- 2 hours ago
I Take Back the Light, I Found a Dynasty
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Short filmTranscript
00:00Morghouse, the queen dowager whom I had treated as my own mother, chimed in without a trace of shame.
00:05You cannot bear an heir. Cecily was generous enough to spare your wretched life, yet you were vicious enough to
00:12push her and nearly cause a miscarriage.
00:15I swallowed the metallic taste in my throat.
00:18If I leave, don't say you weren't warned.
00:20Alistair let out a scornful laugh.
00:22Without my protection, you would have died on the exile road ten years ago.
00:27No. Guards, throw her into the cold tower and leave her to rot.
00:32They seemed to have forgotten that it was I who dug them out of a pile of corpses on that
00:36exile road ten years ago.
00:37They also had no idea that the fate of this new dynasty relied entirely on the light of destiny from
00:42my god bloodline, forcibly sustaining it.
00:44Looking at this mother and son who wanted me dead, I swallowed the blood in my mouth and stopped asking
00:49for any explanation.
00:51Divine warning. Ten years of star blood protection have expired.
00:55Continue to offer the light of destiny?
00:59Withdraw it.
01:00The light of destiny will be completely stripped away in three days.
01:04Within three days, you may change your mind at any time.
01:10Before I could collect myself, the guards dragged me roughly out of the hall.
01:14I casually took off the queen's crown from my head and threw it at Alistair's feet.
01:18The crown rolled and fell, smashing jewels all over the floor.
01:22Alistair stared hard at my back, which showed no trace of regret, and knitted his brows into a tight knot.
01:27He seemed not to have expected me to be so resolute, a flash of inexplicable irritation crossed his eyes.
01:32Once she is in the cold tower, by my order, no one is to give her a single ember of
01:38coal or one drop of medicine for her wounds.
01:42Let's see just how tough her backbone really is.
01:46Cecily leaned delicately against Alistair, her eyes challenging me.
01:50Alistair, my sister was just jealous in the heat of the moment.
01:54Please don't upset yourself.
01:56With that, she gave a little cry that she was cold.
01:59Alistair instinctively moved to unfasten his cloak.
02:02But when his hand touched the clasp, he froze abruptly.
02:05It was a black fox fur cloak, with flame runes densely embroidered in gold thread over the heart.
02:10Ten years ago, in the frozen exile land, the cold poison had seeped into his bones,
02:14and the physician said he would not survive the night.
02:17It was I who pricked my own heart with a hairpin, used my star blood as a guide,
02:21and stayed up three whole nights sewing that cloak stitch by stitch, pulling him back from the brink of death.
02:26Alistair's fingers curled slightly.
02:27But he glanced at Cecily's slightly swollen belly, and in the end he unfastened the cloak and wrapped it around
02:32her.
02:33Yet he muttered a low warning.
02:35Don't dirty it.
02:36Cecily stiffened, then nodded obediently, but jealousy flashed in her eyes.
02:42The destiny stripped away began to set in.
02:44I fell onto the damp, muddy ground and vomited a mouthful of black blood.
02:48My lady!
02:49A thin, dark figure rushed out from a corner and hugged me tightly.
02:53It was Primrose.
02:54Ten years ago on the exile road, when I was starving to death, this silly girl secretly cut flesh from
02:59her own thigh and boiled it into soup to feed me.
03:02Now, seeing me covered in blood, she wept as if her heart would break.
03:06My lady, how could the king treat you like this?
03:09If you hadn't taken that arrow for him back then, he would have...
03:12Stop.
03:13I leaned weakly against her and wiped the blood from my lips.
03:16He doesn't deserve to speak of those days.
03:20The first night.
03:21The capital, which had enjoyed favorable weather, was suddenly hit by a violent gale.
03:25The first threat of golden light was silently being drawn away from above the throne palace where Alistair sat.
03:30That was my light of destiny.
03:32Since they have taken my crown, I shall take away their kingdom's fortune.
03:39Ten years ago.
03:41For those ten years, I had used my star blood every month to suppress it, so he had long believed
03:46that the court physicians had cured him.
03:48He broke out in a cold sweat from the pain and instinctively called out the name carved into his bones.
03:52Sarah, my chest hurts.
03:55Llewellyn, the chamberlain on night duty, fell to his knees in terror.
03:59Your majesty, the queen has already been banished to the cold tower.
04:04Alistair jolted awake.
04:06He looked at the sleeping Cecily beside him, and his eyes churned with anger and panic.
04:11Silence!
04:12Without her, I can live just fine.
04:15Countdown.
04:16Two days remaining.
04:17My body grew colder and colder.
04:19The pain of having my divine meridians ripped away left me barely able to stand.
04:24The door of the cold tower was kicked open.
04:29How is my once exalted queen sister finding it?
