Lyra Pov
I spent the night browsing the Revenge Shop, and wow—this system was insane.
[REVENGE SHOP ITEMS AVAILABLE:]
[BEAUTY ENHANCEMENT PILL - 50 POINTS: Transform into breathtaking goddess]
[MIND READING TECHNIQUE - 100 POINTS: Read enemies' thoughts]
[DIVINE TRANSFORMATION GOWN - 200 POINTS: Outfit that makes everyone bow down]
[PHOENIX FLAME TECHNIQUE - 300 POINTS: Burn enemies to ash]
[HUMILIATION MULTIPLIER - 150 POINTS: Makes public shame 10x more devastating]
I had exactly 150 Revenge Points. Perfect.
"System, purchase Humiliation Multiplier," I commanded.
[PURCHASE CONFIRMED]
[HUMILIATION MULTIPLIER ACTIVATED - ALL REVENGE ACTIONS WILL HAVE 10X IMPACT]
[REMAINING POINTS: 0]
The engagement ceremony was being held in the Grand Imperial Hall, where hundreds of nobles from across the empire had gathered. Everyone who was anyone would witness Violetta's "perfect" day.
Too bad I was about to turn it into her worst nightmare.
I chose my outfit carefully—not the gorgeous gowns I could have worn, but the simple white dress I'd been wearing yesterday. The one stained with blood from when she poisoned me. Let everyone see exactly what my beloved sister had done.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: DRAMATIC ENTRANCE DETECTED]
[BONUS OBJECTIVE: ARRIVE FASHIONABLY LATE FOR MAXIMUM IMPACT]
[REWARD: +50 REVENGE POINTS]
Perfect. I waited until I could hear the ceremony beginning before making my move.
The Grand Imperial Hall was packed with nobles in their finest silks and jewels. At the center of it all stood Crown Prince Damien—tall, handsome, and completely unaware that his bride-to-be was a murderous snake.
Violetta looked absolutely stunning in her golden wedding gown, sparkling with diamonds and pearls. Her face glowed with triumph as the priest began the engagement ritual.
"Dearly beloved," the priest intoned, "we are gathered here to witness the sacred engagement between Her Highness Princess Violetta and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Damien..."
That's when I made my entrance.
I didn't walk through the doors—I kicked them open so hard they slammed against the walls with a sound like thunder. The entire hall went silent as every head turned toward me.
"Sorry I'm late," I announced, my voice carrying clearly across the massive space. "I was busy not being dead."
The reaction was immediate and delicious. Gasps, whispers, people pointing at the bloodstains on my dress. But the best reactions came from my family.
Violetta's face went white as a ghost. Father's jaw dropped open. Mother actually swayed on her feet like she might faint.
"Lyra?" Crown Prince Damien called out, confusion clear in his voice. "What are you doing here? And what happened to your dress?"
I walked down the center aisle with perfect confidence, my spiritual pressure making everyone I passed instinctively bow their heads. The crowd parted before me like I was a goddess descending from heaven.
"Your Highness," I said with a bright smile, "I wouldn't miss my dear sister's engagement for the world. Especially after the lovely gift she gave me yesterday."
"Gift?" Prince Damien looked genuinely puzzled.
"Oh yes. A very special tea. So thoughtful of her." I reached the altar where Violetta stood frozen in terror. "Tell me, sister, what did you put in that tea again?"
"I... I don't know what you're talking about," Violetta stammered, but her voice shook with fear.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: ENEMY FEAR LEVEL - MAXIMUM]
[HUMILIATION MULTIPLIER ACTIVATING]
[AUDIENCE ATTENTION LEVEL - 100%]
[PERFECT TIMING FOR MAXIMUM DAMAGE]
"Really? You don't remember?" I tilted my head innocently. "Let me refresh your memory."
I raised my hand, and golden flames danced around my fingers. The entire hall erupted in shocked whispers—everyone knew I couldn't cultivate, so seeing me use spiritual energy was like watching a corpse come back to life.
"You invited me to your chambers yesterday. You served me tea. You said it would help with my 'condition.'" My smile never wavered. "Crimson Death poison, wasn't it?"
The hall exploded into chaos. Nobles shouting, guards reaching for weapons, Prince Damien staring at Violetta with dawning horror.
"That's impossible!" someone yelled. "Princess Lyra can't cultivate!"
