Soon, Arthur Servantes will do something reckless.

That was what Dietrich Calypso said as soon as he returned to his mansion, sweeping back his black hair.

“Ileon too.”

Dietrich looked down at Celia Brillion with a worried expression.

But Celia herself seemed completely unaffected.

Perhaps because she had kissed Dietrich the previous night, she felt an overflow of vitality in her body.

Like sudden rain falling upon parched land, like an oasis quenching the thirst of one who hadn’t drunk water for days.

Kissing Dietrich truly made her feel as if her broken, wounded body had instantly been restored to health.

“At this rate, even if I use my ability, I won’t cough up blood like before.”

Having finished that thought, Celia released the scent of hyacinth.

The fragrant hyacinth scent blooming from Celia surged violently through the corridor where only the two of them stood.

Dietrich grabbed Celia’s hand and said,

“No. Don’t do it.”

At those words, Celia instantly retracted her ability.

Previously, even brief use of her ability would leave her dizzy, as if her head were spinning.

But now, even after using her ability, her head didn’t hurt at all.

“It’s fine.”

Celia said, her eyes sparkling.

“My head doesn’t hurt anymore. Now I can use my ability freely.”

Celia’s ability was powerful. It emitted the scent of hyacinth, capable of paralyzing the five senses of any man within its range.

Until Celia withdrew her ability, the affected person couldn’t move, hear, or see anything.

“I just need to create an opportunity to be alone with Ileon, use my ability to incapacitate him, and then kill him.”

At Celia’s words, Dietrich’s eyes narrowed.

“Alone…?”

“Yes. And then stab him with a dagger. Just like the emperor who died by my hand before.”

“Celia.”

Dietrich called her name in a soft voice.

“Do you desire Ileon’s death? Or do you desire Abelon’s destruction?”

Ileon’s death and Abelon’s destruction.

Celia wondered whether Ileon’s death would directly lead to Abelon’s downfall.

As if reading her thoughts, Dietrich gently stroked Celia’s cheek.

His hand caressed her as if touching something infinitely precious.

“If Ileon dies, the people of Abelon will rise up entirely. The other dukes certainly won’t stay silent either.”

After a brief hesitation, Celia replied.

“But Ileon won’t leave us alone either. Isn’t it better for us to act first before he strikes us?”

“Ileon has already prepared for every possible consequence after his death. In other words, even if we kill Ileon right now, Abelon won’t necessarily collapse.”

The idea that she couldn’t kill Ileon immediately, despite wanting to, frustrated Celia.

Just when her body had finally improved a little—what good was it if she couldn’t use her ability?

“Celia. What is it that you truly want? Whatever it is, I will follow your choice.”

Dietrich, who still respected her in this moment,

had himself lost everything at the same instant as she had,

had entered the enemy’s imperial palace, endured every humiliation, and ultimately seized the position of Captain of the Imperial Guard.

“I….”

Trailing off, Celia paused to think coldly.

If she killed Ileon, the mastermind behind her kingdom’s destruction, her heart might feel momentarily relieved, but Abelon’s lineage would stubbornly continue.

Unlike her own kingdom, which had been completely erased from the map.

Celia hated this empire with all her being.

Everything she had possessed had been snatched away in an instant.

Her family, her kingdom—burned to ashes.

All that remained to her was a heart and body torn to shreds.

When she finally saw Abelon destroy even Inata, its allied nation, no one remained beside her.

She was utterly alone.

Celia had paralyzed the senses of the coachman driving the carriage toward Abelon, then squeezed her body tightly into the carriage’s cargo compartment.

After entering Abelon, fearing someone might recognize her, she smeared thick, filthy mud all over her face.

Fortunately, no one remembered the princess of a forgotten kingdom.

Still, just in case, Celia had spent months scavenging through trash bins in back alleys.

Not knowing why her kingdom had to fall made her feel as if she would go completely mad.

The knight’s shouted words endlessly circled in her mind.

—The Emperor commands that not a single survivor be left alive!

Celia had wanted to take revenge on the Emperor—madly, desperately.

But how could a wretched beggar like her ever meet the Emperor residing in the imperial palace?

After that, she caught the attention of Viscount Brillion and was adopted as his daughter.

There, auctions were repeatedly held under the guise of a public courtship.

—Whoever offers the highest bid shall have the chance to speak with my beautiful daughter. A man who supports my daughter must naturally be capable. Please understand a father’s love for his child.

Celia endured every humiliation.

With a gentle face, soft smiles, pulling the corners of her lips into a smile until her lips trembled.

Foolish men, enchanted by her beauty, flocked to her like moths drawn to flame.

Brillion’s angel, everyone’s first love.

She was given countless titles, yet none of them pleased Celia.

She never wanted to be anyone’s first love, nor was she an angel.

She was merely a single human being, rotten and decayed to the core.

Being desired against her will was deeply unpleasant.

Men lusted after her, attempted to rape her, forced love upon her.

That wasn’t love.

It was violence hidden beneath the noble term “first love.”

Had she not used her ability to protect herself, Celia knew she would have lost her sanity.

So even if it meant a death sentence, it didn’t matter.

She’d rather die than suffer at the hands of these people of Abelon.

But before dying, she absolutely had to kill the one who destroyed her kingdom.

So she risked her life, infiltrated the imperial palace, and killed the Emperor.

She thought everything was finally over, and burst into pure laughter.

But that wasn’t the end—it was just the beginning.

The Emperor had been a puppet, and the one who destroyed her kingdom was Ileon.

—Servant of the serpent. It seems you will lose everything you possess. Your Abelon shall burn, and your fate shall meet a tragic end. Look, the people of Shan Kingdom appear. Among them, the brightest one shall kill you. The guardian of light shall protect the light, yet shall take everything from you, just as you did to them.

All because of a single prophecy.

Her father’s head rolled at her feet, smiling at her until the end, and every citizen of her kingdom had to be slaughtered.

“I want Abelon’s destruction.”

Celia spoke with endless calm in her eyes.

“But I also want Ileon’s death.”

May he lose everything he possesses.

May he suffer the despair and loss she felt, multiplied ten, a hundredfold.

“I want Abelon’s lineage to be completely severed.”

This disgusting empire, which once praised her as Brillion’s angel, now branded her a witch and sought to hunt her down.

“I want this hateful Abelon to vanish entirely from the map.”

She fervently wished, and wished again, for it to burn away completely.

“Just as my kingdom did.”

Celia’s large, uplifted green eyes were strikingly vivid.

“And just as your kingdom did.”

Dietrich met Celia’s intense gaze.

Sharp, finely honed eyes.

And eyes deep enough to pierce through the veil of the night sky.

Standing straight, her face filled with resolve, Celia looked to Dietrich like someone to be worshipped.

Dietrich wanted to give Celia everything she desired.

Whether it was Abelon’s destruction, or the lives of every single citizen of this Abelon Empire.

Dietrich’s lips slowly parted.

“If that is what you wish.”

Rather than succumb to despair and defeat, Celia chose revenge.

Enduring, bearing it all, she was here—the brightest one destined to fulfill the prophecy to its end.

To Dietrich, such Celia felt infinitely beloved.

“I will sever Abelon’s lineage and destroy it completely.”

At Dietrich’s words, Celia smiled brightly.

The next day, two high officials were found dead side by side in the palace garden.

The deceased were Marquis Tailo and Count Nathan, the hunting tournament champion.

They had long sided with Ileon and were the leaders among the ministers.