Prologue

“Ferdy, tonight’s going to be wild.”

“What?”

Has this guy lost his mind? Why’s he acting like this all of a sudden?

“Hot is always good. Because it’s intense.”

Ferdia, who had been staring intently at his face, clicked her tongue softly when she noticed his crimson eyes.

“Is it that day again?”

“What day are you talking about?”

At the man’s dismissive response, Ferdia sighed deeply and began to undo the buttons of her dress one by one. A smile tugged at the corners of Erev’s mouth at the sight of her shedding her light dress.

His lips tinted with desire, while Ferdia looked back at him, shaking her head in disbelief.

“I’m not letting you off the hook tonight.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Ferdia replied curtly as she finished removing her dress and loosened the corset that tightly embraced her waist. Now feeling liberated, she inspected her body and smirked. Only dressed in a silky white slip dress, her skin had a delicate shimmer.

Her marine-blue hair, bathed in moonlight, fluttered in the wind. As the fragrance flowed along her flowing locks, a rough smile as if he had found the perfect partner to satisfy his desires, formed on Erev’s lips.

His eyes trailed down the straight, white lines of her legs peeking from beneath her white dress, and they sparkled with mischief.

“Tonight’s going to be a long one, Ferdy.”

“Are you ready for it?”

With Ferdy’s retort, he lunged.

And in that instant, Ferdy, pulling the sword hanging on the wall, swung it fiercely. Even in this dangerous situation, Erev wore a grin, his eyes gleaming with what seemed like satisfaction.

“Let’s have some fun, Ferdy.”

“Haa…”

To think he’s her husband.

A deep crease formed on Ferdy’s brow. How had she ended up married to someone like him? Memories from two months ago flashed as she swung her sword again.

*********

The haunting screams of the battlefield echoed as Ferdy’s eyes quivered, lying amidst the carnage. The only thought that rushed through her mind over and over again was ‘how could this have happened’.

With a metallic clang, a silver blade loomed before her eyes, its sharp edge seemingly ready to slice her throat. The sight of the blade, which sent shivers down her spine, made her feel as though hot saliva was striking the back of her throat.

Ferdia lifted her gaze from the blade and met the crimson eyes staring back at her. Eyes that sent chill down her spine. Those eyes bore an expression so indifferent, it seemed impossible that it belonged to a victor of war.

Master of the Bloodstorm, Human Butcher, Possessor of Immortality, Lord of the Silver Sword of Desire – he was known by many titles, but whenever people addressed him…

“The Duke of Grecia…”

They addressed him as that.

At Ferdy’s voice, the crimson eyes shifted, and in sync, the blade of the sword descended, targeting her heart. In that chilling moment, when her heart seemed to freeze and her mind turned blank, Ferdy could only think one thing over and over.

‘This isn’t right…’

The flow of the novel she knew wasn’t like this. To think that a playful act she’d mimicked from the internet had resulted in her getting trapped in her favorite book was utterly shocking. But her astonishment was short-lived. No matter how much she struggled and tried, there was no way back. She’d made up her mind to settle into this life and, unbelievably, six years had already passed.

Ferdia Arde Poeheim, the eldest daughter of the Marquess Poeheim’s family, was depicted in the novel as a powerful woman poised to become the commander of the knights. Upon realizing she had become Ferdia, she dedicated a year to test and understand her newfound abilities.

Luckily, even if her mind couldn’t comprehend it all at once, her body remembered. So, she methodically honed her skills. Following the content of the novel, by 18, she joined the knights’ order, and by 20 she became a knight’s commander.

There were no villains to threaten her, nor anyone to make her life miserable. Who would dare oppose Ferdia, the renowned daughter of the Marquess Poeheim’s family and commander of the knights?

As time went on, the war scenes, which were the highlight of the novel, made quite an impression on her. She thought it was quite meaningful to experience the final scene of the novel she was reading.

Of course, being on a battlefield was naturally terrifying. But perhaps because her psyche had become so intertwined with Ferdia’s, she neither shivered in fear nor felt apprehensive.

