TVMBS 01

Chapter 1

“Are you trying to make a joke out of me right now?”

It was late at night, and a cold wind swept through the temple.

A disrespectful shout rang out before the statue of Goddess Laura, the deity who protected the Empire.

The owner of that voice was none other than Liziana de Filorencia, Crown Princess of the Avid Empire and a woman infamous as the greatest villainess of her time.

“Deposed? Wasn’t it the Crown Prince who brought me into the Imperial Palace?”

“The people’s anger has reached a point I can no longer control, Liziana.”

Standing before Liziana was Raiphin, the Crown Prince of the Empire.

“According to the decision of the Elder Council, another woman will be appointed as Crown Princess.”

Raiphin put an arm around the woman beside him.

Delisa Lupe Crodenne.

The woman who had appeared at the Imperial banquet and boldly taken her place at Raiphin’s side.

Delisa clung closely to Raiphin, her face flushed red.

Even with Liziana standing right in front of her, Delisa had been acting as Crown Princess at Raiphin’s side all this time.

Even though Liziana was the true Crown Princess.

“How ridiculous. In order to put her in the position of Crown Princess, you’re going to end our marriage—”

“Delisa will be appointed Crown Princess. And before long, she’ll rise even higher, becoming Empress instead of Crown Princess.”

Raiphin cut Liziana off and gently took Delisa’s hand.

Then, as if to show everyone, he pressed his lips to the back of her hand.

“As my partner.”

Thud.

At that moment, Liziana instinctively realized who Raiphin truly loved.

Her entire world came crashing down.

There was only one reason Liziana had become known as the greatest villainess, even while bearing the disgraceful title of the “Imperial Dog.”

She had wanted to become the Crown Princess of the Avid Empire so she could stand beside the man she loved, Raiphin.

For that one reason, Liziana covered up every one of Raiphin’s wrongdoings, knowing that he would soon become Emperor, and secretly killed anyone who stood in the Imperial family’s way.

No one approached Liziana at Imperial banquets, and the once-lively social scene had become filled with nothing but silence and stillness.

And yet, Liziana had been happy.

“Liziana, my wife. You have no idea how happy I am to have you by my side.”

Raiphin had smiled warmly as he held her hand and looked at her in the silent banquet hall.

That alone had been enough for her.

After becoming Crown Princess of the Avid Empire, she had finally met someone who loved her.

With Raiphin, she had felt as though she could do anything.

“Say hello, Liziana. This is Miss Delisa, daughter of Count Crodenne.”

But everything changed when Delisa Lupe Crodenne appeared.

Unlike Liziana, who could never bring herself to openly ask Raiphin for affection, Delisa was warm and affectionate toward him. She quickly became his favored mistress.

Liziana comforted herself by believing it was nothing more than a passing emotion.

But the day Delisa went to the temple to pray for the peace and prosperity of the Empire, her downfall began.

“Delisa… Delisa was kidnapped! What am I supposed to do now? Huh? Liziana…”

When Delisa, who had gone to the temple to pray, was kidnapped, Raiphin appeared before Liziana with his sea-blue hair disheveled.

His brown eyes, which had always given her a sense of peace, trembled like a sailboat caught before a wave.

His body was drenched in sweat, his hair was a mess, and he was breathing heavily.

“She’ll be… fine, Your Highness.”

Liziana’s hands trembled as she desperately held back the anger rising inside her.

She embraced Raiphin and gently patted his shoulder before whispering calmly.

“I’ll… I’ll look for Miss Delisa.”

She had countless responsibilities as Crown Princess.

There was no end to the things she had to do, but at Raiphin’s single request, she put everything aside to search for Delisa.

Five days later.

Delisa, whom they had been unable to find despite searching throughout the entire Empire, was discovered collapsed in front of the temple.

Raiphin immediately shut himself away in his room and spent the entire day nursing Delisa.

Because of that, rumors that Delisa was Raiphin’s true love spread throughout the Empire.

And with each passing day, the nagging from her father, Duke Filorencia, became worse.

“You’re a woman! If I gave you such an important position, you should have naturally won His Highness Raiphin’s heart! What have you been doing all this time? And you call yourself my daughter…”

On top of that—

“I heard you were jealous of Lady Delisa and secretly hired a guild to kidnap her.”

“Oh, my! They say you even threatened her!”

“That’s not all. They say you starved her all day!”

Before she even realized it, Liziana had become the mastermind behind Delisa’s kidnapping.

No matter how much Liziana tried to explain herself, people did not believe her. Instead, they only added more rumors to the ones already spreading.

After all, they had seen and heard about the many cruel things she had done for Raiphin over the years.

And now, Liziana’s final fate was to be deposed.

“So, you’re throwing away the dog now that she’s no longer useful?”

“Well, you chose to cut your own leash. There was nothing I could do, Liziana.”

Raiphin answered with a mocking, sly smile as he gently took Delisa by the shoulder and pulled her closer to him.

“I must have been that hateful to you, then… Ha. Just how much lower do I have to bow before you’ll finally accept my existence…?”

The Imperial Dog.

Even her father, Duke Filorencia, had called Liziana that.

To protect the fleeting thing called love, Liziana had thrown herself away and won a life that amounted to nothing more than being the “Imperial Dog.”

