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Chapter 05
“Ugh—!”
Rizeana, who had always stayed inside the imperial palace doing paperwork,
had a body far too weak to endure teleportation magic.
It felt like everything inside her was about to come back up.
It was a horrible sensation—
as if her soul was being ripped out of her body.
Ian supported her with his strong, muscular arm as she staggered.
Even in her dizzy state, Rizeana glared at him with resentment.
“If it was going to be this bad… the least he could do was warn me.”
“Prisoner, we’re here. Get a hold of yourself.”
Barely regaining her senses,
Rizeana quickly pulled away from Ian’s arms.
She looked around.
This was no longer a place touched by the night breeze—
it felt quiet… but cold and eerie.
Instinctively grabbing onto something beside her to stay upright,
she asked:
“Where… is this?”
“Here? The place you’ll be staying.”
The moment he finished speaking—
he snapped his fingers and disappeared.
The support she was leaning on vanished—
and her body swayed.
Creeeak—
A heavy metallic sound echoed.
Like iron bars closing.
“A safe place.”
Only then did Rizeana realize—
what she had been holding was cold, hard… and metallic.
The surroundings were unnaturally silent.
Only a few torches lit the space.
“…Don’t tell me.”
A chilling voice cut through the air.
“You’ll be staying here for a while. Don’t worry—this is my private underground prison. No one will find you.”
His red eyes glowed in the darkness as he looked down at her.
Only then did Rizeana fully realize her situation.
She grabbed the iron bars—
but nothing changed.
“I knew he was a mad dog… but to this extent?!”
An underground prison.
The nickname “mad dog” was not for nothing.
She shook the bars hard—
but they didn’t budge.
Still—
she wasn’t afraid.
“I was going to die anyway. I’ve already died once… what is there to fear now?”
That’s why—
she couldn’t waste this second chance.
She had risked her life persuading him.
And now—
she had safely arrived in the enemy nation, the Tenzel Empire.
Ian Rendi Devencia.
A man with a beautiful face—
but a rough and dangerous personality.
Thankfully—
she had managed to convince him.
But still—
he was a duke of an enemy empire.
“It’s natural he doesn’t trust me.”
The Tenzel Empire and Avid Empire were enemies.
And what kind of person wouldn’t be suspicious—
when a stranger suddenly asks to be kidnapped?
Rizeana calmly looked up at him.
“Calling this a ‘safe place’… when it’s just a prison—don’t you think that’s ridiculous?”
“It is what it is. You stay there.”
“I understand Tenzel has strict security. As a foreigner, my safety wouldn’t be guaranteed outside… but more importantly—”
She met his eyes.
“You don’t trust me, do you?”
“I have no reason to.”
His answer was cold.
She clenched her fist.
“Even if I explain… will he believe me?”
That she had returned from the past.
That she was running from Laiphin—who would kill her.
And—
That she wanted to destroy him.
Her eyes twisted with anger.
After a deep sigh, she spoke again:
“If you distrust me this much, then why bring me here at all?”
“…Because you looked desperate.”
Ian tilted his head slightly, studying her face.
“I believed your desperation.”
Rizeana fell silent.
What kind of expression did she have back then?
She understood now.
If he brought someone like her—
someone desperate to escape—
he could control her as he pleased.
She sighed.
“Then let me out. Right now. I’ll give you everything you want.”
“Hmm. Your reputation is too… impressive for that.”
She went quiet instantly.
She didn’t expect her bad reputation to reach Tenzel.
“Damn Laiphin… he’s never been useful.”
She bit her lip.
“Don’t you need my cooperation?”
“No. This is better.”
He lightly tapped the bars.
“Tenzel is a rough place. Someone like you wandering outside could easily lose their life.”
He tapped the bars again.
“Right now, this prison is the safest place for you.”
She realized—
no matter what she said,
he wouldn’t change his mind.
She sighed.
Then—
footsteps approached.
“Ian! Your Grace!”
Ian brushed back his messy white hair and spoke coldly:
“Harhin. Haven’t I told you many times to fix that careless attitude?”
Harhin immediately covered his mouth and approached carefully.
Then—
his eyes met Rizeana’s.
He froze in shock.
“Who is this lady? I clearly said pink hair and golden eyes!”
“I changed the plan. This one—”
Ian paused.
Then smirked slightly.
“This puppy will be far more useful.”
“Puppy…?”
Harhin scratched his head, confused.
“Ian, please report first. His Majesty has been waiting.”
“Before that—any word from Nerha?”
“…No, I’m sorry.”
Ian sighed.
Then—
he removed his outer coat
and used magic to float it toward her.
It gently draped over Rizeana.
She frowned.
“How funny. You lock me in a prison… then give me your coat?”
“You abandoned your country and came to Tenzel. What kind of treatment were you expecting?”
He waved his hand dismissively and turned away.
“Because of you, my plan is completely ruined.”
“Ha! Are you blaming me now—?!”
She slammed the bars angrily.
But he didn’t stop.
Before leaving, he glanced back.
“You should accept your situation now.”
With a faint smile—
he left.
His quiet laughter echoed through the corridor.
***
Silence quickly filled the prison.
Rizeana leaned against the cold wall.
Even though she had escaped the Avid Empire—
her exhaustion hadn’t faded.
“You should accept your situation…”
She looked around.
Soft mana lights glowing on the walls.
Magic books and documents scattered nearby.
And—
the iron bars in front of her.
A perfect underground prison.
She lay down slowly—
lost in thought.
The first person who came to mind—
was Laiphin.
“By now… he must know I’m gone.”
“Damn Laiphin… just get out of my head.”
No matter how hard she tried—
she couldn’t stop thinking about him.
In her past life—
he had been the light that pulled her out of darkness.
“I want you to become my Crown Princess!”
She could still remember him clearly—
dressed brilliantly, holding her hand.
Back then—
he felt like salvation.
Before him—
she had been promised to another man.
Kin Huzsen.
A notorious womanizer.
She denied it—
but it was reality.
She had accepted her fate.
But then—
Laiphin appeared.
“Rizeana will not go to him. She will become my Crown Princess.”
With just that—
her father changed instantly.
Smiling. Acting kind.
“Did I do something wrong?”
A selfish man.
A father who saw his child as nothing but a tool.
Her life in that house—
was hell.
So of course—
Laiphin seemed like her savior.
“This is the ending fit for a villainess!”
But later—
he became the man who stabbed her heart.
There was a time—
when just looking into his warm brown eyes made her happy.
When even his blue hair felt too precious to look at.
“That’s why I could do anything for him… but not anymore.”
She still remembered the cold feeling of his sword piercing her chest.
She clenched her fist tightly.
“I’ve already gone too far.”
She forced those memories away.
“Laiphin… I will never forgive you.”
In the darkness beyond the bars—
Rizeana’s eyes shone coldly.
