- 34 minutes ago
- #michaelsmith
#michaelsmith
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00:00My family has a dark legend. The dying will see their own death in the mirror.
00:05Tonight, I saw myself. In the reflection, my husband handed me a glass of wine.
00:13Three seconds after drinking it, I dropped dead.
00:17Does he want me dead? Or does his mistress?
00:20Yes, he has a mistress. He brought her home a month ago.
00:23So tonight, at this royal banquet, he walked in with her.
00:29They acted like the real masters of the house.
00:33Everyone stared at me like I was a joke. I didn't care.
00:40Eleanor, where are you?
00:44It's fine. As long as I don't touch any wine tonight, I'll survive.
00:49I pressed my hand to my chest to calm my racing heart.
00:54I pushed the door open and walked back into the snake pit.
00:59I saw my husband walking towards me.
01:03His eyes were so gentle.
01:08And in his hand was a glass of wine.
01:13Eleanor, this wine is exquisite. Have a taste.
01:18Behind him, his mistress, Beatrice, was watching me.
01:26Beatrice's smirk felt like a death sentence.
01:30Eleanor, what's wrong?
01:33Are you going to humiliate me?
01:36Those words triggered a nightmare.
01:40My father beat my mother for ten long years.
01:43I always thought if she just endured it, we would survive.
01:48Until the day she finally snapped and murdered him,
01:51leaving me and my grandfather with nothing but each other.
01:55If only she had just kept taking it.
01:57The memory choked me.
02:00I froze.
02:02Eleanor?
02:03Do I have to feed it to you?
02:07He grabbed the back of my head.
02:10He forced the glass against my lips.
02:13No! Stop!
02:15He shoved the glass away.
02:19It shattered on the marble floor.
02:22A vicious sizzling sound echoed immediately.
02:25The spilled red wine was bubbling black.
02:31If I had been my usual obedient self,
02:34it would be my body melting on the floor right now.
02:40Suddenly, another pair of hands grabbed my arm.
02:43Sister, you look so pale.
02:46Let me help you rest.
02:48Beatrice pressed her face sickeningly close to mine.
02:52No!
02:53Get away from me!
02:59I grabbed my dress like a madwoman.
03:02I bolted down the hallway without looking back.
03:14I slammed the heavy door shut.
03:16and leaned against it.
03:20I was gasping for air.
03:21My heart threatening to explode.
03:27I looked up at the antique mirror again.
03:34The vision changed.
03:39I was locked inside a heavy iron carriage.
03:42It was sinking rapidly to the bottom of a frozen lake.
03:45Freezing water poured through the cracks.
03:47It swallowed my chest.
03:49I slammed against the glass, screaming silently for help.
03:53And Victor?
03:54He was standing on the ice, watching me drown with cold, dead eyes.
04:00The illusion faded, but the terror was real.
04:03My obedience never bought me peace.
04:06My weakness only sharpened his knife.
04:09Eleanor!
04:10Open this door right now!
04:13His gentle mask was gone.
04:15Only violent rage remained.
04:17Boom!
04:17A deafening crash shook the room.
04:19He kicked the solid oak door into splinters.
04:22Victor stepped over the wreckage.
04:24His fist was tightly wrapped around a black riding cooter.
04:27He looked at me like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
04:30My dear wife,
04:33it's time to go home.
04:35The carriage is waiting.
04:37He slowly raised the leather whip.
04:47He lashed the riding cap around my wrists.
04:54The rough leather tore into my skin.
05:01He threw me into the luxury carriage like a piece of trash.
05:07The carriage sped into the dark night.
05:13I stared at his bloodthirsty profile,
05:16swallowing my terror.
05:18Take me to my grandfather.
05:19I need to see him now.
05:27He snirked and slammed his whip against the carriage wall.
05:32Gladly.
05:33Let's go see that useless old man.
05:38The carriage jolted to a stop.
05:43I pushed open the familiar doors,
05:45desperate for my grandfather's safe embrace.
05:51Instead,
05:52I saw Beatrice.
05:55She was lounging in my family's seat of power.
06:02She was playing with my dead mother's emerald necklace.
06:14Beatrice casually pulled a red-hot iron paker from the fireplace.
06:20She walked over to my mother's antique harp.
06:23She drove the glowing metal straight through the delicate strings.
06:31Victor gave me this house.
06:34You don't mind, do you, wife?
06:40I shook virantly as my mother's legacy burned.
06:43Then, my grandfather burst through the doors.
06:46His face was red with fury, veins popping on his forehead.
06:49You animals!
06:50How dare you trespass!
06:52He pulled a heavy sword from the wall and charged at Victor.
06:55The screaming, the weapons,
06:57my parents' bloody death flashed before my eyes.
06:59I dropped to my knees, covering my ears in terror.
07:02I crawled to my grandfather and grabbed his sleeve.
07:04Stop!
07:04Put the sword down!
07:06I can take a little disrespect.
07:08Just don't fight!
07:09He looked at me in absolute disbelief.
07:13How did I raise such a coward?
07:17The mix of extreme grief and anger was too much.
07:20He collapsed onto the rug, violently convulsing.
07:23A stroke.
07:24My heart stopped.
07:24I lunged for his medicine bottle on the table.
07:27A heavy black boot slammed down on my hand.
