Sent to the Altar for Her Tears

After dying and coming back to life for my king for the 99th time, I am sent to the heavenly altar to be sacrificed yet again. The divine beast is about to awaken, and it demands the blood of the woman born with the phoenix's fate. But Arabella Beaumont is the true phoenix's reincarnation. Terrified, she throws herself into Edward Fairchild's arms. The man who once broke his kingly pride for me takes my hand and says gently, "Thea, go in her place." I stare at Edward, stunned. He lowers his voice, coaxing me, "You have the System. Even if you die, you can always come back. If Arabella goes up there, she'll die for good. Once you return, I'll make you the queen at once." Little does he know that if I die one more time, my soul will perish. Not even the deepest corner of the universe will have a place for me. "What if I don't come back?" I ask Edward. His gaze turns cold. "Dorothea, today's heavenly sacrifice concerns the fate of the entire kingdom. This is no time for you to throw a jealous tantrum." I look at him for a long while, then smile. Even though I died and came back to life 99 times, all of that still could not outweigh a single tear from Arabella. I remove my crown. "Fine. As you wish, Edward." Chapter 1 Dorothea's POV When Arabella Beaumont entered carrying a bowl of medicine, the palace attendants were in the midst of dressing me in my sacrificial robes. She dismissed them all and held the medicine to my lips herself. "Dorothea, His Majesty was afraid you wouldn't be able to withstand the cold at the altar, so he ordered me to bring you this calming draught." I looked at her in the bronze mirror. The corners of her eyes were still red, yet tucked into her hair was the pearl hairpin the king, Edward Fairchild, had ordered someone to deliver to her last night. It was supposed to be part of my coronation gifts as his queen. I didn't take the medicine. "There's deathvine in it." Arabella's hand trembled, sending ripples across the surface of the liquid. I turned around and asked softly, "Arabella, must you really destroy even my last chance of survival?" Her face turned pale. Then, the bowl crashed to the floor. The medicine splashed across the hem of her dress, and she dropped to the floor with it, tears spilling from her eyes right on cue. "Dorothea, if you don't want to drink it, you can simply berate me. Why would you say something so cruel?" The chamber doors swung open. Edward stepped inside just as Arabella clutched her wrist, her body trembling with wounded indignation. He was dressed in black-and-gold royal attire today, embroidered with the crest of the crown. His features were stern, his bearing elegant and commanding. If his eyes weren't fixed solely on Arabella, I might have almost remembered that night years ago, when snow was falling outside the palace. Back then, he had walked toward me against the howling wind just like this, then gathered my half-frozen body into his arms. "Thea." Edward didn't ask about the medicine first. He simply called me by my pet name. His voice wasn't loud, yet every attendant in the chamber dropped to their knees. I met his eyes. "The medicine is poisoned." He bent down and helped Arabella to her feet. When he saw that a shard of the broken porcelain had cut her fingertip, his brows drew together. He pulled out a handkerchief and pressed it against her wound. "The royal physician is right outside," I added coldly. "If you don't believe me, have him examine it." At last, Edward raised his eyes to me. "Don't you know what day it is?" I froze. He continued calmly, "The entire court is waiting at the altar. The divine beast has already broken through three chains, and half the people in the capital are fleeing for their lives. "And you're standing here, fighting with Arabella over a bowl of medicine. Dorothea, you were never this preposterous before." My chest suddenly felt unbearably tight. Before? When Edward was poisoned by a deadly toxin before, I cut my wrist and fed him my blood for seven days. When the deposed Crown Prince sent assassins after him, I drew the killers away and died beneath a rain of arrows. And on the night before he ascended the throne, he knelt beside my bed and held my freezing hand. "Thea, for the rest of my life, you are the only woman I will ever call my queen." Back then, he thought I was sensible and obedient because I was willing to endure the pain, willing to die, and willing to come back for him time and again. Arabella sobbed as she tugged at Edward's sleeve. "Your Majesty, please don't blame Dorothea. She probably resents me for ruining her coronation. But I truly never meant to compete with her. If I could survive the altar, I would gladly go myself…" He looked at her and said gently, "I told you. I will never let you die." His words were soft, yet they hit me like a blow to the chest. "And what about me?" I asked him. Edward avoided my eyes. "You're different." I laughed. "How so? Is my life worth less, or have I simply gotten too used to