Episode 2
“So now she’s finally showing her true colors.”
“Chester. Watch your mouth.”
“Am I wrong, Somer? She even said she doesn’t want to see His Highness’s face! I knew it was strange. She was so crazy about the Crown Prince, but suddenly agreed to marry so easily.”
Chester, the knight who served as Grand Duke Kallian’s right-hand man, complained openly.
He had never liked Asterophe from the beginning.
No matter how innocent she acted, no matter how kind she pretended to be, Chester could see it clearly.
She hated this place, Serpwood.
She lived like a princess inside the castle.
She had no interest in the territory itself and only focused on embroidery and painting.
Every day, she changed into beautiful dresses and showed only her prettiest to Kallian.
She was beautiful.
She smiled sweetly at Kallian, and while she wasn’t especially friendly to the knights, she was never rude either.
But to Chester, she always looked like someone ready to leave at any moment.
As if she would fly away the second the Crown Prince called her.
There was no sincerity in her eyes when she looked at Kallian.
Sometimes she pretended to meet his gaze but stared into empty space instead.
Other times, she acted shy and spoke while looking down at the ground.
Chester knew the truth.
It wasn’t that she was shy.
She simply disliked the Grand Duke.
Kallian Onyx was the complete opposite of the pale, neat-looking Crown Prince.
He was nearly two meters tall, huge in build, and wielded the heaviest sword.
Having lived on the battlefield for most of his life, his skin was naturally tanned, making him look dangerously attractive.
His red hair and blue-gray eyes gave him an almost mysterious air.
People praised him, saying he looked like a god from ancient myths.
He had never lost a single war.
That was why he was called the undefeated god, the God of War.
To the knights, he was almost a divine figure.
Quiet, reserved, and someone who kept very few people close to him.
Only Chester and Somer, who had been with him since childhood, were allowed near.
And yet, the one person who made him anxious and restless was Grand Duchess Asterophe.
Because Kallian had cared only about war, the sudden marriage felt like lightning striking him out of nowhere.
He thought she would reject him.
But Asterophe followed him to Serpwood without a single complaint.
She became Kallian Onyx’s first family.
Born an orphan and abandoned in Serpwood, Kallian had never had a family before.
She was the first member of the Onyx family he could call his own.
That alone was enough for love to begin in Kallian’s heart.
Kallian’s appearance was sharp and intimidating, and the scent of blood always seemed to linger around him.
The only woman who ever spoke gently to him was Asterophe.
She was the only one who melted his cold, war-torn heart.
That was why he couldn’t help but love her.
He knew she lied.
He knew she loved luxury and vanity.
But none of that mattered to him.
He could give her all of it.
However, starting a week ago, Asterophe changed.
She slept for an entire day, then woke up screaming.
She ordered every candle in the room to be extinguished, closed the curtains, and lived in darkness.
Always inside the bathtub.
Soaked from head to toe.
The first time Kallian saw her trembling, completely drenched, he felt like his mind was breaking.
He was terrified she might be sick.
But she only pushed him away, saying she didn’t want to see his face.
She sent the doctor away.
She barely ate.
She looked dazed, as if she were possessed by something.
“Could it be a curse? I heard mages sometimes appear near here.”
“Did you forget the magic barrier on the walls? No curse can enter.”
“But what if it’s a curse disguised as a blessing?”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
“You two are too loud.”
Kallian’s already aching head throbbed even worse.
Normally, he would have let them argue to the end.
But today, he waved them off.
Just thinking about Asterophe overwhelmed him.
He had been thrown out again today.
No matter how much he drank in the dining hall, no answers came.
A maid filled his empty glass with ouzo.
The strong liquor, distilled with grapes and herbs, was popular in Serpwood because it helped people endure the cold.
Kallian drained the glass in one go and wiped his mouth.
No matter how strong the alcohol, his throat felt unbearably dry.
As he grabbed the bottle to drink straight from it, he heard the maid’s trembling voice.
“G-Grand Duchess!”
Kallian set the bottle down and turned around.