07:31Victor looked down at me,
07:33a sadistic smile carving into his face.
07:38He ground his heel into my hand,
07:41crushing my fingers.
07:43With a flick of his boot,
07:45he kicked the life-saving medicine away.
07:47It shattered in the roaring fireplace.
07:51I scrambled toward the massive window.
07:54I grabbed the brass emergency bell
07:56and pulled with all my light.
07:58The franty ringing tore through the stormy night.
08:01Outside, I heard the war horses.
08:04Lucen and his guards were here.
08:06My grandfather still had a chance.
08:09But Victor just drew his sword.
08:12He calmly walked over to the gate mechanism.
08:15One clean strike cut the main rope.
08:18The massive iron gate crashed down,
08:21sealing the courtyard entirely.
08:23Victor yelled to the guards outside.
08:26The Marquis is having a sudden attack!
08:28Lock it down!
08:29No one enters!
08:31Through the cracks,
08:33I saw sparks flying.
08:35Lucien was desperately hacking at the iron gate with his greatsword.
08:39Victor walked back and grabbed me by the hair.
08:43My grandfather's eyes rolled back.
08:46His breathing turned into a death rattle.
08:49Life was draining from him,
08:51and I was completely helpless.
08:54Victor stared at the dying old man with an evil grin.
08:58I only needed his signature.
09:01But now,
09:03you'll be my perfect little puppet.
09:11My grandfather's frail hand had been gripping mine tight.
09:15Suddenly,
09:16it went entirely limp.
09:18That heavy,
09:19lifeless feeling
09:20pierced my heart like an ice pick.
09:22He stared blankly at the ceiling.
09:25He was gone.
09:26He died with sheer terror and absolute despair frozen in his eyes.
09:31My world stopped turning.
09:34Lucien's armored guards finally broke through the iron gate.
09:37But it was too late.
09:38My grandfather's body was already cold in my arms.
09:42Victor immediately threw himself onto the corpse.
09:45He forced out fake tears and screamed at Lucien.
09:49Eleanor had a crazy episode!
09:51She knocked over his medicine!
09:53Anger is a deadly poison.
09:55No, mother.
09:56Real anger makes you colder than ice.
09:59My cowardice wasn't a shield.
10:01It was the very knife that let this monster slaughter my family.
10:04A pure,
10:06volcanic hatred
10:07filled my empty chest.
10:10Lucien walked over to me in heavy silence.
10:13He handed me a clean handkerchief
10:15to wipe the blood off my hands.
10:17I didn't take it.
10:20I slowly raised my head
10:22and locked eyes with my acting husband.
10:24I forced my facial muscles to twitch,
10:27burying the urge to kill him right here.
10:30It's my fault!
10:32I killed him!
10:33My voice echoed through the cold hall.
10:36My eyes lost every trace of human warmth.
10:42At the funeral,
10:43I stood at the very front of the crowd.
10:45I stared at the coffin.
10:47My eyes were dead water.
10:49Victor put on the performance of a lifetime in front of the bishop.
10:52He played the devastatingly heartbroken son-in-law to absolute perfection.
10:56He squeezed out fake tears and read a moving eulogy.
11:00It didn't make my heart skip a single beat.
11:02The real joke?
11:04Beatrice showed up.
11:05She walked into my grandfather's sacred funeral.
11:08She wasn't in black.
11:10She was wearing a ruby crown.
11:12The nobles under their black umbrellas
11:14whispered loud enough for me to hear.
11:17They laughed at the useless, broken girl
11:20who couldn't even protect her own lands.
11:24The old Eleanor would have broken down
11:26and cried under this humiliation.
11:30But today,
11:31my heart was a graveyard.
11:34I looked at these vultures.
11:37I watched them dance
11:39in front of the gallows I was building for them.
11:42As the funeral ended,
11:43Beatrice struded toward me.
11:45She attentionally stepped into the foulest patch of mud.
11:49Then,
11:50she stuck her filthy velvet shoe
11:52right in front of my face.
11:54Oh no,
11:55my shoe is dirty.
11:57Be a good girl and clean it,
11:59won't you?
11:59The whole crowd held their breath,
12:01waiting for the circus act.
12:03Victor watched me with a cruel sneer.
12:05Without hesitation,
12:06I lifted my heavy black mourning dress.
12:08In front of the entire elite class,
12:10I knelt calmly into the filthy mud.
12:16My face didn't twitch.
12:18I carefully wiped the stinking mud off her toe.
12:25Beatrice looked down at me
12:27and let out a victorious,
12:29manic laugh.
12:34Victor's eyes confirmed it.
12:36He thought I was utterly broken.
12:39He thought I was a spineless dog.
12:42That midnight,
12:43I bypassed all the castle guards.
12:47I carried a torch
12:48deep into the family crypt.
12:56I walked straight to a gargoyle statue
12:58and violently twisted its stone eye.
13:05Inside the hidden vault,
13:07my grandfather's loyal butler
13:09was waiting with a lantern.
13:12My lady,
13:15you used to feign at the sight of blood.
13:18I stared at my dead,
13:21lifeless face
13:22reflecting in the firelight.
13:24I cut him off completely.
13:29That Eleanor is buried with my grandfather.
13:45The old man took a deep breath.
13:48The old man took a deep breath.
