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Discovering that my stepbrother has a crush on me fullmovie
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00:00:00The moment my best friend learned the truth about my immortality and my enormous fortune,
00:00:05she hired a practitioner of dark sorcery and set a trap to have me killed and sent straight to the
00:00:09underworld. All so she could take my life essence for herself. On the rooftop of a Manhattan
00:00:15skyscraper, I sobbed so hard I could barely breathe. Please don't kill me! I'll give you
00:00:21everything! The trust fund, all of it, every dollar! I was terrified of dying. Truly, utterly
00:00:31terrified. Because my ex-husband, the one who ruled the underworld, had sworn the day I left him that
00:00:37if he ever saw me again, he would throw me into the lake of fire, peel my skin, tear me
00:00:43apart piece
00:00:43by piece. Vanessa, we've known each other for 10 years! I've always been good to you! Please,
00:00:50just let me go! I'll transfer everything to you! Please! I dropped to my knees on the rough concrete
00:01:00of the rooftop. My dignity shattered, nearly smashing my forehead against the ground as I begged.
00:01:06Vanessa let out a cold laugh. The pointed tip of her designer heel tilted my chin up.
00:01:12I don't just want your money. She said, I want your endless life. Aren't we best friends?
00:01:20What's yours is mine. If you really care about me, then give it all to me. She shot a look
00:01:27at the
00:01:27black-robed sorcerer beside her. He understood immediately. Grabbing a fistful of my hair,
00:01:35he dragged me toward the edge. 33 stories below, a demonic-packed circle had already been drawn
00:01:42in blood. If I fell and died, everything would go exactly as they planned. I would not even have the
00:01:48chance at reincarnation. Vanessa had made sure of that. No revenge. No lingering spirit. She intended
00:01:57to erase me completely. The freezing New York wind slammed into my face as I struggled,
00:02:03clawing backward. But her greed had already spiraled out of control the moment she learned my secret.
00:02:09She rushed forward and, together with the sorcerer, kicked me over the edge. As I fell,
00:02:16the rushing air drowned out everything. My senses blurred into nothing. Then came the impact.
00:02:23A deafening crash exploded in my ears as my body hit the ground, reduced to a mangled ruin of flesh
00:02:29and
00:02:29blood. When I regained awareness, I was no longer alive. I was in spirit form, standing in the underworld.
00:02:37Two infernal guards stood beside me, each gripping a thumb-thick soul shackle. The other end was locked
00:02:44tightly around my neck. A heavy fog surrounded us, but the distant wails and screams were painfully
00:02:51clear. I had been here before. This was the entrance to the gates of hell, and I had my damned
00:02:57ex-husband
00:02:58to thank for that. Back when I tried to leave him, he had dragged me here himself, eyes burning red,
00:03:06just to scare me. He never actually threw me in. But now, I was about to be erased for good.
00:03:13I was murdered. I cried, struggling not to be dragged forward.
00:03:18I didn't do anything wrong. One of the guards, a man with a thin mustache,
00:03:23pulled a barbed whip from his belt and lashed me without hesitation. The pain tore straight through
00:03:29my soul. I collapsed instantly, unable even to scream. He said coldly,
00:03:34I don't care where you're from. Once you're in our hands, you're done. If it was a choice between
00:03:41immediate damnation and taking a gamble, I would take the gamble. What if Lucian still remembered me?
00:03:47What if there was even the slightest chance? He'd show mercy? Anything was better than soul
00:03:54obliteration. My voice trembled as I forced the words out. I know you're Lord of the Undergaled.
00:04:00I know Lucian. I want to see him. The two guards exchanged a glance. Then the whip came down again.
00:04:09This time, I felt something inside me crack. A fracture ran through my very soul,
00:04:15and I couldn't speak another word. The mustached guard spat at me.
00:04:22You think you get to say His Majesty the Underlord's name just like that? I don't care how you learned
00:04:27it.
00:04:27Keep your head down unless you want more pain. Powerless, I was dragged forward like a dead
00:04:33animal. The other guard, who had been watching quietly, looked uneasy. What if she's telling
00:04:40the truth? What if something goes wrong? The mustached guard scoffed. What's there to be afraid
00:04:48of? That sorceress said she's no saint. There's no record of her in the Ledger of Souls. Picked up a
00:04:53few
00:04:53tricks of dark sorcery, that's all. Of course she'd know His Majesty's name. You're too soft.
00:04:58If the higher-ups can't find her, then it's not our problem. We're getting paid. Let's move. No point
00:05:04dragging this out. At that point, I understood everything. They had been bought off by Vanessa
00:05:11and that sorcerer. Guards of Hell, taking bribes to do something like this. When I saw the towering
00:05:18gates of hell ahead, carved with grotesque demonic figures, a deep, uncontrollable terror
00:05:23shook my soul. The guards cast a spell, and the massive gates began to open slowly. My heart sank
00:05:30into despair. Then suddenly, a voice rang out from behind us, drawing closer. New arrival? Has she gone
00:05:39through the judgment process yet? My heart lurched. I recognized that voice. Cole, a high-ranking
00:05:47reaper. And he knew who I was. I stared at the tall figure emerging from the mist, my heart pounding
00:05:54as I forced out his name. Cole? The moment I spoke, a hand clamped over my mouth. One of the
00:06:01guards dragged
00:06:02me behind a massive rock, silencing me before I could say another word. Through the haze, I watched as
00:06:08Cole was stopped by the moustached guard. Panic surged through me. I struggled wildly, only to be
00:06:15struck hard in the lower back. The blow knocking the air out of me. The moustached guard quickly
00:06:21pulled out a pack of Marlboros, his face breaking into a psychophantic grin. Lord Cole, what brings
00:06:27you here today? Got something good from the human world, strong stuff. Wanna try one? Cole brushed dust
00:06:33off his black coat, clearly irritated. Cut it out. I asked you a question. Has that wandering spirit
00:06:41gone through the judgment process? The guard swallowed, his confidence faltering. Yeah, of course.
00:06:48We wouldn't dare skip procedure. You and Selina have been swapped lately, right? Go ahead, take a break.
00:06:54Cole accepted the cigarette and lit it, saying nothing more. The fog was too thick for him to see me
00:07:01clearly. Desperation took over. I bit down hard on the hand covering my mouth. The guard yelped and
00:07:09let go. I bolted toward Cole, but before I could take more than a step, a heavy kick sent me
00:07:15crashing
00:07:16to the ground. A boot slammed onto my face, grinding me into the volcanic ash. It filled my mouth and
00:07:22throat. I couldn't spit it out. I couldn't make a sound. Thankfully, the commotion caught Cole's
00:07:30attention. He stepped closer. What's going on over there? The guard I had bitten pressed his foot
00:07:37down harder in retaliation, as if trying to crush my skull. Nothing serious, just a restless spirit,
00:07:48still struggling even after getting this far. You know the type. None of them are innocent.
00:07:55No need to dirty your hands. Cole paused, then stopped approaching.
00:08:01Be careful. Every one of them was a criminal in life. No mistakes. Send her in.
00:08:08With that, he turned and disappeared back into the mist. And just like that, whatever hope I had left
00:08:15died with him. The mustache guard bowed and scraped until Cole was gone. The moment he turned back,
00:08:21his expression twisted with anger. He rushed over and kicked me several times. Then raised his whip
00:08:28and lashed out again and again, venting his fury. It didn't take long before my soul was covered in
00:08:34wounds, barely holding together, unrecognizable. Finally, he grabbed my chin and forced my face up.
