It had been nine months ready by the time I got to take a step outside the dark room. They would force me to practice the dark magic inside the room. And the surprising thing was, no matter how much power I used, the walls didn’t break. I didn’t even see a single crack because of my power!
But there was something that even the lady boss didn’t know. I secretly learnt a magic that could kill any magician within 100 meters. But there was a price to pay. The person trying this dangerous magic wouldn’t be able to use their power for the rest of their lives!
But did it matter? I shook my head and gritted my teeth. I had to learn this magic to get rid of this villain called Lilith.
At first, I didn’t realize that so much time had passed. The only thing I did inside is lying down on the cold damp place and face thoughts. Truthfully, I had been afraid of my thoughts ever since that man told me about my parents. I never wanted to believe him. How could Liam, out of everyone, be someone who would kill my parents and not even tell me before getting married? I was in denial for a long time, and struggled mentally.
And all this time, the vile man continued to come and made sure to create a “good” and “compassionate” image of himself before him. And as the time passed, I didn’t know how, subconsciously, I began to believe his words. Was it me? Or was it some magic? I didn’t know, but whenever he said something henceforth, I had to force myself to oppose him mentally. I never wanted to believe in his words.
But after months of spending time with this guy, my mind started to waver. Of course, I still wasn’t convinced that my husband could do such a thing. It wasn’t until he brought along a visitor just a few months later, and I was very familiar with this person.
As soon as I looked at the visitor, my eyes went wide in surprise. “Olivia!”
She flashed a weak smile and nodded, but she couldn’t meet my eyes. It was as if she had done something to make me angry, and now was the time she was about to get caught. I frowned at her expression, and hesitated before asking, “What happened?”
That was when she dropped on her knees and cried. I was shocked to see this kind of expression on her face, and I didn’t know how to deal with her. Until now, I only remembered seeing Olivia either as a sweet young girl, or as a teacher who was ready to punish her students in any way possible. But this tearful side of her was so rare!
But just as I was about to open my mouth, she started telling the take that had always been a burden in her heart. The actual truth of what had happened during the second war.
According to her, the war was never meant to happen. It wasn’t Liam who had initiated the war like others say. The truth was after the spy was caught, suddenly, the magicians sided with the British king, and started attacking the palace boldly. The current weak condition of Derrick happened because of the combined effort of the vampire magicians and Britain vampires.
Just after that, it was confirmed that the initiator was none other than the leader of the vampire magician clan at that time—my mother.
I was stunned when I heard that. “How come no one told me yet?” I was struggling to maintain a cold expression, but a crack appeared after listening to her explanation. I didn’t want to believe that everyone at the palace had lied to me, even Liam. I choked at this. “Why didn’t Liam tell me this?”
Olivia bit her lips and lowered her head. “That’s because he didn’t want to burden you with old troubles. How would you feel if you had known that your mother was the main villain?”
“Main villain?” I was in a daze when I heard this.
Olivia nodded. “She was the commander in chief of Lilith.”
She even knew Lilith?
I suddenly let out a bitter laugh. What was the use of overthinking things when everything was crystal clear? They had hidden many things and pretended to be my caretakers. This broke my heart. I tried to force my lips to maintain a smile, but in the end, I ended up sobbing.
“Then… then… is it true? Did Liam really kill them?” I had a last hope that perhaps it wasn’t Liam. Perhaps everyone misjudged it all, and Liam was falsely implicated.
But my hopes were destined to be shattered. Olivia’s eyes were filled with tears at this as she said, “I wish this wasn’t the case.”
That was when I felt my world crumble. All these months, I kept thinking that the man was lying. Perhaps they wanted to trick me into give my baby up for their stupid ritual. But never in a million years did I want to believe that Liam could kill my parents. Why was it like this? I just wanted to live a peaceful life with a family. But did I even have a family to start with? My husband, who was supposed to love me and care for me, was the same person who had killed my parents. And all this time, I was with my murderer.
I couldn’t help but let out a sob as I curled up in a corner to cry my eyes out.