13:48He didn't argue.
13:57He pulled an iron box from the wall.
14:01He carefully handed me
14:03a mechanical audio recorder.
14:05It was perfectly disguised
14:06as a beautiful rose brooch.
14:08Next,
14:09he pulled out a heavy pavement
14:11sealed with red wax.
14:13It was the Northern Territory
14:15transfer contract.
14:16But buried deep in the fine print
14:18was a lethal trap.
14:21A joint responsibility clause
14:23for a massive,
14:24unpayable death loan
14:26of one million gold coins.
14:27The coarse leather
14:29felt like power in my hands.
14:31The urge to kill
14:32surged in my veins.
14:35Let the show begin.
14:41The next morning,
14:43Beatrice claimed
14:44my old master bedroom.
14:46She dug out
14:47my mother's last piece of lace.
14:49She tossed it
14:50right into the blazing fireplace.
14:53The old me
14:54would have collapsed in tears.
14:56But today,
14:59my heart was a block
15:01of frozen solid ice.
15:03I gracefully poured a cup
15:05of premium black tea.
15:07I walked over to her.
15:09My breathing
15:10didn't even skip a beat.
15:12You look like a rotten,
15:14soulless puppet.
15:18She turned around
15:19with that sickening arrogance.
15:23I pulled out
15:24the mechanical rose brooch.
15:27I jammed it deep
15:28into the folds
15:29of her corset cloak.
15:31She didn't feel a thing.
15:33She just drank the tea.
15:36A freezing smile
15:37crept onto my lips.
15:39The countdown
15:40to her destruction
15:41had begun.
15:45I locked myself
15:46in a damp,
15:47freezing guest room.
15:49I hooked a heavy brass tube
15:51to the audio receiver.
15:53I pressed my ear
15:55against the cold metal.
15:56The live feed
15:57from my old bedroom
15:58crackled through.
16:01That old bone died
16:03way too fast.
16:05Then came the sickening
16:07sounds of their flirting.
16:09Make her sign
16:10the territory transfer
16:11and the silver mines
16:13are ours.
16:15That crazy idiot
16:17is completely broken.
16:18If I tell her to die,
16:20she'll do it.
16:21I stared at the flickering candle.
16:23My nails dug
16:24into my palms
16:25until they bled.
16:29No tears.
16:31Only pure,
16:33glacial,
16:33killing int.
16:38That crazy idiot
16:39is completely broken.
16:41If I tell her to die,
16:42she'll do it
16:43like a good dog.
16:45Suddenly,
16:46heavy boots
16:47stomped down the hall.
16:48They were sprinting
16:49straight for my door.
16:51Boom!
16:52The wooden door
16:53exploded off its hinges.
16:55Victor stormed in,
16:56his eyes burning
16:57with violent suspicion.
16:58He saw me hugging
16:59the massive brass
17:00listening tube.
17:04What the hell
17:05are you listening to?
17:11He lunged forward
17:12like a raven beast
17:13and flipped my label.
17:18The heavy wooden table
17:19smashed against the wall.
17:21The brass box
17:22hit the stone floor.
17:23But it didn't play
17:24their dirty confession.
17:25It played a sweet,
17:27holy recium melody.
17:28Just 0.1 seconds
17:30before he kicked the door,
17:32I flipped the hidden gear.
17:33The ultimate death trap
17:35was perfectly hidden
17:35behind a music box.
17:37I didn't waste a second.
17:38I activated my trauma.
17:42I curled into a ball
17:44in the corner,
17:45tearing at my own hair.
17:46I screamed like a genuinely
17:48broken lunatic.
17:49The carriage crashed!
17:51Grandpa's blood is everywhere!
17:52Help me!
17:56Victor stared at me.
17:59His murderous suspicion
18:00melted into absolute disgust.
18:04He was convinced
18:05I was a worthless,
18:06brain-dead piece of trash.
18:08Pulled a heavy
18:09pavement from his coat.
18:11He threw it violently
18:12into my face.
18:14The stiff leather
18:15slashed my cheek
18:16and dropped to the floor.
18:17Victor pointed his riding cap
18:19right at my nose.
18:21Sign it.
18:22I'll buy you a bed
18:23in the madhouse.
18:24I trembled violently.
18:26I reached out
18:27and picked up
18:27the lethal contract.
18:28I hid my face
18:30deep in the shadows
18:30of the corner.
18:31He couldn't see my eyes.
18:33He couldn't see
18:34the demonic,
18:35bloodthirstful smile
18:36ripping across my face.
18:41I knelt on the floor
18:42and grabbed the quill
18:43with trembling hands.
18:45Just as the tip
18:46touched the parchment,
18:47I faked a spasm.
18:48Crash!
18:49I knocked the glass ink
18:50held entirely over.
18:52Black ink
18:52instantly ruined
18:53the final page.
18:54I wailed pitifully,
18:56pretending to be terrified.
18:58I was like,
18:58Victor whipped the wall
18:59in absolute fury.
19:01While his back was turned,
19:03my mind went dead cold.
19:04I reached into my sleeve
19:05with lightning speed.
19:06I pulled out
19:07the fake page 97,
19:09the one loaded
19:09with the million-coin
19:10deathtrap.