Thanks to this, victory followed victory in the war. As she repelled the empire’s invasion and approached the novel’s end, a thought crossed her mind.

Once this war is over, and the novel reaches its conclusion, then what will become of her? Could she possibly return to reality? With this hope, Ferdia fervently led her soldiers and waged the war.

It was a two-month war that, according to the novel, ended with the capture of the commander-in-chief of the Imperial army and a victorious Ferdia returning home to live happily ever after…….

‘Why did I lose?’

The problem was she lost the war. It wasn’t so much that Ferdia had made a mistake, but that her troops stationed elsewhere were ambushed. This led to Ferdia’s main forces being encircled and eventually decimated.

Ferdia was taken aback by this turn of events, a scene that hadn’t even appeared in the novel. But she couldn’t just give up, so she fought fiercely until she was blocked by Duke Grecia and ultimately faced defeat.

“You fought well.”

“…Is that a compliment?”

“Let’s say it’s a courtesy for an opponent who kept her sword up until the end.”

Ferdia bit her lip at the emotionless tone of his voice. In her time as Ferdia, she had always felt like there was no one who could rival her.

Her overflowing mana and the innate ability to channel it effortlessly allowed Ferdia to surpass physical limitations. Additionally, her natural swordsmanship talents were a testament to just how exceptional a knight she was. 

Given that the character Ferdia in the novel was designed to be flawless and without rivals, it should’ve been a given. But,

‘Who is this man?’

Although this man appeared in the novel, he wasn’t a main character or even a supporting character. Just his name was mentioned in passing. Yet, here he was, pointing his sword at Ferdia, holding her life in the balance.

‘Damn it. Why is he so strong?’

It was an overwhelming strength. Ferdia, who had never considered herself weak, felt utterly powerless in front of him.

‘I was supposed to win…’

Defeating him and returning victorious from the war was how the story was supposed to go, and how the novel was supposed to end. Yet, here she was, only a chapter away from the ending, on her knees in surrender. No matter how many times Ferdia denied the reality in her mind, the unwavering gaze of the man before her remained.

“Any last words?”

“……”

In novels, it always seemed so gallant when protagonists offered their adversaries a chance for final words. It felt like a last act of respect. But hearing it firsthand felt entirely different.

It felt like a death sentence, didn’t it? Her blood ran cold, her lips parched, and her face drained of color so much so that she could feel it.

“None?”

She sighed deeply, realizing how tense she had been, the heavy thud of her heart making it painfully clear. Struggling, Ferdia managed to move her lips, 

“…Is this a courtesy too?”

“Let’s put it that way.”

Ferdia tightly shut her eyes against his cold, emotionless voice. She was going to die here. This was the end, her story was going to conclude right here. It would all be over.

Ferdia had never really given much thought to her own demise. After all, the novel’s ending was predetermined, and she was aware of it. She didn’t feel there was any problem. It could be called confidence or perhaps arrogance, but it didn’t matter.

Not until she found herself lying here.

“…No thoughts of sparing me?”

“Even if I were to spare you, you’d be executed as a prisoner. Surely, there’s no way you wouldn’t know that, right?”

Taking into account the soldiers, commanders, and nobility of their land, she had slaughtered at least a thousand of them. Why would they spare an enemy commander who had done that? She’d be lucky if they didn’t put her head on a spike.

Ferdia took a deep breath, rolling her eyes.

“Maybe it’s better for me to meet a peaceful death here.”

“…Is that your idea of courtesy?”

“Let’s not waste time on pointless thoughts.”

His usually stoic lips quirked upward in a fleeting smile. Ferdia briefly wondered if he was capable of showing emotion, but the thought was short-lived. She swallowed hard, feeling the cold steel against her chin, and slowly said, 

“I have no last words.”

“Any keepsakes to pass on to your family?”

“None of those either.”

His eyebrows arched in genuine surprise, eyes widening slightly at her firm answer. But he didn’t push it further. He wasn’t the type to ask unnecessary questions.

“Let’s get it over with then.”

