Anastasia Romanov |Lesbian Story| (The Sequel)

Chapter 41

I sat holding Valerina against my chest. Her face, white as the snow that had frozen my heart, no longer showed any sign of life. The sounds of exploding bombs reverberated all over the city, but all I felt was the coldness that seeped through every pore of my body. The coldness that would last longer than any winter in the world.

"Valerina," I whispered her name over and over as if it would wake her up and bring her back from this endless sleep.

I knew she wouldn't hear it anymore. The hollowness in my chest spread like a black hole. The words were lost forever. We stayed in the same bed, but it felt as if we were a world apart.

Another bomb struck the ground, shaking the building. Dust fell from the ceiling like snowflakes then the light went out. I tightened my hold around the lifeless huntress.

She's gone.

The realization choked me like the smoke of a wildfire. Many thoughts rushed through my mind. If only I had stopped her. If only I had come sooner.

There were more shouting and running outside.

"Your Highness!" an officer stood at the door. "We must leave the base. Their airships are coming here!"

"Leave me alone," I said in a hollow voice.

"But Your Highness!"

"I said leave me!" I hissed. I could feel my eyes blaze with rage and grief. The officer recoiled. Then after another bombing sound, he bowed and left the ward along with the others.

The tears had stopped falling, but everything inside me was still burning and bleeding.

I tightened my hold around Vale's listless. My hand kept stroking her face. There was no blush anymore. I took her hand, raw from the rough battles, and put it against my cheek.

"You left me," I said. "Why?"

She's gone.

The thought still felt strange to me as I couldn't bring myself to accept the truth yet. She was here a moment ago, now she was not. My mind was filled with a bleak apocalypse. I wanted it to come and destroy everything I'd ever known. If it was large enough to feed my rage and grief, I would welcome it.

I broke into another wailing. The dead no longer suffers. It is a lie. I still felt the pain like a sharp stabbing knife.

After the sorrow came the hopelessness.

A long moment later, I covered Vale's body with the white sheet. Then I stood staring at my greatest loss. I couldn't bring myself to cover her face. I was afraid if I did, it would mean I had truly lost her from this world.

The beautiful face that had brought life and joy to me was empty and distant like a blank mask. The sight of it made my heart clench like a fist until I could barely breathe. My stomach filled with fire and ashes. I imagined tearing down the walls, mashing everything, stabbing myself in the heart and bleeding to death.

Then I yanked the knife from my belt. My palms ached where my nails had cut into them.

But a faint voice inside my mind stopped me.

If I died, her death would be for nothing. Everything she'd ever fought for. Everything she had sacrificed, her childhood, her hopes, her future and her own life.

It would all be for nothing.

I put the knife down and leaned over to Vale again.

"I love you," I whispered and placed my lips against hers.

The war doesn't care whether you're grieving and broken. The war still keeps going until it has taken everything away from you.

All this greed and horrors must be stopped.