04:34Isn't that fake belly of yours rather hot under all that padding?
04:38Cecily's face changed dramatically.
04:40Then she stepped forward viciously and slapped me across the face.
04:45Wretch!
04:46Still running your mouth when death is at your door!
04:49Primrose shoved Cecily roughly aside.
04:52Don't you dare hit my lady!
04:53Cecily stumbled back two steps and fell straight into the arms of Alistair.
04:57Alistair!
04:59My sister's wretched servant is trying to kill our child!
05:02She immediately clucked her belly.
05:04Alistair flew into a rage and kicked Primrose so hard that she flew through the air.
05:08Primrose crashed heavily into the stone wall and spat out a mouthful of blood.
05:13Alistair!
05:13My eyes blazing with fury, I struggled to crawl over and shield Primrose.
05:18Alistair seized my jaw tightly.
05:20Seraphina, you allow your vicious servant to plot against the royal heir.
05:25Do you really think I dare not kill you?
05:30Just then, his eyes fell on a pendant that had slipped out from my neck.
05:34It was a remarkably smooth pink gold gem, the only heirloom my mother left me, called
05:38the Starfell Pendant.
05:39Years ago in the snowy mountains, when Alistair was attacked by wolves, this gem had erupted
05:44with divine power and taken the fatal blow for him, leaving a crack on its surface.
05:49Cecily's eyes flickered.
05:51Alistair, that pendant is so beautiful.
05:54The royal physician says my pregnancy is unstable.
05:58If I had such a spiritual stone to nurture me, the little prince would surely be born safely.
06:04Alistair hesitated.
06:05He knew how important that pendant was to me.
06:08It was my very lifeline.
06:09I clutched the pendant tightly and looked at him with reddened eyes.
06:12Alistair, my mother left this to me.
06:15Just you dare touch it.
06:17Alistair saw the resolve in my eyes, and his heart inexplicably twinged.
06:22You are nothing but a cripple now.
06:24Keeping such a treasure is a waste.
06:27Cecily is carrying my first child.
06:31With that, he mercilessly pried open my fingers and tore off the leather cord.
06:37I screamed in anguish.
06:39Alistair handed the pendant to Cecily.
06:41But Cecily pretended to fumble it.
06:44There was a sharp crack.
06:45The pink gold gem that had once saved Alistair's life and carried my mother's soul shattered
06:49into pieces on the stone floor.
06:51The world seemed to fall into dead silence at that moment.
06:56Oh dear.
06:57How clumsy of me.
06:59Sister won't be angry, will she?
07:01I stared blankly at the broken gem on the ground.
07:04The last trace of tenderness in my heart for the youth of ten years ago shattered completely
07:08along with that gem.
07:09I did not cry.
07:10Instead, I let out a strange, abrupt laugh.
07:14Alistair's scalp prickled at the sound of my laughter.
07:16He looked at the shattered gem on the floor, and suddenly it felt as if a piece of his
07:20heart had gone missing.
07:21As if something most precious had left him forever.
07:25It's just a worthless stone.
07:27I'll give you a hundred in return.
07:29He grabbed Cecily and fled.
07:34A messenger on horseback from the border galloped into the capital.
07:37The enemy army, which had been repelled, suddenly gathered a hundred thousand troops for a night
07:42raid, captured two cities in a row, and the defending generals were killed in battle.
07:46The court and the whole kingdom were shaken.
07:49The royal astrologer observed the night sky and cried out in alarm that the star representing
07:53Asteria had dimmed.
07:54A star of disaster had descended, and chaos would engulf the court.
07:58The chamberlain scrambled into the council chamber.
08:04Your Majesty, Lady Cesslick has suddenly started bleeding.
08:07The royal physician says that an evil error has disturbed the spirit of the unborn child.
08:12An hour later, a large contingent of guards stormed the coal tower.
08:16Primrose was pinned flat to the ground in the courtyard by two burly maids.
08:20Alistair stood under the eaves, his face ashen, clutching a cursed doll inscribed with Cecily's
08:25birth date.
08:26Serafina, this cursed object was found under your bed.
08:31The Astroloper has calculated clearly that your fate has changed.
08:34You are the very disaster star who has doomed my hundred thousand soldiers and disturbed the
08:39royal heir.
08:40The guards pinned me to the ground.
08:42I shook my head desperately.
08:44I did not!
08:45This is a frame-up!
08:46Cecily, pale-faced and leaning on a couch, pointed at Primrose and wailed.
08:50Your Majesty, it was this wretched servant who secretly buried the doll outside the tower.
08:57No!
08:58I only went to ask for some hot water!
09:00My lady is freezing to death!
09:02Primrose cowed out as she wept.
09:04Alistair would not listen.
09:06He looked at my pallid face, and the panic in his heart turned entirely into fury.