19:11I seamlessly slipped it
19:12into the stack
19:13of blank replacement pages.
19:16Beatrix stormed
19:17into the room.
19:18She grabbed a handful
19:20of my hair
19:20and yanked my head back.
19:22Stop stalling!
19:23Sign it!
19:24I cried,
19:26picked up a new quill
19:27and signed away
19:28my family's land.
19:29Victor pushed her aside
19:31and snatched
19:31the heavy parchment.
19:33His arrogance blinded him.
19:35He didn't read
19:36a single word.
19:37He just eagerly
19:39signed his name
19:39right into my trap.
19:51He smiled at his signature
19:53and tucked his own
19:55death warrant
19:55into his coat.
20:00Lock this useless bitch
20:01in a freezing attic.
20:04He threw me away
20:06away like garbage.
20:17For three days,
20:18I watched them
20:19from the tiny iron window.
20:23They were spending
20:24the silver mine's money
20:25before they even had it.
20:33They flaunted
20:34a solid gold carriage
20:35in my courtyard.
20:44Then,
20:44a black raven
20:45landed on my window ledge.
20:54It carried
20:55a tiny note
20:56from Lucien.
21:02The royal guards
21:03are ready.
21:05The stage is set.
21:11I pulled out
21:12my royal invitation
21:13and the legally
21:14notimated copy
21:15of his debt.
21:38The royal masquerade ball.
21:41I stood outside
21:42the heavy golden doors
21:44watching my prey.
21:46Victor and Beatrice
21:47stood in the absolute
21:49center of power.
21:50They soaked
21:51in the flattery
21:52of the elites.
21:54Beatrice kept touching
21:55her ruby crown,
21:57acting like the new
21:58queen of the north.
22:01Extremely cold.
22:03They were at the
22:04absolute peak
22:05of their pathetic lives.
22:10I raised my hand
22:11and signaled
22:12the royal guards.
22:16The massive
22:17three-meter doors
22:18joed open.
22:19I wasn't wearing
22:20a pathetic
22:21white dress anymore.
22:22I wore a blood-red
22:24corset gown.
22:26I didn't wear a mask.
22:28I wanted them
22:29to see my face.
22:32My sharp heels
22:34pierced the silence.
22:35The entire hall
22:37froze.
22:39The aristocrats
22:40backed away,
22:41parting like the Red Sea.
22:44Victor's hand
22:45trembled violently.
22:47Red wine spilled
22:48onto his cove.
22:49He stared at me
22:51like I was a demon
22:52crawling out of hell.
22:54I was.
22:57Beatrice's
22:58smug smile
22:59shattered
22:59into pure panic.
23:03She's a diseased
23:04lunatic!
23:05Guards!
23:06Throw her out!
23:12Two guards
23:13stepped forward
23:13to grab me.
23:15I didn't even blink.
23:18Suddenly,
23:19a massive figure
23:20blocked their path.
23:21It was Lucien,
23:23clayed in dark
23:24gold armor.
23:25With one effortless
23:26swing of his
23:27greatsword,
23:28he knocked both
23:29guards to the marble
23:30floor.
23:31Victor gasped.
23:32He finally
23:33recognized the crest
23:34on Lucien's chest.
23:35The man he thought
23:37was a mere alchemist
23:37I didn't even blink.
23:39was the Archduke's
23:40first heir.
23:41Protected by absolute
23:42power,
23:42I walked straight to
23:44the orchestra podium.
23:47Victor finally
23:48smelled the death
23:49in the air.
23:51He shoved people
23:52aside,
23:53sprinting wildly
23:54towards me.
23:54Stop her!
23:56Grab that crazy bitch!
23:59Too late.
24:01I shoved the conductor
24:02out of the way.
24:05I jammed the
24:06mechanical rose
24:07into the giant
24:08brass horn.
24:09I flicked the gear.
24:11Their murderous
24:12confession blasted
24:13through the grand
24:14hall in surround
24:15sound.
24:16Brass horn.
24:18That old bone
24:19died way too fast.
24:21Brass horn Victor.
24:22If I tell her to die,
24:24she'll do it like
24:25a good dog.
24:26The entire hall
24:28went completely dead.
24:29The queen stood up
24:31in pure shock.
24:32The bishop dropped
24:33his sacred cross
24:34onto the floor.
24:36Victor froze
24:36exactly where he stood.
24:38His face turned
24:39the color of cold ash.
24:56The royal guards
24:58immediately surrounded
24:59the hall,
24:59raising a forest
25:00of steel spears.
25:02Beatrice realized
25:03her life was
25:04officially over.
25:05Her fragile sanity
25:06snapped.
25:07Entirely.
25:08She screamed
25:09like a bilshie,
25:09grabbed a pure silver
25:10meat cleaver
25:11and charged the podium.
25:12She aimed
25:13straight for my face.
25:15I didn't run.
25:17I watched her charge
25:18like a pathetic clown.
25:23When the blade
25:24was exactly
25:25three inches
25:26from my eye,
25:27I gracefully
25:28stepped to the right.
25:30She missed completely.
25:32Her heavy heel
25:33caught on her own
25:34extravagant dress.
25:35Rip.
25:36She flew forward
25:37like a broken pall.
25:39She crashed
25:40headfirst
25:40into the giant
25:41stained glass window.
