Pit:

From his place, Alessios watched the woman who tormented his mind and heart being thrown into the den of beasts, while raising the hundreth prayer the gods had heard from him that morning. He felt useless, a failure as a man and as a protector.
After having tasted the most exotic pleasures, the desperate kisses of a virgin sentenced to death had been the most exquisite of the forbidden fruits. His soul, already black and withered, folded in on itself. From that moment on, nothing would ever be the same. His situation was contradictory. The man who apparently lacked nothing…had just lost everything.
********
During two solar births with their respective deaths, an ambivalent feeling reigned in the Palace.

On the one hand, Cassandra and her lover rejoiced in their triumph, having rid themselves of the woman who, since her arrival, had caused nothing but setbacks and setbacks in their plans.
On the other hand, the pavilion was in deep mourning, and even the entire kingdom was affected by the tears of one of the moons as Burya's gloomy and morose mood triggered rains that never seemed to stop.
Cítiê explained to them that the trial of Umara had been a political strategy. That the council had advised the Emperor to take drastic measures and take advantage of the situation to show exemplary judgment even within the Palace.
The great drought and the rebellions in the East had begun to sow the discontent of many nobles, and fearing an uprising in the capital city, the members of the council considered that the death of Umara would put a stop to any subversive thought.
And apparently they fulfilled their purpose, because the rebels in the East reconsidered their position and laid down their weapons before the inclement rains that fell on them and also the news that the Emperor had thrown one of his own wives to the lions after it was shown that He was guilty of treason

He made them flee in terror. After several days, the rains had contributed to calm the spirits of the town.
Burya grimaced and loud thunder rumbled through the heavens.
"You must calm down, Russian," Mem tried to comfort her. "If it continues to rain, we'll all drown."
"It's what we deserve!" she screamed. "Since when do we kill innocents to stop rebellions? Are we worth so little to our Lord that He sends us to die just like that?" Where is the justice?!
'Don't speak without knowing, Burya. Our Lord is visibly dismayed by everything that has happened. He has remained these two solar births without eating, without changing his clothes...I myself have seen him cry, in his own way he is also in mourning. I understand what you are saying, I am also sorry for the death of Umara, but her departure has served to save all of us and many thousands. A civil war would have devastated the continent.- Cítiê whispered.
-Oh please! Do you hear what you say? - Zai protested. - all this was nothing but a revenge of that damn snake Cassandra. With this, he has shown that he can use the circumstances at will to make us die one by one. Who will be next, Cítiê? My sister, me, or one of the other women in the pavilion?
“The only thing I don't understand is…if they needed a scapegoat, why didn't they put me on trial?
They all looked at Sarab in surprise.
"Why was Umara sentenced to dubious and untenable charges, when I have repeatedly and openly committed treason?"
Citiê sighed.
"Perhaps, because of us, Umara was the only one who dared to stand up to her and put Cassandra in her place," Cítiê whispered.
*******
Three solar births and deaths had seemed to Alessios an eternity. An eternity of emptiness and darkness.
He had been a fool. He had trusted too much in himself and in his ability. And now she was dead.

A choked sob seized her throat.
He would never see her again, he would never hear her contradict or correct him. I would never again see her lively and expressive face that seemed to shine with joy when she spoke of things that made her happy, I would never again see her delicate chin tremble helplessly in the face of some injustice, I would never again taste the intoxicating honey on her lips.
—I raise prayers so that your soul finds comfort in the arms of the gods, don't hold a grudge against me, little flower.
Visiting the entrance to the pit and standing in front of the gigantic stone that sealed it seemed to be the only activity to which his existence now boiled down. Burning tears welled up in his eyes, his entire being shaking with agony. He knew that he had to deal with the accusation of poisoning that Umara had launched against Cassandra, but you had no strength, his soul could not detach himself from the terrible anguish that possessed him.
If only I had agreed to go with her, he thought. If only we had walked away without looking back...
His mind and his heart fought fiercely and as much as he tried to reason, he always came to the same conclusion.
He had lost the love of his life, because he was a coward.