"Crimson Death poison? That's a capital crime!"
"Did she really try to murder her own sister?"
Violetta's perfect composure finally cracked. "You're lying! I never—I wouldn't—"
"Wouldn't you?" I pulled a small vial from my sleeve—one I'd found in her chambers after my awakening. "Shall we test this on someone else? See if it's really just innocent tea?"
"No!" Violetta screamed, lunging forward to grab the vial. "Don't—"
Her desperate reaction was all the confession the crowd needed. The whispers turned to outraged shouts.
"She really tried to poison Princess Lyra!"
"On the day before her engagement!"
"How could she be so evil?"
Prince Damien stepped back from Violetta like she was diseased. "You... you actually tried to murder your sister?"
"It's not what it looks like!" Violetta cried, reaching for him desperately. "I can explain—"
"Can you?" I interrupted sweetly. "Can you explain why you told me Father wanted me dead? Can you explain why you said I was too much of an embarrassment to live? Can you explain why you smiled while I was dying on your floor?"
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: CRITICAL HIT ACHIEVED]
[ENEMY REPUTATION DESTROYED]
[+200 REVENGE POINTS GAINED]
[BONUS: HUMILIATION MULTIPLIER EFFECT - +2000 POINTS]
[TOTAL REVENGE POINTS: 2200]
The crowd was turning ugly now. Nobles who had been celebrating moments ago were now looking at Violetta with disgust and horror.
"Monster!"
"How could she do that to family?"
"And she was going to be our future empress?"
Crown Prince Damien's face had gone cold as winter stone. "Princess Violetta, is what your sister says true?"
Violetta looked around desperately, seeing her perfect world crumbling. "Damien, please, you have to believe me—"
"Answer the question."
The silence stretched until it became unbearable. Finally, Violetta's shoulders slumped in defeat.
"Yes," she whispered. "Yes, it's true."
The hall erupted into chaos again, but this time it was pure condemnation. Prince Damien stepped away from her like she was poison herself.
"The engagement is off," he declared, his voice carrying over the noise. "I will not marry a woman who murders her own family."
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: MISSION COMPLETE]
[VIOLETTA'S ENGAGEMENT DESTROYED]
[+500 REVENGE POINTS BONUS]
[TOTAL POINTS: 2700]
[NEW MISSION UNLOCKED: CLAIM YOUR RIGHTFUL PLACE]
Violetta collapsed to her knees, her golden gown spreading around her like a puddle of shame. Her perfect life, her perfect marriage, her perfect future—all destroyed in minutes.
But I wasn't done yet.
"Your Majesty," I said, turning to address my father the Emperor, "I believe we need to discuss my inheritance."
Father looked like he'd aged ten years in the last five minutes. "Lyra, please, let me explain—"
"Oh, there's nothing to explain, Father. I understand perfectly." My smile turned predatory. "You thought I was worthless trash, so you decided to have me killed rather than deal with the embarrassment. But now that I'm clearly not trash anymore..."
I let my spiritual pressure explode outward, washing over the entire hall like a tidal wave. Nobles fell to their knees, unable to withstand the power radiating from my body.
"Now I think it's time for some changes around here."
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: FEAR AURA ACTIVATED]
[ALL ENEMIES INTIMIDATED]
[DOMINANCE ESTABLISHED]
[WARNING: HIDDEN BOSS DETECTED NEARBY]
Hidden boss? I looked around the hall, trying to identify the threat, when my eyes landed on a figure I hadn't noticed before.
An old man in simple robes stood at the back of the hall, completely unaffected by my spiritual pressure. He was watching me with ancient, calculating eyes, and when our gazes met, he smiled.
That smile made my blood run cold.
[SYSTEM ALERT: DANGER LEVEL - EXTREME]
[ENEMY IDENTIFIED: GRAND SAGE MALACHAR - LEGENDARY RANK CULTIVATOR]
[WARNING: HE KNOWS YOUR SECRET]
[RECOMMENDATION: IMMEDIATE RETREAT]
But it was too late. The old man was already walking toward me, parting the crowd of kneeling nobles like they were grass.
"Princess Lyra," he said, his voice somehow carrying clearly despite speaking quietly. "How interesting. Tell me, child—where exactly did you acquire such remarkable power overnight?"