25:43Shards of glass
25:44rained down
25:45like knives.
25:46Bright red blood
25:47began dripping
25:48onto the pure
25:49white carpet.
25:50Her beautiful face
25:51was sliced to ribbons.
25:53She rolled in the glass,
25:55shrieking in
25:56agony pain.
26:00Victor watched
26:01his mistress
26:01getting shredded.
26:02He looked at
26:03the iron spears
26:04closing in.
26:05His fake noble mask
26:06finally cracked.
26:08He drew his sword
26:09and charged at me
26:10with bloodshot eyes.
26:12Lucien reached
26:12for his blade,
26:13but I held up my hand.
26:15I didn't retreat.
26:16I took a step forward.
26:18I pulled the heavily
26:20stamped contract
26:20from my sleeve.
26:21I smashed the thick
26:23roll of parchment
26:23directly into his
26:24francic face.
26:27Victor stopped
26:28and looked down
26:29at the document.
26:30Victor watched his
26:31mistress getting shredded.
26:32He looked at the
26:33iron spears
26:33closing in.
26:34His fake noble mask
26:36finally cracked.
26:37He drew his sword
26:38and charged at me
26:39with bloodshot eyes,
26:40his eyes locked
26:41onto the notifies
26:42fine print.
26:42It wasn't
26:44a land transfer.
26:45It was a joint
26:46liability contract
26:47for one million
26:48gold coins.
26:49His arrogant soul
26:50was instantly crushed.
26:52I looked down
26:53at the man
26:53who killed
26:54my grandfather.
26:55Congratulations,
26:56Earl Victor.
26:57You're a murderer
26:58and you just bought
26:59yourself a million
27:00coin death sentence.
27:02Ready for the guillotine?
27:04The sword fell
27:05from his grip,
27:06his knees buckled
27:07and he collapsed
27:09heavily at my feet.
27:10I was like,
27:23Two massive royal guards
27:25immediately grabbed Victor.
27:28They twisted his arms
27:29behind his back
27:30and dragged him away
27:31like a dead dog.
27:34He thrashed wildly
27:35on the cold floor,
27:37his luxury suit
27:38ripping at the seams.
27:45He twisted his neck
27:47to scream at me,
27:48trying to use the law
27:49as his final weapon.
27:52Eleanor!
27:53Don't celebrate yet!
27:55We are legally married!
27:59That million coin debt
28:01belongs to both of us.
28:03If I burn,
28:04you burn with me!
28:07I walked down
28:09the podium steps.
28:10I walked down
28:16the hall
28:17was dead silent.
28:19The only sound
28:19was my sharp heels
28:21echoing on the marble.
28:25I stopped
28:25right in front of him
28:26and looked down
28:27into his bloodshed eyes.
28:30Slowly,
28:31I raised my left hand
28:32for everyone to see.
28:35I pinched
28:36the giant diamond ring
28:37on my finger,
28:39the shackle
28:39that had imprisoned me
28:40for years.
28:43I pulled it off
28:44without a second
28:45of hesitation.
28:47With a flick
28:48of my wrist,
28:49I tossed it
28:50into the nearest
28:50champagne tower.
28:53I watched the color
28:54drained completely
28:55from his face.
28:57Actually,
28:58my lawyer filed
28:58the paperwork
28:59three hours ago.
29:00Fraud
29:01and attempted murder?
29:02The Pope himself
29:03signed the absolute
29:04annulment.
29:05I smiled,
29:06shattering his final
29:07delusion into dust.
29:09That blood debt
29:10is entirely yours.
29:15A few days later,
29:17I stood outside
29:18a filthy cell
29:18in the Bastille.
29:20Victor paced
29:21inside like a
29:22trapped rat
29:23in his stinking
29:23uniform.
29:24He slipped
29:25a gold coin
29:26to the guard,
29:27whispering about
29:27a secret offshore
29:28vault to post
29:29his bail.
29:31The guard
29:32just laughed
29:32in his face.
29:33The guard
29:34pulled out
29:34a fresh wanted
29:35poster and slapped
29:36it against the
29:36iron bars.
29:37It was a sketch
29:38of Beatrice.
29:39She had bandaged
29:40her ruined face,
29:42raided his secret
29:42vault,
29:43and stolen
29:43every last bond.
29:46She was currently
29:47fleeing the continent.
29:52Of course,
29:53I orchestrated it.
29:55I just let it slip
29:56to her that he was
29:57planning to pin
29:58the million coin
29:58dead on her.
30:00Their sick,
30:01fragile trust
30:02imploded instantly.
30:04Victor stared
30:05at the poster.
30:06He slammed
30:07his fist
30:07into the stone
30:08wall until
30:09his knuckles
30:10bled.
30:10He let out
30:11the pathetic,
30:12agonizing howl
30:13of a completely
30:14broken man.
30:15That night,
30:16thick fog
30:17choked the narrow,
30:18cobblestone alleys
30:19of the old city.
30:21I was walking
30:22alone after my
30:23final prayer
30:24at the church.
30:28Suddenly,
30:28the wind broke
30:29above my head.
30:31An assassin
30:32in a plague doctor
30:33mask dropped
30:34from the roof
30:35like a bat.
30:37cold metal
30:38pressed hard
30:39against my temple.