suffering?" His expression finally darkened. "Enough." The fourth toll of the sacrificial bell rang. A violent wind rose outside, making the palace lanterns flicker wildly. Edward lifted a hand to adjust Arabella's cloak around her shoulders, then ordered someone to escort her to the altar to watch the ceremony. Only after she was gone did he come over to me. He reached out and straightened the phoenix hairpin at my temple. On the night we were married, he did the same thing. He gently removed my hairpins and jewelry, called me "Thea" in that low voice of his, and promised that I would never have to live alone again. Now, though his fingertips were warm, his words were cold. "I know you feel wronged. When you come back, I'll send Arabella away from the palace. From then on, I'll stay with you and only you. Alright?" I looked at him. "Edward, this time, I'm really not coming back." His fingers stilled. After a moment, he let out a silent sigh. "You always say that right before we do this. Thea, don't make me punish you today." The last bit of warmth in my heart finally went cold. … The sky above the altar was dark and streaked with an eerie blue-gray hue. Four black-iron spikes lay on the altar table. Each one was covered in intricate soul-binding runes. I stopped in my tracks. "What are those?" The high priest replied in a low voice, "If you break free midway, the divine beast may turn on us. Your body must therefore be pinned in place." I whipped around to look at Edward. "I already agreed to die in Arabella's place. You still intend to have me nailed down?" He didn't answer me. Instead, he reached into his pocket and took out a small horseshoe charm. It was the same charm he once tied around my wrist because he knew how afraid I was of pain. Now he fastened it around my wrist again, his voice so soft it was almost tender. "Thea, I'm right here with you. If it becomes too painful, just look at me." I stared at him, stunned. The next moment, Edward lifted his eyes and gave the order in an even voice. "Nail her." The moment the first iron spike pierced through my collarbone, the horseshoe charm slapped wildly against my wrist as I struggled. Edward stood below the altar. For the briefest moment, his eyes seemed to redden. He didn't tell them to stop, though. After the second, third, and fourth spike, I was pinned helplessly to the center of the altar, blood winding down the front of my ceremonial robes. Edward watched me, his fists clenched so tightly that the veins stood out on the backs of his hands. When he finally spoke, he merely said, "Bear with it. It'll be over soon." Chapter 2 Dorothea's POV When the sacrificial fire was lit, the wind carried the stench of charred bone. The kingdom's guardian beast was brought out of the royal dungeon. It was as massive as a mountain, its eyes glowing crimson. Black mist curled around its scales. Every step it took sent hairline cracks through the marble steps. The assembled nobles recoiled in terror. Edward, however, stood at the very front, his back straight and unwavering. If he weren't standing there shielding Arabella at his side, the scene might have almost made him look like a good king. The divine beast caught the scent of the phoenix's blood and threw its head back with a deafening shriek. The high priest raised a flaming whip, its burning tip coiling around my waist. The first lash struck. I nearly bit through my tongue. The flames didn't burn my clothes, only my flesh and soul. Pain shot through me from my spine straight into my skull. My vision swam in and out of darkness, the horseshoe charm swinging violently. Edward looked up at me. My face was drenched in sweat, and my voice came out raw and broken. "Edward, stop. I can't come back again…" His brow twitched. Then, all of a sudden, Arabella cried out softly. He immediately turned and caught her. "Where does it hurt?" She leaned against him, her eyes blurred with tears. "I'm just scared. The way Dorothea is looking at me is as if she wishes I were the one dying in her place." Edward's expression hardened when he looked at me again. Whatever hesitation had been there disappeared. "Dorothea, if you must hate someone, hate me. Don't frighten her with that look." I was trembling from the pain, yet I still managed to laugh. "I'm dying, yet I still have to worry about whether she's frightened?" The high priest called out urgently, "Your Majesty, the divine beast's fury has not yet subsided! We need more of the phoenix's blood!" Edward pressed his lips together and walked onto the altar himself. The entire court dropped to their knees. I watched him approach, step by step. For one absurd moment, a ridiculous thought occurred to me. "Maybe he'll spare me." Edward took a handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped the cold sweat from my forehead. The tenderness of the gesture was enough to break my heart. "Thea, you've always feared pain the most." I stared at him. "I remember that," he said softly. A single tear rolled down his face without warning, but