TVMBS 04

Chapter 4

‘This life will be different.’

Liziana thought back to the past—the life she had lived before.

The days she had spent confined like a doll by her own father, Duke Filorencia, and the way she had been forced to receive an imperial education before being pushed into becoming Crown Prince Raiphin’s partner.

And how, blinded by the first attention she had ever received from another person, she had willingly made herself the “Imperial Dog.”

Not for a single moment had she lived for herself.

Liziana stood by the window, watching the sunset slowly disappear.

Today was finally the day.

The event that had dragged Liziana’s life into tragedy.

The day Raiphin’s mistress, Delisa Lupe Crodenne, would be kidnapped from the temple.

“Please make Raiphin suffer a miserable downfall. And also…”

An irreverent prayer echoed before the statue of Laura, the goddess who protected the Empire.

Liziana, the Crown Princess of Avid, who should have been praying for the peace and prosperity of the Empire—

“May endless misfortune descend upon the Avid Empire and Emperor Raiphin.”

—sincerely prayed for the destruction of the Empire.

Dong— Dong—

And now, the bell announcing midnight rang loudly.

Liziana slowly straightened her knees and silently headed into the garden through the back door.

She leaned against a pillar and began counting the seconds.

One.

Two.

And three.

The moment she counted exactly three, an intricate black magic circle appeared before her, and a man emerged from its center.

A man whose hair shone brightly even in the darkness.

After regressing, Liziana had decided to be kidnapped in Delisa’s place so that she could leave this wretched Avid Empire behind.

She pushed herself away from the pillar and carefully took a step toward him.

But she could not get any closer.

In an instant, a sharp pillar of ice shot up directly in front of her.

The ice pillar sliced through the air with a piercing sound, as if it intended to pierce straight through the back of her neck.

It stopped only after Liziana finally froze in place.

“Gasp…”

As she caught her breath, the man looked down at her with wary eyes.

Duke Ian Rendy Devensia.

At last, he had appeared before her.

If she had taken even one more step, that sharp pillar of ice might have pierced her neck.

Liziana desperately ignored the cold sweat running down her back.

She had heard that he was a terrifying man, but she had never imagined that she might lose her life to him without even having the chance to say a word.

Liziana quickly regained her composure.

There was unmistakable killing intent coming from the man before her.

As an intruder in the imperial palace, he clearly had no reason to welcome her appearance.

Liziana slowly straightened her back and put on the most friendly smile she could manage.

“……”

But the man only frowned.

Her smile did not seem to be having much effect.

An awkward silence settled between them. If she moved even slightly, the ice looked ready to pierce her neck at any moment.

Fine. Give up.

Liziana immediately dropped her friendly smile.

“I was worried you might not come. I’m glad you did.”

At her words, his brows drew together.

He seemed genuinely confused.

He had secretly obtained information that Delisa Lupe Crodenne would be praying at the temple tonight, yet the woman standing before him was not Delisa.

Moreover, for some reason, this woman knew both his purpose and the exact time he would appear.

But what he found most incomprehensible was—

‘She isn’t even afraid.’

The woman standing before someone about to commit a crime was far too calm.

For him, infiltrating the imperial palace of another country was certainly not an easy task.

He had needed to make sure there were no witnesses or obstacles, yet some crazy woman was now blocking his path.

He wondered whether he should kill the woman standing in his way.

At last, he seemed to make up his mind and raised his hand.

“Don’t you need a hostage?”

Liziana’s voice made the moving pillar of ice stop.

“A hostage…? Why would you think that?”

“To threaten the Avid Empire, of course. To learn the secret of the Gwanggakcho.”

“…Gwanggakcho?”

The man lowered his head toward her, his low, deep voice carrying through the night.

For the first time, Liziana looked directly into his beautiful ruby-red eyes.

Now that she could see his face properly, she realized how breathtakingly handsome he was.

His pale skin only added to his mysterious appearance.

And the broad, inverted-triangle shape of his shoulders and firm chest, visible through his white shirt, formed a perfect balance with his tall, imposing frame.

“Gwanggakcho… Is that so?”

He spoke with a meaningful smile.

Despite his vague answer, Liziana continued without showing any confusion.

If she hesitated here, she would die by that pillar of ice.

“So you came here to kidnap Lady Delisa Lupe Crodenne, the woman favored by the Crown Prince of the Avid Empire.”

“How do you know that?”

The man began looking her over with suspicion.

Of course she knew.

Before Liziana regressed, he was the very reason the relationship between her husband, Raiphin, and his mistress, Delisa, had grown so close.

Liziana clearly remembered the testimony Delisa had given after returning from her kidnapping.

‘The midnight bell rang, so I finished my prayer and was about to leave the temple. But when I was heading toward the back door, a magic circle appeared, along with a huge shadow…!’

‘A magic circle?’

Delisa had sobbed and acted as though even remembering what had happened was too painful for her.

‘He told me to tell him everything I knew about the Gwanggakcho.’

After Delisa barely managed to return, Raiphin personally nursed her back to health.

In the process, the feelings between the two of them grew even deeper.

‘And that was why I died.’

The man standing before Liziana now was the very intruder who had kidnapped Delisa.

Instead of Delisa, Liziana had simply waited for him in advance, at the exact same time and in the exact same place where he had appeared in her previous life.