30:41A steel crossbow
30:43loaded with
30:43bright green poison.
30:48The assassin
30:49backed me
30:50into a dead end.
30:51The brick wall
30:52pressed against
30:53my spine.
30:55The poison tip
30:56pricked my skin.
30:58His finger
31:00squeezed the trigger.
31:02In that exact
31:03militech,
31:04a thunderous roar
31:05tore through the fog.
31:06A massive warhorse
31:07clayed in black armor
31:09exploded into the alley.
31:11Lucian sat in the saddle
31:12like a god of war.
31:13He didn't slow down.
31:15He rammed the beast
31:16straight into the
31:16fascia fastened.
31:17Crunch.
31:19The horse's steel
31:20hooves crushed
31:21the man
31:21into a bloody pulp
31:22before he could
31:23even scream.
31:25Lucian pulled
31:26the reins tight
31:27and stopped
31:28right in front of me.
31:30He reached out
31:31his armored hand.
31:33My lady,
31:34were you frightened?
31:37I grabbed
31:37his steel gauntlet
31:38and pulled myself
31:39up onto the horse.
31:40I looked down
31:41at the crushed meat
31:42in the mud.
31:42No.
31:44Now,
31:45it's their turn
31:46to be terrified.
31:51We rode hard
31:52through the black night.
31:53We arrived
31:54at Lucian's
31:55hidden alchemical
31:55armory
31:56beneath the abbey.
31:58The heavy stone door
32:00shut behind us,
32:01locking the world out.
32:03I walked straight
32:04to a polished
32:05silver shield
32:06and looked at myself.
32:08I was still wearing
32:09that heavy,
32:10restrictive corset dress.
32:12I grabbed
32:13a Damascus steel dagger
32:15from the rack.
32:17With one vicious
32:18backhand slice,
32:19I cut the corset strings.
32:21The heavy fabric
32:22hit the floor
32:22like a stone.
32:24The woman in the shield
32:25wasn't a victim anymore.
32:29Lucian handed me
32:30a beautifully engraved
32:31double-barreled
32:32flintlock pistol.
32:35He dropped a veil
32:37of glowing green poison
32:38into my palm,
32:39the exact hallucinetic poison
32:41Victor used to torture me.
32:43Click, click.
32:45I cocked both hammers.
32:48I tossed the poison
32:49to the captain
32:50of the shadow guard,
32:52coat their arrows,
32:54poison his drinking water.
32:56I want them living
32:58on the edge of a blade,
32:59make him see his own
33:01bloody death
33:01in every puddle,
33:03every mirror.
33:05I tightened my grip
33:07on the pistol.
33:09The hunt
33:11officially begins now.
33:16My shadow guards
33:18chased Victor
33:19like a raved dog
33:20into the foulest
33:21slum tavern.
33:22I sat in a blacked-out
33:23carriage across the street,
33:25watching his pathetic end.
33:27He hadn't slept in days.
33:29He smelled like
33:30an open sewer.
33:31Through the broken window,
33:33I saw his trembling hands
33:35lift a rusty bowl
33:36of dirty water.
33:38The moment his eyes
33:39met his own reflection
33:40in the water,
33:41I saw his trembling hands
33:43the poison violently
33:44hijacked his brain.
33:46He didn't see himself drinking.
33:48He saw a steel crossbow bolt
33:50ready to pin his skull
33:51to the wall.
33:52He screamed,
33:53kicked the rusty bowl away
33:54and collapsed
33:54into the filthy dirt.
33:55He clawed at his own face,
33:57utterly terrified
33:58of absolutely nothing.
33:59I raised my hand
34:00inside the carriage
34:01and mimmed a trigger pull.
34:03Swish!
34:04A steel crossbow bolt
34:05shattered the window
34:06and missed his ear
34:07by a millimeter.
34:08It slammed into
34:09the wooden pillar
34:10right behind his head.
34:12He crawled out
34:13of the tavern,
34:14frantically trying
34:15to escape into the dark.
34:17But my black-clayed assassins
34:18instantly boxed him
34:20into the narrow street.
34:21My orders were simple,
34:23no clean kills.
34:25Play with him.
34:26Break him inch by inch.
34:31Every time he collapsed
34:32from exhaustion
34:33and closed his eyes,
34:36a gunshot would explode
34:38right next to his ear,
34:39forcing him to run again.
34:47Every time his parched throat
34:49forced him
34:49to the filthy riverbank,
34:51an iron hook
34:52would snag his clothes
34:53and drag him
34:53into the freezing water.
34:55An iron hook
34:56would snag his clothes
34:57and drag him
34:58into the freezing water.
35:00He was trapped
35:01in a living nightmare.
35:06Meanwhile,
35:07the net was closing
35:08on Beatrice.
35:10I opened a wax-sealed letter
35:12from my mercenaries.
35:14It detailed exactly
35:16what happened
35:16in the swamps tonight.
35:22They tracked
35:23her smuggling carriage.
35:25Inside,
35:26she pulled out
35:27a silver mirror
35:28to check her mutilated face.
35:31The second she opened it,
35:33my poison found her.
35:38She didn't see
35:39the carriage.
35:41She saw herself
35:42sinking in black mud,
35:44wild hounds
35:45tearing her throat open.
35:47She screamed in horror
35:49and hurled the mirror
35:50out the window.
