Noble A] "Oh my, is that actually true?" [Noble B] "I suppose it makes sense. Since he is a member of the branch royal family, he must be attending in person to celebrate the Crown Prince’s birthday." [Noble C] "This will be my first time seeing him." [Noble D] "Is that so? I caught a glimpse of him from afar at the last banquet, and he was strikingly handsome." The ladies' faces flushed a soft pink as testimonies were traded back and forth with growing excitement. It was a c

The incident involving the precious lady of the Rohawk family—her sudden, early-morning outburst of sobbing—eventually settled as time passed. Since she could not possibly explain that her tears were a child-like reaction to reuniting with the family she thought she would never see again, she claimed she had simply suffered a harrowing nightmare. In a sense, it was not an absolute lie. The time she had spent wandering, trapped within the labyrinth Declan had constructed, was

Her father, unjustly executed on trumped-up charges. Elliot, who met a wretched end while trying to save her. If time turned back, would they breathe again? Though the situation felt entirely surreal, Vanessa could not let go of this final sliver of hope. The Goddess Rohodre understood Vanessa’s heart perfectly. Wearing the same gentle smile as before, she answered. [Rohodre] "Of course. That is the very nature of turning back time." [Vanessa] "..." [Rohodre] "You look as tho

Vanessa had never spent much time dwelling on what lay beyond death. Perhaps she was no different from anyone else in that regard. After all, life after death is a realm that remains beyond the reach of human knowledge. One hopes that the destination reached after a long journey is not too arduous. But when she finally opened her eyes again... She found herself in a space so ethereal it defied imagination. Her first impression was simply 'white.' The place was so pristinely s

[Vanessa] "The fact that I married the man who slaughtered my family is disgusting. This place, which I can never escape... it is all so monstrously repulsive." [Declan] "..." [Vanessa] "Everything is hideous to me now." HEr expression remained desolate, yet she could no longer suppress the tide of emotion. Her green eyes slowly filled with tears. Though she stood on her own two feet, she looked to Declan as if she were a fragile porcelain doll held together by a single threa

Once the physician had departed, Vanessa drew out the dagger she had concealed within the folds of her skirt. As she pulled the handle, a silver blade—blunt yet lethal enough to cause grave harm—slid elegantly from its sheath. She slid the weapon back into place, stood up, and began to walk with a rhythmic, unsteady sway. There was no strength in her stride as she headed toward the terrace. It was as if she were forcing herself to drag along legs that no longer had any life i

The moment she saw the stain, a scalding heat surged behind her eyes and the world began to spin. A paralyzing shiver raced down her spine, and her legs gave way, leaving her to collapse onto the floor. Her mind was too numb to register the dull thud of her fall or the ache in her body. A cold, terrifying dread wrapped around her like a shroud. [Vanessa] “Ugh...” Bile rose in her throat, and she quickly pressed her hand against her lips to stifle the urge to retch. She was no

Her voice, sharp and cold, sliced through the stifling silence of the bedroom. She had uttered the words—that she no longer loved him—not because they needed to be said, but because she hungered to see Declan’s composed mask finally crack. She was tired of being the only one drowning in desperation. This man had dragged her into the bowels of hell, yet he remained untouched, while she was a fraying tapestry of grief. His face didn't shatter. But his eyes... they changed.

Vanessa lifted her head, her vision slowly sharpening. The maid’s face was one she recognized, standing out in the sterile perfection of the manor for one simple reason: Sophie was still human. The other servants moved like hollow automatons, their every breath dictated by Declan’s iron will. None of them dared an original thought or a stray glance. But Sophie was different. Perhaps she was too new to the Grand Duchy, but the flicker of anxiety in her eyes and the warmth of

The physician stared at the Grand Duchess, her face a mask of uneasy hesitation, before she finally found her voice. [Physician] “I don’t know the particulars of the rift between you and the Grand Duke, My Lady, but many marriages find a second life in a child. Perhaps this is an opportunity for—” [Vanessa] “...Because you don’t know.” [Physician] “Pardon?” [Vanessa] “You can only say that because you are blind to the truth.” Vanessa wasn’t looking at her. Her gaze was fixed

In a noble household, the atmosphere is a living thing, a reflection of the masters’ hearts. The servants of the Vinkart estate were no different; they were reeds bending to whatever storm blew from the main chambers. When Vanessa had first arrived as a commoner and a sinner, they had busied themselves with venomous whispers. When she became the Grand Duchess and a doting bride, they had scurried in terror, fearful that a past slight might lead to their heads rolling. Now, t

Even when she had sensed her love was a snare, the feeling had remained unshakable. Even with the poisonous doubt that Declan was the informant who had orchestrated her family’s ruin, Vanessa had been unable to cast him out. She loathed herself for it—for being so pathetic, so stubborn, so desperately loyal to a ghost. But the heart was a lawless thing; it didn't take orders. To stop loving him meant excising every memory they had built, erasing every vibrant sensation and

[Vanessa] "...Declan." [Declan] "Did that knight attempt to kidnap you?" His voice was a low, velvet rasp against her ear as he tightened his grip on her narrow waist. The moment she was anchored against him, the Vinkart knights moved with lethal efficiency. They swarmed Elliot, the air erupting into a chaotic symphony of grunts and the heavy thud of bodies hitting stone. Vanessa flinched, her heart leaping into her throat. She tried to lurch toward the struggle, but Declan’

Vanessa flinched at the sound, her heart hammering a frantic rhythm against her ribs. Could it be? She hurried to the glass door, her fingers trembling with the guilt of a child caught in a forbidden act. She threw the bolt and pulled. A violent gust of wind rushed into the room, whipping her hair across her face. As the strands cleared, she saw a massive silhouette standing on the stone balcony. Even though she’d been expecting him, seeing him perched there stole the brea

Columns of numbers marched down the parchment, followed by a dense, clinical explanation. It was a ledger of soldiers. In the Ingzella Empire, no noble house—save for the Imperial Family—was permitted to maintain a private army exceeding a specific count. Steel was power, and power was the only thing that could tilt the world on its axis. To preserve their reign and prune the seeds of rebellion before they could take root, the throne had enacted a draconian law: a strict lim