Uncommon among the ordinary people was her fair complexion that did not even darken under the sunlight. All eyes were captivated by the graceful and refined contours of her nose and lips, as well as her exquisitely profound eyes. Radiantly glowed her golden hair, either tied up or flowing freely. Rieta Tristi was an exquisite lady.
Her pure beauty was even more captivating with an air of mystery. The blue crystals shimmered in different hues and emitted a brilliant blue light on occasion. Among all her features, her eyes were particularly unique and enchanting.
When she smiled happily with those stunning eyes, even the flowers and stars paled in comparison to her attractiveness.
Her household was a joyful one. Upon discovering that she was already wedded and had a three-year-old daughter, everyone lamented and admired her spouse, suggesting that he must have been a champion in his previous existence.
Until her spouse passed away four months ago.
Rieta lost her joy after her spouse unexpectedly passed away from an unidentified ailment.
Aesthetic appeal for an impotent commoner woman was not a fortunate occurrence, but rather a misfortune.
Shortly after the flowers placed on her husband’s burial site had withered away, Casarius, the ruler of Rieta’s family’s estate, began pressuring her to become his mistress.
Just a month ago, her husband had passed away, which was overshadowed by the fact that Casarius was significantly older than her. Initially, Rieta declined.
Casarius grew impatient with Rieta, who continued to ignore his demands, as she was so young and only three years old. She didn’t know what death was, and she was so young and only three years old. He kidnapped her, but she constantly asked where her father went.
Speculations began to circulate about how Casarius sold Rieta’s daughter to a trafficker of enslaved individuals.
Casarius told Rieta that if he brought her daughter back safely, she would become his mistress and he pushed poor Rieta to the brink of insanity.
Died without attaining Rieta or returning her daughter, Casarius was struck by the plague sweeping the empire, whether by blessing or misfortune.
However, he did leave his dying desire: to inter Rieta beneath the ground together with him while she is still breathing.
It was a brutal season.
In some regions, people started offering human sacrifices to appease the demon’s plague. The people fought among themselves for food, and the land withered. The flames of burning corpses and the screams of pain were everywhere and never-ending. Only anguish and sorrowful cries were left in the empire, tormented by the devil and plagued by the disease.
So, sacrificing the life of a humble peasant woman was quite…Acceptable.
The date of her demise was determined. She would pass away on the same day as Casarius Cevitas’s funeral.
On that day, the Archduke of Axias arrived at Cevitas Manor to gather the substantial debt owed to him by Casarius Cevitas.
“So youthful… That unfortunate creature.”
“Tut, tut… Beauty is merely a burden for commoners.”
“That’s correct. How unlucky. The sky must not mind.”
Rieta was dressed in the most beautiful clothing she had ever worn, yet there was not even a trace of joy on her face.
Rieta, with her hair adorned beautifully with white flowers, looked stunning in the soft black silk ceremonial dress and black veil, which concealed her captivating sky-colored eyes from sight, eliciting sighs from onlookers.
She patiently awaited her turn, kneeling on a luxurious carpet that surpassed the value of her own being, positioned on the makeshift altar before Count Casarius’s grand estate during the funeral march. Eventually, she was relocated.
She made sure that soldiers were surrounding and servants were on each side to guard her, but it was hard for her to control her own body. At the point of burial, she didn’t feel any pain thanks to the analgesic effects of the sedative she drank, which was made from hallucinogenic berries.
Everyone assembled at that location sympathized with the beautiful woman burdened by her unfortunate fate. In their midst, a woman in her forties commenced whispering.
In the end, the celestial realm does show concern. Casarius, his body adorned with blessings, experienced this. However, behold! He too was afflicted by the plague. It was indeed a form of divine punishment.
A man close by chuckled as he responded. “Actually, the demon looked after him, not the skies, right?”.
Everyone was collectively condemning Casarius while feeling sorry for Rieta. However, there was nobody to defend her.
She was a widow, and her spouse, the sole individual who could safeguard her, was already deceased.
He is truly an evil man who has a lust for younger women, even going as far as causing Rieta’s death by dragging her along with him.
“Shh. Reduce your volume. Individuals will perceive.”
Rieta was forced to stumble, her vision hazy and faint from the hallucination. The servant women of Count’s elbow each pulled Rieta up, and the cleric finished his memorial address.
On the opposite side of the globe. It was time to reunite with her relatives.
Cold snow began to gently fall from the overcast sky. It was a late snowfall in April.
