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Chapter 6
“Y-Yes, sir…!”
Even after the young soldier hurried away, a heavy silence lingered.
Because there was no way they could fail to recognize the name.
Cecilia Keres.
Yet there was a reason none of them had recognized the woman who had once been the talk of high society.
Originally, Cecilia had been a lovely young woman with brilliant golden hair, blue eyes, and rosy cheeks.
Even after becoming the Duchess of Keres at a young age, her youthful appearance had remained unchanged.
But this woman…
Hair that gleamed pure white.
Sharp blue eyes that looked capable of killing someone with a single glance.
Pale, bloodless skin smooth enough to be mistaken for marble…
She looked every bit the witch.
Of course, it wasn’t that she had become less beautiful.
She was undeniably stunning.
If the former Cecilia had possessed the greatest beauty a human girl could have, the current Cecilia possessed an ethereal beauty that seemed to transcend time and space.
But beauty taken to such an extreme inspired fear rather than admiration.
‘I-I can’t even speak…’
‘T-They say witches can turn people into frogs in an instant!’
As the soldiers stood frozen in terror, the commander of the Imperial Guard—the Emperor’s right-hand man—appeared.
However, he was not the sinister, unpleasant knight Cecilia remembered.
Someone else had taken his place.
‘Perol?’
Cecilia blinked.
She knew him well.
Sir Perol.
The man whom her ex-husband, Edward Keres, trusted like a brother and confided in without reservation.
Perol had openly looked down on and distrusted Cecilia, but his loyalty to Edward had been absolute.
She had always believed he would never serve the Emperor.
‘People change. I did too.’
With an expression as emotionless as stone, Perol slowly spoke.
“His Majesty commands your presence. Consider it an honor.”
“…”
Without replying, Cecilia quietly followed him.
The Demon-Slaying Sword strapped to her leg with leather bindings trembled.
According to Bjorn, a contract between a demon and a human could only be broken by a weapon that came from the heavens.
‘I can’t use it. But you can.’
The Demon-Slaying Sword.
It was said to have been forged from an incredibly rare metal that fell from the sky once every several centuries.
Because it contained overwhelming magical power, no one who had not yet reached adulthood could even touch it.
‘But you’re a monster.’
That was what Bjorn had said just a few hours earlier as he handed her the sword, his voice carrying both praise and condemnation.
‘See? It’s already welcoming you.’
He had been right.
The very moment Cecilia grasped the Demon-Slaying Sword, she felt it responding to her.
‘With this, I’ll break the demon’s contract… and kill the Emperor.’
Standing tall with her back straight, she walked forward without wavering.
Once the Emperor’s contract with the demon was broken, he would become nothing more than an ordinary human.
There would be no need for grand magic.
After walking barely a hundred steps…
Cecilia sensed an immense power.
Power great enough to threaten even an Archmage.
“That’s him!”
Bjorn screamed, a cry only Cecilia could hear.
“That’s the one! Kill him now!”
Instinct overtook reason.
Cecilia launched herself through the air, her entire body hurtling toward the figure entering the corridor.
She had no intention of dragging this out.
She would have only one chance.
A demon would never show mercy to an opponent who squandered such an opportunity.
‘Die!’
Cecilia raised the Demon-Slaying Sword high overhead.
The mana from her entire body was drawn into the blade, forming a gigantic lightning rod.
The preparation took less than a single second.
She immediately unleashed her strike toward the Emperor.
No—
Toward the man she believed to be the Emperor.
“…!”
Cecilia’s eyes widened.
At the same time, the hand gripping the Demon-Slaying Sword convulsed violently.
‘It’s not the Emperor!’
She remembered the Emperor’s face perfectly.
Graying hair.
A face carved with deep smile lines.
Eyes that constantly glimmered with greed…
But this man…
Dark hair with a bluish sheen.
Enchanting amber eyes that shimmered with curiosity the moment they found her.
A gentle yet unwavering presence, like a great willow tree standing beside a river.
Cecilia knew this man.
The man who had made countless women fall in love, yet had never truly belonged to her.
A man who could be cold one moment and warm the next.
Cynical, yet thoughtful.
Someone whose heart she had never been able to understand.
Because he was…
Her ex-husband.
Edward Keres.
For some reason, it seemed that news of their divorce had never become public.
‘No…!’
Cecilia tried to stop herself.
But she was too late.
Having absorbed her immense magical power, the Demon-Slaying Sword went completely out of control.
Its unimaginable power crashed toward Edward Keres.
It was enough force to obliterate the entire Imperial Palace.
Cecilia squeezed her eyes shut.
‘No one will survive. Countless innocent people are going to die because of me!’
One second.
Two seconds.
Three…
Even after ten seconds had passed, the screams she had expected never came.
She cautiously opened one eye.
Edward Keres.
The all-too-familiar face was looking back at her with an equally familiar expression.
A slight furrow between his brows.
His lips pressed into a thin line.
“…Hah.”
A quiet click of the tongue reached her ears.
Without realizing it, Cecilia flinched.
“Did you hate me that much, Cecilia?”
“So much that you wanted to kill me?”
“…”
Her thoughts slowly caught up.
Edward was wearing a purple cloak.
A cloak that only the Emperor was permitted to wear.
And that wasn’t all.
The Demon-Slaying Sword had vanished without leaving a trace.
It had undoubtedly exhausted every last bit of its power fighting its opponent before completely disintegrating.
The demon had protected its contractor.
‘…No. That’s impossible. It can’t be… It can’t.’
But Cecilia’s brilliant mind reached the only logical conclusion.
The one who had threatened Mejina into searching for her.
The one who had terrified Bjorn.
The Emperor whom Linek was said to have made a contract with a demon…
Was none other than…
Edward Keres.
“Why?! Why did you do it?!”
Bjorn screamed, but Cecilia couldn’t bring herself to answer.
As she stood there in shock, Edward’s icy voice echoed through the corridor.
“Unfortunately for you, my life is rather difficult to take.”
“Edward.”
Cecilia finally managed to say his name.
Edward’s expression twitched ever so slightly.
“I’m truly sorry. I made a mistake…”
“A mistake?”
“You call nearly destroying the world a mistake?”
For a moment, Cecilia simply stared at him.
‘He’s become a bit dramatic while we were apart.’
The destruction of the Imperial Palace wouldn’t mean the end of the world.
Edward strode toward her.
The familiar scent of musk brushed past her nose.
“I know everything.”
“You thought you could spend the rest of your life running away, but you were captured in the end. So naturally, you tried to escape by any means necessary.”
“That’s… nonsense…”
The words escaped before she could stop them.
After all, Cecilia had never run away from Edward.
Nor had she been dragged here against her will.
“Nonsense?”
The corner of Edward’s mouth twisted.
Cecilia stared at him blankly.
Edward had never worn such an expression…
More precisely, he had never shown such cruelty toward her.
But now…
He looked at her as though she were his greatest enemy.
“Then explain it, Cecilia.”
“Why?”
“Why did you betray me that day?”
