Maria's silence infuriated Alia even more. Despite the agonizing pain in her body, Alia's eyes burned red with humiliation and rage. She reached out with her broken and wounded hand and grabbed Maria by the throat. The few long red nails that were still intact dug into Maria's skin.
Maria: (Crying) "Madam, please forgive me! I can't say anything... my life will be forfeit!"
Alia gritted her teeth and roared—
Alia: "Forgive what? In my own house, in my own palace, who played this brutal game with me last night? Who was that police officer? And who was the second person whose laughter I heard? Tell me now, or I will take your life with my own hands!"
Maria cowered in fear at Alia's outburst. Trembling, she collapsed at Alia's feet.
Maria: "Madam... last night when the room door was closed, Master Viktor and Madam Anashia forbade anyone from entering. They said a major 'score' was being settled with you. I only heard the sound of that belt and your groans from behind the door. When I tried to enter,Anashia pushed me away."
Alia froze. Her grip on Maria's neck loosened. The laughter from last night, the sound of the belt chain unbuckling, and that voice exactly like Anashia's—everything began to whirl in her head like a terrifying puzzle.
Alia: "That means... Viktor and Anashia knew everything? They left me alone in that state? Or..."
Alia wanted to burst into tears looking at her naked body, but her rage choked the sobs. She realized that the enemies hadn't come from outside; they were lurking deep within. Pushing Maria aside with a shove, Alia tried to climb out of bed. Now, her body was fueled only by the thirst for revenge. When Maria revealed the truth, the ground seemed to vanish from beneath Alia's feet. Her body burned with a mix of agony and pure humiliation. Her long red nails dug so deep into the bedsheets that the fabric began to tear.
Maria: (Trembling in terror) "The truth is far worse, Alia. That boy in the police disguise and another accomplice... they were the ones who committed that heinous act against you. Anashia was standing right outside the door the whole time, overseeing everything. He knew! And the moment they were 'finished,' your husband Viktor entered the room."
It felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck Alia's soul. She realized that the sinister laughter she heard and the brutality inflicted upon her unconscious body were part of a cold, calculated conspiracy between these two men.
Alia: (Screaming in rage) "You mean my husband, Viktor, saw everything? He didn't stop them? And Anashia... the one I trusted to be my shield... he stood guard while they destroyed me?"
Maria sobbed, "When Master Viktor entered and saw you in that state, he didn't say a word of protest. Instead, he spoke to Anashia calmly, as if everything had gone exactly according to their plan."
Alia turned into a statue of ice. The blue bruises on her skin felt like venomous serpents biting into her flesh. Viktor and Anashia, the two pillars of her world, had dragged her honor through the dirt for their own twisted reasons. She looked at the torn leather belt lying on the floor. Her eyes didn't hold tears anymore; they held sparks of lethal fire.
She realized that between these two powerful men, she was being treated as nothing more than a pawn. She signaled Maria to bring her clothes. Despite the bone-crushing pain, the Mafia Queen within her was now fully awake and thirsty for blood.
Alia: (In a voice cold enough to freeze the room) "Viktor... Anashia... you thought it would be this easy to break me? Last night, you played with my body. Today, I will erase your very existence. I will stain my broken red nails once again but this time, it will be with your blood."
Alia stood up with agonizing effort. Her gaze was fixed on a future where only one person would remain standing: herself.The world around Alia seemed to turn cold and silent as Maria's final confession hung in the air. The realization was more soul-crushing than any physical wound.
Maria: (Sobbing uncontrollably, head on the floor) "Forgive me, Alia! I was so scared... I lied at first because I couldn't believe it myself. That 'police officer' was not a stranger. It was Anashia in that disguise. And the second man... the one laughing with him... it was Viktor. It was them, Alia! They were the ones in that room. They didn't just watch they were the monsters."
Alia's breath hitched. The memory of the voice that sounded like Anashia wasn't a mimic it was Anashia. The belt, the laughter, the sheer brutality it wasn't an outside enemy. It was the two men she shared her life with.
Her long red nails, now jagged and broken from her struggle against them in the dark, bit into her own palms until fresh blood dripped onto the white sheets. The betrayal was absolute. They had hunted her together, treating her like a prize to be broken rather than a queen to be respected.
Alia: (Her voice a haunting, hollow whisper) "So... there was no police officer. There was no intruder. Just the two of them... playing with me like an animal."
A terrifying, calm smile slowly spread across Alia's face, though her eyes remained dead. She looked at her bruised body, not with shame anymore, but with a cold, calculated fury.
Alia: "They wanted to see if they could break the Mafia Queen. They wanted to share the spoils of their 'victory.'"
She gripped Maria's shoulder, her broken nails drawing a tiny bit of blood.
Alia: "Stop crying, Maria. Bring me my darkest dress. And find my gun the one with the silencer. If Viktor and Anashia want to play games in the dark, I'll show them how the game ends. They didn't break me... they just gave me a reason to kill them both."