Her hair was still damp, but she looked better than she had in the past week.
“Lope.”
He called only the last part of her name.
A nickname she allowed only him to use.
Asterophe leaned against the wall and spoke with empty eyes.
“I’m hungry.”
At her dry, simple words, Kallian immediately ordered the maids to bring food.
As the maids hurried about, Asterophe and Kallian locked eyes.
Neither of them looked away.
“It really does look like some kind of magic.”
Chester muttered, seeing how boldly she met the Grand Duke’s gaze.
It was as if she had become a completely different person overnight.
Asterophe ate bread, soup, and meat like someone who had been starving for days.
The etiquette drilled into her since childhood was long forgotten.
While imprisoned, she had eaten soup mixed with insects.
She had been too hungry to refuse.
She gagged while forcing hard bread and cold soup down her throat.
They kept her alive until Billish was crowned emperor and married Hayes.
All while torturing her daily, claiming they wanted to know why she rebelled.
She told the truth.
That Billish had ordered it.
But the torture continued until she falsely confessed that the Lunet family had planned everything.
The next day, she watched her entire family be executed.
Her parents.
Her two brothers.
All because of her.
Tears welled up as she shoveled food into her mouth.
She grabbed the bread tightly, dipped it into soup, and stuffed it in again.
She had to live.
She would tear Billish apart with her own hands.
A glass of water was placed in front of her.
“Eat slowly.”
It was Kallian.
He handed her water with floating herbs, worry clear in his eyes.
His expression barely changed, but she knew.
She had spent enough time with him to understand his kindness, the kind others never noticed.
And she had betrayed all of it just to become empress.
She drank the water greedily.
If she didn’t fill herself with something, the tears would overflow instead.
After emptying the glass, she spoke.
“Your Grace.”
“Kallian.”
“Speak.”
“Please send Sir Chester, Sir Somer, and all the servants away. I want to talk to you alone.”
Chester and Somer exchanged glances.
They had never seen the Grand Duchess speak so boldly before.
Kallian nodded and gestured with his hand.
Without a word, everyone left.
The large dining hall was left with only the two of them.
Asterophe wiped her mouth roughly with a napkin.
The careful woman who once ate delicately like a bird was gone.
She tossed the napkin aside and looked at him.
“Kallian.”
“Yes.”
“Crown Prince Billish is planning a rebellion.”
“The Crown Prince is the only heir. He has no reason to rebel.”
“You know the Emperor trusts you more. Don’t pretend otherwise.”
“Lope. These are matters you don’t need to know.”
Kallian didn’t want her to see the ugliness of the man she once loved.
Billish relied only on his birth and neglected his growth.
The Emperor was displeased and tried to temper him through Kallian.
But there was a mistake.
Kallian’s brilliance shone too brightly.
His undefeated record.
His commanding presence.
The revival of Serpwood.
Everything became perfect.
The Emperor realized something had gone wrong and began to restrain Kallian.
Yet publicly, he couldn’t stop the act he himself had started.
Within the palace, Kallian was a dangerous existence.
Even when exiled to Serpwood, he shone like a second sun.
But Kallian had no ambition.
He had no desire to divide the empire through war.
Knowing the Emperor would never hand over the throne willingly, Kallian chose only to protect Serpwood.
“No. I might know even more than you.”
“Lope.”
“I was part of that rebellion.”
She said it calmly.
Kallian’s expression hardened instantly.
That meant she had been secretly working with the Crown Prince all along.
Just as Chester suspected.
But that alone didn’t matter to him.
He was confident he could defeat Billish.
What mattered was why she was telling him now.
Did she want punishment?
Or did she want to return to the Crown Prince?
Anger crept into his voice.
“Asterophe.”
“You can curse me. I really am a liar.”
She admitted it openly, as if the past year had all been fake.
Kallian sighed once before speaking again.
“Why are you telling me this? What do you want me to do?”
“Stop Crown Prince Billish.”
“No.”
She looked straight at him and said clearly.
“Kill him.”
Kallian’s brow furrowed deeply.
But Asterophe did not look away.
