Chapter 1

There was one question that Ayla always had in her mind.

‘……what makes me and Charlotte so different?’

But she never uttered the word out of her mouth. That was because it was obvious that everyone would only laugh at her.

Ayla Mertensia.

She was an extremely evil woman pointed as a villain by everyone, while Charlotte was an angel whom everyone loved. It was a silly question that was equivalent to comparing witches and saints.

But when things got to this point, Ayla couldn’t help but recall that question.

How am I so different from Charlotte that she was comforted in everyone’s arms while I, on the other hand, had to face such a painful end?

“Why did you do this?”

Werner forcibly lifted Ayla’s chin, which had fallen on the edge of his sword.

Ayla blinked because her vision kept on getting out of focus. Then, the tears that had formed around her eyes, mixed with blood and ran down from the edges of her eyes to her cheeks.

“Would you believe me… if I said, I didn’t……?”

Ayla’s voice was so chapped that the original elegance of it could not be found at all. It was because she had been screaming all the time from the torture.

But Werner didn’t even blink as if he couldn’t hear her excuse.

“I’ll ask you again. Why did you do this?”

Ayla met Werner’s eyes, which were fluttering with fierce anger toward her.

It seemed like he wanted to tear her to death right now, but he seemed to hold it in until he hears her answer.

Ayla drew a faint smile around her mouth.

Oh my, he’s charming.

Werner Karl Mohammed Lethe.

Soon after he was born, he was made the Crown Prince. He was patient but cold. That was because he had been educated and raised like that all his life.

Werner was good at covering his original emotion inside the cold mask. He did not hesitate to act if necessary.

The only time he showed his emotions or lost his reason was when someone talked about Charlotte.

Just like right now.

Ayla slowly turned her head and looked in the direction of Charlotte.

Then, the blade that was close to her neck broke through her flesh. Werner growled, pushing the sword even closer.

“Don’t even think of doing anything.”

It sounded like a threat from a beast when invading its territory.

No matter how wicked she was, she couldn’t possibly do anything in this situation. However, he was still wary and displeased of Ayla, giving a glance at Charlotte.

Ayla glanced back at Werner’s blue eyes and sweetened her lips.

“I just thought that his majesty’s eyes were ice cold.”

“Ha, are you just going to make fun of me? I don’t want to hear that!”

“Your eyes only look like that when you’re seeing Charlotte. It glows like a burning flame of light whenever you see that girl. Ah it’s such a warm color. But now that you’re looking at me like that, I am pleased, your highness.”

Even if it was a murderous light, he still expressed his true emotion, which was important to her.

“So won’t you remember even a little bit of me after I die like this?” (Ayla)

Ayla burst into laughter when she said so.

“I can’t hear you. It’s your last chance, so just answer the question.”

Ayla couldn’t help but laugh. She wondered if he was asking that because he really didn’t know the answer to that question.

Why do you still want to confirm something that everyone already knows? Why do you think I did that? It’s because I love your highness.

“It’s because I love you, your highness. With my life, my soul, and my whole heart.”

“Just for that reason…….”

Werner expected it, but he still muttered to himself as if he was really shocked.

“Just because of that, Charlotte almost died! Because of you! “

Panting, he ****** his sword into Ayla’s shoulder. Blood poured out as the sword’s blade penetrated as easily as if it was piercing tofu.

It happened in a flash.

Ayla’s whole body convulsed as she bit her teeth to the point of breaking it. Her eyes turned white in pain and then she blinked repeatedly.

A scream burst out from where Charlotte was. While Werner burned his blue eyes with anger toward Ayla, he sent a worrisome gaze to Charlotte.

Why- Are you worried that your weak lover will be shocked seeing this cruel killing scene?

Your love was important, but my love was trampled on so miserably.

Ayla laughed and waited for the pain to subside before saying a clear word.

“I- I didn’t.”

Then Werner twisted the blade on her shoulder. The vivid sense of twisting and slicing in the flesh finally made Ayla burst into a scream that she was holding back.

“..Aak… aaaak!”

“I wanted to kill you more miserably than anyone else, but Charlotte said she wanted to hear your reason. Even when she found out you were the mastermind behind all of this, she was still worried about you. It’s really ridiculous hearing it from your mouth.”

“..Ug- Ugh…ha..hahaha…”

Ayla, soaked in blood, still kept on laughing. Her dress was now dyed in red.

Then, she rolled her eyes across and turned her eyes to Charlotte, who was shaking.

Charlotte Angelo.

She was as delicate and innocent like a lily, and when her eyes met Ayla’s, she was startled and ran behind the back of the escort knight.

Prince’s escort knight, Lennox.

Standing with his arms as if to protect Charlotte, his eyes showed deep secret love to her. Ayla knew it, at first sight. There was no way she wouldn’t notice it when his eyes were full of love and affection.

Not only one or two men fell in love with Charlotte…

No, it wasn’t just the men.

All living things in this land, men and women of all ages, were enchanted by Charlotte, just exchanging a few words with her. Even the wild animals got attracted to her to the point where they quickly relaxed their vigilance and approached her without hesitation.

Charlotte was one of the beauties in terms of appearance, but she was not exceptionally beautiful than Ayla.

And that was not even because she had a strong background. She was not rich, nor was she well educated and wise.

What the hell? What’s the difference?

Nevertheless, everyone loved her.

