The room on the lower floor of the palace now bore nothing but marks of destruction. While Seraphina was letting cigarette smoke swirl on the rooftop, Lily was facing a horrific fate downstairs.
In the center of the room, Lily crouched in a corner. Her once-bright skin had turned bluish, her body marked with deep scratches from the two red-eyed warriors' nails and streaks of blood. She wore nothing, her hair torn and scattered across the floor.
She gazed toward the rooftop, but her eyes spoke nothing. She had even forgotten how to cry. The blood trickling from the corners of her lips had dried, turning a grimy dark shade. She could only groan, for Seraphina's magic had already stolen her voice.
The Cursed Scene
Lily saw that before leaving, the two handsome warriors had scrawled something in blood on the wall. She dragged herself toward it and read:
"The price of betraying Rani—surviving is far worse than death."
Through her hazy vision, she saw the black shadows still dancing over her body. The Arias she had once tried to charm with her beauty now lay in the next room, nearly lifeless—there was no one left to save her.
Lily's Fate
Her pupils were now fixed and unmoving. Whether she had gone mad or was barely clinging to life was impossible to tell. She began scratching her own body with her nails, as if trying to escape this skin.
The guards outside shuddered as they glimpsed Lily's state through the crack in the door. Once the proud servant of the palace, she was now nothing but a living ghost.
Seraphina descended from the rooftop. The sound of her steps on the stairs echoed through the silent palace like a sinister hymn. She stood directly before Lily's room, the door half-open.
Seraphina's Cold Gaze
Entering the room, still holding her golden pistol, Seraphina found Lily collapsed in a corner—completely devastated, naked, and mentally shattered. Seeing Lily's vacant eyes and trembling body, Seraphina felt no pity; instead, a vampiric delight surged through her.
She bent close to Lily, lifting her chin with the barrel of the pistol so that Lily had no choice but to meet her piercing red eyes.
Seraphina (in a low, mocking voice): "What now, Lily? Did your dreams of being queen alongside Arias come true? You wanted to be the king's queen… look now—you're nothing but a worm in hell."
Lily let out a barely human groan. She tried to bow her head to Seraphina in apology, but her body lacked the strength to move.
Ultimate Humiliation
Seraphina brushed Lily's hand aside with her foot. She laughed disdainfully, and from the pocket of her black-and-red mixed dress, she pulled a handful of coins and scattered them across Lily's mutilated body.
Seraphina: "Here's your reward. You were my informant for Arias, and now you've entertained my people. Keep these coins—they'll buy the shroud for your grave."
Rising, Seraphina did not look back at Lily. As she exited the room, she gestured to the two red-eyed warriors standing by the door.
Seraphina: "Lock her in the dark cell like this. No day, no night—let her remember only this pain. And yes, she doesn't need food; let her savor the consequences of her crimes alone."
Behind her, Lily's silent screams and a heart full of agony remained. Seraphina now proceeded to the room where Arias lay in a deep sleep.
A Sudden Cry
From the corner of Lily's devastated room came the pitiful cry of a child. From behind the wardrobe, a three-year-old girl emerged—Lily's younger sister, Ice. Wide-eyed, she shrank in fear at her sister's horrific state and began crying uncontrollably.
In the terrifying silence of the palace, the child's voice, calling "Sister… sister…," pierced the air like a knife.
Seraphina's Maternal Move?
Seraphina, whose eyes still shimmered with bloodlust and cruelty, paused. Everyone expected her to strike at the child, but she approached quietly. Bending down, she extended her bloodied hands.
At first, Ice was frightened, but gazing into Seraphina's magical red eyes, her crying ceased. Seraphina gently lifted her into her arms.
Seraphina (in a soft, gentle voice, completely different from her earlier monstrous tone): "Don't cry, doll. Your sister committed many sins, so she has fallen asleep. From now on, you will stay with me."
Lily's Final Torment
Through hazy eyes, Lily saw her younger sister now in the arms of her greatest enemy. She wanted to scream: "Leave my sister!" but no sound came from her mouth. She could only flail helplessly.
Seraphina, stroking Ice's hair, looked at Lily with a victorious, almost demonic expression. She understood: killing Lily was unnecessary; molding Ice in her own image would be the ultimate punishment.