The air in the room felt heavy with the scent of impending death. Alia stood up, ignoring the scream of her muscles. The two kings had made a fatal mistake: they left her alive. And as long as she breathed, the streets of Seoul would soon run red with the blood of the men who thought they owned her. It was 1:00 AM. The entire palace was silent, except for the faint clinking sounds from the kitchen. Alia and Maria were there preparing dinner. Alia was wearing a striking red silk nightdress. The brilliance of the red fabric contrasted with her pale, wounded skin, creating a hauntingly beautiful sight. Her long red nails shimmered like fire.
Suddenly, the atmosphere in the kitchen grew heavy with the sound of heavy boots. Viktor and Anashia walked in. Both held expensive bottles of wine, and their gait made it clear they had drunk too much. A sense of sinister satisfaction and lust danced in their eyes.
Maria stood cornered, her face filled with terror. She stared blankly at Alia, knowing that after last night, another storm was approaching.
Viktor: (In a slurred, drunken voice) "What happened, Alia? Not asleep yet? Is there something special being cooked for us?"
Anashia leaned against the wall. He slowly swirled the wine glass in his hand, his eyes fixed on Alia's red nightdress.
Anashia: (With an ugly smirk) "Red suits you very well, Alia. Especially when those nails of yours and the marks on your body blend into one."
Alia didn't look at them even once. She calmly continued chopping meat. But the sharpness of the knife in her hand and the stillness in her eyes signaled that she was 'cooking' something else revenge.
Alia: (In a low but sharp voice) "The cooking is almost done. A very special dinner is waiting for both of you tonight."
Maria noticed that as Alia spoke, her red nails gripped the handle of the knife even tighter. Viktor and Anashia were laughing in their drunken state, unaware that Alia's calm demeanor was the silence before a catastrophic volcanic eruption.
In the silence of the kitchen at 1:00 AM, the air was now thick with the smell of wine and the gunpowder of revenge. Viktor stepped closer to Alia, his gait unsteady. The air in the kitchen grew thick with the strong smell of alcohol. As Viktor stood right next to Alia, Maria's heart began to race. She knew exactly what kind of monsters these men had been the night before.
Maria tried to intervene, stammering in fear—
Maria: "Ma'am... Ma'am... Ma'am, please... you should come away from here..."
Viktor shot a murderous glance at Maria for a moment. His stare was so terrifying that Maria was forced to stop mid-sentence. Viktor turned back to Alia. He reached out and placed a hand on the red strap of Alia's dress, right over the blue bruise from the previous night that was still clearly visible.
Viktor: (With an ugly laugh) "The maid talks too much, doesn't she, Alia? Doesn't she know that no one dares to speak between us?"
Alia stood perfectly still. Hatred surged through her body at the touch of Viktor's hand, but she didn't flinch. Her long red nails remained firmly clenched around the handle of the meat cleaver.
Anashia stood at a distance, glass in hand, enjoying the scene. He knew exactly how helpless Alia must be feeling right now.
Anashia: (Mocking from behind) "Viktor, your wife is exceptionally quiet today. Has last night's 'lesson' finally worked?"
Viktor leaned into Alia's ear and whispered, "Tell me, Alia, do you remember last night? Or do I need to remind you all over again?"
Maria was trembling against the wall. She could see Alia's muscles tensing up. Alia slowly turned her head toward Viktor. Her eyes were now blood-red, but they held no fear only a terrifying death warrant. As Maria tried to move away in fear, Anashia suddenly set his glass on the table and lunged forward with lightning speed, grabbing Maria's hand firmly. In his drunken state, Anashia's eyes were filled with a hunter's satisfaction.
Anashia: (With an ugly laugh) "Where are you going, beautiful? The party has just begun. It wouldn't be right to leave so soon, would it?"
But neither Anashia nor Viktor knew that Maria was no ordinary maid. Her true identity outside these palace walls was highly influential. Maria was once a top-tier CIA agent. She is a woman of noble birth and high education who worked side-by-side with Alia on many dangerous missions. Both have now retired from that world, but the battle tactics flowing through their veins haven't died.
Maria looked at Alia once. With that one glance, Alia understood it was time to play.
When Anashia tried to twist Maria's hand harder, the fear on Maria's face was replaced by a bone-chilling disdain. She looked steadily into Anashia's eyes.
Maria: (In a perfectly calm voice) "It would be better for you to let go of my hand, Anashia. Because when I grab a hand, it doesn't stay in one piece."
Viktor burst into laughter hearing this. He couldn't imagine that a mere servant girl could threaten his companion like this.
Viktor: "Did you hear that, Anashia? Your 'maid' is talking big! Alia, it seems you've trained this girl very well."
Alia slammed the meat cleaver hard into the table. Her long red nails now looked as sharp as swords. She stepped toward Viktor, the swiftness of her former CIA self flashing in her eyes.
Alia: "You're right, Viktor. We both received excellent training. But remember one thing you can retire from the CIA, but you can never retire from the killer within. For what you did last night, you will pay the price right here in this kitchen tonight."
Before Anashia could grasp the situation, he saw Maria's grip shift instantly. The silence of the kitchen was now broken by a horrific moment waiting for the sound of snapping bones.