The sharp menace emanating from his sword made Ferdia’s heart pound like crazy. She bit her lip, quickly rifling through every possible escape in her mind, but she couldn’t think of a way out. 

She desperately tried recalling any missed detail from the novel that might save her now, but there was no answer. Suddenly, she felt a sharp sensation in her throat and a rush of warm blood. She shut her eyes tight.

His blade would pierce her neck, and then she’d bleed, writhing in agony until the end. As the impending pain loomed, Ferdia trembled, remembering all the people she had wronged.

‘It will hurt, won’t it? How much will it hurt? It must hurt a lot, right? Will it be so painful that I’ll scream?’

Feeling the blade’s presence on her throat, Ferdia hoped for this ordeal to pass quickly. She couldn’t bear to face this reality, and her tightly shut eyes and trembling body betrayed her fear.

‘What’s happening?’

Ferdia slowly opened her eyes. The anticipated pain, which seemed ready to end her life at any moment, never came. Perplexed, she stealthily glanced at Duke Grecia.

“……”

His crimson eyes were fixed on her, but it was impossible to read his thoughts. It seemed he hadn’t even noticed that she had opened her and was watching him.

‘What’s going on?’

Ferdia wondering what was wrong with this man, discreetly shifted backward, wanting to distance herself from the silver blade still threatening her throat. She carefully moved, millimeter by millimeter. But as the blade left her skin, Duke Grecia’s gaze sharply turned to her and his hand began to move.

“….Ah.”

For a moment, she thought it was the end. Resigned to her imminent death, Ferdia clenched her eyes shut and bit her lip hard.

“Halt!”

The sudden command froze the scene. Ferdia’s eyes snapped open in response to the unexpected voice. Duke Grecia had already turned to the source of the interruption.

“What is it?”

A knight, riding hurriedly, approached the Duke and handed him a letter.

“There’s a message from His Majesty.”

“…A message?”

Narrowing his brows, Duke Grecia took the letter, quickly scanning its contents before letting out a low sigh. Startled by the unexpected turn of events, Ferdia watched the two with wide eyes. Then those crimson eyes rolled back to Ferdia, locking onto her once more. He spoke,

“There’s good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?”

“…The good news.”

“You won’t die just yet.”

Her eyes widened in shock.

“The bad news?”

“We’re heading to the imperial capital.”

Now her mouth fell open. Duke Grecia looked at her with a sympathetic expression, clicking his tongue.

“That means…”

“It means you’d better hope for some luck.”

He turned away after delivering his final words. As she stood there, dumbfounded, watching his retreating figure, a knight approached and gently gripped her shoulder, pulling her to her feet.

***********

“Duke Grecia.”

Duke Grecia turned his head toward the voice of his lieutenant calling him. The young officer visibly flinched upon meeting the Duke’s gaze but hesitantly handed him water to drink.

“Co-congratulations, my lord. A great victory indeed. We’ve captured Ferdia, known as the ‘child of the devil’. It seems only the empire’s triumph remains now.”

“The child of the devil, huh…”

It was evident how horrible an image she had in the empire. His lips moistened and eyes narrowed in contemplation. Her face seemed to flicker before his eyes.

“I probably should have just killed her…”

“Pardon?”

Never mind. Duke Grecia lowered his head and gazed up at the sky. The blue expanse seemed incongruously serene against the backdrop of a battlefield. And that shade of blue strikingly resembled the color of Ferdia’s hair. He clicked his tongue again at the flickering image of her in his mind.

“Listen.”

“Yes?”

“Convene the Council of Elders. Also, search for records from after the last war when the empire absorbed other nations.”

“…The Council? The records?”

“Hurry. I don’t have time to explain everything.”

Seeing the Duke’s irritated expression, the lieutenant nodded heavily and scampered off. Watching the man’s clumsy retreat, Duke Grecia sighed and muttered under his breath.

“Ha… What’s all this?”

T/n: Hello! For now I will only be posting the prologue of the novel. The updates will start from the next week…that is about 8-9 days from now.