00:08:43You little bitch. Almost ruined everything for us. Don't worry. Once you're inside,
00:08:49I'll take real good care of you myself. I was thrown into the first circle of hell like a piece
00:08:55of trash.
00:08:56This level was reserved for the Thousand Spike Torment. Everywhere I looked, there were iron
00:09:01maidens and racks of torment. Souls were. Bound to them, each body pierced by thousands of steel
00:09:07needles, like grotesque. Human pin cushions. Here, souls were not allowed the mercy of destruction,
00:09:14which meant the screaming never stopped. A chill ran through me as I forced out the last of my strength,
00:09:21my voice shaking. I really do know. Lucian, if you treat me like this, and he finds out,
00:09:29he won't you get away with it? It was mostly a bluff. Lucian would not care whether I lived or
00:09:35died.
00:09:35If anything, he probably never wanted to see me again. Otherwise, he would not have given me
00:09:42ageless immortality, leaving me alone in the human world, unable to age, unable to die.
00:09:51He was making sure I would never come back here and bother him. Once I crossed this threshold,
00:09:57the guards no longer saw me as a threat. The mustached guard patted my face mockingly,
00:10:02his grin cruel. What's wrong with you? Watch too many Hollywood dramas? You think someone like you
00:10:09gets to even think about his majesty, the underlord? My head was knocked to the side. A wave of nausea
00:10:16hit me, and I cocked up a mouthful of black mist. My soul felt thinner, more transparent. They strapped
00:10:23me onto a rack of torment. The mustached guard grinned as he picked up a soul-piercing spike,
00:10:29each one as long as my forearm. Hang in there. There are 17 more levels waiting for you.
00:10:35We've got plenty of time. He raised one of the spikes and drove it straight toward my thigh.
00:10:40No matter how tough you think you are, everyone breaks down here. The tip pierced half an inch
00:10:46into me. The pain tore through my soul like it was being ripped apart. My entire body shook uncontrollably.
00:10:56A voice cut through the air. The spike was winked back out. I gasped, forcing my eyes open to see
00:11:05who had arrived. It was Harris, the warden of the pit for this level. I remembered him. Back when Lucian
00:11:13had dragged me to the gates of hell to scare me, Harris had been there, trying to calm him down.
00:11:18Your majesty, the underlord, the concert queen is just being impulsive. There's no need to be so
00:11:24angry. You might hurt her. Hope flared inside me again. After all these years, maybe he's still
00:11:30remembered. Harris? Warden Harris? It's me? Please, help me?
00:11:43After everything I had endured, I was completely drained. My throat felt raw, like it had been scraped
00:11:49against sandpaper. But I knew Harris had heard me. He stared straight at me, studying my face as if
00:11:56trying to place it. Then I saw it. The sudden contraction of his pupils. The flicker of shock and
00:12:03fear. He recognized me. Relief barely had time to surface before he lived away, avoiding my gaze.
00:12:10As if nothing had happened, he turned to the guards. We just received word from above. They want to
00:12:16witness this woman's soul obsturation in person. They're almost here. Hold off for now. I froze,
00:12:22disbelief flooding through me. Harris was in on it too. He had recognized me and still chose to do
00:12:28nothing. The last bit of hope I had left was extinguished. A bitter laugh slipped out of me.
00:12:35Lucien. So this is your underworld. Your domain. Where your subordinates take. Bribes,
00:12:42bend the rules, and do whatever they want without consequence. And Vanessa. I had underestimated her.
00:12:49I could not decide if she was bold or cowardly. Bold enough to come all the way here. Cowardly
00:12:55enough that she needed to see me destroyed with her own eyes, just to feel safe enjoying my endless
00:13:00life and my money. Soon, the mist ahead began to clear. Vanessa and the sorcerer arrived. They had
00:13:08used astral projection through dark sorcery, their souls temporarily separated from their bodies.
00:13:16At first, Vanessa looked uneasy. The instruments of torture, the endless screams, all of it made her
00:13:23cling tightly to the sorcerer, afraid to stray even a step. But when she saw how familiar he was with
00:13:28the guards and even Harris, exchanging knowing glances, her confidence returned. After all,
00:13:34she was the one paying. She walked toward me with arrogant ease, took a red-hot spike from one of
00:13:40the
00:13:40guards, her face twisted with excitement. Serafana, I should thank you. Without you,
00:13:46I never would have experienced what it's like to live among the elite in the Upper East Side.
00:13:53Turns out money really can make anything happen. With enough of it, I can even walk through hell
00:13:58itself. And now I get to watch you, the untouchable heiress. Nailed down like a dog. You've lived long
00:14:06enough. I'll take it from here. Go quietly. That's the only way I can feel at ease.
00:14:11I looked at her, numb, forcing myself to endure the pain. Wasn't I good to you? Even as I said
00:14:17it,
00:14:17I knew how pointless the question was. If she had any conscience at all, none of this would be
00:14:23happening. Vanessa burst into laughter, almost hysterical. You think you were good to me?
00:14:29I worked as your assistant. Wore your outdated designer hand-me-downs. Stood next to you at parties
00:14:37like a prop. Even the way men looked at me. Like I was just an extension of you. And you
00:14:45call that
00:14:46being good to me? I said nothing. There was no arguing with someone like her.
00:14:55When I first met her, Chicago was in the middle of a brutal snowstorm.
00:14:59She had been standing there in a thin, worn-out jacket, shivering, on the verge of freezing.
00:15:06She had come from some remote town, couldn't afford rent, couldn't find a job, and was about
00:15:12to end up on the streets. I took her in. I never needed a personal assistant. I had long been
00:15:18used
00:15:18to being alone. I gave her the job out of sympathy. I treated her like a friend. Anything she wanted,
00:15:25as long as it wasn't unreasonable. I gave it to her. Her salary was higher than most senior
00:15:31professionals on Wall Street. Over time, she stopped seeing herself as an employee. She took
00:15:38more and more. She wore my limited edition gowns without asking. Used my black card. I had been too
00:15:45lenient. She started to believe we were equals. Worse, that she could replace me. My real mistake was
00:15:53trusting her. One night, drunk, I told her my secret. My ageless immortality. My silence now
00:16:01only fueled her madness. She leaned in close, her eyes filled with venom. Nothing to say now,
00:16:09right? You agree with me, don't you? You never saw me as a friend. You were just handing out charity.
00:16:15Go to hell! She raised the spike and drove it down toward my heart. A wet, sickening sound echoed.
00:16:23She did not hold back.
00:16:28Harris and the guards exchanged uneasy looks. Destroying a soul core outright would cause serious
00:16:34disturbance. But none of them stopped her. They simply watched. Black mist poured from my mouth.
00:16:42My soul essence was leaking away. My body turned increasingly transparent. My thoughts grew
00:16:49sluggish. My vision blurred. Vanessa kept screaming, completely unhinged, stabbing spike after spike
00:16:59into me. My face was shredded, every wound leaking dark smoke. And then, through the thick haze,
00:17:06I saw him. Lucian. Walking toward me. He looked exactly the same. More striking than any Hollywood
00:17:14star I had seen in centuries. Time had left no mark in him. His black velvet robe was embroidered
00:17:21with dark gold patterns. A symbol of absolute power. His long dark hair flowed like a cascade.
