She froze as she looked at the man who introduced himself as the Tower Master.
Was this some kind of cruel joke? That man was the Tower Master? Why would such an extraordinary person be here?
“You’re joking, right?”
“Why would I make a joke like that? If you can’t believe it, then just ignore it. You still have a long way to go if you can’t even recognize someone’s value, Milena.”
The shock of his presence lasted only a moment. Just as impressive as his appearance, his abilities were equally astonishing. As if to prove that he truly was the Tower Master, he used magic to manifest everything Lariette desired.
Milena was the only one who sensed an unsettling feeling about it. Perhaps it stemmed from the way his magic seemed to manipulate people’s emotions.
Lariette had lived the most perfect life a noblewoman could possibly enjoy. Whether man or woman, everyone adored her, and before she knew it, she was surrounded by high-ranking nobles.
Yet, there was no envy or jealousy directed at her. The fact that she had no enemies in high society became a power of its own.
“Who will Lady Lariette end up marrying?”
That became the hottest topic in Northern society.
She had rejected every marriage proposal but continued meeting with the Tower Master, leading people to believe that she was destined to become his wife.
For the illegitimate daughter of a count, it was the highest position she could ever dream of attaining. Even Milena, despite being her half-sister, could objectively acknowledge that reality without resentment.
And then, Lariette made her choice. The man she deemed to hold the highest position in the North.
“I think the Grand Duke will do just fine.”
She confided in Milena, as if sharing a secret only between them.
It was a terrifying statement. As if such a thing were simply possible just by saying it aloud.
The king of the North, pursuing a mere count’s daughter from the outskirts?
Even though Lariette had been officially recognized as nobility, there were limits to a bloodline tainted by illegitimacy.
The nobles around her didn’t believe the Grand Duke was truly serious about her. They considered it nothing more than a ridiculous dream.
And yet, that dream somehow became a reality.
“Lady Lariette! His Grace the Grand Duke has come to see you again!”
Following Lariette’s bold declaration of marriage, as if in response, the Grand Duke openly showed his affection for her.
That affection quickly transformed into something far more intense—almost obsessive.
They say love is like magic.
And it truly was.
Who would have imagined that a man who seemed incapable of bleeding even a single drop would one day wear such an enraptured expression?
When he stood beside Lariette, he didn’t seem like a ruler of vast lands—just a man hopelessly in love.
He cherished Lariette so much that when a skirmish broke out along the northern border, he ended the conflict in an instant, just because he couldn’t bear to be away from her.
And yet, no one found that odd. If anything, they believed it was only natural. After all, it was Lariette.
At eighteen, the number of days her father didn’t return home grew.
“Housekeeper, the meals seem rather meager lately.”
Even though she had always been treated coldly, Milena had never been deprived of food. She had never seen hard, stale bread—the kind commoners ate—on her plate before.
“The storage is empty, my lady.”
Their territory was a poor one, lacking resources. It barely survived off toll fees collected from travelers passing between the capital and the North.
There was never a shortage of money—unless, of course, her father hadn’t squandered it all on gambling.
Their fortune was disappearing.
As more servants went unpaid, the household began to crumble. By the time Milena truly felt the decline, it was already too late.
There was nothing she could do.
It hadn’t taken long for her father, drowning in gambling, to amass an enormous debt.
“I’ll pay off the count’s debt.”
Amidst it all, the Grand Duke stepped forward.
“You… You really mean that?”
“It’s nothing to spend that much on my future duchess’s family. In return, bring Lariette back to me.”
“How could I refuse? Not just as her father, but as someone who truly believes she is the perfect match for Your Grace.”
That was when Milena finally learned the truth.
Lariette was the cause of it all.
The Grand Duke had orchestrated everything just to win her over—to make her accept their marriage.
Her father’s gambling addiction, the massive debts, and the salvation that followed—it had all been staged to win Lariette’s favor.
Because Milena had been distanced from the family, she was able to see the situation for what it was.
Everything had been for Lariette.
The Grand Duke, a man so meticulous that he had turned a count into a gambling addict just to have her.
It was terrifying—the sheer obsession of a man willing to move mountains for a single woman.
Milena had no intention of staying to watch the house crumble.
She had begun selling off her mother’s keepsakes, preparing to leave.
To completely sever ties with her family, she had two choices: marriage or a career in the imperial administration.
She bided her time, studying diligently, hoping to secure a position as an imperial clerk or a lady-in-waiting to a high noble.
At twenty, Milena had finally come of age.
She had been treated as if she didn’t exist, so no coming-of-age ceremony was held for her. But she wasn’t saddened by that.
At last, she could take the imperial exams!
She could finally escape this wretched family.
But just as she was about to leave, Lariette approached her and whispered:
“You love my man, don’t you?”
Even as their household fell apart, Lariette, supported by the Grand Duke’s generosity, had never known deprivation.
Everyone praised her for restoring the family with the Grand Duke’s aid.
Now, just before her grand wedding, she came to Milena spewing nonsense.
It was absurd.
This was the same sister who had never once glanced at her, not even when she had been living worse than the servants.
And now, as she was about to leave, this was what she had to say?
“Me? Love Calion Grand Duke?”
Milena was no longer a child swayed by Lariette’s words.
She had never even spoken more than a few words to him.
“Are you out of your mind?”
“I know the way you look at Calion. It’s not ordinary.”
Her voice sent shivers down Milena’s spine.
In Lariette’s unwavering gaze, there was an eerie heat.
“You’ve always wanted what’s mine, haven’t you? You’ve always been jealous of me.”
Milena couldn’t even bring herself to scoff.
As always, a certain magician stood beside Lariette.
“Calion doesn’t even spare you a glance, yet you insist on clinging to him, don’t you?”
The Tower Master’s magic took shape, wrapping around Milena like creeping vines.
“You love my man, don’t you?”
The same question.
But this time, Milena’s answer was different.
“Yes. How did you know? I love Calion so much.”
A hollow lie.
But through the magician’s power, it became the truth.
Feelings that had never existed burned within her, scorching her like fire.
The emotions that had been forcibly embedded in her soul shattered the resolve she had held through years of hardship.
“You must become a villain. For me. Just as you always have.”
That command shackled her.
It dictated how she thought, what she felt, and every action she took.
And so, she lived as the perfect villain, just as Lariette wished.
Even after Lariette married, had children, and lived a blissful life—the magic never broke.
Not even three years later, when she was summoned to the Grand Duke’s castle to see her ailing sister.
Even then, she remained utterly consumed by hatred.
“Dammit. Milena Lastia!”
Rexion scowled as he tore away the writhing, thorny vines wrapped around her.
But no matter how much he ripped them apart, they clung to her, dark and insidious.
“This is insane.”
As he burned away the cursed tendrils, his disguise unraveled.
High-tier black magic. Malicious beyond words.
Who hated this woman enough to do this to her?
And how had he never noticed, despite being by her side all this time?
“Wake up, my lady. I’m adding all this to your tab.”
Fragmented memories slowly pieced themselves together.
The sealed recollections resurfaced.
There was one moment when the magic had briefly lifted.
It had been at the foot of her dead sister’s coffin.
“Ah… so it broke, after all.”
