Chapter 1: The Vow and the Rebirth
The air in the dungeon cell was cold and thick with Luke Ashford's blood. He leaned against the damp stone, glaring up at the Crown Prince, Rio, who held the blade.
"You'd really go this far just for him, wouldn't you?" Luke's voice was hoarse.
Rio's eyes were cold, reflecting the flickering torchlight. "Of course. Harm Liam, and I won't let you go unpunished."
"Then why not just kill me?" Luke challenged, a twisted finality in his tone.
Rio hesitated, a flicker of something—weakness, perhaps regret—crossing his face. "You'd really choose death over enduring this suffering?"
"Dying is better than suffering."
A moment of silence passed before Rio stepped forward and drove the knife deep.
As his life ebbed away, Rio knelt beside him. "Before you die completely, I have a question."
Luke spat blood onto the floor. "What does a cruel person like you want to ask?"
"By any chance, if you were to live again, what would you do?"
A fierce, final breath rattled in Luke's chest. "If I had a chance to live again? I would get revenge on you and all the people that made me suffer. I will have my revenge." He died, the vow of vengeance his last offering.
Rio stood, pulling the blade free. "You will probably get what you want, if God grants you that chance. Farewell, Duke Luke Ashford... no, Former Duke Luke Ashford."
Years passed. The soul of Luke Ashford was granted a second life, reborn into the Imperial Victoire family as Lucas Victoire. He was now a member of a royal house, one of the most loyal subordinates of the very empire that had executed his original family.
Lucas stood before a gilded mirror, the reflection showing not the beaten duke, but a new, elegant figure. "It's been years, probably… A sigh. Guess it's time to get my revenge. It will be more cruel and ruthless than the suffering he made me endure."
He remembered the past clearly. Before his death, when they were younger, Rio had met him first. Liam had been there, too—that spoiled, treacherous snake. Rio chose to believe Liam's lie, the one claiming Luke had hurt him. From that day on, they were enemies. When Luke was seventeen, their paths crossed again. Rio, still close to Liam, saw Luke push Liam away after a failed attempt at conversation. Rio was furious, but Luke only glared and left.
After that encounter, everything changed. His family was branded as traitors and executed. His younger sister, Lauren, vanished—a loss he never accepted, knowing her cunning survival instincts. He was imprisoned, tortured, and eventually chose death after a final, brutal fight with Liam, where the spoiled prince still believed the lies, choosing to make Luke suffer until he begged for release.
A knock pulled Lucas from his dark contemplation.
"Young master, His Highness is looking for you," announced a servant.
"Coming," Lucas replied, his voice smooth and neutral.
He met his new father, Mr. Victoire. "You're here. I want you to attend the Grand Ball His Majesty planned for tonight. You will represent the Royal Family of Victoire, one of the empire's most loyal subordinates."
"As you wish, Father. I'll go get ready for the ball."
Soon, Lucas arrived at the dazzling Grand Royal Ball, held by the Emperor for the noble families of the empire. He moved with the quiet confidence of a royal, making his way to the dais.
Lucas bowed low, the picture of aristocratic perfection. "Greetings, Your Majesty the Emperor."
The stage was set. Rio was somewhere in this room, and the game of retribution had just begun.