00:17:28His features were sharp, flawless. His gaze carried a terrifying weight that made people want to fall to
00:17:34their knees. The kind of man you could not look away from. The kind of man you feared. Was this
00:17:41a
00:17:41hallucination? It had to be. A dying illusion. He would never want to see me again. And yet,
00:17:50why had everything suddenly gone silent? The guards, Harris, even the arrogant sorcerer.
00:17:56All of them were trembling. And kneeling.
00:18:02Your majesty, the Underlord! What brings you here in person?
00:18:07Harris was shaking uncontrollably, kneeling ramrod straight as cold sweat dripped.
00:18:11From his forehead onto the black stone beneath him, taking bribes from the living was already a
00:18:17grave offense. Allowing living souls to enter hell, and even carrying out unauthorized punishment,
00:18:24made it far worse. And now he had been caught red-handed by the ruler of the Underworld himself.
00:18:30There would be no good ending to this. The sorcerer's face drained of color. He quickly
00:18:36yanked Vanessa away from me, stopping her frenzied stabbing, and forced her down to her knees beside
00:18:42him, pressing, her head low. Lucian's gaze swept across everyone present. Cold. Cutting. Absolute.
00:18:51The air itself seemed to freeze under the weight of it. Behind him, the high chamberlain,
00:18:57Sebastian, stepped forward and barked, his voice, thunderous. Outrageous.
00:19:04If his majesty had not come today, who knows how far your in arrogance would have gone.
00:19:15The two guards who had dragged me here lowered their heads as far as possible, as if they wished
00:19:22they could disappear into the ground. I wanted to speak, but my mind was slipping. The wounds in my
00:19:29chest and face tore at me with unbearable pain. All I could manage were shallow, broken breaths.
00:19:37Would he recognize me? And if he did, what then? Would he pull me out of this nightmare? Or would
00:19:45he do exactly what he once promised? Throw me into the lake of fire? Tear me apart and watch me
00:19:52suffer?
00:19:53At this point, it hardly mattered. I was already close to soul obliteration. My vision of him was
00:20:00starting to blur, splitting into overlapping shadows. After a long silence, Lucien finally spoke.
00:20:08His voice was calm, slow, and colder than ancient ice.
00:20:12Harris, I entrusted the first circle of hell to you.
00:20:18This is how you carry out your duty? Allowing a living soul to enter my domain,
00:20:24and administering private punishment on my ground? Harris slammed his forehead against the floor over
00:20:30and over, even harder than I had, when begging Vanessa earlier.
00:20:40I was wrong. I know I was wrong. It was those two guards. Greed got the better of them. They
00:20:47brought the living in. I had no idea. Before your majesty arrived, I was just about to drive them out.
00:20:53The two guards immediately snapped. Even in front of Lucien, they could not hold back.
00:20:59This is your territory. If a living person got in, that's your failure.
00:21:04The mustached guard shot back. You took the bigger share of the money. How dare you turn on us now?
00:21:10Harris's face twisted with fury.
00:21:14You were the ones who came up with this scheme. You dragged me into it.
00:21:19Your majesty, please see the truth. I finally understood. Lucien was not here to save me.
00:21:25He had sensed something wrong with the barrier, realized his subordinates were
00:21:30breaking the rules, and came to deal with it. I just happened to be here. An extra piece in
00:21:37someone else's disaster. At this point, I felt almost invisible. The sorcerer and Vanessa were at
00:21:44the center of the storm. As the three of them turned on each other, blaming and accusing Lucien let out
00:21:50a
00:21:50quiet scoff. The sound struck like a hammer against every soul present.
00:21:57Enough! His voice carried finality. Since they are here, those two living souls will not be returning.
00:22:06Strip them of bodily perception. Detain them for judgment. He paused, then cast a cold glance at
00:22:13Harris and the two guards. As for you, you knew the law and broke it. You will be cast into
00:22:20the
00:22:20abyss of demons. You will become hellhounds for all eternity, burned by hellfire, never to rise again.
00:22:29Harris went completely still. Still kneeling, he collapsed backward, his face drained of all color,
00:22:35too stunned even, to beg. The two guards looked no different. Pure despair. Vanessa,
00:22:43slower to process, finally understood what not returning meant. She stared at her semi-transparent
00:22:50hands and panicked, scrambling to her feet. You can't do this. I'm not supposed to die yet.
00:22:57Don't you have rules in hell? I paid for this. She could not let go.
00:23:03Not of the life she had just stolen from me. Not of the endless wealth waiting for her in
00:23:08Manhattan. The sorcerer, terrified she would drag him down with her, grabbed at her leg and
00:23:14hissed under his breath. Are you insane? Get down on your knees. She shook him off violently and
00:23:21pointed straight at Lucian. I'm leaving now. Send me back. If you don't, you'll regret it.
00:23:28The sorcerer shut his eyes. He did not dare move. Vanessa grabbed him by the collar and shook him,
00:23:35her face twisted with rage. What are you doing? I paid you a million dollars. Do your job. I said
00:23:42I'm going back now. She had no idea. Lucian despised noise, and he had no tolerance for mortals who
00:23:50overstepped in his presence. The next second, he simply lifted a finger. Vanessa's soul was struck as
00:23:57it by an invisible hammer. Her body flew backward like a severed kite. As if fate itself were mocking
00:24:04her, she landed hard on a metal people covered with instruments of torture. More than a dozen
00:24:10red-hot soul-piercing spikes drove straight through her back. Her scream tore through the entire first
00:24:16circle of hell. Now she understood. The pain. The horror. Her face twisted beyond recognition as she
00:24:24shrieked. Silence her. Sebastian raised a hand, his voice cold. Several high-ranking guards stepped
00:24:32forward immediately, forcing her down, covering her mouth as the spikes burned through her. When it was
00:24:39over, silence returned. Heavy. Absolute. Only then did Lucian slowly turn his head. And look at me.
00:24:48I could feel it. His gaze. Cold. Distant. Like he was looking at something worthless. Like I was
00:24:57nothing more than trash. Sebastian read the shift in Lucian's expression immediately and stepped
00:25:04forward, his tone sharp and authoritative. Who are you? State your name. Why were you brought here
00:25:10without going through the judgment process? Even after being sentenced, Harris clearly was not ready to
00:25:17give up. He was still trying to salvage something, anything. If it came out that I had been smuggled
00:25:23and through bribery, bypassing the proper process, his fate would only get worse. And if Lucian actually
00:25:30recognized me, he spoke first, rushing to cover it up. Your majesty, she's just a newly dead wandering
00:25:37spirit. No idea how she slipped in. Anyone who ends up here isn't innocent. She even tried to attack
00:25:42the guards just now. There's no need for you to concern yourself. I'll dispose of her immediately.
00:25:46Lucian's brow furrowed slightly, displeasure flashing across his face. His gaze cut toward
00:25:52Harris like a blade. Before he could say anything, Sebastian stepped in and kicked Harris to the
00:25:57ground. You were not addressed. Keep your mouth shut. One more word and you go to the abyss now.
00:26:05I tried to speak. Tried to call out. But my throat only produced a hollow, rasping hiss. Black wisps of
00:26:13soul energy kept spilling from my mouth. When no clear answer came, Sebastian approached me
00:26:19himself. He examined my condition with visible disgust. Then turned back to Lucian and shook his head.