It was so easy for her to have the affection that Ayla couldn’t get from anyone in her whole life.

Then Charlotte hid behind those who loved her, did nothing, and just remained silent. If only I could, I wanted to forcefully pull her out and dig my hand on that face.

Charlotte was a kind and fragile woman. All she could do without getting her hands dirty was to squeeze her tears out pathetically.

Can’t you live without anyone’s help? Can’t you protect yourself without anyone’s protection?

Come here. Come and spit in my face. This is a fight between you and me.

Ayla couldn’t possibly like Charlotte. From the moment she first met her, she had goosebumps and her whole body trembled as if she had met a natural enemy.

With her fingernails pulled out, she tightly grabbed the sword’s blade on her shoulder with her ugly hand, then used her last strength to open her eyes and look up at Werner.

“I curse you.”

“Are you admitting that you are a witch now?”

“What shall we hide in the midst of death?”

“……Ha.”

Werner dismissed Ayla’s words as empty words of a woman on the verge of death.

And that’s actually right. This was just the last wish of a dying villain.

If there is a God,

No, even the devil is fine.

I’ll sell you, my soul. I don’t even care about how it will be used. It’s alright if you tear my soul off and completely devour it. If you can hear me now, curse him who has neither blood nor tears.

Werner captured all his emotions and gave the notice indifferently.

“Ayla Mertensia. The Mertensia family was destroyed because of you. Hearing their resentment will make you feel uncomfortable even after your death.”

“I curse, curse—.”

When Werner pulled out the sword, blood spurted like a fountain. He cut off the entire hand of Ayla, who was holding the blade. Her struggle was useless.

Without hesitation, the sword broke Ayla’s flesh and broke her ribs. And, as if he wanted to inflict as much pain as possible, he slowly penetrated the sword on her heart.

At Werner’s wish, Ayla struggled in pain then slowly collapsed, throwing up blood.

It’s all over.

The life that continued persistently and her love.

“I curse… that you will have no choice but to love me… such a curse …”

Ayla muttered in a voice boiling with blood.

Werner looked down at her unthinkable words and soon frowned.

“Sound nonsense.”

Then, he turned his back to Charlotte, shaking off the blood-soaked sword, saying that he had something dirty on him.

Charlotte, with tears in her eyes, clung to Werner, who came to her. The beautiful hand that held tightly to the corner of his coat was slightly trembling.

“Werner, you said you’d let her go painlessly. I pity her.”

“That was the greatest mercy I could give.”

“However—!”

“This is a matter you should not care about, Charlotte. I told you I’d take care of it. You’re shivering like this, yet you still care about somebody.”

Werner went out with Charlotte in his arms, who continued to glare behind, followed by Lennox.

Surrounded by silence in the dungeon where all the people escaped, Ayla declared the end. The embers of life that were at stake had been extinguished.

However, Ayla hoped that this would also be a new beginning.

“You’ll have no choice but to love me…”

Until the moment she stopped breathing, she mumbled like that.

***

“Uh… Uh.”

I dug deeper into the blanket, holding my throbbing forehead. My neighbor’s dog loud barking today woke me up like it was an alarm clock.

“….I think I had a dream about something.”

But I couldn’t remember. I only heard the dog barking from the beginning of the morning, so maybe I dreamed about the dog.

The uncle who lived in front of me even screamed out indignantly, “don’t let the dog bark!”. I just cheered that uncle timidly in my heart.

It’s six o’clock in the morning.

The sound of a dog barking opened my eyes as usual, in a pathetic semi-basement single room, under the ring announcing it was Monday.

‘Ah, I want to quit.’

I checked the time on my cell phone, which was near my bedside table, and then crawled to the bathroom with a grunt.

While brushing my teeth half-conscious, the contents of that dream began to revive like a flash.

There was a foreign woman with messy hair, stains on her face, and blood covering her whole body in my dream. But even though she looked tired, she was still beautiful.

Wow, she was so beautiful that I thought I had never seen a celebrity who looked like her.

Her hair was so vivid red that made me think it would not be easy to copy by only using a dye, and her eyes were green, like a blade of grass, and was bigger and clearer than those who wore lenses.

Oh, yeah. It was just phenomenal and unique beauty, like ‘Wouldn’t rose flowers look like this when they become a human?’.

Although I don’t know what was going on, it felt like it touched my heart when I saw her shed tears.

Oh my God, those guys who hurt her were wrong. How can they think of harassing such a beautiful person? If I were there, I would have wiped her tears and said, ‘Oh, Senora. Please do not drop those beautiful jewelries.’ and I would have chased her like an Italian man.

I think I saw other people in my dream, but unfortunately, I couldn’t remember more than that.

Who else was there, what they talked about, or even why that pretty girl was dying.

It must be because I was busy looking at my pretty sister. Haha, you never really lose your temperament, even in your dreams.

She had a young face that looked like she just became an adult. She was not appropriate to be called an older sister, but someone said that all pretty things are always older.

I hope that the pretty sister in my dream would die with all her lingering affection and regrets for the world, fulfilled. Although I don’t know what it is, I want the older sister to do whatever she wants.

After taking a bath and applying a little makeup casually, my dream disappeared completely from my mind on the way to work. My daily life was too tough to keep such trivial things in it.

At that time, I didn’t even imagine what kind of backlash it would bring…

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