Seraphina (whispering to Lily): "See, Lily? Your blood is now in my arms. The purity you wanted to give her, I will shape her with an even greater darkness. She will be my next shadow warrior. You will only watch, powerless."
Seraphina exited the room with Ice in her arms. The child rested her head on Seraphina's shoulder, calm, as if she were in the arms of a mother rather than a monster.
The two handsome red-eyed warriors still stood at the door, receiving Seraphina's orders:
Seraphina: "Prepare milk and a silk bed for Ice. From today, she is the princess of my palace. Take Lily away from her sight."
A Hundred Years Later
A century passed. Much changed in that time, but neither Seraphina nor Damian bore the marks of age. Their magical powers and dark mafia blood kept them immortal.
Ice was no longer a small child. She had grown into a strikingly beautiful and powerful young woman. Her gait and the crimson glow in her eyes revealed that Seraphina had molded her in her own ideal image. Lily had become a forgotten chapter of history, but to Ice, Seraphina was everything.
The Scene a Century Later
On the palace's grand balcony, Seraphina sat regally in her signature black-and-red dress, sipping red wine. Ice entered briskly, clad now in warrior attire, her eyes restless. She knelt by Seraphina's feet.
Ice (in a gentle yet serious voice): "Mother, there's a problem. Some people on the western border are rebelling. They are not following our laws."
Seraphina lightly combed Ice's hair, the familiar mysterious smile at her lips.
Seraphina: "Calm down, Ice. Don't bother me with trivial matters. Go to your father to deal with these minor rebels."
Ice stared in awe, aware of her mother's absolute authority.
Seraphina (taking another sip of wine): "Why are you staring? You know what Damian taught you—how to rule through fear. I've given you magic and sophistication, but the reckoning of blood, only your father Damian truly understands. Go tell him that the Dark Queen rests today, and that he must bring those rebels a glimpse of hell with my daughter."
Damian's Entrance
At that moment, Damian emerged from the shadows of the room. A century had passed, yet he remained cunning and imposing as ever. Placing a hand on Ice's shoulder, he looked at Seraphina.
Damian: "Sending my daughter on another killing spree today, Seraphina? You know she never stops once she begins."
Seraphina (laughing): "Her blood is yours, Damian. Go—tonight, I've assigned you and your daughter to celebrate hell."
Ice stood beside Damian. He handed her a modern weapon, more advanced than the old golden pistol. Ice's eyes glimmered with the thirst for blood as she descended the palace's dark stairs with her father.
Seraphina lit another cigarette, sitting alone. She knew if Lily had survived today, seeing her sister beside Damian, she might have died of terror again.
The Mystery Deepens
A hundred years have passed, yet in a secret dark chamber of the palace, Lily could be seen. She was no longer the shattered, crouching girl. Seraphina's magical power may have made her immortal, but her state was strange.
Lily's Mysterious Smile
Lily sat in a corner, now dressed in a gray silk robe. Her eyes no longer held the old fear but a strange madness-infused ecstasy. Standing before the mirror, she giggled at her own reflection.
She realized that over these hundred years, Seraphina had not only tormented her but had confronted her with a profound truth. Seraphina's dominance, cruelty, and limitless power had slowly turned Lily into her devoted follower.
Lily (muttering to herself): "Seraphina… you destroyed me, yet you've given me this taste of darkness. I once desired Arias for the palace's glory, but now… I desire you. Your bloodied hands, your red-eyed intoxication—they are etched into my heart!"
Seraphina's Awareness
Seraphina felt a shiver down her spine, sensing Lily thinking about her through her magical powers. She hated Lily, yet she could see that Lily had become completely dependent on her—truly 'liking' or loving her. Not an ordinary love, but a slave's obsession with her master.
Seraphina drew back the curtains and looked down at the dark chamber where Lily was kept.
Seraphina (smiling to herself): "Foolish girl! So, you've fallen for my darkness? Damian and Arias are fighting to claim me, while you embrace every cruelty I bestow as a blessing."
Through the window, Lily gazed upward, as if seeing Seraphina through the wall. She carved Seraphina's name into the wall with her nails.
She knew Ice had grown and gone hunting with Damian. Lily no longer regretted Ice; instead, she felt pride that her sister now lived under the shadow of the queen she had once secretly worshipped.