09:10So you won't confess?
09:13Then let your servant bear the punishment in your stead.
09:17Beat her hard!
09:19The heavy wooden club landed on Primrose's thin back.
09:22The sound of breaking bones was terribly clear in the silent coal tower.
09:26Alistair!
09:27Come at me!
09:28Beat me instead!
09:29I broke free from the guards like a madwoman and threw myself over Primrose, taking a blow
09:34for her.
09:35That blow shattered my shoulder blade.
09:37The pain made everything go black.
09:39But I held on tightly to the person beneath me.
09:42Alistair!
09:43I beg you, spare her!
09:45I'll let you drain my heart's blood again!
09:48I'll give you my life!
09:50Alistair looked at me groveling in the dirt.
09:52He opened his mouth, about to call a halt.
09:58Your Majesty, evil must be eradicated root and branch.
10:02The natural and man-made disasters are all because of this poisoned woman.
10:07Show no mercy.
10:08In that instant...
10:10My lady, don't beg him.
10:14He's not worthy.
10:18I'll go on ahead.
10:20Please live well.
10:21Before she finished, the maidservant brought the club down hard on the back of her head.
10:27Primrose's head drooped limply.
10:29She was gone.
10:31Primrose!
10:34A thunderclap exploded in the sky, and a torrential downpour followed.
10:39I held Primrose's body as it grew stiff, and my heart became a dry, empty well.
10:44Alistair, I will not leave you a single shred of this kingdom's destiny.
10:47Alistair stood under an umbrella, looking at me silent in the rain like a vengeful ghost.
10:53His voice trembled with panic.
10:55You brought this upon yourself!
10:57The astrologer has said that a disaster star has arrived.
11:00Only a living sacrifice by fire can aspise heaven's wrath.
11:04Tomorrow is Cecily's coronation, and I will sacrifice you to heaven to secure the kingdom of Asteria.
11:11The third day.
11:13The coronation, and also my living sacrifice.
11:16On the square outside the cathedral, the dense black cloud seemed ready to crush the entire capital.
11:21With one arm broken and my body drenched in blood, I was tightly bound by thick iron chains to a
11:26stake dozens of feet high.
11:27Beneath me was a mountain of dry wood drenched in oil.
11:30All the nobles of the court and tens of thousands of citizens surrounded the sacrificial platform, glaring at me with
11:36venomous eyes.
11:37Burn the disaster star!
11:39Burn this poisonous woman who has brought chaos to the kingdom!
11:43Countless rotten vegetables and stones hit my face, but I did not even blink.
11:47High up on the stone steps, Alistair, in his golden royal robe, held Cecily in his arms.
11:53She wore a crimson ceremonial gown and the queen's crown that had once been mine.
11:57Seraphina, you have committed so many evils that you have aroused the anger of heaven and the hatred of the
12:02people.
12:03For the centuries-old foundation of Asteria, and for the people of this kingdom, I must put you to this
12:08hardship.
12:09Cecily stroked her belly and smiled viciously.
12:12Sister, go in peace.
12:15After you die, the kingdom will enjoy favorable weather, and my bloodline with his majesty will be born safely.
12:22Execute the sentence!
12:24Light the fire!
12:30A dozen guards with torches stepped forward and hurled their torches onto the woodpile beneath me.
12:34A towering inferno erupted in an instant, as if it would devour me any second.
12:39The scorching heat charred my skirt and seared my skin.
12:42Alistair stared fixedly at me in the sea of fire.
12:45He was waiting for me to break down and weep as I used to, to bow my head and beg
12:49for mercy.
12:50If I begged, he had actually prepared a water cart in secret and could spare my life.
12:55But he was wrong.
12:56In the very last second before the fire would burn through me, I slowly raised my head and looked at
13:01him.
13:02Alistair, you are truly pitiful.
13:04You used the kingdom I gave you to sentence me to death.
13:08Alistair, the destiny of Astria.
13:11I have withdrawn it.
13:13Countdown.
13:14Three, two, one.
13:16Light of destiny completely reset to zero.
13:20In the very last second before the fire consumed me.
13:23Above the sky, an apocalyptic thunderclap exploded.
13:27A pure purple lightning bolt, thick as a dragon, struck straight at the king's pillar that represented the royal authority
13:33of Astria.
13:36Alistair was thrown to the ground by the blast.
13:39He scrambled to his feet.
13:41He dashed towards the stake dozens of feet high.
13:44The fire raged to the sky.
13:46The massive woodpile collapsed completely.
13:48I closed my eyes.
13:50I let the last of my divine blood ignite into flames.
13:53Under the cover of the heavenly punishment, I crushed the teleportation array that my mother had left inside the pendant.
13:59White light mingled with the flames.
14:01I vanished into thin air before Alistair's eyes.
