Time, three years later.
Location, Empire's East, Manhattan City, Earl Wilton's Mansion.
Earl Wilton was a super noble of Manhattan City, in his forties, dressed in luxurious attire, with a dignified and capable face. At this moment, he was pacing anxiously in the grand hall of his mansion.
Power, wealth, strength—in this town, he was almost second to none. It was hard to imagine what kind of major event could make this super magnate of Manhattan City so anxious.
On the other side of the grand hall sat a girl of seventeen or eighteen.
Golden hair, golden eyes, a stunningly beautiful face, and a curvaceous figure, dressed in a noble princess gown, she sat there like a goddess.
The girl's name was Kasia Wilton, Earl Wilton's daughter, the flower of Manhattan City, renowned far and wide for her beauty and talent!
Such a heavenly beauty, of high status and extraordinary talent, her suitors were said to be enough to circle Manhattan City three times! Countless young talents and noble sons had spent fortunes and even fought to the death to win her favor!
However, no matter how crazy these noble sons were for her, they could never touch the goddess's heart. That eternally cold, beautiful face had never once blossomed for them.
At this moment, the girl sat quietly on a chair, watching her father, Earl Wilton, pacing anxiously. A slight smile appeared on her icy lips. Although it was a smile full of sarcasm, on her stunning face, it was like a thousand flowers blooming. Any man in the world who saw it would surely be captivated!
However, the only man nearby, Earl Wilton, was deeply troubled and didn't notice.
Earl Wilton was troubled, yes, he had been troubled since three days ago.
Because he had received news that his daughter Kasia had been targeted!
To be honest, there were countless men in the world who coveted his beautiful daughter, but Earl Wilton had never cared. His daughter was a phoenix on a high branch, and no matter how much those toads jumped, they could never touch her.
But this time, the one targeting his daughter was no ordinary person. It was the notorious "Black Death," a powerful villain who had been committing shocking crimes across the continent for the past three years!
All the famous outstanding women of the empire had been kidnapped one after another by this villain over the past three years. Relying on a powerful imperial weapon, he acted with impunity, and no matter how many troops the empire and nobles sent to capture him, none had ever returned alive!
Moreover, it was said that by the side of this "Black Death" villain was an extremely cruel woman known as the "Ice Blue Devil." The soldiers who went to capture them were almost all tortured to death by her alone with extremely cruel methods!
To be honest, Earl Wilton really didn't want to provoke such a terrifying person. If the other party wanted his wealth or his women, he could even personally deliver them, but his daughter was the only exception!
This wasn't because he cared so much for or loved this daughter. Although he had put in a lot of effort to cultivate her into an outstanding woman since childhood, compared to the safety of his earl's mansion, it was obviously not worth it. However, his daughter was prepared for that terrifying lord, and he really dared not make any mistakes.
"Earl, it's bad, the Death… the Death has come!"
At this moment, a guard suddenly rushed in from outside the grand hall, shouting in extreme panic to Earl Wilton, his face showing his fear of the "Death."
"What?!"
Earl Wilton, who had been pacing back and forth, was shocked, and a trace of panic appeared on his face, but he quickly calmed down and said:
"Go, take me out to see, tell the guards to prepare for battle!"
Earl Wilton knew it was already unstoppable, and he could only take it one step at a time, hoping to find some other way to deal with the other party later. However, even he knew that this was unlikely.
Kasia, who had been sitting silently, heard the guard's voice and her eyes lit up. A trace of excitement appeared on her beautiful face. Without any panic or fear, she also stood up and followed.
"Boom!!!"
When Earl Wilton and his group walked out of the grand hall, they saw a purple-gold light descending from the sky, landing with a loud bang in the courtyard of the earl's mansion.
As the dust settled, two figures appeared.
A beautiful woman with ice-blue hair and ice-blue eyes, holding a large rapier, and a handsome man with black hair and black eyes, exuding a wicked charm.
"Darling, this is the place, the person you're looking for!"
The woman, Esdeath, stood up from Sora, completely ignoring the hundreds of guards watching them, and pointed ahead with a relaxed expression.
"Heh… so my final target is here!"
The man, Sora, said with a wicked smile.
"The Black Reaper and the Ice-Blue Devil, what brings you to my manor? If you wish to avoid the Empire's wrath, leave at once!"
If anyone else dared to be so insolent in front of him, trampling on his dignity as a noble, Earl Wilton would have had them beaten to death on the spot. However, these two terrifying figures before him filled him with apprehension, and he hoped they would leave out of fear.
But the Earl's hopes were in vain, as neither Sora nor Esdeath paid him any heed.
In a flash, Sora disappeared from his spot and reappeared in front of the young girl, Kasia, who stood behind the Earl.
"Young lady, I believe you've heard of me, haven't you? You should also know my purpose," Sora said, pausing as he looked at the girl, who seemed too stunned to react.
"I'll give you two choices. First, come with me, and from this moment on, everything about you—your body and soul—will belong to me. In return, I will unconditionally fulfill any wish of yours."
"Second, I will take you by force, and then let that woman over there, known as the 'Ice-Blue Devil,' train you until you submit to me like a slave."
"So, tell me, which will you choose?"
Sora lifted the girl's chin with a wicked smile.
To be honest, such arrogant and domineering words being spoken in front of the noble Lady Kasia left the hundreds of guards in the courtyard in shock, their faces filled with disbelief. Even Earl Wilton himself was stunned!
Although he had heard rumors of this villain, he never imagined he would be so brazen!
However, once the Earl and the guards regained their composure, they were filled with boundless rage. How dare this scoundrel insult their goddess, Lady Kasia, in such a manner!
Without waiting for the Earl's command, the guards erupted in fury, eager to chop this despicable villain into pieces!
But at that moment, an overwhelming aura descended from the heavens, pressing down on everyone. The guards, who had been seething with anger, suddenly froze in place. A cold, womanly voice echoed, plunging them into an abyss of despair:
"Anyone who disturbs my dear will die…"
It was the voice of the woman known as the "Ice-Blue Devil." Though her tone was calm, it carried an undeniable, queenly authority.
No one present doubted that disobedience would mean certain death.