00:26:28Your majesty, her soul is severely damaged. It's on the verge of collapse. I'm afraid we won't get much
00:26:35out of her. Lucian had always been a ruler of order and strict law. He did not tolerate any
00:26:40disruption to the rules of the underworld. Verify her identity. If she does not belong here,
00:26:45stabilize her soul if possible. Then determine whether she should be returned to the living
00:26:49world or sent into the cycle of rebirth. Sebastian bowed. He immediately ordered someone
00:26:57to bring the ledger of souls. While they waited, Vanessa was still struggling on the ground, twisting
00:27:03and thrashing, trying to pull the spikes out of her body. She still did not understand what kind of
00:27:09existence she had just provoked. All she could think about was getting back to the living world.
00:27:14Back to my luxury penthouse. Back to spending my money, living the life she had always envied.
00:27:21Soon, a clerk hurried over, carrying a massive, faintly glowing ledger of souls. Sebastian took it and
00:27:29stepped closer to me again, looking down from above. Your name. I gathered what little strength I had
00:27:35left. From deep in my throat, I forced out a single word, barely more than a whisper.
00:27:42Seraphina. Sebastian did not recognize me. He must have taken this position sometime in the last few
00:27:50centuries. He began flipping through the ledger, his fingers moving quickly as he searched the records of
00:27:56the corresponding years. Seconds passed. Then minutes. His movements slowed. Something was wrong.
00:28:05A thin sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead. That's not possible. How could this be?
00:28:14Lucian's patient snapped. He was not known for tolerance, and even less for restraint. The temperature
00:28:20around him seemed to drop instantly. A dark, violent aura surfaced beneath his composed exterior.
00:28:26What is the delay? How long does it take to check a name?
00:28:33Sebastian dropped to his knees with a thud, raising the ledger above his head with trembling hands.
00:28:38Your majesty. Please forgive me. I have checked every record. This woman. Her name does not exist in
00:28:45the ledger of souls. A bitter smile flickered inside me. Of course it didn't. That had been Lucian's doing.
00:28:53His punishment. To erase my name. To leave me wandering the human world. Unable to die. Unable to enter
00:29:02reincarnation. He in hell. Me in the mortal world. Forever separated. Never crossing paths again.
00:29:11Lucian, however, did not make the connection. Too much time had passed.
00:29:17His first instinct was that someone had tampered with the ledger, daring to challenge his authority.
00:29:24Fury surged. Black energy roiled around him as he snatched the ledger from Sebastian, flipping through it himself.
00:29:33What is her name?
00:29:36Sebastian's voice trembled.
00:29:41The moment the name left his lips, Lucian's hand froze. His pupils contracted sharply. For the first time, something cracked
00:29:51through that cold, untouchable composure. Shock. Disbelief. Something deeper.
00:29:58His gaze snapped up from the ledger and locked onto me. Pinned to the rack of torment. Broken. Barely holding
00:30:07together.
00:30:10In the blink of an eye, black mist surged. He appeared in front of me like a phantom.
00:30:17Bringing with him a suffocating chill.
00:30:20His long, cold fingers shot out and gripped my chin, forcing my head up. His brows were drawn tight. His
00:30:28gaze sharp as a hawks, as if he were trying to see through the ruin of my face and uncover
00:30:33who I really was. But there was nothing left to recognize. Vanessa had carved my face into a mess of
00:30:40crisscrossing wounds with those.
00:30:43Soul-piercing spikes. Black mist seeped from every cut. Whatever beauty I once have was gone without a trace. He
00:30:51stared at me for a long time. Something unreadable flickered in his expression, as if he was struggling to confirm
00:30:58what he was seeing.
00:30:59Is it really you?
00:31:01His voice was low, restrained. The pain made it impossible to breathe. I could only give the faintest nod.
00:31:09The moment he got his answer, his grip tightened. I felt my jaw creak under the pressure. His eyes darkened
00:31:16instantly.
00:31:17Did you forget what I told you when I let you go?
00:31:20A storm gathering beneath them. Of course I had not forgotten. Those words were carved into my soul.
00:31:27The day he released me, he had stood before the gates of hell, looking down at me with cold indifference,
00:31:34warning that if he ever saw me again,
00:31:36he would throw me into the lake of fire and personally tear me apart, leaving me to suffer for eternity.
00:31:42I had no strength left to argue. I could only curl my lips into a faint, broken smile, one that
00:31:50looked more like a grimace than anything else.
00:31:59This shattered soul of mine would not last long enough for him to carry out that threat anyway.
00:32:04At any moment, I would disappear. Suddenly, he let go of me. With a look of disgust, he took out
00:32:10a black silk handkerchief and wiped his fingers, his voice cold and cutting.
00:32:14Pathetic. You insisted on leaving me. I thought you would make quite a life for yourself in the human world,
00:32:20and this is what you've become. What a disgrace.
00:32:23He sounded almost satisfied. Seeing me like this must have fed his pride.
00:32:28When I left, I had walked away without looking back, proud and unyielding. Now, nothing had changed for him.
00:32:36He was still the lord of the underworld, standing above everything. And me?
00:32:43I was nothing more than a broken soul, betrayed by my own assistant, nailed to a torture rack, on the
00:32:50verge of being erased.
00:32:51He did not let me disappear. Instead, he turned sharply to Sebastian.
00:32:58Take her away. Find the best physician in the nether realm. Do whatever it takes to stabilize her soul. Without
00:33:02my permission, she is not to die.
00:33:04So he wanted to keep me alive. Of course, Lucien had always been vindictive. Petty, even.
00:33:12Being abandoned by a woman was not something he would ever let go. If he was going to settle this,
00:33:18he would do it personally.
00:33:19The treatment was worse than torture. Every drop of medicine poured onto my wounds felt like my soul was being
00:33:26torn apart and stitched back together again.
00:33:28I did not know if I had lost consciousness or if I was simply drifting in and out under the
00:33:33weight of the pain.
00:33:34That was when I realized something. Even a soul could dream. And the dreams felt terrifyingly real.
00:33:43I saw everything. From the moment I met Lucien, to the time we fell in love, to the day we
00:33:50tore each other apart.
00:33:51Back then, he had found the underworld unbearably dull and decided to wander the human world.
00:33:57On a freezing winter night, during the Great Depression in New York, he found me.
00:34:02I had been young, starving, on the verge of death. In those days, the economy had collapsed.
00:34:10People died on the streets every day. Lives meant nothing. And yet, somehow, I caught his attention.
00:34:18Lucky. Or perhaps terribly unlucky. He hid his identity, becoming a wealthy gentleman.
00:34:26He stayed by my side as I grew up, giving me everything. My first love was him. My first time
00:34:33was him.
00:34:34He became my entire world. He kept his secret flawlessly hidden.
00:34:39It was not until I fell ill and died that I learned the truth.
00:34:43When my soul was brought to the underworld, I saw him sitting on his throne.
00:34:47That was when I realized who he really was.
00:34:50At the time, he believed he had given me a great gift.
00:34:54A short but happy life in the human world, spent under his protection.
00:34:59We had been husband and wife. So naturally, in his mind, I should remain in the underworld, by his side
00:35:06forever.
00:35:07His obedient consort queen.
00:35:11At first, I thought the same. Love blinded me. But I was not made for that world.
00:35:18I was a modern woman. I wanted freedom.
00:35:22The rigid, ancient, suffocating rules of the underworld became unbearable.
00:35:27I could not accept that as the lord of the underworld, he had countless dark consorts, each more alluring than
00:35:34the last.
00:35:34I could not accept the way he stood at the top of power, issuing commands as if it were second
00:35:40nature, treating me not as an equal, but as something beautiful he owned.
00:35:44So I chose to leave. I wanted a new life.