14:04Only a pile of ashes remained.
14:07And the half-burnt, heavy iron chain.
14:11Alistair threw himself to the edge of the sea of fire.
14:14The fire licked at his golden royal robe.
14:17Llewellyn, the chamberlain, grabbed him tightly around the waist.
14:21Your majesty, it's dangerous!
14:24Alistair kicked Llewellyn away.
14:26He raked through the scalding ashes with his bare hands.
14:29The smell of burning flesh filled the air.
14:31Alistair's hands were covered with huge, seeping blisters.
14:35He found nothing.
14:36Not even a single bone was left.
14:38The disaster star has been destroyed!
14:42Alistair, she is dead and gone!
14:45Alistair whirled around.
14:47He stared at Cecily's face.
14:49That face, which usually aroused all his pity and affection, is now twisted beyond recognition.
14:55Get away from me!
14:57Alistair roared.
14:58He stumbled down the stone steps.
15:01Snatched a guard's horse.
15:02He galloped all the way back to the throne palace.
15:05He had to find out for himself.
15:07He pushed open the heavy oak door of the hall.
15:10Inside was empty.
15:12Everything that belonged to me was gone.
15:14The brocade bedding on the bed.
15:16The wooden comb on the dressing table.
15:18The clay pot I had used to brew his medicinal broth.
15:21All gone.
15:24The maidservant in charge of cleaning knelt on the floor, trembling.
15:28Before the queen left, she ordered me to burn all the old things.
15:34That black fox fur cloak that had protected his heart
15:36had also become a pile of black ash in a bronze basin.
15:40Alistair clutched his chest.
15:42It hurt.
15:43A piercing pain spread through his limbs and bones.
15:46He spat out a mouthful of black blood.
15:48I had severed all ties with him,
15:50including the destiny tablet I had left at the Astrologer's Guild.
15:54The tablet had crumbled to powder.
15:56There was not even the possibility of piecing it back together.
15:59Alistair fell back into a sitting position in the pile of paper ashes.
16:03His hands shook.
16:04He desperately gathered the ashes to his chest.
16:07Sarah, come out.
16:09I won't burn you anymore.
16:11Come out.
16:12No one answered.
16:13Only the mournful cold wind outside the window.
16:15Your majesty, Lady Cecily's pregnancy is disturbed.
16:19Please come to the tower.
16:21Alistair snapped his head up.
16:22Red veins crawled over the whites of his eyes.
16:24He knocked the medicine bowl out of Llewellyn's hands.
16:27The scalding liquid splashed all over Llewellyn's face.
16:30Let her die!
16:33Alistair drew the sword from the wall.
16:35With one stroke, he split the oak table in front of him into pieces.
16:39He swung the sword wildly.
16:41The silk drapes inside the hall were torn to shreds.
16:44Vases shattered across the floor.
16:46He smashed the palace to pieces.
16:49Finally, exhausted, he collapsed in the ruins.
16:52Outside, a storm began to pour.
16:55Rainwater, streaming through the broken window lattice, lashed his face.
16:58He tore at his hair and let out a beastly howl.
17:01He refused to accept the truth.
17:03He could not believe that the woman who loved him like her own life had turned to ash.
17:08Search.
17:09Dig three feet into the ground if you must find her.
17:14Alive, I want to see her.
17:15Dead.
17:16I want to see her body.
17:21Alistair's madness lasted a full seven days.
17:24The capital was turned upside down by the guards.
17:27The city gates were sealed.
17:29House-to-house searches were conducted.
17:31Nothing was found.
17:32From inside the tower came a piercing scream.
17:35Cecily was bleeding.
17:37Alistair, sword still wet with blood, burst into the bedchamber.
17:41The royal physicians knelt in a row, trembling like leaves.
17:44Speak.
17:45Alistair pressed the tip of his sword against the chief physician's neck.
17:49The chief physician cowed out frantically.
17:51Lady Cecily was never pregnant.
17:55It was a false pregnancy pulse caused by long-term consumption of wormwood.
18:01Cecily lay limp on the bed.
18:03The cotton pillow she had tucked under her waist and belly rolled onto the floor.
18:07Alistair's eyes seemed about to split.
18:10You dared to deceive me.
18:14Alistair, I was wrong.
18:16It was her.
18:18Sarah forced me.
18:19Just then, the captain of the personal guard appeared.
18:22He presented a thick stack of documents with both hands.
18:26They were the results of ten days of investigation by the guards.
18:29Your majesty, I have confirmed that the cursed doll in the cold tower
18:34was buried in the dead of night by Lady Cecily's personal maid.
18:39And, the captain paused.
18:41Ten years ago on the Snowy Mountain, while you were being saved,
18:46Lady Cecily hid in a cave the whole time.
18:48The one who truly drew the wolves away was the queen.
