Without hesitation, he struck.
The blade drove straight through his uncle's chest.
For a heartbeat, neither of them moved. Then the king wrenched the sword free and, with a single brutal motion, cut across his uncle's throat. The man staggered, eyes wide, the arrogance finally gone—replaced by disbelief.
He fell.
Silence followed.
The war ended not with triumph—
But with something hollow.
The king didn't watch him die.
He had already turned.
"Minsoo—!"
He ran to her, dropping to his knees as he gathered her into his arms. Blood stained his hands, warm—too warm—and slipping away too quickly.
"Stay with me," he said, his voice breaking despite himself. "Minsoo, stay with me—"
Her eyes fluttered, unfocused at first, then slowly finding his.
A faint smile touched her lips.
"…you said," she whispered, her voice fragile, barely there, "you would find me… no matter where I go…"
His breath caught.
"I will," he said quickly, desperately. "I will. Just don't—don't leave—"
Her fingers trembled against him.
Then stilled.
The light in her eyes faded.
"No… no, no—"
His voice cracked as he pulled her closer, as if he could force life back into her by holding on tighter.
But something was wrong.
Her body—
It felt lighter.
Too light.
He froze.
"Minsoo…?"
Before his eyes, her form began to change.
Fading.
Like mist dissolving into air.
"No."
He tightened his grip, but there was nothing to hold. His hands passed through her as if she were no longer solid.
"No—!"
A sudden force surged through the air.
Wind rose violently around them, pulling at everything in its path. The ground trembled—and then—
A book appeared.
It materialized with force between them, pages wide open, glowing faintly as if alive.
The king stared, breath unsteady.
Minsoo's fading form was being drawn toward it.
"No—stop—!"
He reached for her again, again, again—
But each time his hands closed on nothing.
Air.
Only air.
"Minsoo!"
Her figure broke apart into fragments of light, drifting toward the open pages. For a brief second, her eyes met his once more—
Soft.
Apologetic.
Then she was gone.
Pulled into the book.
The pages snapped shut.
The wind died.
Silence returned.
The book vanished—
Leaving behind a single torn fragment.
The king didn't move for a moment.
Didn't breathe.
Then slowly, almost mechanically, he reached forward and picked it up.
His hands trembled.
It was familiar.
Too familiar.
The book Minsoo had been searching for.
The one tied to everything.
To her.
To him.
To every meal she had ever made.
His eyes widened slightly as realization settled in.
Every dish.
Every moment.
Every memory they had shared—
Had rewritten it.
Restored it.
Piece by piece.
And now—
It was whole again.
Except for what it had taken in return.
His grip tightened around the fragment.
Around the only thing she had left behind.
⸻
He sank to the ground.
The battlefield was empty now.
No enemies.
No allies.
No voices.
Just silence.
He had won.
And yet—
He had lost everything.
His gaze remained fixed on nothing, his expression hollow as the weight of it all settled deep within him.
Insu was gone.
The Queen Dowager was gone.
The palace was no longer his.
And Minsoo—
The one person who had brought light into a life built on duty and blood—
Was gone.
Days passed.
Then more.
Time moved forward.
He did not.
The world around him continued, but something within him had stopped completely.
The realization came slowly.
Quietly.
Like a truth he could not escape.
Happiness—
Was no longer meant for him.
And no matter how far he walked…
No matter how long he searched…
There was one place he would never reach again.
The place where she still existed.
⸻