My voice cracked; my vision blurred. Tears stung at the edges of my eyes.
The atmosphere was thick with hatred.
I could feel it suffocating me, pressing against my skin.
The blue-eyed woman, who seemed to be their leader, exchanged a confused glance with the others.
“Weren’t you with him… in the Shadow Lands?”
I swallowed hard.
Why did this feel like I was cornered by a gang of high school girls, interrogating me about a guy behind the schoolyard?!
Before I could process anything, another voice spoke from the group—one I didn’t recognize.
“She was there. Jinni said she was among them after the capture.”
The blue-eyed woman’s expression changed.
For the first time, she looked… shocked.
What’s wrong with them?
Does the place where something happens make a difference?
While she was lost in thought, I forced myself to push back my fear and ask the one question burning in my mind.
“Is that his name?” I hesitated, my voice barely above a whisper. “I mean… the commander. Cla.. Claudius?”
Saying it out loud felt strange.
Like I was crossing some invisible line.
A heavy silence fell over the group.
Wide eyes. Open mouths. Disbelief.
Then—
A burst of dry laughter.
It came from a few of them, but the rest still stared at me, as if I had said something unbelievably stupid.
Simi scoffed.
“Karin, I think our mission is pointless. Let’s just leave her here and go.”
She flicked her wrist dismissively.
“Let her run back to her Cla-Cla-Claudius—her owner.”
Her lips curled into a sneer.
“She’s just a slave. Soon, she’ll be nothing more than an empty vase.”
She turned on her heel, walking away. Others murmured in horror, their whispers cutting through me like knives.
My nails dug into my palms.
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Karin—the blue-eyed woman—stepped forward. She reached out, fingers brushing my hair as she spoke in a low, chilling voice—
“His real name… is The Devil.”
A shiver ran down my spine.
She meant it.
I felt the truth behind her words, like an invisible force pressing against my chest.
My mind flashed back—
The way he slaughtered his own men without hesitation.
The women in the prison camp.
That night in the hot springs.
The bearded guard—his eyes filled with terror before he killed himself.
The memory was one I had tried to bury, to lock away.
But now, it slammed back into me at full force.
Why? Why did he do it?
Did the guard take his own life because he knew Claudius would kill him anyway for failing to protect me?
No.
My breath caught.
My guards.
No. No. NO.
Panic flooded my chest as I stumbled forward, nearly tripping over my own feet.
I gasped, my voice breaking—
“What did you do to the guards who were watching me?!”
Simi turned back, smirking.
“Oh, I’m sure they’ve already been beheaded by Claudius as we speak.”
I froze.
The air left my lungs.
Their eyes flashed in my mind—those guards. The ones who had once been nothing but faceless soldiers, watching me like shadows.
But lately…
Lately, I had started to see something else in them. A glint of humanity. A flicker of warmth.
And now—
Now they were gone.
A sob tore from my throat.
I buried my face in my hands and broke down.
I was delusional.
Ignoring the harsh facts of this world, pretending—still—that I was living in a dream.
That’s what I was good at, wasn’t I?
Ignoring reality.
Ignoring my family.
Hiding in the comfort of fake fantasies.
I thought I had changed.
I thought that looking beautiful and memorizing useless books would make me better, but no—I’m still useless. Still selfish.
People were dying because of me.
And what was I doing?
Wasting time.
Choosing what tiara would match my gown.
Nothing has changed.
Nothing will ever change.
I am worthless—
In both worlds.
And the worst part?
I hadn’t even thought about the other me—
The one I left behind.
The Aly still back in my world.
With my family.
Living a life I abandoned without a second thought.
Did she even exist without me there?
Or was she just… gone?
Then—
A thunderous sound shook the air.
The ground rumbled beneath my feet.
I gasped, my body locking up.
He’s coming.
A sharp echoing cry broke through the chaos—
“Leave her here, or we’re ALL going to die!”
It was Emoni—the woman who rode the giant bird.
Her voice trembled, but her warning was absolute.
I turned, panic gripping me, but Karin—the blue-eyed woman—only met my gaze with a fierce, unwavering look.
She suddenly shouted, her voice cutting through the roaring wind:
“If you survive today… try to visit the city.”
She leaned close to my ear and whispered, “We will find you.”
And then—
They were gone.
Leaving me alone.
I stood there, lost in the midst of a giant, reddish-shadowed forest.
The trees loomed over me like silent watchers, their leaves trembling against the force of the wind.
A strong gust slammed into me, making my gown whip violently around my legs. Too light. Too fragile.
I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to stay steady—
Then—
Everything stilled.
A heavy, suffocating presence settled over me.
I didn’t need to turn around.
I felt him.
The old, dark, ominous energy.
He was here.
Claudius.
Dressed in his war armor.
His hair, once white in this place, had turned black again.
That same ruthless energy from the war surrounded him, thick and unforgiving.
He landed on the ground, his boots crushing the earth beneath them as he walked toward me.
His gaze never met mine.
Instead—
“Hunt them.”
His calm, cold, shiver-inducing voice echoed through the trees, his piercing gloomy fairy eyes locked onto the dark woods.
Without hesitation, his knights marched forward, disappearing into the shadows.
I had almost forgotten how terrifying he looked in war armor.
Almost forgotten the sheer weight of his presence when his hair was dark.
And yet—
I invited this same man into my bed.
I sang him a lullaby.
I thought I could protect him.
How laughable.
The last of his soldiers vanished into the woods.
The silence left behind was deafening.
Then—
A voice, low but firm.
“Are you okay?”
It was his.
Unexpected.
I forced myself to speak.
“Yes. Thank you.”
I wiped my tears away quickly, looking down at the ground.
But then—
I hesitated.
I had to ask.
Even if I didn’t want the answer.
“The guards who were watching me… are they okay?”
My voice cracked at the end, another wave of tears threatening to spill.
He didn’t answer.
Not with words.
His silence was the answer.
I knew what it meant.
I knew what he had done.
If I had just stayed in my room today—this never would have happened.
The weight of it crushed me.
I dropped to the ground, hiding my face, sobs breaking free.
My old life was better.
No guilt.
No blood on my hands.
No lives lost because of me.
I want to go home.
Claudius didn’t hesitate.
He picked me up off the ground like I weighed nothing.
There was no hesitation.
No empathy.
No concern.
I didn’t fight back.
What was the point?
I almost forgot how to walk when he was around.
He always carried me.
Like a cat.
I was a cat to him.
Small. Weak. Helpless.
Why…?
Why do I feel so weak around him?
A knight approached, leading a massive white horse with a black mane.
He placed me on the horse and then rode in behind me.
Claudius took the reins, adjusting his hold on me.
A horse.
I blinked at it, my chest tightening.
Would this take me home?
Was this—
My way back?
Stay Connected: If you want to see the next update, please hit the follow button!
Show Your Support: If you enjoyed this chapter, let me know! Your likes help keep the story going.
How did you feel about the chapter overall?