the next second, he took the gold knife from the high priest. "That's why I'll do it myself." My entire body went rigid. Edward gripped the knife, his knuckles turning white. "The others might not know how to handle it. I'm afraid they'll hurt you more than necessary." I couldn't believe my ears. "You're about to draw blood from my heart, yet you say you're worried about hurting me?" Pain finally flickered in his eyes. "Only one cup. Once the divine beast drinks your blood, it won't hurt you anymore. When you come back, I'll have the finest physicians in the kingdom tend to you." I looked at Edward, my mind taking me back many years. Back then, he wasn't the king yet. He was merely the Ninth Prince, bullied and humiliated by everyone around him. When I took an assassin's blade meant for him, I lost my life. Before I died, my blood covered his hands. He held me in his arms in the pouring rain and screamed, "Why would you save me? Why would you die?" When I came back to life afterward, he shut himself inside the chapel for three days, kneeling until his knees split open, praying to the gods to spare me from ever suffering again. Now, he had become the sovereign of the kingdom. He had learned how to do the cruelest things in the gentlest voice. The gold blade pressed against my chest. My voice was so faint that it barely sounded like my own. "Edward, what if I really don't come back after this?" He didn't even glance at me. "I don't believe that." The blade sank into my flesh. The pain was so unbearable that all I could manage was a hoarse, muffled cry. His other hand firmly held my shoulder down, as if afraid I might move and ruin the sacrificial ritual. At last, my blood dripped into the cup, one drop after another, painting it a terrifying scarlet. The divine beast gradually calmed down. Below the altar, the assembled nobles bowed to the ground and shouted their praises. "A wise decision, Your Majesty!" Arabella dropped to her knees as well, weeping. "His Majesty has sacrificed the one he loves for the sake of the entire kingdom. On behalf of the people, I thank Your Majesty!" I scoffed, thinking, "Sacrificed the one he loves?" I couldn't help but laugh so hard that the blood oozed out of my chest even faster. Edward looked at the blood staining my lips, a flicker of helplessness crossing his eyes. He wanted to wipe it away, but I turned and dodged him. His hand froze in midair. "Thea—" "Don't touch me." His face went pale, but only for a moment. The high priest chimed in, "Your Majesty, the phoenix's blood may have subdued the beast, but Lady Arabella is suffering a backlash from the phoenix's fate. I fear…" Edward whirled around. Arabella clutched her chest and crumpled to the ground. With that single move, whatever trace of reluctance he had for me vanished completely. Chapter 3 Dorothea's POV Arabella passed out in Edward's arms, faint black markings spreading across her forehead. No one dared to speak. At last, the high priest forced himself to pipe up. "Your Majesty, Lady Arabella is the true phoenix's reincarnation. Though she did not take part in today's sacrifice, she has still suffered backlash from the divine beast's malevolent energy. "Without the protection of the phoenix's bone, I fear she will not make it through the night." Edward held Arabella, his eyes suddenly turning toward me. A golden needle was still pierced in my chest, drawing out my blood. The iron spikes driven through my collarbones rendered me immobile. The places on my body scorched by the fire had already gone numb. I understood the look in his eyes. He had already made his choice. Once again, he had decided who I was supposed to suffer for. I smiled. "Don't tell me you want my bone, too, Edward." Edward didn't answer me. In cases like this, silence was even more hurtful. Arabella weakly opened her eyes and grabbed the front of his robe. "Your Majesty, don't… Dorothea has already suffered too much for me. I cannot take anything else from her." She said all the right things, but her hand remained pressed against her heart, as though she might die in his arms at any moment. Edward lowered his voice and soothed her. "You're okay." Those two words were what he used to say to me all the time. I was afraid of thunder, so he would have his papers brought to my bedside and stay with me through the night. I was afraid of bitter medicine, so he would hide candied fruit at the back of the bowl. I was afraid of dying, so he would look at me with reddened eyes and whisper, "Thea, don't leave me." It wasn't that he was incapable of loving someone. He had simply given that love to someone else instead. At the same time, he came to believe I had grown accustomed to dying and therefore should know better than to make a fuss. The high priest handed Edward a boning knife. The blade was long and slender, its edge as thin as a piece of paper. When he took it, the veins on the back of his hand stood out. I stared at him in misery. "Edward, I wasn't lying… Since last night, I've lost all chances of coming back." Edward's eyes reddened, but his voice remained scarily calm. "That's not true. I've searched the ancient texts. A body that has been remade can grow new flesh and bone." "Did the ancient texts tell you a soul can perish?" He fell silent. After a moment, he looked away. "Thea, do not try to deceive me with your lies." I froze. In his eyes, my struggle to survive was merely an act to force his hand. Arabella cried so hard that she could barely catch her breath. "Your Majesty, if Dorothea is unwilling, we shall forget it. My life was a gift I was never meant to have in the first place. It is a shame I will never be able to watch the lanterns with you again or recite prayers for you…" Edward's arms tightened around her. When he looked up again, there was nothing but resolve left in his eyes. "Begin." The boning knife touched my back, sending a chill down my spine. Suddenly, I remembered all those years when I had taken blades for him, swallowed poison for him, and walked through the snow-filled nights for him. In the end, this was what all my love came to—nothing more than a blade pressed to my bones. I struggled so violently that blood began seeping around the spikes in my collarbones. "Edward, you promised me! You would kill whoever makes me bleed!" Edward bent closer to me, his voice gratingly hoarse. "I remember, Thea. So, after today, I'll kill everyone who has ever made you suffer." I stared at him as tears spilled uncontrollably from my eyes. "Do you count?" His hand stilled. Below the altar, Arabella suddenly vomited blood. Edward closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he sliced open my back with his own hand. In that instant, I couldn't even manage a scream. The phoenix's bone was bound to the very root of my soul. Every inch he tore away felt like another inch of my memories being ripped from me. I saw 18-year-old Edward plucking a flower for me in the gardens. I saw him carrying me back to the palace through the snow, frost covering his shoulders. I saw the day he ascended the throne. He walked past all the nobles gathered there and looked at me first. "Dorothea Sinclair, from now on, half of the kingdom belongs to you." Now, he was tearing away my frail life and giving it to another woman. The moment the phoenix's bone was carved out of my body, a mournful cry rang out across the sky. Birds scattered, and the sacrificial flames suddenly dimmed. Edward held the bloodstained piece of bone in his hands. For the first time, panic flashed through his eyes. I lay motionless on the altar, blood trickling from the corner of my lips and pooling in the grooves between the marble stones. "Edward…" He immediately bent toward me. "I'm here." How laughable. With the last of my strength, I looked at him through my tears. "You must remember today… How you coaxed me into letting you execute me, inch by inch." Edward's face turned pale, but then Arabella called for him again. "Your Majesty…" He turned away with the phoenix's bone in his hands and never looked back again. Chapter 4 Dorothea's POV The phoenix's bone was used to make a heart-protecting elixir while the sacrificial fire was still burning. Arabella swallowed the elixir, her shoulders trembling as she cried, "Your Majesty, will Dorothea resent me for this?" Edward wiped away her tears, but his gaze passed over the crowd and settled on the distant altar. I was still pinned there. Blood trickled down the marble steps, and when the wind blew, it turned cold as thin ice. He watched for a moment before ordering an attendant, "Bring the millennium-old kingsroot from my private treasury. She will be terribly weak when she wakes." Arabella's face turned ashen. She gripped his sleeve. "Your Majesty, are you still going to see Dorothea?" Edward looked at her. "Arabella, she is my wife. I only took her blood and bone for the sake of saving the kingdom and you. She has suffered a great deal today. Of course, I should see her and comfort her." Listening from afar, I suddenly found it absurd. To him, was this what it meant to comfort someone? After drawing my blood and carving out my bone, all it took to comfort me was a bowl of medicine. The high priest stepped forward, his expression grim. "Your Majesty, there is still one final step in the ritual." Edward frowned. "What is it?" The high priest bowed until his forehead touched the ground. "Although the divine beast has been subdued, the sacrificial offering's soul still lingers. "If we do not use a Soul Lantern to maintain the seal for seven days, I fear the beast may awaken again in the middle of the night." The Soul Lantern was the light that guided me back to the mortal world every time I died. Edward knew that, of course. He was the one who lit that lantern for me. Back then, whenever my soul left my body, he would stay by the lantern for seven nights without sleep, never even daring to blink. He used to say, "Thea, as long as the lantern is lit and I am here, you will find your way back." Now, after a long silence, he asked, "What will happen