Time of the Blind Beast

He was once an officer who commanded the king’s army,
a war hero who led the War of the Roses to victory,
and a knight and gentleman of noble status from Valdemaira.

Until she blinded him.

The man, who had become irritable and violent, secluded himself in a remote estate.
And people called the place the Beast’s Mansion.
Late at night, she knocked on the door of the mansion.

*

“Do you know who ruined my eyes?”
“……”
“It was a maid just like you.”

His hand, which had grabbed her cheek, slid past her chin and grasped her neck.
As the pressure on her windpipe increased, she coughed violently.

“Do you know how she did it?”
“……”
“She poured poison into my eyes.”

The weight pressing down on her was heavy.
It was the weight of the sin she had committed.
Even if she served by his side for the rest of her life, she would never atone for this karma.

*

“Meeting you was the greatest fortune of my life.”

The man whispered.

“Next time, the two of us will walk this path with our eyes open.”

Next time…
She mouthed the words silently, her lips moving without a sound.
Would there be a next time for us?