“Answer me. Otherwise, I’ll kill you.”

His cold voice struck her heart like a blade.

His blood-red eyes were so sharp that it seemed as though he might tear her apart at any moment.

‘No wonder they call him a mad dog.’

Looking into his deeply sunken eyes, Liziana gathered her thoughts.

“…Let’s skip the unnecessary details and get straight to the point.”

She clenched her fists tightly, calming herself.

“Kidnap me instead of Delisa.”

“What?”

At the unexpected answer, Ian let out a bewildered laugh.

Fortunately, it seemed his attention had shifted toward the source of her information.

“I have more power than Delisa, and I possess much more information. I can be of greater use to your Empire. I’ll even tell you about the Gwanggakcho. I won’t cause you any trouble, so kidnap me instead.”

Ian let out another incredulous laugh at Liziana’s bold proposal.

“…Are you really a crazy woman? Do you even know where I’m from?”

“Of course. How could I not?”

Liziana answered with an equally cold smile.

“Duke Ian Rendy Devensia of the Tenzel Empire.”

To Liziana, he was the last lifeline she desperately wanted to grasp…

“The mad dog born of the Tenzel Empire.”

He was none other than the famous mad dog of the neighboring Tenzel Empire—and her destination.

“Stupid and foolish Delisa will be of no use to you.”

Having made her decision, Liziana stepped away from the sharp pillar of ice and took one step toward Ian.

“She’ll only make you go through the trouble of throwing her back into Avid after you kidnap her.”

If he refused her offer here, she would have to face death once again.

So Liziana continued, looking straight into Ian’s eyes.

“So kidnap me. Right now.”

The man who had silently been looking down at her let out another incredulous laugh.

At that moment, the moonlight hidden behind the clouds emerged, fully illuminating Liziana’s face.

“Black hair and purple eyes…”

Only then, after her face was revealed by the moonlight, did Ian realize who she was.

“…You’re the Crown Princess of the Empire, the woman they call the Imperial Dog.”

He slowly studied her before asking again.

“So you want to be kidnapped by the mad dog of the Tenzel Empire. Are you planning to commit treason? And you, Your Highness the Crown Princess?”

“…Think whatever you want.”

Despite his sarcasm, Liziana continued.

“I only want to leave this damned Avid Empire. If the Tenzel Empire needs my help in the process…”

Her voice carried every bit of sincerity she possessed.

“I’ll sell out the Avid Empire without hesitation.”

As if revealing the sincerity in Liziana’s words, the moonlight shone clearly upon them.

But Ian soon curled the corner of his lips into an evil smile worthy of a “mad dog.”

“If this is a joke, then let’s end it here. I don’t have time to fool around.”

But Liziana’s expression did not move even slightly.

“This isn’t a joke. It’s an offer and a compromise. It’s the only thing you can do for me, so do it now. Right here.”

Only the quiet wind disturbed his white hair, which gleamed beneath the moonlight.

As the wind blew through his hair, Ian stared at Liziana for a long while without saying a word.

Then—

Rustling sounds came from nearby, followed by the voices of people.

“Her Highness the Crown Princess ordered us not to let anyone enter the temple, so why are we supposed to patrol it? I don’t understand.”

The voices of Raiphin’s knights complaining could be heard from the distance.

“Of all times, now… This is troublesome.”

Ian bit his lower lip and sighed.

“Delisa and the Gwanggakcho… I don’t know how much of our information has been leaked. But fine. If you’re willing to betray your Empire by handing over its secrets, then I’ll gladly kidnap you.”

After saying that, Ian slowly held out his hand toward Liziana.

“Good.”

Without hesitation, she took his large hand.

Now she would no longer have to live in the dangerous shadow of the Crown Prince or endure Delisa’s jealousy and schemes.

More importantly, once she left the Avid Empire, she could prepare a devastating revenge against the two of them.

‘I’m finally leaving this hollow position as Crown Princess. I’m finally getting away from Raiphin, that hateful man.’

Of course, she would be doing it alongside Ian, the mad dog of an enemy nation.

“Well then, I look forward to working with you, prisoner.”

He gave her a bright smile.

‘Perhaps…’

Liziana swallowed hard as she thought.

‘Perhaps I’m walking into an even worse hell of my own accord.’

But she did not care.

All she wanted was to cast off the tangled vines of fate that bound her to this Empire.

“…Wait a moment.”

Liziana pulled out the hairpin she had been wearing and threw it onto the ground.

It was the pearl-studded hairpin Raiphin had given her as a wedding gift.

Liziana walked ahead, as though a great weight had finally been lifted from her shoulders.

Ian silently watched her for a moment before glancing at the hairpin rolling across the ground.

“Are you sure that’s okay? It looks pretty expensive.”

“I don’t need it. I’m never coming back.”

Why would she ever return when she had already lost every last bit of affection for this place?

She would have to be insane to ever come back.

“Then let’s go.”

As though she had been waiting for those words, Liziana grabbed Ian’s large hand and jumped into the magic circle.

Black smoke began to billow from the dark magic circle, wrapping around the two of them.

A sense of relief that she had survived tickled her heart.

Space began to warp.

Liziana cast one last look beyond the shifting scenery.

Then, in a low voice, she murmured toward Raiphin, who was far away.

“Never be happy. Not ever.”