to her if we take away the Soul Lantern?" The high priest dared not raise his head. "If she still possesses the power to reform her body, she will be fine. It's just… returning to the mortal world will be more challenging." More challenging… A mouthful of blood surged into my throat. I couldn't even manage a laugh. An attendant knelt and pleaded with him, "Your Majesty, Lady Dorothea's life is already hanging by a thread. If the Soul Lantern is taken from her, I fear—" Edward shot him a cold look. "She has died 99 times. When has she ever failed to return?" The attendant lay prostrate on the ground, too afraid to say another word. Edward walked slowly up to the altar steps. He stopped before me, bent down, and brushed the tangled hair from my face. "Thea." By then, I could no longer speak. There was nothing left in my throat but blood and froth. Even my breathing was so faint that the wind could easily carry it away. The spikes were buried deep into my collarbones. I didn't even have the strength to turn my head away from him. All I could do was keep my eyes open and watch as he took the Soul Lantern. At that moment, I stopped struggling. Perhaps I finally understood that to him, I was no longer someone who could cry or feel pain. I was merely an old tool he had gotten so used to using that he couldn't bring himself to discard me. Faced with my silence, Edward assumed I had yielded to him once again, just as I always did. His voice softened. "Thea, help me one last time. The Soul Lantern will maintain the seal for seven days. After that, I'll come back for you myself. "We'll hold the coronation. The royal seal, the crown, the queen's palace, and the entire court will all be yours. Arabella will kneel before you as an apology. You've always been soft-hearted. Don't hold it against her." A tear slipped from the corner of my eye. He reached out and wiped it away, a faint smile curving his lips, as though confident I would always come back. "I know, I know. You cannot bear to resent me." Edward took the Soul Lantern. The moment the wick was pulled free, the last trace of warmth in my body left me. The wind howled across the altar. From somewhere far away, I heard a faint voice. It sounded as though it was coming from an old dream, through the last snowfall of a world I no longer belonged to. "Dorothea Sinclair, my host, your death is irreversible. May you finally be free." The Soul Lantern was placed upon the altar to maintain the seal. Edward personally closed its glass casing, then turned and lifted Arabella into his arms. Before leaving, he told the attendant, "Once she stops breathing, bring her back to the Willow Palace. Don't let the maids make a fuss and cry. If she wakes up and hears it, she'll complain that it feels inauspicious." Everyone bowed and obeyed. Edward never looked back. As night fell, my body began to crumble into motes of light—first my fingertips, then my hands, and finally, the collarbones he had driven those iron spikes through. So, this is how it felt to perish. It was soundless and peaceful. The lights of the mortal world continued to burn, but that would be the last time I saw them. … Third-Person POV After returning to the palace, Edward first settled Arabella in the Radiant Palace. The royal physicians told him that the phoenix's bone had taken root in her body and that she was no longer in danger. All she needed was rest. Only after she fell asleep did he return to the Willow Palace. It was ablaze with lamplight. Edward stood beside the bed where Dorothea always slept, watching the maids lay out fresh blankets. He ordered them to stoke the brazier until the room was warm. "She always gets cold when she comes back," he said. "Have candied fruit ready, too. The medicine is too bitter, and she always throws a fuss before finishing it." The maids kept their heads bowed, none of them daring to answer. Edward sat at the bedside, running his palm over the unfinished coronation crown. His face remained perfectly calm, as though Dorothea had merely thrown a tantrum, gone to sleep for the night, and would come back in the morning. Suddenly, a royal astronomer came stumbling into the chamber. "Your Majesty!" Edward frowned. "What is the commotion for? She hates noise when she wakes." The royal astronomer dropped to his knees. "The Phoenix Star has fallen!" Edward stiffened. Outside, the night sky was dominated by the Phoenix Star, a celestial omen that had hung there for a century. Now, it was falling toward the western mountains, leaving behind a blood-red streak of fire. For the first time, he panicked. "Lies. Arabella is the true phoenix's reincarnation." The royal astronomer shook his head through his tears. "Your Majesty, the stars cannot be wrong. The true phoenix's reincarnation has already returned to the sky." The moment the words left his mouth, a sharp crack rang out from the warding altar. A palace attendant came running, stumbling almost the entire way. His face was ashen. "Your Majesty, Lady Dorothea's Soul Lantern… It shattered!"