I was terrified Marianne might truly be dead, and I was devastated that I had ruined the diamond hairpin Alec had gifted me after only a few days of wearing it.

But there was no time to hesitate—Marianne’s life was at stake, and my anger toward the Empress only grew.

‘That crazy woman…!’

Holding Marianne tightly, I pulled her toward the door, moving desperately.

The only thought in my head was to escape.

“Just hold on, Marianne. I’ll get you out of here, I promise.”

Muttering to myself, I managed to reach the reception room’s door.

My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst, but I could barely hear it over the rush of fear.

Knowing that the Empress was no ordinary woman, dread washed over me, surrounding me like a fog.

But I felt a slight comfort in the fact that I still had a few more of the gifts Alec had given me.

‘I won’t die here.’

Ugh!

Just then, an ominous energy wrapped around my ankle, and I fell to the floor.

Marianne, still unconscious, tumbled down with me.

“Marianne!”

As I clutched Marianne to me, a cold presence swept over my back.

I turned around, and sure enough, the Empress was standing there once again.

She was a mess, but still smiling, looking as if she might collapse at any moment.

Her voice, faint and broken, reached my ears.

“I almost… died… Where did you… get that? Modern explosives?”

I glared at her, my eyes bloodshot with rage.

Thanks to her unnatural powers, she had survived the explosion, but she was clearly badly wounded.

Even before this, she had looked unwell, but seeing her go to such lengths to harm me rather than resting in the palace was astonishing.

I pulled Marianne closer and continued to distance myself from the Empress.

“If you value your life, don’t come any closer. No matter what happens, I will never take your place as Empress, so don’t take out your anger on me.”

I snapped at her.

Could it really be true, what Olivia had said—that the Emperor wanted me as Empress?

Even if that were the case, it was out of the question for me.

I had no intention of letting myself be manipulated by the Emperor, nor would I let myself be killed by the Empress.

The Empress smiled wistfully, her eyes filled with sadness.

“You still don’t understand… His Majesty… There’s nothing he can’t do… People like you, and your husband… common people… will disappear without a trace…”

“Do you really think so?”

I gritted my teeth and gave the Empress a mocking smile.

It sounded like the Emperor possessed some extraordinary power, much like Alec. Knowing this made me anxious, and the thought of defeating the Emperor seemed even more daunting. Still, I had no intention of backing down. In fact, I almost felt grateful to the Empress for revealing such a crucial piece of information. At least now, I wouldn’t be caught off guard.

Even as the Empress slowly followed behind me, I desperately tried to escape.

Her voice, filled with madness and resignation, echoed through the corridor.

“You don’t know, do you? How terrifying and powerful His Majesty really is.”

“…!”

Suddenly, I froze.

It felt as if an invisible rope had tied my entire body.

The limp body of Marianne slipped from my grasp and fell to the floor.

It seemed I would have to use another weapon. I tried to move my hand, but it wouldn’t budge.

If only I could move a finger, I could release the poison needle hidden in my ring’s gem.

“Just die already… If you die, Louise, then maybe… I can finally rest in peace.”

“…!”

The sharp pain tearing through my body made me want to scream, but I could only cry out internally.

It felt as if something was violently twisting inside me.

At that moment, I heard Olivia cough up blood.

Her knees buckled, and she collapsed, but the force attacking me remained strong.

Her determination to kill me, even at the cost of shortening her own life, was both baffling and terrifying.

Olivia cackled like a witch.

“You won’t be able to hold on… Just give up and die quickly… It will hurt less that way.”

‘…Ha.’

I fought with all my might to push Olivia’s power away.

Could an ordinary human like me really escape such supernatural forces?

But I refused to give up and struggled to move my body.

It felt as though every part of me was being ripped apart.

“No matter how hard you try, it’s useless…”

Yeah, it really did feel like I was about to die.

‘But I won’t lose to you, Empress.’

I clenched my teeth.

Her mocking laughter filled my ears like the sound of rain.

“You think you can defeat me?”

“…”

“A powerless person like you…?”

No matter how hard I resisted, the pain only intensified, as if my body was being shredded from the inside.

Was I really going to die like this?

It felt so empty, as if I hadn’t even started to live.

My vision began to blur, and I felt myself slipping into unconsciousness.

The pain was unbearable, and it felt like my heart was about to give out.

“Watching you squirm is so satisfying… I wish His Majesty could see this…”

Even the Empress’s voice now sounded strained, as if her energy was waning.

Perhaps if I could hold on just a little longer, she might collapse before I did.

Just as I thought that, something slipped from my clenched lips.

“…Shut up.”

The moment the words left my mouth, my fingers twitched.

I was so shocked that I opened my eyes wide and slowly looked behind me.

The crushing force that had been suffocating me suddenly disappeared.

Olivia, too, stared at me in disbelief.

“How… is this possible…?”

Now was my chance.

I lowered my hand and discreetly aimed the gem in my ring at the Empress.

Praying that Alec’s poison needle would hit its mark, I pressed the small mechanism.

“Ah!”

At the same time, an agonizing scream erupted from me.

The Empress’s power once again pierced my body like sharp thorns.

It felt as though I had been thrown into a pit of brambles.

“Ugh.”

At nearly the same moment, the Empress groaned in pain.

She must have been hit by the needle!

I forced my body to move and pulled Marianne closer to me.

The Empress’s strength was weakening.

‘This woman is truly insane.’

I had never experienced such pain in my life.

Then, I heard a dull thud as the Empress collapsed completely.

Even as she lay there, her power clung to my throat, trying to choke the life out of me.

Staggering, I fell to the floor alongside Marianne.

I had no strength left.

I tried to get up, but my body, already ravaged, wouldn’t respond.

The Empress, as exhausted as I was, whispered hoarsely.

“…Strange.”

“…”

“You shouldn’t have been able to hold out….”

She coughed up blood again.

I couldn’t tell whether she was more intent on killing me or destroying herself. But one thing was clear—this woman had nothing left to lose.

“I must have been… too weak. Let’s end this now… I can’t take it anymore.”

“No. I’m not… going to die… Agh!”

It felt like someone was squeezing my heart with an iron grip.

Even on the verge of death, her magical power was overwhelmingly destructive.

This was her last, desperate attack.

The pain was so intense, I almost wished for death to escape it.

My breath caught in my throat, and my vision turned white.
It felt as if my heart was being squeezed so tightly that I thought I might rather die.

My breath caught in my throat, and everything before me turned white.

If Marianne had been subjected to this kind of power, she must have died already, I thought, tears welling up in my eyes.

Suddenly, my husband’s face flashed before me, moment by moment.

I had only just begun to understand his heart. I hadn’t even had the chance to fully show him mine yet…

“Louise!”

A familiar voice rushed toward me out of nowhere.

At the same time, there was a tearing scream, and Olivia’s body flew through the air, crashing into the wall in an instant.

“Aagh!”

The power that had been constricting my heart vanished, as if it had been cut off.

I instinctively felt that she could no longer threaten me, and all the strength left my body.

My husband?

Did he come to save me?

“Louise!”

TL NOTE: More advanced chapter of this story is already up to the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories