Chapter 144

A thin frame clad in light, casual clothing was fully exposed to the cold air. Elize instinctively huddled her shoulders, a chill sinking deep into her skin. Although the weather had clearly softened compared to the last few days, it felt as sharp as a blade to her.

But, of course, the most merciless of all were the dozens of pairs of eyes scanning her up and down. The overwhelming sense of humiliation surged through her, causing her teeth to clench.

“What’s this? Didn’t they say she was pregnant?” Riman sneered, his face scrunched in disbelief. His eyes scrutinized her waist, clearly unimpressed. “She doesn’t look pregnant at all.”

He focused blatantly on her waist, his gaze unwavering. “Where’s the baby?”

Elize’s waist, loosely bound by a belt, was so thin it could easily be grasped by a single arm. A knight hurried over and offered an explanation.

“The duke’s physician says she’s only a couple of months along. She’s not at the stage where her belly would be noticeable, so for now, we should proceed as is.”

“A couple of months, huh?” Riman chuckled, his voice dripping with mockery. “In that case, it’s clear you lied in front of His Majesty this spring. Bold of you.”

He sneered again as he grabbed Elize’s chin, twisting her head from side to side, examining her face.

“Did you seduce the duke with this face?” he mocked. “Now that I look at it, Rezette Kyrstan… he was definitely a man, after all. Oh, but of course, a man vulnerable to lust.”

Elize’s voice cut through the tension, cold and composed. “You’d better keep your hands off me.”

Riman’s smile only widened, a cruel glint in his eyes. “When you return to the capital, you’d better come up with a good excuse to defend your husband. The penalty for mocking the royal family won’t just fall on you—it’ll fall on the duke as well.”

Elize said nothing, her gaze unwavering.

“Your title, and Rotiara, will likely be taken back. After that, you’ll return to being nothing more than His Majesty’s lapdog, just like you were 15 years ago. A man like Rezette doesn’t deserve such past glory.”

Elize’s silence was telling, her eyes distant yet resigned.

“…So it will be,” she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

This was how things would end.

Elise glanced around furtively. Whether the news had already spread that she had been caught or if it was merely a coincidence, soldiers from the royal family were gathering one by one. Their presence was growing steadily, their footsteps sharp against the still air.

The knights from Rotiara, however, were nowhere to be seen. By now, Rezette must have heard the commotion—or would do so soon. One way or another, he would come. And surely, he wouldn’t let her fall into anyone else’s hands. He still saw her as his wife.

She needed to assess the situation clearly. Genovia Irrien had died—not just anywhere, but in her own land, Norella, alongside the princess of Argan, when she was stabbed by one of her own knights. The truth of the death was shrouded in confusion, but there was no escaping the fact that the princess had played a role in the chaos.

Yet no one would believe that the princess helped the royal escape. They would think she was responsible for Genovia’s death and fled afterward, her involvement painted in the darkest light.

In that case, it was clear that Rezette would bear the blame for Genovia Irrien’s death. Elise’s heart twisted at the thought. She didn’t want to leave such a burden on him. He didn’t deserve it.

And so, a quiet realization settled in her mind. It was time to bring an end to the lie she had started. It was a choice she had made, and it was only right that she finished it herself.

Every person had their place, their virtue to uphold, their path to walk. If it was the destiny God had laid out, it could be called fate. But if one strayed from that path, there would surely be a price to pay.

Just like herself. Just like Genovia Irrien. And, perhaps most painfully of all, like Rezette Kyrstan.

Helping the enemy brought nothing but disaster. It was a simple truth, one she knew all too well.

The port was sealed off now, with only the emperor’s knights lurking around. Not a soul was in sight—not even the sailors. It was eerily quiet, the weight of the silence pressing in on her.

In that case, Elise realized, this was the perfect place.

Elise stood as straight as she could, forcing every ounce of strength into her posture. Her resolve was clear as she faced the tense silence.

“Go tell your emperor,” she said, her voice cold and steady, “I didn’t just spin lies in front of him.”

“What?” the soldier snapped, his brow furrowing in confusion.

Elise’s pale, slender hands pressed against the frost-covered dirt as she continued. “I said the duke knew nothing. Tell him there’s no need to capture him. Your loyal knight was simply fulfilling his duty…” Her voice dropped slightly, barely above a whisper. “But the Princess of Argan turned out to be even crazier than expected.”

With a subtle movement, Elise’s fingers traced the edge of a glowing magic circle, her hands steady despite the cold. Her lips moved silently, whispering words that sounded like an incantation. She closed her eyes, focusing entirely on the energy building within her.

The scale and power of the magic were entirely in her hands.

I’m sorry, dear, she thought silently, her heart aching with regret. Just help me a little… just a little…

Elise didn’t have the natural circuits that most mages relied on to access magic. Instead, she possessed an almost limitless well of magical power—power that could turn even the smallest spell into something that radiated with overwhelming force.

She could do it. She had to. If her name carried the blessing of Grandel, then surely it wasn’t for nothing.

Strength surged from her fingertips, flooding the magic circle with raw energy. The sheer intensity of it threatened to overwhelm her. Elise’s knees trembled as the magic devoured her strength, pulling at her from the inside out. She felt the strain in her bones, but she refused to let go.

“Done!” Elise breathed out, her face lighting up with a fleeting, ecstatic smile.

