybook?" Aefia cooed softly, running her fingers through the baby's silky black hair. "She definitely gets her dramatic flair from you."
Helio chuckled, stepping forward and extending his arms toward the toddler. "Oh, is that so? Come here, my little princess. Save your father from your tyrant mother."
The moment Lyra saw her father reaching out, her luminous green eyes widened. She squealed in delight, practically vaulting herself from Aefia's arms directly into Helio's chest. Helio caught her effortlessly, tossing her gently up into the air just enough to make her let out a breathy, ringing laugh before nestling her safely against his shoulder.
"See?" Helio said triumphantly, resting his chin against Lyra's hair while she playfully reached up to pat his cheek with her tiny, chubby hands. "She clearly prefers the parent who doesn't blow loud noises into her stomach."
Lyra babbled nonsense in agreement, clutching a lock of his golden-blonde hair and tugging it gently. Helio didn't even flinch, simply nuzzling her cheek with a soft grin.
Aefia crossed her arms, trying to maintain a mock-stern glare, but the sheer warmth of the sight melted it in seconds.
"Traitor," Aefia grumbled fondly at her daughter, though her smile betrayed her completely. "Both of you. Unbelievable."
Then, the clock on the wall made her snap back to reality.
"Now, off to the kitchen, both of you," Aefia commanded playfully, giving Helio a gentle push on his arm. "The birthday girl needs her cake, and I expect the largest slice served to me."
Helio carried Lyra out with a bright laugh, their daughter giggling happily in his arms—leaving Aefia following behind, completely at peace in the quiet, wonderful world they had built together.