00:35:48I wanted to drink the waters of oblivion and return to the human world, free.
00:35:54When he found out, he lost control. His eyes turned red with rage.
00:35:58He dragged me to the gates of hell, pointing at the boiling depths below, trying to force me to stay.
00:36:05I had been terrified. Crying uncontrollably. Shaking. Afraid he might actually throw me in.
00:36:12We stood there for a long time. In the end, he let go. Reluctantly. Coldly.
00:36:19He allowed me to leave, but not without a warning. If he ever saw me again, he would not show
00:36:26mercy.
00:36:26At the time, I did not understand what he really meant. All I wanted was freedom. Rebirth.
00:36:36Only after I returned to the human world did I realize the truth. His punishment.
00:36:42He let me keep all my memories.
00:36:46He made it so I would never age. Never die. A living anomaly.
00:36:53He even arranged for me to be born into a powerful family, leaving, behind a trust fund and immense wealth
00:37:00that could sustain me for centuries.
00:37:03That was when I understood. He never intended to see me again.
00:37:08Not just in anger. He had cut off my path entirely.
00:37:12No death. No return.
00:37:15No chance of ever entering the cycle.
00:37:18Of rebirth.
00:37:19I took it seriously.
00:37:21I lived carefully.
00:37:23Quietly.
00:37:24Watching everyone around me grow old and die.
00:37:28While I stayed the same.
00:37:30I was afraid of death.
00:37:33Afraid of accidents.
00:37:35Afraid of being dragged back here.
00:37:37Afraid he would make good on his promise.
00:37:39And yet, despite all that caution, I still fell.
00:37:46To the person I trusted most.
00:37:48The memories faded like.
00:37:50A passing storm.
00:37:53A sharp pain pierced my head as I slowly came back to consciousness.
00:37:58The surroundings were familiar.
00:38:00Luxurious.
00:38:02Dark.
00:38:03This was the Obsidian Palace.
00:38:05Lucian's private domain.
00:38:12The bed beneath me was wide.
00:38:14Soft.
00:38:15Black.
00:38:16It carried his scent.
00:38:18Deep.
00:38:19Cold.
00:38:20Lingering.
00:38:23Like cedarwood burning in a winter fireplace.
00:38:25Mixed with the faint trace of ash.
00:38:28It was a scent I had never found on anyone else.
00:38:34Once, it had been comforting.
00:38:37Even now, wrapped in it.
00:38:39My tense soul relaxed for just a moment.
00:38:43But it did not last.
00:38:45As if he had been tracking me, the doors opened the instant I woke.
00:38:50Lucian walked in.
00:38:52I immediately shut my eyes.
00:38:54Pretending to still be unconscious.
00:38:56Trying to avoid facing him.
00:38:58It did not work.
00:39:01Stop pretending.
00:39:02Your soul's fluctuations are obvious.
00:39:04I know you're awake.
00:39:06I almost laughed.
00:39:08Back then, he could spend an entire night gazing at my face without getting tired.
00:39:14Now, he called me ugly without hesitation.
00:39:17Ugly.
00:39:18Wait.
00:39:18I lifted a hand and touched my face.
00:39:22Uneven.
00:39:23Rough.
00:39:23Rough.
00:39:24Completely ruined.
00:39:27Vanessa had not held back.
00:39:29Every strike had been meant to destroy.
00:39:32Maybe I really had become something hideous.
00:39:42I opened my eyes, dropping the act.
00:39:45I met his cold gaze and let out a faint, bitter laugh.
00:39:50So what now?
00:39:51You saved me just to throw me into the lake of fire yourself?
00:39:55Planning to tear me apart with your own hands?
00:39:57Not yet.
00:40:01Lucian stepped forward and yanked me off the bed without the slightest care.
00:40:07His grip was rough, almost punishing.
00:40:12What I granted you, and those worthless humans dared to covet it.
00:40:16They even used dark sorcery.
00:40:19You should witness for yourself what happens to those who anger the underworld.
00:40:24The darkness in his eyes made my spine go cold.
00:40:27So that was it.
00:40:29He was going to make an example of them in front of me first.
00:40:33And then deal with me.
00:40:34In the outer hall of the Obsidian Palace, the atmosphere was suffocating.
00:40:39Vanessa and the sorcerer were bound by heavy soul shackles locked around their bodies.
00:40:44Forced to kneel on the hard obsidian floor.
00:40:47Nearby were Harris, pale as death, and the two guards who had dragged me in, trembling where they knelt.
00:40:53Everyone involved was here.
00:40:55No exceptions.
00:40:58The moment Vanessa saw me being led out by Lucian.
00:41:05Jealousy flashed across her face.
00:41:07She tried to lunge at me, only to be kicked back down by a high-ranking guard behind her.
00:41:14Seraphana!
00:41:14You liar!
00:41:16What the hell did you do?
00:41:17Why are you standing there?
00:41:19I was still too weak to respond.
00:41:21Even walking here had taken everything out of me.
00:41:25I could barely breathe, let alone waste energy on her hysteria.
00:41:29Lucian, on the other hand, seemed almost pleased.
00:41:34There was something dark in him.
00:41:37Something that thrived on this kind of moment.
00:41:40The faint curve of his lips carried a chilling edge.
00:41:46Serafina, these rumen hurt you.
00:41:49What would you like done with them?
00:41:50I'll leave the decision to you.
00:41:52Me?
00:41:53I looked at him, stunned.
00:41:55He ruled this place.
00:41:57Life and death were his to command.
00:41:59Why ask me?
00:42:01For a fleeting second, it felt like the past.
00:42:04Back when we had lived in the human world, he had always been like this.
00:42:09Gentle.
00:42:10Respectful.
00:42:11Asking for my opinion on everything.
00:42:14No matter how small.
00:42:16A sharp, unnameable ache spread through my chest.
00:42:20I shook my head.
00:42:21Do whatever you want.
00:42:23Just follow the rules of hell.
00:42:28He frowned, clearly displeased with my answer.
00:42:31Without warning, he pulled me into his arms, locking me against him with one arm around my shoulders.
00:42:37What's wrong?
00:42:38Feeling soft now?
00:42:40Have you forgotten what happened to you just hours ago?
00:42:42How they killed you?
00:42:43How they nailed you to that rack?
00:42:49They've already confessed.
00:42:51Even your trust fund has been transferred.
00:42:54This is your chance to get even.
00:42:56Don't act like a coward.
00:42:58Seeing the closeness between us, something twisted in Vanessa's expression.
00:43:04Jealousy spilled over into pure madness.
00:43:06I knew it!
00:43:07I always knew you were that kind of woman.
00:43:10Clinging to men with money and power, using that face of yours to get whatever you want.
00:43:14And now look at you.
00:43:15Dead and still doing the same thing.
00:43:18Even seducing someone here.
00:43:20You're disgusting!
00:43:22The temperature in the room dropped instantly.
00:43:26Lucian's expression darkened to something terrifying.
00:43:29His face was flawless, almost unreal, but the sheer violence in his gaze made it impossible to look at him
00:43:35directly.
00:43:38I knew exactly why.
00:43:41It was not just the insult.
00:43:43Vanessa had crossed a line.
00:43:46She implied I belonged to someone else.
00:43:49Lucian had always been possessive.
00:43:52Obsessively so.
00:43:53In his mind, once I had been his, that was permanent.
00:43:58Time did not matter.
00:44:00Life or death did not matter.
00:44:02I was his.