35:51The moment the mirror
35:53shattered on the stones,
35:56boom,
35:57a shower of flaming arrows
35:58erupted from the dark woods.
36:02The horses were killed
36:04instantly.
36:05She was dragged out
36:06into the mud.
36:13The mercenaries
36:14blew their bone whistles
36:15and released
36:16the hunting dogs.
36:17She stumbled
36:18through the foul swamp,
36:19her extravagant dress
36:21caked sludge.
36:24She fell near
36:25a dirty puddle
36:26and tried to wash
36:27her burning face.
36:29She saw demon dogs
36:31dragging her
36:31straight to hell.
36:32She backed away,
36:34screaming hysterically.
36:36But on the shore,
36:37the real hunting dogs
36:39were burying
36:39their bloody fangs.
36:41I dropped the letter
36:42out the window
36:43and smiled.
36:44Real dogs
36:45or ghost dolls?
36:50She had no way out.
36:56The warm sun
36:57flooded my luxurious
36:58strategy room.
37:00The air smelled
37:01of premium black tea,
37:03completely replacing
37:04the stench
37:05of my past.
37:07I moved a black
37:08chess pile
37:09across the board.
37:10My butler kneeled
37:12and handed me
37:13the latest report.
37:14My lady,
37:16Victor hasn't slept
37:17in four days.
37:18He eats live rats
37:20in the sickers.
37:21The moment he sees
37:22a reflection,
37:23he screams like a maniac.
37:25Click.
37:26My eyes didn't ripple.
37:27I felt absolutely nothing.
37:29Keep him alive.
37:32Let him feel
37:32every second
37:33of this bottomless despair.
37:36Days later,
37:37a violent storm
37:38drowned the capital.
37:41I stood by my giant
37:43balcony window,
37:44looking down
37:45at the iron gates.
37:48Victor was crawling
37:49in the mud
37:50like a paralyzed dog.
37:52He was nothing
37:53but skin and bones.
37:58I gave my guards
37:59a simple hand signal.
38:01A heavy steel boot
38:03slammed onto his back.
38:04They shoved his face
38:06straight into a deep
38:07rainwater puddle.
38:08The water
38:09triggered his curse.
38:11His muscles
38:11violently contralpst.
38:13He probably saw
38:14a guillotine
38:15slicing off his head
38:16in that reflection.
38:17He let out
38:18a blood-curling
38:19inhuman shriek.
38:24Then,
38:25he went
38:26completely limp.
38:28His pathetic
38:28mental defenses
38:29were finally
38:30completely crushed.
38:32He was
38:35five years later,
38:36I had purged
38:37every single enemy.
38:39I was now
38:40the Supreme Regent
38:41Archduke
38:42of the Empire.
38:44I sat in my carriage,
38:47staring into
38:47a rotting slum alley.
38:49Victor was fighting
38:50wild dogs
38:51for a piece
38:51of moldy bread.
38:55My guard
38:56tossed a gold-stamped
38:57royal decree
38:58into his mud puddle.
39:00He clawed it open
39:02with shaving,
39:03filthy hands.
39:05Tomorrow,
39:06Eleanor will be
39:07crowned
39:08Archduke
39:09and married.
39:10He convulsed
39:12with sheer,
39:13suffocating jealousy.
39:15Lightning flashed.
39:17A crazy woman
39:18in a potato sack
39:19lunged from the shadows.
39:21She stabbed him
39:22in the shoulder
39:23with a rusty blade.
39:25It was Beatrice.
39:28The swamp
39:29had driven her
39:29completely mad.
39:31The two former
39:33aristocrats
39:33tore at each other
39:34like rabid animals.
39:36Victor pinned her down,
39:38gun,
39:38his eyes burning
39:39with a suicidal rage.
39:45I knocked
39:46on the carriage wall.
39:47Let's go home.
39:49The final prey
39:50is ready.
39:51The morning sun
39:52pierced the cathedral's
39:53stained glass.
39:54Maids dressed me
39:55in a pure white,
39:57gold-laced gown.
39:59Lupien burst
40:00into the room.
40:01His dark gold armor
40:02clanked loudly.
40:03He gripped his
40:04greatsword in a panic.
40:05We lost Victor.
40:07He has a gun.
40:08We must delay
40:09the ceremony.
40:10I gently placed
40:11my hand
40:12over his white knuckles.
40:13Open the doors.
40:15Never let rats
40:16think you fear them.
40:18The hundred-ton
40:19bronze doors
40:20growled open.
40:21The royal pipe organ
40:23shook the heavens.
40:24I walked down
40:25the red carpet.
40:26Thousands of elite knights
40:28and nobles
40:28fell to their knees.
40:29I stood at the
40:30highest altar.
40:31The bishop raised
40:32the archduke's crown
40:33to place it on my head,
40:34but my eyes locked
40:36onto a dark
40:36ventilation shaft
40:37near the ceiling.
40:39I saw a tiny
40:40flash of light.
40:41It was a polished
40:43silver shard
40:44acting as a
40:45sniper's mirror.
40:46And right next to it,
40:48the black barrel
40:49of a gun.
40:51It was aimed
40:52exactly at my forehead.
40:55Victor was up there,
40:56his dirty finger
40:57tight on the trigger.