She began the winter season by pleading for her father to build a snowman. Her daughter, who had been waiting impatiently, started throwing a tantrum. While she was watching the first snowflakes of fall, she thought about her young daughter.
One potential activity could involve building a snowman together. In the event that the snow accumulated and touched her cheek, a tear rolled down as Adele mentally uttered her child’s name for the final time.
In the near future… The trio of us will embark on a journey to explore the historic remains of Machu Picchu.
The funeral procession moved quietly and solemnly, with the mourners walking in a staggered formation. The opinions of the people were hushed as they silently tucked themselves away. The soon-to-die individuals were as quiet as the deceased.
The Casarius family also followed the beautiful sacrifice who was being made to follow the coffin by the maids holding her up.
They were just about to arrive at the small disturbance they had burrowed through, marching slowly as a servant rushing towards running.
Frederik, the oldest son of Casarius, desired to handle this matter discreetly. His countenance remained composed, concealing the surge of annoyance within.
Frederik eventually found himself in front of the crowd, bowing his head and panting heavily. He pushed his way through the crowd like a servant, hoping to come up to the foolish and harebrained person, but he wouldn’t.
“My lord…! A pressing guest, my lord!”
Frederik snapped and frowned, emphasizing that this is a funeral, not a moment for humor. Do you not possess the knowledge of how to properly welcome grieving visitors?
The nervous servant stuttered, “Th-this visitor is not a mourner. The Archduke of Axias has arrived!”.
Upon hearing about his arrival, the family’s countenances became ashen. A hushed, apprehensive tremor permeated through the group.
Frederik, momentarily shocked into silence, nibbled on his lip. “Are you implying that Killian Axias is present here?”.
The archduke Casarius, who was deceased, owed a significant amount of debt that had been promised to be paid a long time ago and was, in fact, long overdue.
In order to pay him a visit, they refused to provide him with an explanation, thus even the demise of Casarius was handled discreetly. The Archduke of Axias could not be appeased, and coupled with the sudden demise and funeral of Casarius, the Cevitas family found themselves on the brink of financial ruin. To combat the plague, the Cevitas family expended a substantial sum of money on the temple, with the intention of inviting the clergy to address the situation.
Frederik chewed on his lip. “How did he discover that Father had passed away?”.
As a frigid voice sliced through the throng, accompanied by thunderous hooves, the servant was unable to respond before being interrupted.
Everyone’s gaze shifted towards the speaker.
A man, exuding a menacing presence and possessing radiant crimson eyes, occupied a commanding position atop a magnificent ebony stallion, gradually approaching their vicinity. Harmoniously synchronized with the swaying motion of the horse’s mane, his jet-black hair gracefully shifted in unison with each of his movements.
Axias Killian tilted his head to one side and smirked, causing people who had been watching to gasp. It was such a vicious and stunning smile that it made their skin crawl.
“But I find myself facing his coffin,” he sneered coldly. Output: “However, I discover myself confronting his casket,” he mocked icily.
No one could fault Killian Axias for impolitely interrupting the funeral march on horseback.
If a duel ensued, they could sense that he wouldn’t even flinch. However, he was completely attentive, he seemed quite calm, almost leisurely in contrast. The guards instinctively gulped and grew tense upon seeing him.
Killian Axias.
Deprived of his position, he was a ruthless individual, however, he held the highest authority in the empire. Hurling them in front of the emperor and empress, he decapitated his siblings and assumed the role of the crown prince, but that occurred approximately a decade ago.
Killian All was the Prince without a physical form or authority. He was banished to the far wastelands in the North, where it was full of bloodshed and he was separated from his son. He couldn’t bring himself to kill the emperor, who held the power, but this was his eventual fate and according to imperial law, treason and the assassination of the imperial family were crimes punishable by death.
Within a few years, Killian, the ruler of the northern region, achieved complete dominance over the expansive land and commenced the process of transforming the barren lands into a suitable living environment for mankind. Despite appearing to have lost everything, including his title as the young crown prince, he successfully reclaimed the long-occupied Axias Castle from the demonic forces that had plagued it for centuries.
Axias began accumulating immense riches when the most precious metal in the empire, adamantite, was discovered in a large, snowy mountain within his territory. The spoils of war from the demons and the adamantite attracted the attention of workers, soldiers, artists, and craftsmen, resulting in a significant influx of individuals seeking employment. This newfound fortune brought even more prosperity to Axias.
Axias grew at an explosive pace, transforming a once barren territory into a thriving city, astonishingly claiming that he should be the one to pay taxes to the duty and title officials, while vehemently changing the tune of the nobles.