00:44:04No one else was allowed to touch me.
00:44:07Not even look at me.
00:44:09Fortunately, during the long century I spent back in the human world, I had lived cautiously.
00:44:14I stayed single, avoided relationships.
00:44:18Avoided attention.
00:44:19If I had not, I did not even want to imagine what would happen right now.
00:44:24The sorcerer, realizing Vanessa was pushing them both toward destruction, panicked completely.
00:44:30He slammed his head against the floor again and again.
00:44:33Your majesty, please show mercy.
00:44:35I was blinded by greed.
00:44:37She offered a fortune.
00:44:39I lost my judgment.
00:44:40I should never have interfered with fate or taken a life.
00:44:43I was wrong.
00:44:44She manipulated me.
00:44:45This was all her idea.
00:44:47Vanessa snapped.
00:44:49Like a feral cat, she lunged and slapped him hard across the face.
00:44:53Shut up!
00:44:54You took the money willingly, drew the circle, and now you want to pin everything on me?
00:44:59Not happening!
00:45:02Sebastian strode forward.
00:45:04Silence.
00:45:04His voice cutting through the chaos like a blade.
00:45:06The room fell still.
00:45:08You dare raise your voices here?
00:45:10His gaze swept over them coldly.
00:45:12Every one of you is guilty.
00:45:14None of you will escape.
00:45:15He paused.
00:45:16Then his tone turned even sharper.
00:45:18Do you even understand who it is you tried to harm?
00:45:23Vanessa's bloodshot eyes snapped toward me.
00:45:26Even now, she refused to back down, letting out a cold, stubborn laugh.
00:45:33She's just some freak who doesn't age or die.
00:45:37She's lived long enough, had more than enough.
00:45:40I took her life and her trust fund.
00:45:42So what?
00:45:45That's what I deserve!
00:45:47I spent ten years serving her like a slave.
00:45:51I had been too exhausted to argue before.
00:45:54People like her, cold and self-centered, never see kindness.
00:45:59They only see what they think the world owes them.
00:46:03But hearing her twist everything so shamelessly still made something in me snap.
00:46:08Vanessa, I said, my voice low but shaking with anger.
00:46:12Ask yourself this.
00:46:15If you hadn't met me in that snowstorm,
00:46:19would you have had those ten years at all?
00:46:21You would have frozen to death on the street.
00:46:24And if I remember correctly, you were the one begging me to take you in.
00:46:28You said if you didn't make money,
00:46:30your father would force you back home to marry that drunk who beat his wife.
00:46:33A life trapped in poverty, in violence.
00:46:38Raising a crying child in some run-down trailer park until it broke you,
00:46:43that was your future.
00:46:45Her face flushed as I exposed everything in front of everyone.
00:46:49For a moment, she faltered.
00:46:51Then, just as quickly, she doubled down.
00:46:56So what?
00:46:57You gave me a job.
00:46:59Paid me.
00:47:00I worked for it.
00:47:02I gave you my youth.
00:47:03I let out a short, disbelieving laugh.
00:47:06My voice trembling.
00:47:07Worked for it?
00:47:10You mean sending your cheap clothes to high-end dry cleaners on my account?
00:47:15Ordering from five-star restaurants every day and charging it to me?
00:47:21Or taking my Porsche out to clubs under my name,
00:47:24trying to hook rich men?
00:47:26You were never grateful.
00:47:29People like you don't know how to be.
00:47:30You belong at the bottom, rotting there.
00:47:34The moment someone shows you kindness, you think you're entitled to everything.
00:47:38You think you can replace them?
00:47:40Vanessa opened her mouth to scream back, but Sebastian had had enough.
00:47:45His voice cracked through the hall like thunder.
00:47:47Enough!
00:47:52He stepped forward, his expression cold and severe.
00:47:57You blind, arrogant fool.
00:48:00Do you even know who she is?
00:48:02His voice rose, sharp and unforgiving.
00:48:05She is the ninth consort queen personally taken by Ajesty, the Underlord.
00:48:09And you dared to scheme against her.
00:48:12You think someone like you can touch her?
00:48:15Vanessa froze.
00:48:17Her expression locked in place, as if her mind had simply stopped working.
00:48:24All this time, she had only seen the surface.
00:48:28My immortality.
00:48:29My wealth.
00:48:31To her, I was just a lucky anomaly.
00:48:34She had never imagined what stood behind it.
00:48:37Harris looked even worse.
00:48:39His face was drained of all life, his eyes unfocused.
00:48:43Back then, he had recognized me.
00:48:46He must have assumed that after centuries, Lucian, and I had nothing to do with each other anymore.
00:48:53That I was no longer under his protection.
00:48:56So he took the risk.
00:48:58For money.
00:48:59Now, with my identity revealed, there was no escaping the consequences.
00:49:04I turned slightly and noticed Cole standing quietly in the shadows.
00:49:08He had not said a word.
00:49:10His expression was grim, weighed down with frustration.
00:49:14Out of everyone here, he was the only one who had done nothing wrong.
00:49:18He had carried out his duties faithfully, only to be dragged into this mess by corrupt subordinates.
00:49:25He had almost discovered me that day.
00:49:28Almost.
00:49:29The two guards and the sorcerer, upon hearing the words Consort Queen, collapsed.
00:49:34Completely.
00:49:35They did not even have the strength to beg.
00:49:38As for me, I felt nothing.
00:49:41No pride.
00:49:42No satisfaction.
00:49:44Just emptiness.
00:49:45I was nothing more than one of many in Lucian's long life.
00:49:48Just another woman who had passed through it.
00:49:52There was nothing to be proud of.
00:49:56And I knew better than to underestimate him.
00:49:59This was not just about avenging me.
00:50:02This was about maintaining the authority of the underworld.
00:50:06The ones who had harmed me were dragged away.
00:50:08Into the deepest parts of hell.
00:50:11They would suffer everything I had suffered.
00:50:14A hundred times over.
00:50:16Cole was punished as well.
00:50:18For negligence.
00:50:19For failing to notice what was happening under his watch.
00:50:23Lucian ordered him to the river Styx for a year of the harshest labor.
00:50:28As for me, the victim.
00:50:30Lucian took me back to the first circle of hell.
00:50:33And made me watch.
00:50:35The winds howled through the first circle.
00:50:37Vanessa was bound to the execution platform.
00:50:40Her limbs stretched out.
00:50:42Chained in.
00:50:43Place.
00:50:43Under the control of demonic executioners.
00:50:47Thousands of red hot soul piercing.
00:50:49Spikes drove slowly into her body.
00:50:51One by one.
00:50:53From every angle.
00:50:55She was turned into a screaming, writhing pincushion.
00:50:58The executioners were precise.
00:51:01Cruel.
00:51:02But controlled.
00:51:03They avoided her soul core.
00:51:05They wanted her alive.
00:51:07Alive enough to feel everything.
00:51:10So she would not die.
00:51:11Only suffer.
00:51:13Endlessly.
00:51:14At last.
00:51:15Fear broke through her madness.
00:51:19Her face was soaked with tears and mucus.
00:51:21Her voice worse as she cried out to me.
00:51:23Serafina.
00:51:24Serafina.
00:51:25I was wrong.
00:51:26I know I was wrong.
00:51:28I lost my mind.
00:51:31I shouldn't have done that to you.
00:51:33Please.
00:51:34Make him stop.
00:51:35I'm the worst.
00:51:37I'm not even human.
00:51:39I was jealous of you.