41:01I didn't flinch.
41:02My breathing
41:04didn't even change.
41:06I just stared
41:07at that silver shard,
41:09waiting for hell
41:10to swallow him.
41:14His finger
41:15squeezed the trigger,
41:16but the gun
41:17never fired.
41:19The silver shard
41:20in his palm
41:21suddenly smoked
41:22like a red-hot
41:23branding iron,
41:24the alchemical
41:25poison he drank
41:25for days
41:26had seeped
41:27into his sweat.
41:28It reacted violently
41:30with pure silver.
41:32The metal
41:33melted
41:33directly
41:34into his flesh.
41:35He screamed
41:36like a man
41:37being skinned
41:38alive.
41:39The gun
41:40dropped
41:40from his
41:41shaking hand.
41:42He smashed
41:42through the
41:43wooden grill.
41:43He plumbed it
41:44from the ceiling
41:45like a sack
41:45of rotting meat.
41:46Crunch.
41:47He slammed
41:48into the marble
41:48floor right in
41:49front of the altar.
41:50His bones
41:50shattered loudly
41:51in the dead
41:52silence.
41:53Blood soaked
41:53the white
41:54lily petal
41:54shield me.
41:55The crowd
41:55screamed in
41:56panic.
41:56Lucian drew
41:57his sword
41:57to shield me,
41:58but I pushed
41:58him aside.
41:59I lifted
42:00my dress
42:00and walked
42:00down the steps.
42:01I stood
42:02over his
42:03twitching,
42:03broken body.
42:04The joke
42:05is finally
42:06on you.
42:10He was
42:11forced to
42:11look at me.
42:13His madness
42:14dissolved
42:14into pure,
42:15absolute terror.
42:17Cornered,
42:18he desperately
42:19tried to
42:19play the
42:19victim.
42:22Eleanor,
42:23I was
42:24your husband.
42:25Have mercy
42:26on my life.
42:28He wiggled
42:29like a maggot,
42:30reaching for my
42:31shoes with his
42:32bloody stump.
42:34The kneeling
42:35navels laughed
42:36at him.
42:38I stepped
42:39back in disgust.
42:41I pulled a
42:42heavy
42:43pavement
42:43from my
42:44sleeve.
42:46Smack!
42:48I whipped
42:48the death
42:49contract right
42:50across his
42:50bleeding face.
42:51Did you think
42:52bankruptcy
42:53would set
42:53you free?
42:55Read the
42:55fine print
42:56at the
42:56bottom.
42:57His eyes
42:58widened as
42:58he read
42:59the absolute
42:59slurvage
43:00clause.
43:01By law,
43:02you are
43:03stripped of
43:03all human
43:04rights.
43:05You are
43:06my lowest,
43:07filthiest
43:08slave.
43:10You don't
43:11even have
43:11the right
43:11to die
43:12without my
43:13permission.
43:14The truth
43:15crushed his
43:16soul into
43:16dust.
43:17He opened
43:18his mouth,
43:19but no
43:20sound came
43:20out.
43:24I looked
43:25at him
43:25with zero
43:26temperature
43:26in my
43:27eyes.
43:30Throw
43:31this trash
43:32back into
43:32the gutter.
43:37Guards
43:38dragged him
43:38away by
43:39his legs.
43:40The
43:41massive
43:41bronze
43:42doors
43:42slammed
43:43shut.
43:44The
43:48He
43:49was
43:49locked
43:49in
43:49hell,
43:50and I
43:51was
43:51standing
43:51in
43:52heaven.
43:52I
43:53walked
43:53over
43:53to
43:53the
43:54ancient
43:54silver
43:54holy
43:55water
43:55fod.
43:56Lucian
43:57followed
43:57closely,
43:58terrified
43:58the curse
43:59would hurt
43:59me.
44:00For five
44:01years,
44:02any reflection
44:02was my
44:03deepest
44:03nightmare.
44:04I looked
44:05down into
44:06the crystal
44:06clear water.
44:07The
44:08terrified
44:09bleeding
44:09girl was
44:09gone.
44:13The
44:13reflection
44:14showed
44:14a gorgeous,
44:15untouchable
44:16queen.
44:19I
44:19smiled.
44:20The
44:21curse
44:21was
44:21broken.
44:24I
44:25turned
44:25around
44:26and
44:26grabbed
44:26Lucian's
44:27warm
44:27hand.
44:30We
44:31walked
44:31out the
44:31main
44:32doors
44:32into
44:32the
44:32blinding
44:33sunlight.
44:35White
44:35doves
44:36flooded
44:36the
44:36blue
44:36sky.
44:37Long
44:38live
44:38the
44:38arch
44:39the
44:39queen!
44:40Tens
44:41of
44:41thousands
44:41of
44:41armored
44:42knights
44:42drew
44:42their
44:42swords
44:43to
44:43the
44:43heavens.
44:44The
44:44crowd
44:45roared
44:45like a
44:45tsunami.
44:46My
44:47white
44:47cape
44:47whipped
44:48in
44:48the
44:48wild
44:48room.
44:49I
44:50raised
44:50my
44:50chin
44:50and
44:51claimed
44:51my
44:52empire.
44:52I
44:52rain.
44:52.
44:54.
44:54.
44:54.
44:54.