Just then, I felt a sharp pain in my belly. My face contorted as my palms covered the surface of my stomach. Who did I feel like something in my stomach was breaking? I panicked thinking about this. Was my kid alright?
But before I could panic even more, I felt liquid sliding outside. Realization hit my head. “My water broke!” I was shocked. Even Olivia, who was on her knees, stared at me with widened eyes. She quickly wiped her tears and got to her feet, rushing toward me. “Don’t worry. I’m here.”
…
After hours of struggle, I fell unconscious, but before I could close my eyes, I remembered hearing a faint crying voice of a child that sent a wave of warmth to my heart. I felt like this child was going to be the purpose of my living. When I woke up, everything around me was black as usual, but there wasn’t any voice. Even Olivia was missing.
My baby! I panicked and looked around, finding the direction of the door.
I struggled to get up, and crawled toward the door, hitting it with my already weker limbs. “Where’s my baby?!” I hit a few more times. “Open up!”
Before I could hit the door again, it opened and the lady boss, who I hadn’t seen for a few months, appeared before my eyes. Seeing her face, I couldn’t help but feel angry. Veins popped on my forehead. “You! Give me my kid back!”
I could see amusement in Lilith’s eyes. She bent down and looked straight in my eyes. “What if I say no?”
Before I could launch an attack at her with my weaker limbs, a few guards came and captured my arms from both sides. I struggled and glared at her. “Let me go!”
“On one condition.” She cocked her head. “Kill your husband.”
The color of my face drained. Why was this woman so much stuck up on the same topic?! Anger flashed in my eyes. “What’s up with you guys? Why do you want me to kill him?!”
“Didn’t he kill your parents? This is a great time for taking revenge.”
Revenge? If I ended up thinking of revenge like her, it won’t take much time for me to become second after Lilith in cruelty. I wanted to be a sane person!
Seeing my expression, Lilith stayed calm and parted her lips through her mask
“If you don’t, I’ll kill your child, she’s in my shelter right now.”
I paled after hearing that. That’s right. My baby was still in her hands. Wait, did she just say “she” while directing my child? My baby was a girl! A sudden flash of warmth spread in my heart as I bit my lips to stop myself from crying.
For a moment, I was in a predicament. Even though I knew Liam had killed my parents, I still didn’t want to kill him without confronting him directly. But if I didn’t kill him, my only child will end up dying. At this time, due to overflowing emotions, I momentarily forgot about the ritual that was supposed to require my child. I even forgot every word that Liam had said the last time I had seen him. Emotions consumed my mind as I sat there for what it felt like hours.
“Can I see my child?”
Lilith narrowed her eyes and looked at me before gesturing to someone behind her. Soon, a crying voice filled the dark room as my body suddenly filled with life.
I suddenly forgot everything and crawled toward the infant that was crying. I didn’t even see who was holding the baby. I just went there and snatched the child from the person’s hands and started caressing her head.
The little one had blue eyes and blonde hair. I wondered why she was brunette. As soon as the child came in my arms, she stopped crying. My fingers caressed her lips as she took in my index finger and sucked gently, trying to hold my hands with her small fingers. If I weren’t at this place, I’d have stared at this small little bundle of joy for my entire life. Tears spilled from my eyes as my heart automatically made a decision.
I wouldn’t let them kill my child.
Liam had killed my parents anyway, so I would have to confront him by hook or by crook. And if he would really admit it then…
My voice choked as I sobbed at this. But when I looked at the child before my eyes, I couldn’t help but feel even more torn inside.
A thought started to reason with my decision:
‘Isn’t it better to kill the man who had murdered your parents and even hid the fact even after the marriage?’
Pursing my lips, and shook my head. Even so, he was still my husband. I had loved him all this time.
‘Then what about your parents? Didn’t you miss them? Lucy could have had a better life if it weren’t for him. You would’ve lived as a human being!’
“I can’t. I can’t kill him.” I cried, and the sound of my little girl’s sobbing also echoed in the dark room. Just then, the lady boss gripped my hair tightly and forced me to look up.