00:51:41Your looks.
00:51:42Your youth.
00:51:43Your life in Manhattan.
00:51:45All that money you could never spend.
00:51:47And me.
00:51:48Always depending on you.
00:51:51I didn't want to become a murderer.
00:51:54It was you.
00:51:55You told me your secret when you were drunk.
00:51:59Do you know how tempting immortality and welfare.
00:52:03No one could resist that.
00:52:05Not just me.
00:52:06Anyone would have done the same.
00:52:08You can't blame me for everything.
00:52:11Even now.
00:52:12She was still shifting the blame.
00:52:15I told you because I trusted you.
00:52:17Because I believed you were my friend.
00:52:20In all these centuries.
00:52:22I've seen how cruel people can be.
00:52:25I never told anyone else.
00:52:28You made your choice.
00:52:30My voice was calm.
00:52:32But heavy with disappointment.
00:52:34Her words caught in her throat.
00:52:37For the first time.
00:52:38She fell silent.
00:52:40Maybe.
00:52:41In the middle of all that pain.
00:52:42She finally understood.
00:52:49What she had thrown away.
00:52:51What she had destroyed.
00:52:53She had betrayed kindness.
00:52:55Betrayed trust.
00:52:57For greed that had no bottom.
00:52:59And now.
00:53:00This was the price.
00:53:01She deserved it.
00:53:03She took a life.
00:53:05Betrayed someone who saved her.
00:53:07She deserved hell.
00:53:09And worse.
00:53:10She had conspired with dark sorcery.
00:53:12To steal my lifespan.
00:53:13Defying the.
00:53:14Natural order itself.
00:53:15That made her crimes even greater.
00:53:18I watched as her body convulsed on the platform.
00:53:22And I knew.
00:53:23She would never leave this place.
00:53:25Not in this life.
00:53:27Not ever.
00:53:28What surprised me.
00:53:30Was how fragile a wicked soul could be.
00:53:33Vanessa did not even make it through a full round of punishment.
00:53:36Her soul was far too fragile.
00:53:39It collapsed completely before the first cycle was finished.
00:53:42In the end.
00:53:44She was.
00:53:45Dragged into the second circle of hell.
00:53:48Where the hellfire that burns away all sin.
00:53:51Reduced her to nothing but ash.
00:53:53Not even reincarnation remained for her.
00:53:56Among all of them.
00:53:57The one who lasted the longest was the sorcerer.
00:54:01He truly had some skill.
00:54:03His soul was unusually solid.
00:54:05Otherwise he never could have.
00:54:07Activated that forbidden demonic pact circle and nearly transferred my life to.
00:54:13Vanessa.
00:54:14He endured layer after layer of torment.
00:54:17In the end.
00:54:18He met his fate in the sixth circle of hell.
00:54:21The abyss of demons.
00:54:23There was no light there.
00:54:25Only endless darkness and hunger.
00:54:27Ancient demons that had been trapped for countless centuries lurked in that abyss.
00:54:31The abyss of demons was vicious and insatiable.
00:54:36The moment a soul with even a trace of energy entering its fate.
00:54:40They swarm it instantly.
00:54:42Tearing it apart and devouring it piece by piece.
00:54:44As for Harris and the corrupt guards.
00:54:47They were stripped of their ranks and cast into.
00:54:49The boiling tar pit of the fourth circle.
00:54:52They struggled and sank.
00:54:54Over and over.
00:54:55Their bodies exploding under the scorching.
00:54:58Car burned inside and out.
00:55:00None of them would ever return.
00:55:03When it was all over.
00:55:05Lucian turned to look at me.
00:55:07Under the dim.
00:55:08Flickering glow of hellfire.
00:55:10His gaze burned with something.
00:55:12Complicated.
00:55:14You really are fearless.
00:55:17After seeing all this you're not afraid at all.
00:55:20No wonder you walked away back then without hesitating.
00:55:23Even after everything I said.
00:55:25Hearing him bring up the past made my chest tighten.
00:55:28I lowered my head.
00:55:30My hair falling forward to hide my face.
00:55:33I did not want him to see what I had become.
00:55:36He knew better than anyone how much I cared about my appearance.
00:55:40Back in the human world.
00:55:42I had always been meticulous.
00:55:44Elegant.
00:55:45The center of.
00:55:47Attention wherever I went.
00:55:49That was why so many men had been drawn to me.
00:55:52Just like Vanessa said.
00:55:54That I attracted them all.
00:55:56But I never did it for them.
00:55:58I did it for myself.
00:56:00To make the long.
00:56:02Endless years a little more bearable.
00:56:07What's the point of bringing that up now?
00:56:10Forcing my tone steady.
00:56:17The people who betrayed me are gone.
00:56:19So now what?
00:56:21Is it my turn?
00:56:23Something in my words struck him.
00:56:26Hard.
00:56:26His expression darkened instantly.
00:56:29With a cold snort.
00:56:31He turned and left without.
00:56:33Another word.
00:56:34His back rigid with anger.
00:56:36I stood there.
00:56:38Confused.
00:56:39Wasn't he the one who had sworn to throw me into the lake of fire?
00:56:44Now I asked.
00:56:46And he got angry?
00:56:48After he left.
00:56:49Sebastian did not follow immediately.
00:56:51He paused.
00:56:53Turned back to me.
00:56:54And let out a long.
00:56:55Helpless sigh.
00:56:59My queen.
00:57:00Do you truly not understand his majesty's feelings?
00:57:03Or are you pretending not to just to provoke him?
00:57:06I looked up.
00:57:08Puzzled.
00:57:10Understand what?
00:57:12Doesn't he want me dead?
00:57:15Sebastian sighed again.
00:57:16As if the answer were painfully obvious.
00:57:19His majesty has never let you go.
00:57:21Not once.
00:57:23He may seem cold.
00:57:24But he has always kept you in his heart.
00:57:27He could not bear the thought of you suffering through another mortal life.
00:57:31He could not bear to see you struggle in poverty again.
00:57:36That is why he gave you everything.
00:57:38These past years in the human world.
00:57:41You lived well, didn't you?
00:57:43I froze.
00:57:45And do you know...
00:57:46Sebastian continued...
00:57:47How he spent those same years without you?
00:57:50My heart skipped.
00:57:54He dismissed every consort in the palace after you left.
00:57:58Not one remained.
00:58:00And whenever he had time, he would go to the human world in secret.
00:58:05Just to watch you.
00:58:07He is too proud to admit his feelings.
00:58:10And you...
00:58:12You never looked back.
00:58:14Not once in all these centuries.
00:58:17He paused.
00:58:19Then his voice grew heavier.
00:58:21Do you understand what it means to erase a name from the ledger of souls?
00:58:25It violates the very laws of existence.
00:58:29The backlash alone is enough to bring divine punishment.
00:58:32And your endless life span.
00:58:36It did not come from nowhere.
00:58:39He used the power of his divine core of death to sustain it.
00:58:43Each word hit me like a blow.
00:58:45I stood frozen, unable to move, my thoughts spiraling.
00:58:50All this time, what I thought was punishment...
00:58:53Was protection?
00:58:55Sacrifice?
00:58:56Before I could process it...
00:58:59Lucien's voice cut through the distance.
00:59:02Sebastian.
00:59:03Sharp.
00:59:04Irritated.
00:59:05Who do you serve?
00:59:06Get over here.
00:59:08Sebastian gave me a quick bow.
00:59:10Said nothing more.
00:59:12And hurried after him.