Killian, a noble, accepted this indifferently, acknowledging his power and title as a member of the imperial family, but he may not be allowed to be an imperial prince. He was acknowledged by his family as a noble with the power and title of an archduke, granting him the right to rule over his territory. However, he accepted this indifferently.
He had been banished to the far north and lost his title. Since then, thirteen years had passed. Dimfell Liefheim knew that he was no longer considered a citizen.
How they had heard him, cursed was he, or possessed by a devil, whispered everyone about his insanity. He was considered more of a monster than a human, reaching the point where rumors of his tyranny and cruelty became increasingly exaggerated among the commoners. His name was on every noble’s lips, but Axias Killian had never appeared in society.
He will kill you if he likes a certain part of your body and wants to carve it out on his own. If he is not satisfied, he will kill a woman. If he approves of you, he will kill you. If he disapproves of you, he will kill you. If he is happy, he will kill you. If he is unhappy, he will kill you. If you touch him, he will kill you. If you look at him, he will kill you.
Following him were all these dreadful, gory rumors, but everyone was cognizant of which were factual and which were not. Individuals even murmured about how he gathered individuals’ ears, eyes, or fingers, consumed human blood, or was a flesh-eater.
The crowd in front of him parted unconsciously, their faces stark white. They bowed their heads in fear of meeting his eyes.
When the Archduke of Axias came to a halt in front of Frederik, the funeral procession had naturally ceased.
“It has been a considerable amount of time, Your Majesty.”
Frederik, indeed. However, Count Cevitas, you should have sent me word of your father’s passing. I could have spared you the discourtesy of collecting a debt at a funeral. Killian smiled coldly as he dismounted his horse.
Frederik reciprocated the smile.
His Highness, in a sudden passing of time, gave us little preparation. Not at all is it your fault, but entirely my own.
“Indeed?” Killian smirked. “And here I was, pondering if you had purposely concealed it from me.”
The man, who had no connection whatsoever to high society or any concern for others, never made himself concerned about the freeze family and his words were always blunt.
Frederik, who was born and raised in society, had a hard time responding to these words, as he had decided to concede but was hesitant due to his close connection to the issue. He bowed his head and denied the appropriateness of it.
“I apologize.”.
It turned out his decision was not wrong. Killian chuckled and casually turned his gaze to the coffin of Lord Casarius.
I suppose one must pay their respects at a funeral, passing on condolences to your father. However, there are no excuses now for not using every opportunity to drag you out of the coffin. Have they been talking about you? They say it is nearly impossible to collect a debt.
Inevitably, he became a part of the mourning march. The nobleman took off and positioned his hat on top of his steed’s head, subsequently passing over the control of the horse to the warrior who had trailed behind him.
A few whispers and glances were exchanged among them. The people whose eyes widened at his remarks were surprised by his lucid speech, which contradicted the rumors of his insanity.
“Is it him? Is he truly the Archduke of Axias?
“He doesn’t appear to be a cannibal.”
If not astonished by his clarity of thought, they were blankly gazing at his awe-inspiring attractiveness, unable to speak.
Axias Killian, a chillingly handsome man, seemed to be insane, let alone murder-crazed. At the very least, he didn’t seem to be, even though there was a hint of lunacy in those eyes. From his icy gaze, crimson eyes created a cutting atmosphere. Axias Killian was a relaxed and glacial man. He was closer in age to Frederik, whom Axias, the Archduke of Cevitas Casarius, called a friend.
The nobles were even surprised by the appearance of Axias, the Archduke, who stood among the mourners wearing black robes, if he had been on a long journey on horseback and wore dusty gray robes, but no one thought he was discourteous.
Among all individuals, he was most suited to pitch-black hair and a black horse. His sophisticated and polished countenance, along with his untamed black tresses, exuded an air of detachment and coldness that surpassed any formal attire. This made it challenging to fully comprehend the rumors about him decapitating his own siblings, as well as the notion that he subjugated the desolate lands by mercilessly exterminating the predators and demons of the northern regions.
The funeral resumed and the Cevitas family responded with kindness, silently and cautiously. The man, who was dead, bowed towards Frederik’s brothers and wife, and began to walk with them as if he had been among the mourners from the beginning, blending into their ranks.
Rieta collapsed and stumbled due to an unforeseen delay in the procession, which caused the black-dressed woman servant to become flustered and help her struggle to her feet.
With the family in the lead, the bewildered woman walked closely behind the coffin while Killian’s forehead formed a slight crease.
“Who is that lady?”