“Can’t kill him?” She sneered. “You don’t know what kind of person he is! He hid the fact that he had killed your mother! And I know he has been hiding many things from you, hasn’t he?” She paused and let go of my hair. “And you still trust him? Such a shame dear Emily. I didn’t know your trust was so cheap.”
My lower lips quivered. Then she delivered the last blow on me.
“And are you sure I’m the villain? Are you sure it wasn’t your sweet husband who had changed the spell into a curse? He was always the person who has been able to suppress you easily. Didn’t you find this weird?” She paused and snorted. “And besides, why do you always assume that anyone opposing you should be the villain? Think carefully about this.” Then she said coldly, “Liam might have another wife, who could be a real villain. These vampires have always been two-faced liars.”
Every single sentence acted like a knife stabbing my heart fiercely. What she said was true. I shouldn’t believe her words, but what if it was Liam who had orchestrated everything and he had a mistress already, who could be the main villain? He indeed had been hiding many things from me, and it made it even more impossible for me to trust him.
Doesn’t that mean I can’t trust anyone? Suddenly, a hint of pain pierced my heart into pieces. My chest felt so heavy that I couldn’t breathe. Then a soft cry woke me up from a daze. I looked down only to see the face of my baby and a sad smile formed on my lips.
In my heart, I had already made the decision. I couldn’t let them kill my child in any way. If the choice were given, I’d gladly go for killing the person who had been unfaithful to me once and for all!
Hardening my heart, I wiped my eyes and looked at Lilith with determined eyes. “I’m ready.”
…
One day later.
I found myself lying on the ground. Tears continuously dropped from my eyes, but all I could do was stare into the distance. Where did I go wrong? I was only trying to save my child.
An hour ago, the moment I saw him in the same garden with a fountain, I realized he had found out that I knew about my parent’s death. I could see a bitter smile on his face as he urged me. “Didn’t she say she would fulfil one of your wishes if you can kill me?” He spread his hands in the air side by side. “C’mon then. Kill me.”
I stared at him with widened eyes, not moving for a long time. Emotions were swirling inside my head, but I could only bite my lips to try and curb my feelings. I had to save my child! After what it felt like hours, I raised my determined eyes to see his face. He was still expressionless, and I couldn’t tell what he was thinking about.
“Not like this. Fight me!” I made a desperate attempt to present myself as a strong woman, but he didn’t budge. He sighed helplessly and stood in a fighting stance. “Fine.”
After that, what happened was nothing that I had expected. Due to regular practice for nine months, my power had increased. So it wasn’t easy for Liam to suppress me anymore if I were using the deathly spells to hit him. My mind was filled with my child’s cries, her blue eyes, brunette hair, and soft fair skin. I couldn’t let her die in the hands of that villain! Everyone in this world had treated me with unfairness, even my husband! Now was the time to get revenge!
But who would’ve thought that I would end up missing a step just when I was about to hit him with a deadly spell?! And the reason was, I saw a hint of affection in his eyes.
And there I was, an hour later, staring at the sky with tears filled eyes. I didn’t know why, but I wanted to blurt out whatever it was in my heart.
“I just wanted a normal life, you know? Just a small family of a husband who would often go to work, and my little kid. How wonderful would that be? Imagining it makes my heart warm. But I know it’s only my wishful thinking. “A bitter smile formed on my lips. “Everyone seems to be lying and manipulating me as they like. I’m also a living being. Am I not eligible to have a faithful family?” Then I looked over at Liam, who was taking deep breaths, leaning over the trunk of a tree. “Why did you lie to me? Those nine months had been torturous for me. I didn’t want to believe that you, out of everyone, had killed my parents, and didn’t even care to tell me about it!”
“Is that why you’re here today?” He didn’t look at me, but continued to stare at a distance with emotions hidden inside his eyes.
I shook my head slowly. “I had no choice.” I smiled bitterly. “I gave birth to our little daughter. She wasn’t even named yet when they said it’s either you or her.” I sobbed at this. “How could I choose among the two of you? I hadn’t even believed that you could kill my parents. Not until I saw Olivia.”