00:59:13I was left alone.
00:59:15I wandered slowly along the shadow path.
00:59:19The air cold and filled with drifting spirits.
00:59:21But my mind was anything but calm.
00:59:29For the first time, I truly thought about what came next.
00:59:33Lucien was not going to kill me.
00:59:36That much was clear.
00:59:37But my body in the human world had already been...
00:59:41Destroyed from that fall.
00:59:43There was no going back.
00:59:45That left only two possibilities.
00:59:48Remain here as a soul.
00:59:50Or...
00:59:51Reincarnation.
00:59:53But could I even be reborn?
00:59:55I was someone whose name had been erased from the ledger of souls.
00:59:59A being.
01:00:01Outside the system itself.
01:00:03And then there was something else.
01:00:05Something I had not allowed myself to think about.
01:00:08After centuries apart.
01:00:11Could what we had ever be restored?
01:00:13Back then, in that lifetime, we had been happy.
01:00:17Truly.
01:00:18But memories fade.
01:00:20Time changes everything.
01:00:23For hundreds of years, I had lived alone.
01:00:26Yes.
01:00:27The curse, or blessing, of immortality had made me think of him often.
01:00:31But was that love still there?
01:00:34That same intensity?
01:00:36I did not know.
01:00:37My thoughts were a mess.
01:00:39I had no answers.
01:00:41I walked without direction until exhaustion caught up with me.
01:00:45Eventually, I found a quiet corner and sat down against a cold stone.
01:00:50Staring into nothing.
01:00:52Then suddenly...
01:00:53A piece of black fabric edged with dark gold patterns appeared in front of me.
01:00:58I looked up.
01:01:00Lucien had come back.
01:01:04I looked up at him.
01:01:06He still stood there.
01:01:08Tall and commanding as ever.
01:01:10But the cold arrogance I was used.
01:01:12To was gone.
01:01:14Replaced by something...
01:01:15Awkward.
01:01:16Almost like a wronged golden...
01:01:19Retriever.
01:01:19Stubbornly refusing to admit it was hurt.
01:01:23What are you doing out here alone?
01:01:25He asked first.
01:01:26There was a hint of tension in his...
01:01:29Voice.
01:01:30Thinking about how to leave me again?
01:01:32I froze.
01:01:34I had never seen him like this.
01:01:36Like I was the heartless one who had abandoned.
01:01:39Something that loved me completely.
01:01:42I took a slow breath.
01:01:44Forcing myself to look away from his eyes.
01:01:46If I wanted to leave...
01:01:48I asked calmly...
01:01:49Could I be re-reborn?
01:01:51My name was no longer in the ledger of souls.
01:01:54I was an exception.
01:01:56No.
01:01:57His answer came without hesitation.
01:01:59Anyone not in the ledger...
01:02:01Does not enter the cycle.
01:02:03You cannot be reborn.
01:02:05I had expected that.
01:02:06If I could not return to the human world...
01:02:09And I could not reincarnate...
01:02:11Then there was...
01:02:12Only one path left.
01:02:14Stay here.
01:02:15In the underworld.
01:02:17Seeing me fall silent...
01:02:19Lucien seemed to misunderstand.
01:02:21His eyes reddened slightly.
01:02:23His voice rising despite himself.
01:02:26You don't have any other choice.
01:02:28Even knowing that you still won't choose me?
01:02:31You'd rather wander as a lost spirit than stay by my side?
01:02:35Something in me softened at the sight of him like this.
01:02:38I opened my mouth...
01:02:40Wanting to explain.
01:02:42But no words came.
01:02:47My hesitation only made things worse.
01:02:50He turned sharply...
01:02:51Clearly furious...
01:02:53Striding away in long steps.
01:02:55But even then...
01:02:56He...
01:02:57Stopped just long enough to throw one last warning over his shoulder.
01:03:00You do have another option.
01:03:03Stay here as a stray soul.
01:03:05Just hope no guard mistakes you for an escaped demon and throws you into the abyss.
01:03:12And don't expect me to save you.
01:03:14His threat was so childish that I could not help it.
01:03:18I laughed.
01:03:19Quickly getting to my feet, I hurried after him and grabbed his sleeve.
01:03:24He stiffened.
01:03:25But he did not pull away.
01:03:27I'm scared.
01:03:28I said softly.
01:03:30Tugging at him just a little.
01:03:32That part was not entirely true.
01:03:35That night, in the Obsidian Palace, he did not let me go.
01:03:40Centuries of longing and restraint finally broke loose.
01:03:43Lucian was like a starving wolf.
01:03:45Once he had me in his grasp, he refused to let go.
01:03:50My soul had not fully recovered.
01:03:52I could barely endure the intensity of him.
01:03:55More than...
01:03:57Once, in the overwhelming rush of sensation, I felt like I might shatter completely.
01:04:02Every time I tried to push him away, he had an answer ready.
01:04:07You are the consort queen.
01:04:09I have only you now.
01:04:14If you don't give me an heir soon, who is going to take over the underworld?
01:04:18I huffed in protest.
01:04:20Half breathless.
01:04:22I don't like it here.
01:04:23It's dark all the time.
01:04:26Cold.
01:04:27Empty.
01:04:28The human world is better.
01:04:30He pressed a kiss to my ear, his voice low and coaxing.
01:04:34Fine.
01:04:35Once we have an heir, I'll hand over the power.
01:04:39I'll go with you.
01:04:41Wherever you want.
01:04:42His promise stirred something in me.
01:04:45Memories of the life we once had.
01:04:48I wrapped my arms around his neck.
01:04:50Can we go back?
01:04:52I asked quietly.
01:04:53Live like we did before?
01:04:55Just...
01:04:56Normal people?
01:04:58Only then could I feel something real.
01:05:01Not the distance between ruler and subject.
01:05:04Just him.
01:05:05Just me.
01:05:06In the heat of the moment, he bit lightly at my neck, leaving his mark, his voice firm.
01:05:13Anything you want.
01:05:14I cupped his face, looking into those dark, intoxicating eyes, teasing him just a little.
01:05:20Didn't you say my name was erased?
01:05:22That I could never be reborn?
01:05:25He paused.
01:05:27Just for a second.
01:05:29Then his gaze flickered away.
01:05:31Caught.
01:05:32The next moment, he pulled me closer.
01:05:35More forceful this time, silencing me in his...
01:05:38On way.
01:05:40After that, I stopped thinking.
01:05:42Letting everything fade into the dark.
01:05:48Time passed.
01:05:49We spent years in the underworld.
01:05:52Long, quiet, unexpectedly warm.
01:05:56We even had children.
01:05:58Mischievous little ones who inherited his divine core of death.
01:06:01And in the end, he kept his promise.
01:06:04We returned.
01:06:06Back to the human world.
01:06:08Lucian used his power to create a new identity.
01:06:11He became the boy, next door.
01:06:14The one who had grown up with me under the California sun.
01:06:18We fell in love again.
01:06:20Got married.
01:06:21Bought a house by the ocean, with a garden full of flowers.
01:06:25We sat together on the porch swing, watching the sunset paint the sky in endless colors.
01:06:31One evening, as the light faded, he held my hand and told me quietly that during those.
01:06:37Centuries apart, he had watched countless sunsets like this.
01:06:42With me, even when I did not know he was there.
01:06:46A breeze passed through.
01:06:47I leaned against his shoulder.
01:06:50We looked at each other and smiled.
01:06:52This time, we would never be apart again.
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