[Sirella's POV—Imperial Palace—Moonlit Corridor]
CLENCH—!!!
CHOKE—!!!
My feet left the floor. My back hit the wall. Air vanished from my lungs as invisible fingers crushed my throat. My hands clawed desperately at the nothingness tightening around my neck.
"L-leave… me…" I gasped, voice shattering.
But the thing before me wasn't Crown Prince Arden. No. It was the devil wearing his skin. A slow, horrifying smile stretched across his face—too wide, too calm for anything human.
"You…" his voice layered, echoing like a thousand whispers under water, "because of you… I lost that angel… I lost my way to gain power."
His eyes glowed. Crimson. Burning.
"Because of YOU"—the grip tightened, my vision flickering—"I HAD TO SETTLE FOR THIS USELESS BODY."
Pain exploded in my ribs. I coughed, choking on breath that never made it into my lungs.
But I didn't look away.
I glared at him through spots of darkness dancing in my vision. "I… WILL NOT LET MY FAMILY… SACRIFICE… FOR YOU!"