“Let me guess. After that you suddenly started having second thoughts and Lilith managed to manipulate you into believing that I was the main villain, not her.”
My eyes widened at that. This was exactly what had happened! How did he know? I stared at him with such a heightened curiosity in my eyes that Liam let out a chuckle as he glanced at me.
He said, “Do you know what’s her specialty?”
I shook my head.
“She’s good at reading minds and manipulating people. I didn’t know this until my spies infiltrated the inner palace of the hunter’s.” He sighed helplessly. “I wanted to bring you out, but it seemed you had disappeared from the face of the Earth. No one could find you.”
I bit my lips. “And what about Lucy?”
Liam raised his brows. “She disappeared too?”
I nodded. Then he continued. “The spies couldn’t find her either. So I’m not sure where she went.”
I went silent after that as my shoulders dropped. But there was one more thing that made my chest heavy as if there was a weight on the top of it. I could hardly breathe as waves of pain engulfed my heart. “Then why did you kill my parents?”
The surroundings became silent. A while passed before Liam parted his lips and said, “I never got to tell you this. Back then, Lilith suddenly became best friends with your mother. No one took it seriously since she wasn’t a powerful person. But others didn’t know that she had been practicing her manipulative magic for a long time already, and perfected it before approaching your mom. Then she manipulated her into forcing the entire vampire magician clan into approaching the British king, and made plans with them to kill me and my father, Derrick.
“Lilith was consumed with hatred, so she took excessive steps to fulfil her goals. While she worked in the background, everyone else was able to think that it was actually British king after the American throne. Even I thought the same until recently. My spies were reliable this time and told me that it was Lilith who was planning everything. And the type of ritual she wants to perform by using the blood of our child and mine, it would create havoc across the world. She knows this, but still wants to use the curse to destroy all the vampires.”
I stared at my husband in disbelief. “Why did you tell me this?!”
“I wasn’t sure about this!” He looked helpless. “I found out about this not too long ago.”
“So she has been manipulating my mind into believing her words.” I suddenly raised my head when I realized something. “You still haven’t told me why you killed my parents?”
“Back then, we were on two opposing sides, and I had genuinely thought that your parents were the main villains. They even acted that way, you know? To be honest, I didn’t want to kill them during the war, but I remember suddenly they used a dark spell that created havoc across the battlefield. To save everyone, I had to force them down. And in the process, they died.”
Realization dawned upon me. So it happened like that. No wonder Liam couldn’t tell me a thing. It happened all because my parents had decided to kill everyone on the field! He must have thought about my innocent nature. How would I have behaved if I had known about my parent’s deeds back then? I would have hated them! But now that I knew the truth, I had realized that it wasn’t my parents’ fault. It was all that vile villain!
Anger burst in my heart at that. How could she do this to me?! Not only did she manipulated my thinking process, but also forced my parents to commit suicide! They perhaps didn’t even know that they were being manipulated!
Suddenly, I felt someone’s hand on my head, caressing my head a bit. I looked up to see Liam’s apologetic face. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t able to find out the truth on time. I wasn’t powerful enough and had to watch you being taken away by a darker force. I wish to turn back time and do everything right, but I can’t.”
“If you knew I was here to fight you today under Lilith’s manipulation, then why did you agree?” I tilted my head in confusion.
He let out a helpless chuckle. “Even if I had told you you wouldn’t have woken up from the hypnotism. Her magic works subtly, and only after waking up you realize that you were being manipulated. My spies that were able to escape alive told me about how it works.” He took my head and placed me in his lap. “So only you can get out of that hypnotism, and nonone else.”
When I heard this, I knew what had brought me out of such a manipulative phase: his affection for me. Thinking that, I gripped his hand and rubbed against him. Just then, a thought appeared in my head. “How did you know I won’t end up killing you under hypnotism?”
“I didn’t.” He caressed my head. “I had a feeling that you’d wake up at the last moment. And you didn’t disappoint me.”