A heavy boot pressed harder against my back again.
I choked against the dirt, fingers clawing weakly at the ground beneath me as another strike landed across my ribs hard enough to blur my vision again.
Pain exploded through my body.
The masked men didn't speak. That somehow made it worse.
No anger. No hesitation. Just violence.
I could hear my own breathing—broken, uneven—as blood dripped slowly from my mouth into the grass below me.
Matilda crouched elegantly in front of me, completely untouched by the chaos around us.
Her dress remained pristine.
Her expression calm.
Like this was a conversation instead of an execution.
"You know what the saddest part is?" she asked softly.
Another hand yanked my hair back violently.
I gasped sharply.
Matilda smiled faintly at the sound.
"He would've destroyed kingdoms for someone he truly loved."
My heartbeat stumbled.
"But for you?" she continued quietly. "I still can't decide whether you're special… or simply convenient."
I tried to speak.
Nothing came out except blood and breath.
Matilda tilted her head slightly as she watched me struggle.
"You really don't understand him at all," she murmured.
A sharp kick struck my side again.
White pain flashed through my skull.
My body folded instinctively, trembling.
"Stop—" my voice cracked apart weakly.
The men didn't.
A fist collided with my jaw hard enough to send ringing through my ears.
For one horrible second, I couldn't hear anything except static.
The garden spun.
The sky above me blurred between branches and light.
Then suddenly—
a hand gripped my chin.
Matilda forced my face upward carefully.
Almost gently.
"You know what he did after that ball?" she asked softly.
My eyes struggled to focus on her.
"He slaughtered three noble houses within two months."
My breath hitched faintly.
"Not publicly," she continued. "Draven never loses control publicly. That's what makes him terrifying."
Her thumb brushed lightly against the blood at the corner of my mouth.
"But then you appeared."
Something dangerous flickered across her face then.
Not rage.
Something uglier.
"You made him emotional."
Another blow hit my stomach.
I folded forward instantly with a broken gasp.
Pain ripped through my chest so violently my vision darkened again.
The system warnings screamed endlessly in the back of my head now.
[CRITICAL DANGER]
[HOSTILE FORCE DETECTED]
[SEVERE PHYSICAL TRAUMA]
Worthless warnings.
Worthless.
I couldn't breathe properly.
My hands shook against the dirt as someone forced me upright again by my hair.
Matilda sighed softly.
"You know," she said, almost thoughtfully, "I really did try being patient."
The wind moved faintly through the roses around us.
Cold.
Sharp.
"But you kept surviving."
Her eyes lowered toward my trembling hands.
"You kept staying beside him."
A pause.
"And the worst part?"
Her smile returned slowly.
"He let you."
My chest tightened painfully.
Draven.
The image of him flashed through my head without permission—
Dark hair messy from sleep, heavy eyes watching me from the bed, that quiet dangerous voice warning me not to leave too long.
Troublesome woman.
A horrible ache spread through my throat suddenly.
I didn't realize tears had mixed with the blood on my face until Matilda laughed softly.
"Oh?" she whispered. "Now you look afraid."
Another kick slammed into my ribs.
Something cracked.
I screamed.
The sound tore out of me raw and broken before another hand shoved my face back into the ground.
The dirt smelled like wet roses and iron.
My blood.
My entire body trembled violently now.
The pain was becoming difficult to separate.
Everything hurt.
Everything.
"Enough," Matilda said suddenly.
The men paused instantly.
Silence crashed over the garden.
My breathing shook uncontrollably beneath it.
Matilda stepped closer slowly until her heels stopped beside my face.
Then—
she knelt.
Her fingers slid carefully into my hair, pulling my head upward again.
Gentle.
Almost affectionate.
Which terrified me more than the beating.
"You should hate him," she whispered.
I stared at her weakly through blurred vision.
She smiled faintly.
"Because if Draven Everfrost had left you alone…"
Her grip tightened slightly.
"…none of this would've happened to you."
My breathing shook unevenly.
Blood slid slowly down my chin onto the grass below.
The masked men stood around us silently while pain pulsed through every part of my body hard enough to make my vision blur.
Then—
footsteps.
Heavy.
Measured.
My heart jumped violently.
For one desperate second—
relief crashed through me.
Father.
My father stepped into the garden surrounded by guards, his expression dark as his gaze swept across the scene.
The blood.
The men.
Me kneeling on the ground.
"Father…" my voice cracked apart instantly.
I tried to move toward him weakly, my knees dragging against the stone path.
"Father—"
Surely he would stop this.
Surely—
His face hardened further.
Disappointment.
Not horror.
Not concern.
Disappointment.
My chest tightened painfully.
"You disobeyed me," he said coldly.
The words hit harder than the beating.
I froze.
My father looked down at me like I was something shameful scattered across the garden floor.
"I warned you what would happen if you embarrassed this family again," he continued.
My throat closed.
"F-Father…" I whispered weakly.
"You abandoned your duty." His voice sharpened. "You defied your kingdom. And now look at you."
I stared at him.
Unable to breathe properly.
Unable to understand.
"I came because I heard there was chaos in the estate," he said flatly. "But instead I find my daughter kneeling in dirt beside traitors and murderers."
My eyes burned suddenly.
"No…" My voice broke. "Father please—"
"Do not call me that."
Silence crashed through me.
Even Matilda looked pleased now.
