"Ah… my head hurts."
Before Lucien could open his eyes, he heard someone crying beside his bed.
"Young Master, please wake up… My master is so pitiful. He was in a loveless marriage."
The voice trembled with grief.
"Even while he is in a coma, she hasn't come to visit him once in the last three months. No matter the reason, he is still her husband. She should have come."
The crying continued, soft but painful.
Lucien frowned slightly.
Young Master? What kind of situation is this?
For a moment, he thought he was dead and this was the afterlife, because he clearly remembered how he died.
He was not any "young master."
No one had ever cried for him like this.
He was Lucien Morningstar, the son of a military doctor, Morningstar Zeus. His entire family had given their lives to the country, yet in the end, all they received was humiliation, betrayal, and a painful death.
He had inherited his father's medical skills.
But he had thrown everything away for love.
Because of his father's close friendship with the old king, he had been engaged to the crown princess, Anna Roosevelt.
He still remembered the first time he saw her.
It was in the old king's chamber, when they were young.
He fell in love with her at first sight.
But she never loved him.
After the old king died, Anna ascended the throne. She never called for him and never came to see him. Still, he told himself she must be busy. He believed that one day, they would live like a real couple.
But that day never came.
After their wedding night, the only night they shared, she never returned.
Even that night meant nothing.
She had looked bored the entire time.
He had wanted to talk to her, to understand her, to grow closer. But when she entered the room, her eyes were red and her steps unsteady with alcohol.
She pushed him onto the bed.
After that, everything became a blur.
They never spoke about it again.
She left.
He had wanted them to share a room, but she refused.
Still, he convinced himself that this was normal. She was royalty, after all.
A few weeks later, she left for a diplomatic visit without him.
He remained alone in the palace.
Months passed.
The palace was unfamiliar, and the people were cold.
Slowly, his heart hardened.
As the king consort of the Nok Kingdom, he could not afford to be weak. His wife was the queen, and he could not expect to keep her to himself.
He loved her so much that he endured everything.
Even the constant humiliation from his mother in law.
She despised him.
He had no royal blood and no noble lineage.
He was only the son of a military doctor and a soldier.
That was all he was to them.
Then one day, Anna returned from her trip with another consort.
Syran, a prince from a neighboring kingdom.
Lucien told himself it was for political reasons, to strengthen her power.
After all, a queen could have multiple consorts.
He had no right to complain.
The queen mother treated Syran warmly, with respect and pride.
He was royal. He was useful.
Lucien, despite being the king consort, received nothing but cold looks and sharp words.
The old king was gone.
No one stood for him anymore.
And Anna was rarely in the palace.
She traveled constantly, securing alliances and dealing with rebellions. Her throne was still new, and many challenged her right to rule, especially because she was a woman.
So Lucien stayed silent.
He told himself he could endure it.
He did not want to burden her.
All he wanted was her love.
So he accepted every insult, every humiliation, every lonely night.
He waited.
Years passed.
But the warmth he longed to see in her eyes never came.
Only coldness remained.
That night, he had been walking near the pond.
It was quiet and dark.
Suddenly, someone pushed him from behind.
He fell into the water.
It was cold and deep.
He knew how to swim, but his body would not move.
It was as if something was holding him down.
He struggled.
He could not breathe.
Everything blurred.
Memories flashed before his eyes, one after another, like pages in a book.
A life filled with regret.
Regret for marrying into the royal family.
Regret for never fighting back.
Regret for enduring everything in silence.
What did I do to deserve this?
All he ever wanted was her love.
And in the end, he died without ever receiving it.
That was the last thing he remembered.
He never saw who pushed him.
He never knew who wanted him dead.
When he regained consciousness now, all those memories came rushing back.
His chest tightened.
He felt suffocated.
Pathetic.
He had loved someone so much that he abandoned his pride, his family, everything.
And in the end, all he received was a cruel death.
He did not even know who hated him enough to kill him.