18:54Lady Cecily also regularly poisoned the queen's calming tonic
18:58to damage the queen's divine meridians.
19:04Alistair's hand loosened abruptly.
19:06Cecily crashed to the floor and coughed violently.
19:10Alistair stared at the stack of documents.
19:12Every word turned into a poison steel needle, stabbing into his eyes.
19:16All along, he had treated a demon as a goddess.
19:19Yet he had pushed the true divine maiden onto the fiery stake.
19:22What about Primrose?
19:25Alistair's voice was terrifyingly hoarse.
19:28Before Primrose died, Lady Cecily had every bone in her body broken.
19:33Alistair staggered back three steps.
19:36His back slammed hard into a pillar.
19:38He gasped for breath, then suddenly let out a wretched, piercing laugh.
19:42He laughed so hard that tears streamed down his face.
19:45He stomped on Cecily's hand.
19:47Grounded under his heel, Cecily shrieked.
19:51Alistair drew a dagger.
19:56He moved extremely fast.
19:58He plunged the blade into Cecily's shoulder.
20:01Have mercy on you.
20:03Who will have mercy on Sarah?
20:06Who will give Sarah back to me?
20:10He severed the tendons in Cecily's hands and feet.
20:13Cecily fainted from the pain.
20:16Wake her with salt water!
20:19Alistair threw away the dagger.
20:21Throw her into the dungeon.
20:23Cut a piece of fesh from her every day.
20:25Feed her the best life-prolonging medicine.
20:28I want her to live a full ten years!
20:30Cecily was dragged away by the guards like a dead dog.
20:33The bloodstains on the floor were horrifying.
20:36Sarah!
20:38I was wrong!
20:40Alistair knelt in the pool of blood.
20:42He covered his face with his hands.
20:44Tears mixed with blood trickled through his fingers.
20:46The fate of Asteria had changed.
20:49Without the protection of the light of destiny.
20:51The North suffered months of drought.
20:53And the land was littered with the starving dead.
20:55The South was plagued by frequent floods and dykes burst.
20:59Enemy nations seized the opportunity to send troops.
21:01And three border cities fell in a row.
21:03Alistair neither slept nor rested, day or night.
21:06Half his hair turned white.
21:08He became a mad tyrant.
21:10In court, any word that displeased him was met with immediate execution.
21:15Everyone said a tyrant had descended upon the world.
21:18Only Llewellyn knew.
21:19Every night, deep into the darkness, the king would hold a charred wooden comb.
21:23And kneel outside the abandoned coal tower until dawn.
21:28Three years later, in the South, Port City, the main street was bustling with traffic and crowds.
21:35I sat in the main hall of the Holy Light Clinic.
21:38I placed my fingers on a patient's wrist.
21:41Picked up a brush and wrote out a prescription.
21:43Your medicine will be prepared according to this prescription.
21:46You will be cured in three days.
21:49The patient left, showering me with thanks.
21:52I picked up the ceramic, silver-rimmed bowl from the table.
21:55The honeyed water was at the perfect temperature.
21:58Lysander walked over and naturally refilled the bowl with hot water.
22:02You've seen 50 patients today, Sarah.
22:05Time to rest.
22:06He wore a long moon-white robe, gentle, upright.
22:09He was the head of the Lysander family, the richest in the South.
22:13Three years ago, I landed outside Port City through the teleportation array.
22:17Badly wounded and near death.
22:19Lysander's carriage happened to pass by, and he picked me up.
22:22With the little medical skill I had left, I cured his naturally weak constitution.
22:26He funded me to establish a trading company.
22:29Now, the signboard of the Exchange Guild hung in 12 southern cities.
22:33I was not only a divine physician, but also the uncrowned queen who held the economic lifeline of hysteria.
22:41I blew on the bowl and took a sip.
22:44There are more refugees outside the city today.
22:48There is a great drought in the north, and the court's relief money has been embezzled.
22:53The young king pushes too hard, and the people are full of complaints.
22:57I put down the silver-rimmed bowl.
22:58When I heard the words young king, my heart no longer stirred.
23:03That man was far, far away from me now.
23:06Just then, a commotion broke out in the street.
23:09A troop of soldiers in tattered armor was driving away the refugees.
23:13The leading officer brandished a whip.
23:15Get out of the way!
23:16Don't block the path of the royal envoy.
23:19A plain, dark carriage rolled slowly towards them.
23:22Suddenly, several assassins rushed out from the crowd.
23:25They raised their blades and struck at the carriage.
23:28Kill the lackeys of the Daub King.
23:30The carriage compartment was smashed to pieces.
23:32A black figure tumbled out.
23:34His hair was disheveled, and he looked utterly wretched.
23:37It was Alistair, traveling incognito to the south to raise funds.