My father turned away from me completely.
Cold.
Final.
"From this moment onward," he said calmly, "Seraphina Valemont is no longer recognized as my daughter."
The world stopped.
I think part of me stopped with it.
My hands shook violently against the ground.
"Father—!"
I crawled forward desperately, grabbing weakly at the edge of his cloak.
"Please—please don't do this—"
He looked down at my bloodied hand touching him like it disgusted him.
Then he stepped away.
Without hesitation.
Without remorse.
"You made your choices," he said.
Then finally—
his gaze shifted toward Matilda and the masked men.
"Do whatever you want with her."
My body went completely cold.
Matilda exhaled softly beside me.
Almost relieved.
"There," she murmured quietly. "Now that is much easier."
My fingers tightened helplessly against the dirt.
"Dad…" My voice barely existed anymore. "Please…"
He didn't even look back.
The last fragile thing inside my chest shattered completely.
Matilda crouched slowly in front of me again.
Mock sympathy crossed her beautiful face.
"Oh, Seraphina," she sighed softly. "Look at you now."
I couldn't stop trembling.
She tilted her head.
"And you still thought someone would save you."
A masked man stepped forward beside me.
Sword drawn.
The blade gleamed beneath the pale garden light.
My heartbeat became unbearable.
Fast.
Violent.
The world blurred around the edges.
No.
No no no—
I clutched weakly at my chest, struggling to breathe through the panic crushing my lungs.
The sword lifted slowly above me.
Everything suddenly felt distant.
Muted.
I closed my eyes tightly.
For the first time in a long time—
I prayed.
"God…" My voice cracked apart into a whisper. "Please… just this once…"
The sword came down—
And lightning split the garden apart.
A deafening explosion erupted through the air.
A blinding silver streak carved violently across the space in the shape of a monstrous Z—
Then bodies fell apart.
Literally apart.
Blood sprayed across the roses.
The masked men didn't even scream properly before collapsing into pieces across the stone path.
My eyes flew open in horror.
The garden froze.
Even the wind disappeared.
My father staggered backward.
Matilda's face drained of color instantly.
Then—
slow footsteps echoed through the blood-soaked silence.
One.
Two.
Three.
The shadows near the hedges twisted unnaturally.
And a voice emerged from the darkness.
Deep.
Cold.
Furious enough to make my entire body shake.
"…You touched what belongs to me."
The remaining masked men panicked immediately.
They charged.
A mistake.
The shadow moved once—
just once—
and bodies split open across the garden before they even reached him.
Limbs.
Blood.
Screams cut short instantly.
It wasn't fighting.
It was slaughter.
Matilda stumbled backward quickly, hiding behind my father as terror finally cracked across her expression.
Then the figure stepped fully into the light.
Black clothing.
Dark hair.
A dark mask covering half his face.
My breath stopped.
Draven.
I tried crawling toward him immediately.
Relief hit so violently it hurt worse than the injuries.
"Dra—"
But he didn't move toward me.
Didn't kneel.
Didn't speak.
He only looked down at me lying broken in the dirt.
And somehow—
that terrified me more.
The air around him felt wrong.
Not angry.
Beyond anger.
My father finally recovered enough to shout.
"Raphael!" he barked furiously. "Know your place, you filthy commoner!"
The garden went silent.
Draven tilted his head slightly.
Then disappeared.
A violent gust exploded through the roses.
The remaining masked men died before anyone even saw the blade move.
One second alive.
Next second collapsing in pieces.
Blood painted the garden walls.
My father gasped sharply.
And suddenly—
Draven was standing directly in front of him.
One hand wrapped around his throat.
Lifting him effortlessly off the ground.
My father clawed at his wrist instantly, choking.
"You—" he rasped. "I'll have you imprisoned for this—!"
Draven laughed quietly.
Darkly.
The sound made even the guards step back.
"Imprison me?" he repeated softly.
His grip tightened.
My father choked harder.
"You truly are a fool."
Father's trembling hand suddenly reached toward the royal ring on his finger—
And Draven smiled.
Wide.
Cruel.
Like he had been waiting for that exact movement.
"What nerve…" Father gasped under the crushing grip. "What nerve does a commoner have to stand against a king?! Do you even know who I am?!"
Draven stared at him silently for one long moment.
Then slowly—
he spoke.
"Eichhorst William Valemont."
My father froze instantly.
So did I.
Nobody called him by his full name.
Nobody.
Draven's smile widened slightly beneath the mask.
"I have never seen a king quite this stupid before."
My father's eyes widened with fear now.
Actual fear.
Draven leaned closer.
"Did you truly never stop to ask yourself," he murmured softly, "what kind of warrior could bypass Draven Everfrost…"
His grip tightened harder.
"…to touch his wife?"
Silence.
Horrible silence.
Then slowly—
Draven lifted his free hand toward his mask.
My breath caught instantly.
No.
He wasn't—
My father stared at him in confusion as the black mask loosened slowly beneath Draven's fingers.
Then—
he removed it completely.
Silver eyes.
Cold.
Monstrous.
Beautiful.
Recognition slammed into my father so violently he nearly stopped breathing.
The entire garden froze.
Draven smirked faintly.
And my father finally whispered—
Shaken.
Disbelieving.
"…Draven?"
.....
Chapter 36 will be locked.
Everything changes the moment his mask comes off.