The Spring Court Gala was a nest of silk and hypocrisy. Nobles paraded like peacocks, powdered and perfumed, as if their gold-plated smiles could hide the stench of betrayal.
Seraphina descended the staircase in a gown of midnight silk that whispered vengeance with every step. Her golden hair, loosely pinned, shimmered like wildfire. Eyes followed her, hushed murmurs rising as if she were a ghost — one they had buried too soon.
She smiled like a knife.
[Main Quest Updated: Break the Engagement Before He Publicly Discards You]
[Time Limit: 5 Days. Reward: Reputation Boost, Skill Unlock – "Verbal Decapitation Lv.1"]
"Five days?" she murmured. "How generous. I only need one."
Crown Prince Kael stood by the dais, radiant in embroidered navy and self-satisfaction. Arabelle clung to his side like a parasite dressed in peach chiffon.
Seraphina approached them like a queen walking to her throne.
"Seraphina," Kael said, caught between surprise and confusion. "You look…"
"Like I'm alive? Shocking, isn't it?" she replied sweetly.
Arabelle blinked. "Lady Seraphina, I didn't know you were attending."
"I'm full of unpleasant surprises," she said, eyes flitting to the wine-stained ribbon at Arabelle's wrist — the same ribbon Seraphina had been accused of using to strangle a kitten two weeks before the false treason charges. Ah yes. The framing had already begun in this timeline.
[System Alert: Arabelle's Passive Skill "Innocent Face Lv.3" Detected]
[Counter-Skill Available: "Public Grace, Private Grudge" - Activate?]
She declined. Too early. Let the girl bask.
Kael offered his hand. "Dance?"
"No, thank you," Seraphina said coolly. "Though if you insist on spinning in circles, Arabelle seems well practiced."
Later, in the quieter side hall near the conservatory, Seraphina handed Kael a scroll.
He stared at the red wax seal bearing the Nightshade crest. "What is this?"
"Termination of engagement," she said casually, examining her nails. "Effective immediately."
Kael's brows furrowed. "You're breaking it?"
"You expected me to cling to you like some pathetic subplot?" Her tone iced over. "Please, Kael. I've already mourned my idiocy in a past life."
His voice dropped. "You're acting erratic."
"And you're acting predictable. Arabelle framed me. You let it happen. Then you held the sword that ended my life." She stepped closer, voice low but dangerous. "But that was the old me. This version of Seraphina? She writes her own ending."
[Quest Complete: Broke Engagement on Your Terms]
[Skill Unlocked: Verbal Decapitation Lv.1 – Your words now deal emotional damage.]
[Reputation Shift: "Tragic Villainess" → "Enigmatic Lady of Ice"]
[System Comment: You absolute legend.]
Kael's expression tightened. "You'll regret this."
"No," she said, walking away as the ballroom buzzed behind her. "But you will."
Hours later, Seraphina leaned on the palace balcony, a stolen bottle of wine in hand. The stars glittered with smug serenity. The garden below held whispers of a darker past — and darker futures.
[New Quest Available: Survive the Political Fallout]
[Optional Romance Quest Unlocked: Choose Your Love Interest (0/1 Selected)]
[First Candidate Approaching…]
She sipped slowly.
"Let the games begin."