23:41Most of his personal guards around him were dead or wounded.
23:44An assassin's blade came straight at his face.
23:47Alistair raised his sword to block.
23:49Weak from exhaustion, he was forced back step after step.
23:53He retreated all the way to the door of my clinic.
23:55He spat out blood and dropped to one knee, propping himself up with his sword.
24:02The assassin raised his blade to strike.
24:05I sat in the main hall, watching coldly.
24:08Shall we save him?
24:10I shook my head.
24:13Don't dirty the clinic's floor.
24:16Alistair heard that familiar voice.
24:18His whole body trembled violently.
24:21He whipped his head around.
24:23Through the bustling crowd.
24:24Across three years of life and death.
24:27His eyes met mine directly.
24:29That face he had longed for day and night.
24:31That face that had appeared in his dreams countless times.
24:34Was right there in front of him.
24:36Alistair forgot to dodge the assassin's blade.
24:39He stared at me, unblinking.
24:41His breath stopped.
24:43Sarah.
24:44The assassin's blade slashed across his back.
24:46Blood sprayed.
24:47He felt nothing.
24:51Sarah!
24:52Is it really you?
24:57Alistair knocked over the herb stall in front of the clinic.
24:59Sending medicinal herbs scattering all over the ground.
25:02He threw himself down at the bottom of the steps and looked up at me.
25:06His face was covered in blood and mud.
25:08Sarah.
25:09He reached out a bloody hand, trying to grab the hem of my skirt.
25:13I stepped back.
25:14Avoided his touch.
25:16Lysander strode forward.
25:18He kicked Alistair hard in the shoulder.
25:20Alistair fell back down the steps and rolled twice.
25:23Lysander drew the sword from his waist and pointed its tip at him.
25:26How dare you!
25:28Who is this ruffian causing trouble here?
25:32The personal guards arrived and killed the assassins.
25:35They shielded Alistair.
25:36Protect his majesty!
25:39At those words, the whole street fell silent.
25:43The common people dropped to their knees.
25:45Only Lysander and I remained standing.
25:48Alistair pushed aside his guards.
25:50Ignoring the knife wound on his back, he crawled towards me again.
25:54He pushed aside Lysander's sword, letting the sharp blade cut his palm.
25:58He fell heavily to his knees at my feet.
26:01The proud king of Asteria, in front of everyone, went down on both knees.
26:06Sarah, I have finally found you.
26:08He wept so hard that tears covered his face.
26:11Tears washed through the blood.
26:14Thank God!
26:16Come back to the palace with me, won't you?
26:19The queen's throne is yours!
26:21I'll give you my very life!
26:23I looked down at him from above, watching him grovel like a begging dog.
26:28I only felt disgust.
26:30I picked up the basin of dirty water used for washing herbs,
26:33poured the whole basin over his head, soaking him completely,
26:38making him look utterly pathetic.
26:40Alistair did not dodge.
26:41He wiped the filthy water from his face and continued to beg.
26:45Sarah, hit me. Curse me.
26:48As long as you feel better, anything is fine.
26:51I threw the basin aside and dusted off my hands.
26:55Alistair, you have mistaken me for someone else.
26:58I am Seraphina, not your Sarah.
27:03Alistair shook his head violently.
27:05He raised his hand.
27:07He delivered a loud, stinging slap to his own face.
27:12Another one.
27:13He struck himself left and right until blood ran from the corner of his mouth.
27:17I was blind.
27:19I trusted that poisonous woman.
27:23Cecily has been tortured to death by a thousand cuts.
27:27I avenged Primrose for you.
27:32At the name Primrose, I clenched my fists tightly.
27:36A surge of rage shot to my head.
27:38I walked down the steps and landed a heavy kick on Alistair's chest, knocking him to the ground.
27:45You are not worthy to speak Primrose's name.
27:48While she was taking those blows for me, what were you doing?
27:51You were holding that poisonous woman and watching the show.
27:55You had her beaten to death in the cold tower.
27:58Alistair clutched his chest and wept bitterly.
28:01I didn't know.
28:02I truly didn't know.
28:05Lysander stepped forward and put his arm around my shoulder, pulling me protectively into his embrace.
28:11Fina, be careful.
28:13Don't disturb the baby.
28:15He deliberately raised his voice.
28:17Alistair looked as if he had been struck by lightning.
28:20He stared at Lysander's hand on my waist.
28:22Then at my flat belly.
28:24His eyes instantly turned bloodshot.
28:26What did you call her?
28:27Whose child are you carrying?
28:30Alistair sprang up from the ground.
28:32Like a cornered mad dog, he drew a guard sword and slashed at Lysander.
28:38I'll kill him!
28:42Lysander dodged easily.
28:44One kick sent the sword flying from Alistair's hand.
28:47I stepped in front of Lysander.
