Then, Scarlette sang into the wind again.

The same eagle swooped down, snatching another poor chicken from the fire, its beak locked onto a fish's mouth, as if they were locked in a final kiss.

I couldn't help but laugh. She really could turn the mundane into comedy. A true pro at turning every moment into something ridiculous.

"Hey, check it out," she giggled, pointing at the entangled prey. "A set meal."

I snorted, the absurdity of it all hitting me. Their tragic romance—two lovers bound even in death, only to end up in the flames. Was she even joking? Maybe, but her dark humor felt oddly familiar, like she spoke a language only I understood.

Still, Devran's words about Dark Fairies in the Light Fairy Kingdom hung in the air.

"We need to move soon," I said, voice a bit sharper now. She didn't even blink, tearing into her meal with the calm precision of someone who didn't feel urgency.

Then, without hesitation, she picked up the charred chicken with her bare hands, snapping its already broken neck.

"You know, that's not normal," I remarked, a mix of irritation and disbelief in my voice.

"What? You don't eat?" she quipped, tossing me the fish—perfectly cooked, its skin crisp and gleaming with oil.

"Food first, mission later, lover boy," she teased, a sly smirk tugging at her lips.

Lover boy?

Before I could process her words, a scream ripped through the air—Devran's.

It was followed by the thunderous roar of an army. Then—silence.

I glanced down. The throbbing black heart, once pulsing on the ground, had crumbled into dust.

I sat upright, my gaze meeting Scarlette's.

Devran was gone for good.

I looked back at the fire, watching the embers crackle and pop. The most annoying person I knew was dead. A victim of circumstance.

A circumstance we orchestrated.

Then, as if reading my thoughts, Scarlette turned to me—her gaze softer than usual.

"He would've killed you if he had the chance. That blind loyalty to Queen Judorah wouldn't have saved him in the end," she said.

I nodded, my lips thinning. She was right.

I am a Dark Fairy. I do not get sentimental.

After all, this was Devran's own doing.

Every action has a consequence and he chose wrong.