‘Marry me right away?’

Celia was utterly incredulous.

Judging by the fact that he’d just blurted out such words upon their first meeting, he must not be in his right mind.

‘Then again, anyone who participates in a ridiculous auction like this probably isn’t sane to begin with.’

She had seen many men who pretended to be gentlemen, yet resorted to coercion the moment things didn’t go their way.

Celia looked at Arthur.

His lustrous golden hair and eyes like molten gold.

Outwardly, he appeared perfectly composed—yet perhaps because his cheeks were flushed, his inner nature seemed profoundly sinister.

Celia calculated the gains and losses.

If this man before her truly was Duke Servantes, then meeting the Emperor might become extremely easy.

The man responsible for destroying her kingdom. The lustful, mad Emperor.

This absurd auction would no longer be necessary—she would finally have a path to reach him.

After all, she could only kill him if she could first get close enough.

Of course, it all hinged on whether this man was truly the Duke or not.

He might just be a wealthy upstart pretending to be a duke.

Yet as if he had read her thoughts, Arthur reached into his coat and pulled out a ring engraved with the crest of the Servantes family.

‘I can fulfill any wish you have, Celia.’

Did he even know what she truly desired, to be making such claims?

Celia found the entire situation utterly absurd.

‘Getting rid of someone you dislike is also possible. It’s very easy for me.’

At Arthur’s continued words, Celia frowned.

Seeing her expression darken, Arthur flustered and seemed at a loss.

‘I’m not a strange person.’

Arthur seemed completely unaware that his attempt to justify himself only made him appear stranger.

‘Why do you wish to marry me?’

At Celia’s question, Arthur answered with a bright, cheerful smile.

‘Because you’re the ideal woman I’ve always dreamed of.’

‘……?’

‘So marry me. Your Highness.’

Your Highness.

At those words, Celia momentarily lost control of her expression.

How on earth did he know her true identity?

Meeting his gaze with wary eyes, Arthur raised both hands and smiled innocently.

‘Don’t misunderstand. I’m a mage, so I can easily access information others don’t know.’

‘…….’

‘I don’t know what purpose you have staying in this Empire, but I can help you as much as possible—whatever it may be.’

‘…….’

Celia was deeply unnerved that Arthur knew information she had told no one.

But she couldn’t show her panic. The moment she did, it would be tantamount to admitting the truth.

Celia calmly feigned ignorance and shook her head.

‘Your Highness? I have no idea what you’re talking about.’

Arthur smiled, tugging at the corner of his lips.

‘It’s okay. I’m on your side.’

‘…….’

‘Marry me. Don’t stay in this unpleasant place any longer.’

‘What kind of person is this?’

Celia decided to think it over for now and sent Arthur away.

Marriage or whatever—it was the fact that Arthur knew she was a princess that unsettled her deeply.

She had thought that as long as she killed the Emperor who destroyed her kingdom, everything would be fine. But now that someone who knew her true identity had appeared, the situation was far from simple.

[This is the timeline separator]

Shortly afterward, Arthur sent roses to Celia.

Red, blue, green, black roses—every color imaginable.

Carriages overflowing with roses arrived at the Brillion family mansion.

There were twelve carriages alone bearing the crest of the Servantes family.

No fool would fail to understand what this meant.

The extravagant courtship caused a stir among the viscount’s household.

And their suitor was none other than the head of the Duke Servantes’ family.

Even though the Brillion men had long coveted Celia, compared to the power of a ducal house, they were nothing.

Others had proposed to Celia before, but she had always rejected them with various excuses.

This time, however, they couldn’t just let it pass.

A full one billion.

That was the amount the young duke had paid just for a single meeting with Celia.

And that ‘payment’ certainly didn’t end after one encounter.

Beginning with the flower-laden carriages, Arthur started visiting the Brillion mansion as freely as if it were his own home.

He gave no prior notice.

He would simply arrive whenever he pleased and stay for hours.

Of course, no one at the viscount’s estate dared utter a single word against Arthur.

Celia stared fixedly at Arthur, who was smiling sweetly at her with flowers in his hands.

‘Live with me. I’ll make you happier than anyone else.’

Every time he visited, Arthur asked Celia to live with him.

Setting aside all the clichés about love at first sight, the way Arthur looked at Celia was filled with madness.

Madness.

Perhaps the madness in the man before her and her own madness were similar in meaning.

What difference was there between a half-insane man and herself, who planned to use this deranged man’s madness for her revenge?

Celia found herself absurd for even thinking such thoughts.

‘Marry me. If you want, we don’t even need a wedding. Ah, or we could just live together… Ah, no—if it’s inconvenient, we can sleep in separate rooms.’

He was truly relentless.

At the same time, since he had discovered she was a princess, the information she could extract from him was limitless.

There was a far easier path to killing the Emperor—why choose the harder one?