28:49Raised my hand.
28:51A crisp slap landed on Alistair's face, turning his head to the side.
28:55Go back to your capital.
28:58I pointed to the end of the street.
29:00Don't force me to grind your face into the mud.
29:05Alistair held his cheek, looked at me in despair.
29:08He suddenly tore the royal insignia from his belt and smashed it onto the ground.
29:14I am the king!
29:16I command you to come back with me!
29:19He tried to use the last of his royal authority to intimidate me.
29:25I could not help but burst out laughing.
29:27Laughed so hard that tears came out.
29:30King!
29:30I stepped back twice and looked at him coldly.
29:33Your majesty!
29:34You can't even pay your army's wages now, can you?
29:37From my sleeve, I took out a golden token.
29:40It was the highest seal of the Silver Coin Guild.
29:43I threw it at his feet.
29:45See what this is!
29:46The moment Alistair recognized the token, his face turned ashen.
29:51You...
29:52You are the master of the Silver Coin Guild?
29:56I nodded.
29:57The relief funds you came south to raise, I hold every coin of them in my hand.
30:02With a single word from me.
30:04The price of grain in Asteria could rise tenfold.
30:07What do you have to fight me with?
30:09Alistair's legs gave way, and he slumped completely to the ground.
30:13He looked up at my unfamiliar face.
30:15Sarah, how did you become like this?
30:19You used to feel sad even when you stepped on an aunt.
30:22I suddenly tore open my collar, revealing the hideous burn scar beneath my collarbone.
30:28It was the mark left by the holy fire.
30:30The Seraphina of the past burned to death on that stake in front of the cathedral.
30:35I stepped towards him, one step at a time.
30:38You want money?
30:40Fine.
30:41Kneel outside the city for three days and three nights.
30:46Shout Alistair is a beast a thousand times.
30:49Then I will give you a hundred thousand silver coins.
30:56Alistair trembled all over.
30:57He saw the people around him pointing and whispering.
31:00His proud dignity was being ground into the dirt.
31:03He closed his eyes, and two streams of bloody tears ran down his face.
31:07He slowly turned around, facing the direction outside the city, and cowed out heavily.
31:14Alistair is a beast.
31:16The personal guards knelt and wept.
31:20Your majesty, you must not!
31:23Alistair pushed the guards aside and continued to cowed out.
31:26Alistair is a beast!
31:28With every shout, his heart shattered a little more.
31:31I took Lysander's hand and turned to walk into the clinic.
31:34The heavy door slammed shut.
31:36Shutting him out, Lysander draped a coat over my shoulders.
31:40You're not pregnant.
31:42Why lie to him?
31:44I picked up the cold honeyed water and poured it on the floor.
31:47If you don't blind his eyes, how will he ever feel the pain?
31:53From outside the door came Alistair's hoarse shouts, one after another.
31:57My life had long since left no room for him.
32:04Alistair knelt outside the city for three days and three nights.
32:07He shouted until his throat bled.
32:09His knees were scraped raw down to the bone.
32:11I kept my promise and gave him a hundred thousand silver coins.
32:15He dragged his broken body back to the capital.
32:17But he had lost.
32:19A hundred thousand silver coins could not fill the gaping holes in Asteria.
32:23Asteria, without the protection of destiny, had reached the end of its days.
32:28Half a year later, the northern defenses collapsed completely.
32:32Rebel forces broke through the gates of the capital.
32:35Alistair was dragged down from his throne by the rebels.
32:37They severed the tendons in his hands and feet, crippling his ability to fight.
32:42The rebel leader did not kill him.
32:44Instead, he threw him into the lowest, most wretched beggar's pit in the capital.
32:48Leaving him to live or die as fate would have it.
32:51In the midst of the kingdom's chaos, Lysander raised his own army.
32:55With the financial backing of the Silver Coin Guild, Lysander's forces swept through the land.
33:00In just one year, he pacified the entire realm.
33:03Lysander ascended the throne as emperor.
33:06He changed the kingdom's name to Nova, and made me his empress.
33:12On the day of our grand wedding, red carpets and flowers covered the entire main street.
33:17Pebbles swirled in the air.
33:19I wore the imperial crown in a golden gown, seated in a carriage drawn by six horses.
33:24Receiving the homage of the people.
33:26In a corner of the crowd, a filthy, disheveled beggar with crippled hands and feet lay beside a gutter.
33:31He was fighting a stray dog for half a moldy loaf of bread.
33:35When the fanfare sounded.
33:37When the people around shouted, long live her majesty the empress.
33:40The beggar jerked his head up.
33:42His eyes, hidden beneath matted hair, fixed on me in the carriage.
33:46It was Alistair.
33:48He looked at the magnificent crown on my head, and remembered the one he himself had smashed.
