"The Butterfly Nebula is the result of two meteoroids colliding. It's hidden behind the turbulence, and it's impossible to see unless you pass through the chaos. Tomorrow is your coronation ceremony. I think you should have a good gift."

You turn your head toward Rafayel. Because you looked at the nebula for so long, the colors belonging to that ocean of stars gently veil your eyes. In your vision, Rafayel is also tinted with those hues. The sight becomes a memory related to this night.

At this moment, you seemingly have gained the freedom to be honest with your feelings. "I envy those two meteoroids."

"One of them collided with the other. They couldn't escape their fates, yet in the process, they became a rare, beautiful spectacle. They've been shattered, broken into little pieces. Is being envious of that worthwhile?

I won't accept such an outcome, and I don't believe in fate either. I believe... Wherever my choices lead me shall be my fate." Before you can fully process what's happening, Rafayel leans toward you.

His palm, clad in his searing warmth, is pressed against yout thigh over your clothing. Intimate yet methodical, his hand moves up by half an inch. Your heart skips a beat. Rafayel touches your dagger.

"You know I won't start a war in Murya, so you set up a blockade around the Aestuspith mining areas."     "You figured it out."

"Many have sat on that imperial throne. I thought you'd be the same as them." In the dimly lit cockpit, your breaths mingle as Rafayel moves closer. You can feel his gaze on you.

Judging by his expression, you realize he's aware that you brought a dagger. He also knows where it is. "You're not the first ruler who wanted to kill me. But you're the first to call me by my name and the first one to dance with me."

He pushes your robe aside, but what touches you isn't Rafayel's hand. It's a cold glass bottle.He tucks it under your thigh strap. The item sits next to your dagger.

"I found an interesting bauble. When two people drink this potion, they will form an unbreakable connection. They will share each other's joy, pain, and death. It's not love per se, but it's almost like it."

Rafayel's gentle gaze floats and settles on your lips. "You can choose the dagger or the potion." The distance between you is no bigger than a hair. You stare at each other and share a look that's impossible to decipher, to surrender to.

In that daze, your memories of your time in that chapel in Murya return. Your breaths intermingled as you were almost pressed up against each other. But that was merely a momentary lapse of judgment. You should erase it from your mind.

"Rafayel, I want to secure my position as empress. The choice I'll make is the one you don't want to hear." Aestuspith is already under the Empire's control.

You now possess a weapon capable of threatening the Sanctide Court and Rafayel. "When victory is within reach, choosing love would be absurd." Rafayel averts his gaze and moves back to create an appropriate distance between you.