An uncontrollable rage began to boil inside her.

She had been thoroughly discarded.

She had also been completely betrayed by the person she had loved and trusted.

She could no longer think clearly because of it.

It felt as though the one thin thread she had desperately kept intact inside her mind had suddenly snapped.

She was furious.

And she pitied herself more than anything.

“So in the end, you’re really going to throw me away like this? Just like that… so easily?”

“…”

“After I devoted my entire life to you, Your Highness!!”

Consumed by despair, Liziana screamed at Raiphin and Delisa.

Her hand happened to brush against the crown on her head.

“I’d rather kill you.”

Without hesitation, Liziana swiftly removed the crown and gripped it in her hand before charging toward Raiphin and Delisa.

“Ahhhhh!”

“Delisa!”

Liziana pushed Delisa to the ground and raised the crown high above her.

With the moonlight behind her, Liziana looked like a demon itself.

“I can’t be the only one suffering like this.”

The sharp points of the crown gleamed menacingly.

“Die.”

“Liziana…!”

Just as the pointed crown was about to come crashing down on Delisa—

Bam!

A dull impact echoed through the temple.

“Why…?”

Liziana’s crown was lying on the floor.

One of Raiphin’s knights had shoved Liziana aside and rescued Delisa.

Not Raiphin’s wife, Liziana.

But Delisa, the woman he had been cheating with.

“Seize Liziana! Now!”

Raiphin gave the order in a firm voice.

The Imperial Guard seized Liziana by both arms, roughly dragging them behind her and forcing her to her knees.

“How could you do this to me…! Raiphin…! You bastard!”

Raiphin was furious beyond reason at the thought that Delisa, who had only just returned alive, had nearly been killed.

“Your Highness! Please calm down! I’m really all right…!”

Delisa pleaded with him in a pitiful voice.

Perhaps she had been grazed by the edge of Liziana’s crown, because there was a small scratch at the edge of her cheek.

Delisa touched the tiny wound with her fingertips, tears gathering in her eyes.

“Move aside, Delisa! Liziana tried to kill you. Move!”

Raiphin looked at the staggering Delisa with pity before turning to Liziana and accusing her in an even harsher voice.

“Do you have anything else to say, murderer?”

He was the husband who had spent more than half her life with her.

She had believed that, at the very least, he would trust her words.

But that trust had been completely crushed in the face of something called love.

“Raiphin, I will never… never forgive you.”

“You disappoint me to the very end, Liziana!”

Raiphin raised his sword without hesitation.

“Yes. You never loved me. You only needed a loyal dog.”

“This is the ending befitting a villainess!”

A pain that felt as though her body were being torn apart struck her.

Liziana collapsed to the floor, bleeding.

“You… cough… you realized… that too… late…”

And so, Liziana de Filorencia, infamous as the greatest villainess of her time, closed her eyes beneath the contemptuous gazes of the crowd.

‘My worthless life, a life where I was used… it’s finally over.’

The life of Liziana, who had been confined by her father all her life before willingly becoming the “Imperial Dog,” came to an end.

At least, in her first life.

“Liziana, are you awake?”

The brilliant morning sunlight poured down over her face.

What brought Liziana back to consciousness was the voice of the disgusting Raiphin she remembered.

“Your… Highness…?”

When Liziana stood there with a stiff expression, Raiphin approached her with a worried look.

“Was the bed uncomfortable? You don’t look well.”

Raiphin suddenly reached out his hand.

‘This is the ending befitting a villainess!’

Raiphin’s furious voice still echoed in her ears.

But the Raiphin standing before her now was smiling brightly like sunlight, speaking in a gentle voice.

“…Yes?”

Thinking it might be a dream, Liziana secretly pinched her own arm as hard as she could.

All she felt was a sharp pain shooting through her body.

‘This isn’t a dream?’

Liziana’s body began to tremble.

Afraid that he might notice, she quickly sat up.

“You could lie down and rest a little longer.”

Raiphin looked puzzled by her sudden movement and patted her pillow, but Liziana shook her head again.

A strange sense of déjà vu began to surround Liziana.

For some reason, this familiar conversation was exactly like the one from ten days before her death.

It was unfolding just as it had on the day Raiphin had suddenly come to her bedroom.

“Hasn’t the sun already risen? You should get up.”

“It’s okay to slack off once in a while. Liziana, you’re too hard on yourself. Are you really sure you don’t want to sleep a little longer?”

Not a single word Raiphin said was different from what he had said ten days ago.

Then he reached out and tucked her black hair behind her ear.

Even his smile, which revealed his dimples, was exactly the same.

Liziana placed a hand over her heart.

It was still beating steadily.

She had no idea why this was happening.

She could not be certain, but one possibility faintly surfaced in her mind.

This was not a dream.

And since her heart was still beating, it certainly was not the afterlife.

Yet Raiphin’s actions, perfectly overlapping with those from her past, brought one word to her mind.

Regression.

A precious opportunity, worthy of being called a miracle, had fallen into her hands.

Her heart began beating faster with an instinctive certainty.

“Yes. I’m fine, Your Highness.”

Liziana raised the corners of her lips and smiled at him.

For the first time, she truly was fine.

‘Because now… I can kill you both.’