The half-finished spell began to hum with life. A wave of heat radiated from it, intensifying with blinding brilliance. Finally, the magic circle completed its intricate design, the energy swelling to its peak.

Riman’s eyes widened in shock as he noticed the geometric pattern that had suddenly appeared beneath his feet. He stumbled back, his voice rising in disbelief.

“…What the hell!” he yelled.

Before he could react further, he shoved Elise aside and attempted to retreat. But it was already too late.

An ominous sound echoed through the air, like something solid breaking beneath their feet.

From deep underground, a chilling noise rose, accompanied by dark clouds that surged upward. The soldiers, momentarily frozen in confusion, began scanning their surroundings for the source of the cracking. An unnatural force, beyond human resistance, was drawing closer with every passing second, its eerie, slithering presence sending shivers down their spines.

As the tension reached its peak, sharp stone fragments shot between Elise and Riman, signaling the beginning of the earthquake.

Riman gasped, his eyes darting around as the ground trembled.

The crack before them expanded with terrifying speed, slicing through the earth like a rattlesnake’s strike. It moved so quickly that it was nearly impossible to follow with the eye.

The earth groaned beneath their feet, the tremors intensifying as the magic circle grew larger. What had started as a design no bigger than Elise’s palm now encircled Riman and the knights, trapping them in place. The circle coiled like a serpent around the stone arch of the harbor, rising sharply and violently. The arch began to shake, threatening to burst apart at any moment.

Riman snarled, grabbing Elise by the collar, his grip tightening as he demanded, “You witch, what in the world are you doing?!”

Elise’s face had grown even paler than before, but she offered him a faint, almost serene smile. “Can’t you see?” she replied softly, her voice eerily calm. “I’m protecting what I must protect.”

Only where she had knelt did the ground remain untouched. Everywhere else, the earth split open in grotesque cracks, as if it were being torn apart by some unseen force.

“So, if you think you can drag me away, give it a try.”

A cold, murderous intent flashed in Elise’s golden eyes, her gaze as sharp and cutting as a blade. The bloodstains on her silver hair and the faint red veins on her white sclera added an almost otherworldly beauty to her face, one that exuded a dangerous, fanatical allure.

Riman hesitated, momentarily unnerved by the intensity of her gaze. Seizing the opportunity, Elise lashed out, striking his thick wrist with brutal force, forcing him to release his grip on her neck.

“Let’s see who manages to escape this harbor first,” she said, her voice low and full of cold promise.

The ground beneath them twisted violently, as if the very earth was in agony. Riman’s body was thrown off balance, his legs wobbling as the tremors intensified. With a scream, he shoved Elise away and jumped over the widening crack, barely managing to avoid being swallowed by it.

“Gods, what madness is this?!” he shouted in a mix of terror and fury.

Below the split earth, an unfathomable abyss yawned, deep and endless. But the earthquake, it seemed, was just the beginning.

“Th…!” someone muttered in disbelief.

“The harbor… it’s collapsing!” another voice cried out.

As the sun sank lower beneath the horizon, the once-sturdy harbor of Norella began to crumble.

***

The moment the magic surged to life, Rezette felt it—Elise had done something.

The overwhelming force of her magic collided with his own, still gathering across Norella, and it sent him stumbling backward. A shockwave hit him full force, knocking him off balance.

Boom!

As the magic he’d unleashed earlier was pulled back into his body uncontrollably, a sharp, burning pain shot through his right arm, like fire searing through his veins.

Rezette gritted his teeth, struggling to maintain control. He almost lost his grip on the reins, but somehow managed to hold on, his heart racing.

There were only two beings in the world who could cause him this kind of shock—Sameshita, or Elise.

“Impossible…” he muttered under his breath, disbelief lacing his voice. His instincts screamed that it was the latter, but it shouldn’t have been. He cursed violently, his grip tightening on the reins as he switched hands.

How much magic has she drawn upon? he wondered, his thoughts a chaotic storm.

The vibrations rising from deep beneath the earth were unlike anything he had ever felt before. This wasn’t a crude attack meant to defend a position or sever limbs. No, this was a grand-scale spell, borrowing the very forces of nature to unleash a disaster beyond the reach of mere human strength.

In less than three hours, how much magic had she gathered to perform something of this magnitude? He clenched his jaw, heart pounding in his chest. If he hadn’t left his magic in her hands, it would have felt like his heart was being ripped from his chest.

In the distance, the last arch of the harbor tilted precariously, groaning as if it couldn’t hold on any longer.

Boom!

The sound was deafening, and a massive cloud of dust billowed into the air. Large and small fragments of rock and debris were sent flying in all directions, stinging the eyes of those nearby. The earthquake rumbled on, spreading beneath the harbor, growing in intensity.

The earth and sea seemed to howl in fury, and even Rezette, who had seen his fair share of destruction, couldn’t help but stare in stunned silence. This was unlike anything he had ever witnessed—a true catastrophe unfolding before his eyes.

His mind seemed to freeze as the full realization hit him.

Is this truly magic that a single human could wield?

A towering wave surged toward the harbor, its power threatening to shatter everything in its path. As the violent winds swept through, pushing the dust aside, the familiar scene of the harbor vanished, replaced by a desolate ruin beyond recognition.