tap tap
Approaching footsteps echoed from the cave's entrance, reaching Alia standing inside a small crater in the middle of the dark cave.
"Fufu~, oh my, it's fine, it's fine. After killing you, I will go et my Ryuk~♡!" A silhouette stepped forward, the face covered by a hand adorned in a black evening glove, revealing only light blue eyes and hair of the sa color amidst the darkness through gaps of fingers.
Slowly erging from the darkness into the light, the figure swirling a small black cane with a gold head, its seemingly ordinary appearance hiding its true nature as a cane-sword or swordstick.
Wearing a short white dress adorned with a small red necktie, topped with a thick white and red coat featuring a furry collar.
Completing the look were black plain strap stockings that added to her distinctive style.
'!?'
"H-he is alive?" Alia's hand, which had been tightened in a claw to prepare for another attack, softened the mont her ears heard those words from Diana's mouth.
"Oh, I rember, you idiots still don't know?" Diana's fingers swiftly parted, giving away a gap for her sharp eyes to look towards the woman standing in a maid outfit, seeing her perplexed expression, Diana's face broke into a mocking smile.
"Tell , Diana! Is he really alive?" Alia cried out, her hands trembling, widened sapphire eyes fixed on the woman in front of her whose face instantly turned cold.
Clank
"Don't act like you care." Coldness in Diana's voice reverberated throughout the entire cave, echoing back off the rough, dry walls with her cane's tail hitting the wall nearby.
Only two figures visible, standing with a dead body belonging to a Riantain lying on the ground in frozen state.
"Y-you?" Alia's pupils trembled slightly, her mind filled with assurance about soone's safety, delaying her response after hearing those words from the woman infront of her.
"You all bla for manipulating you, but weren't you all to bla, choosing your families over him?" Diana wasn't in the mood to play gas today.
Initially, her idea was to emotionally break this young woman, but upon hearing news about her beloved waking up, she needed to wrap things up sooner.
"How dare yo—" Alia tried to retaliate back.
Not giving Alia a chance to speak further, Diana continued, "I would even kill my family if it ant being with him. But what about all of you?" She turned her gaze towards empty space, adding, "Heh, am I not speaking the truth, Amayara?"
Diana's strength was already at ZENITH Rank, high enough to not be affected by so Middle Earth Grade Artifact camouflaging soone's presence.
SWOOSH
"So, you've beco stronger."
Suddenly, a calm and lodious voice reverberated inside the cave, filling the space with intense invisible pressure.
The sharp sword intent, enough to cut through every cell in the body, centered itself on Diana, who remained unhindered.
"I needed to be deserving, unlike all of you." Diana replied, narrowing her gaze, Amayara's sharp sword intent oozing out of her body in form of aura, caused Diana to re-evaluate her calculations.
Even before arriving, she had gathered data on all the won she needed to deal with. Based on that, Alia, who had not yet broken through EPIC, was chosen.
"Technically, none of us deserve him. Unlike last ti, I will make sure to kill you first and then that woman," Amayara's calm words echoed through the cave, audible to Alia, whose eyes quivered, and to Diana, who remained composed with her cold gaze fixed on owner of that voice.
WHOOSH
"Ah, Again, another one who thinks everything happened because she was helpless to protect a sister whose whereabouts were already unknown," A white aura enveloped the cane, its slender blade just visible through a small gap in Diana's hand, her unwavering gaze fixed on the two won before her.
Her words also ant to the woman standing beside Amayara.
"I don't expect you to understand the value of family, Diana," Amayara interrupted, unwilling to entertain Diana's words.
She continued with a soft expression, "To protect soone dear to you, one always needs to be willing to sacrifice themselves."
For her, the value of her life was less than that of her sister's, even if it ant shouldering the burden and the label of betrayal.
Throughout her life, her path had been guided by a single motivation: never sacrifice three things—your family, your heart, and your dignity.
That's why she sacrificed herself.
If in that battle, she had used her Spirit Sword, the end result would have been completely different.
But by not doing so,
Her sister, her love, and finally, her dignity—all survived.
Her dignity survived, since, she wasn't declared a traitor unlike the others. At least, the evidence was those 20,000 gold coins sent to the orphanage.
Not once did he co to face her.
Everyone saw him in this life, but she never did, except for Diana, who wasn't present on this continent at that ti; all of them were targeted by his wrath.
She wasn't naive enough to overlook everything—how Jenny was entangled with the Baroness, Karina's eting with him, Alia's current state as a maid under Olivia, and finally, Henna's father being changed after the auction.
It doesn't matter how one sees it; there was always his involvent in so way.
Yet, despite living in an orphanage at the borders of Selvius Kingdom with her sister, no one from the Royal Palace ever knocked on her door.
In conclusion, his ssage was clear: Don't show your face, or I will kill you.
At least all of this was reassuring, as he knew the reason for her betrayal was her sister.
However, she also knew that she always remained silent whenever he proposed help with her sister's issue.
Even at the end of the battle, his words to trust him were t with a sword wound inflicted by her.
It doesn't matter if she wanted to die there, provoke him, or avoid telling him that he was weak to help her in any way.
Knowing the word he hated most and witnessing Angelica's strength firsthand, she had no doubt he would have killed himself in the process of helping her.
So, for everything to be better, her death at his hands seed preferable to suicide, which would have been more painful for him.
She knew he would bla himself.
There is a saying: If your wounds hurt others more than they hurt you, it's better to hide them within facade of another intense emotion.
At that ti, betrayal seed that intense emotion.
Turning her eyes towards Diana, whose hands were deep in so of the betrayal from their previous life, Amayara refrained from blaming her.
After all, if one's trust in love shatters just from soone else's words, then there was no real love to begin with.
However, it didn't an she would let Diana have him.
"Diana, thank you for letting know about his safety." With softened eyes, Amayara's emotions swirled, realizing that he was still safe and well.
It was the most reassuring news she had heard since that heartbreaking day.
The emptiness in her heart that ford due to his death was now filled once again, and her sole goal in this life resurfaced—no one who couldn't understand the true aning of love should stand beside him.
WHOOSH
With a sound, the darkness within the cave was illuminated by the materializing ethereal sword in Amayara's hand, slowly becoming vivid with visible sword intent emanating from it.
It was a spirit sword manifestation.
This ant that the stronger a user's spirit, the sharper the sword would be.
Diana's eyes turned cold as she observed the sharp intent radiating from the blade.
"You're making things difficult for yourself, Amayara."
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