Her ability to paralyze the five senses was an extraordinary power, but using it repeatedly left her body broken and scarred.

She didn’t just want to kill the Emperor with her own hands—she wanted the entire Empire to collapse completely.

Staying in the Brillion household would require more use of her ability, so minimizing its use was the better choice.

The Servantes ducal family was, without a doubt, the perfect house for Celia to exploit.

‘…….’

Celia gazed silently at Arthur’s face and gave a faint nod.

Understanding it as consent, Arthur’s face blossomed with a smile.

‘Instead, how about something other than marriage?’

‘Something else?’

‘Yes. You said you’d do anything for me.’

‘Yeah. I’ll do anything, even without marriage. But you have to leave this viscount’s estate and live in my home.’

That suited her just fine.

She wouldn’t have to be called the ‘Angel of Brillion’ anymore.

But would the Brillion family really let her leave the mansion so easily?

The conclusion was that, because of the name ‘Duke Servantes,’ they ‘had no choice.’

[This is the timeline separator]

Celia left the Brillion mansion immediately.

The Brillion family members stared in stunned silence as Celia departed in the luxurious carriage sent by Arthur.

‘…….’

The grand mansion Arthur brought her to was so vast it made the Brillion estate seem embarrassingly small by comparison.

‘Without exaggeration, this mansion is as large as the palace of Sharn Kingdom.’

White marble columns supported the roof of each building.

‘Welcome!’

Arthur greeted Celia with a delighted expression.

Everything—from his clothes to his accessories—showed clear signs of careful preparation for her arrival.

‘From now on, this place is yours.’

Of course, including me too, Arthur added with a sly grin.

Celia lightly ignored Arthur’s words and glanced around.

After confirming no one was eavesdropping, Celia lowered her voice and asked.

‘What about the request I made?’

‘Ah, arranging an audience with that ugly Emperor? That’s child’s play. But why do you want to see him?’

Celia had planned to kill the Emperor immediately upon meeting him using her ability. With Arthur’s influence, a private audience might be entirely possible.

‘……There’s a reason.’

Celia evaded the question.

Arthur turned to Celia, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

‘Shall I kill the Emperor for you instead?’

Unnecessarily perceptive. Or did he already know and was simply asking?

Celia found Arthur slightly unsettling.

But if she used this well, the destruction of Abelon would only be a matter of time.

With this level of wealth and power, was there anything he couldn’t do?

Celia decided to test Arthur.

‘If I tell you, can you really do it? The target is the Emperor, after all.’

‘Of course. I can do anything you wish. I’ve already killed everyone from the Brillion family.’

What was he talking about now? When she left the mansion earlier, they were all alive and well.

‘I killed all those who treated you poorly. Did I do well?’

Arthur bent over, smiling, as if asking for praise—or for her to stroke his hair.

Celia stared at him with cold, emotionless eyes.

‘You killed them?’

‘Yes.’

From Arthur’s empty hand, a familiar space suddenly unfolded before her.

‘Magic?’

‘Yes. Spatial magic. Everyone in that mansion is dead.’

The luxurious Brillion mansion was engulfed in flames. Dozens of charred corpses lay scattered across the ground.

Of course, the Brillion nobles who had sinned deserved death. But what crime had the maids and knights serving in that mansion committed?

Celia looked at Arthur with utter disgust—someone who felt no remorse for murder.

‘Even if you’re a duke, is this really acceptable?’

‘It’s acceptable. And there’s no evidence anywhere that I was the one who set the fire.’

‘…….’

‘Just say the word, Celia. Who should I kill for you?’

Celia realized Arthur was no ordinary madman. But perhaps she herself was even madder for planning to use this man.

‘……Is it also possible to destroy Abelon itself?’

‘Yes. Of course.’

Arthur answered without a trace of hesitation.

‘Could you stroke my hair once?’

Arthur blushed and smiled shyly.

‘For a single stroke of hair, he offers the destruction of Abelon.’

Neither of them would lose anything.

Celia slowly stroked Arthur’s hair.

His well-maintained golden locks slipped through her fingertips.

For such a small gesture, Arthur let out a shriek-like cry of ecstasy.

‘Ah! So good.’

‘…….’

‘I love you, Celia! I will surely deliver the destruction of Abelon into your hands.’

When a madman was born with exceptional magical talent, the world would either become better—or twisted beyond repair.

Arthur willingly brought the destruction of Abelon to Celia.

Completely infatuated with her, Arthur used his family’s power and magic to reduce Abelon to complete ruin.

Ileon and Balt—two dukes—would never allow Arthur to run rampant unchecked.

Seeing this as his chance, Dietrich eliminated both men before they could rebuild Abelon.

Neither Arthur nor Celia knew that Dietrich, once the Emperor’s closest confidant, had played a crucial role in Abelon’s downfall.