The Duke was gone, but his presence lingered like a blade at Alesia's throat.
She pressed a hand to her chest—her heart was beating too fast.
'Pathetic.'
But the memories clawed at her anyway.
[System Alert: Stress Levels Critical.]
[Triggering Memory Recall…]
Snow fell the day they killed her.
Alesia knelt on the scaffold, her once-elegant dress reduced to rags, her hair hacked short by the jailer's knife. The crowd roared, hungry for her death.
"Alesia de Vronte," the Crown Prince's voice rang out, "you are sentenced to die for treason."
She lifted her head.
Across the square, Duke Kael Estermont stood watching, his expression unreadable.
'You did this,' she wanted to scream. 'You hunted me like an animal.'
But pride kept her silent.
The executioner raised his axe—
[Memory Fragment Corrupted.]
Alesia gasped, jolting back to the present.
Her fingers trembled against the desk. Cold sweat dripped down her spine.
'I died.'
The scent of blood and snow still clung to her, phantom-like.
[Stress Levels: 92%]
She laughed, sharp and broken.
"Is this your idea of motivation?"
The System didn't answer.
She needed to act, not drown in ghosts.
Alesia seized her journal, scribbling timelines:
Liena's debut banquet (Next month) → Sabotage opportunity.
Northern Rebellion (11 months) → Duke's turning point.
Imperial Ball (3 months) → Prince Cedric's betrayal begins.
Her pen hovered over the last entry.
'That ball… that's when he first met Liena.'
A choked sound escaped her.
'I'll burn it all down before I let her win again.'
A knock. Her father's summons.
She wiped her face—no tears, only fury.
But as she stood, her reflection in the window betrayed her:
Pale lips. Hollow eyes. A woman already haunted.
'Is this how I looked before the axe fell?'
Her fist clenched.
'Never again.'
[New Quest: "Silence the Saint Before She Sings"]
[Objective: Disrupt Liena's debut banquet.]
[Reward: "Prince's Favor Reset"]
[Penalty: "Eyes of the Crown" (Suspicion +30%)]
Alesia smiled.
'Game on.'