33:53Remembered the great fire in front of the cathedral.
33:56He opened his mouth to call my name.
33:59Sarah.
34:00But his throat only produced a wheezing hiss.
34:03He tried to crawl forward.
34:05A stray dog pounced on him and bit his leg hard.
34:08Alistair fell into the muddy water.
34:10He watched helplessly as the carriage moved farther away.
34:13Watched Lysander, on his tall horse, look back at me with tender eyes.
34:17Jealousy, remorse, and despair intertwined.
34:21Alistair's heart seized with a violent, agonizing pain.
34:24The old poison exploded inside him.
34:26He suddenly spat out a huge mouthful of black blood.
34:29Blood splattered onto the stone slabs by the road.
34:32His outstretched hand fell limply.
34:34He died with his eyes wide open.
34:36A patrolling soldier kicked his body aside in disgust.
34:40Drag him into the wilderness.
34:47The first year of the new dynasty.
34:50Only the empress's hall remained in the inner palace.
34:53All other palaces were torn down.
34:55The timber and stone were taken outside the city to build schools.
34:59Court officials petitioned and remonstrated.
35:01Lysander drew his sword before all the civil and military officials.
35:05And chopped off the arm of the throne.
35:07Anyone who mentions selecting concubines again will end up like this throne.
35:11No one in the court dared speak another word.
35:13After the morning court.
35:15Lysander did not even change out of his imperial robe.
35:18He went straight to the empress's hall.
35:20I was sitting at the desk.
35:21Reading the account books that the silver coin guild had sent to the palace.
35:25He walked over.
35:26And placed a token on the table.
35:28Made of pure gold.
35:30The seal of the imperial treasury.
35:32The finance minister says the treasury is empty.
35:37He told me to come and ask.
35:40The head of the silver coin guild for a loan.
35:44I did not look up.
35:45My fingers moved the counting beads.
35:48How much?
35:49Lend me a hundred years of peace.
35:51For the nova dynasty.
35:53My fingers stopped.
35:54I looked up at him.
35:56He poured a cup of hot honeyed water and handed it to me.
36:01Without the light of destiny.
36:03Without the support of divine blood.
36:06The northern drought.
36:07500,000 silver coins were allocated to build irrigation channels.
36:10The southern floods.
36:12Guild stewards were sent to supervise the construction of dykes.
36:15The people had food to eat.
36:17Clothes to wear.
36:18Peace and prosperity relied on real gold.
36:20Real silver.
36:21And real governance.
36:23Not on some ethereal destiny.
36:24I picked up the silver rimmed bowl and took a sip.
36:28Fancy a walk outside the palace?
36:31We changed into ordinary clothes.
36:34Two fast horses carried us through the city gates.
36:36The capital's main street was bustling with people.
36:39Vendors called out their wares without cease.
36:42A long line had formed outside the clinic.
36:44I dismounted and walked into the clinic.
36:46The resident physician saw me and immediately rose to offer me his seat.
36:50I sat down behind the examination table.
36:53Placed my fingers on a patient's wrist.
36:56Picked up the brush and wrote a prescription.
36:58Take three doses of this medicine.
37:00Boiled in water and take an oranil.
37:03I saw thirty patients in a row.
37:05Lysander stood behind me.
37:08Handed me paper.
37:09The people recognized Lysander.
37:11Knelt to the ground.
37:13There was no fear.
37:14Only reverence.
37:16He raised his hand to excuse them from the formalities.
37:19Then took my hand and led me out of the clinic.
37:24Poplar trees lined the riverbank outside the city moat.
37:27Their branches were showing green.
37:29We walked side by side along the embankment.
37:31The wind blew across the water.
37:33The old stories of the previous dynasty had burned away with that fire at the cathedral.
37:38No one spoke of disaster stars anymore.
37:40No one spoke of living sacrifices.
37:43In the taverns, minstrels tapped on wooden tables and sang of how the new empire's emperor and empress had raised
37:47an army and pacified the kingdom.
37:49The crowd roared with approval.
37:52The south sent some fragrant herbs.
37:55Tomorrow I'll have the royal kitchen make vanilla biscuits.
37:59I nodded.
38:01While you're at it, tell the guild steward to send up last month's dividends.
38:06The treasury of Nova is entirely supported by its empress.
38:11I gazed at the boats on the river.
38:13Without the light of destiny, this kingdom was still well taken care of.
38:17I touched the burnt scar beneath my collarbone.
38:20It no longer hurt.
38:22Primrose's memorial tablet was enshrined in the capital's cathedral.
38:26Every day, someone lit a candle for her.
38:29Lysander took my hand.
38:30His palm was warm.
38:32Let's go back to the palace for dinner.
38:36All right.
38:37All right.
38:40All right.
38:41Let's go back to the palace.
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