Rosalena clenched her fists.
"Father, I will not marry him."
Duke Reinhardt's expression softened as he stroked her hair. "Of course, my dear. I would never let that happen. The Emperor will have my answer by tomorrow."
Rosalena nodded, relief flooding her chest. She wrapped her arms around her father, feeling his warmth.
For once, she felt safe.
But elsewhere…
In the dim glow of her room, Airna sat alone.
Her small hands clenched into tight fists, her nails pressing deep into her palms. Her face, once filled with warmth and innocence, twisted into something unreadable.
A dark mist swirled around her fingers.
Her breath hitched.
"Why… why is it like this?"
Her blue eyes burned with jealousy, frustration… and something darker.
She was supposed to die.
Her mind replayed the scene at the ball—the monster lunging at Rosalena, her helpless figure, the moment she should have fallen.
But then—
Alex saved her.
And then…
She awakened her divine power.
Airna's breathing quickened.
"No… no, no, NO!"
She grabbed a glass from the bedside table and threw it across the room.
CRASH!
Shards of crystal scattered across the floor, glistening like blood under the moonlight.
"This isn't how it was supposed to be," she whispered, her voice shaking.
Her fingers curled as the dark mist around her hands intensified.
"I was the one who was supposed to have his heart…"
"I was the one he smiled at…"
"I was the one who comforted him when he was lonely…"
"But now—"
Her pupils dilated.
"He's looking at her."
Her breath trembled as she recalled the way the Crown Prince's eyes lingered on Rosalena at the ball. The jealousy in his gaze when she danced with Alex.
She bit her lip, hard enough to draw blood.
"That damn arrogance of hers… the same arrogance that made him hate her."
"But now?"
"Now, she's suddenly interesting to him?"
Her hands trembled, the darkness growing stronger.
"I showed him my soft side… I was gentle, kind, everything she wasn't. He was falling for me."
"And then she had to survive."
"She had to awaken."
Her head tilted slightly, a slow, eerie smile curling on her lips.
"I should have known those monsters were useless."
"If Alex hadn't saved her… she would be dead by now. The Crown Prince would be mine."
Airna's fingers twitched.
Her nails pressed into her skin.
"She stole everything from me."
Her lips parted slightly as a giggle slipped out—soft, delicate, unhinged.
Her shoulders trembled, and her smile widened.
"But that doesn't mean I can't take it back…"
Her glowing blue eyes reflected in the mirror—eyes filled with madness.
"I'll kill her myself."