Chapter 2
“You didn’t have to kill her.”
My father, the head of House Stelshernin of the Sun, spoke as he placed the report detailing Talesset’s death onto the mahogany desk.
He looked at me.
With my hands neatly folded, I answered,
“She screamed in my face without even the slightest manners. Death was the proper punishment.”
“Talesset was one of my favorite daughters.”
He clicked his tongue, yet his green eyes remained completely indifferent.
Even with his rotten personality, countless women had followed him. It wasn’t surprising—he was undeniably handsome.
Snow-white silver hair framed his sharp features, while his gentle-looking green eyes were nothing more than a disguise.
“Well, I suppose I’ll favor you more from now on. So you’ve been hiding your strength all this time despite pretending to be the weakest. Impressive.”
I smiled sweetly.
“Please don’t pretend to be a caring father now. It’s disgusting.”
For a moment, the family head simply stared at me in surprise.
Then he burst into hearty laughter.
Wiping the tears of laughter from the corner of his eyes with the back of his hand, he said,
“Good. That’s my daughter. Now then, I heard you wanted to see me?”
“There are three reasons.”
At this moment, how I handled myself was more important than anything.
My goal of becoming someone beyond the reach of the law…
…might be even harder than becoming Emperor.
Because no one in history had ever achieved it.
There had always been Emperors.
But never a single person on the continent who stood completely outside the reach of the law.
I intended to become that one and only person.
But before that…
I need to become independent from my family.
I didn’t need my father’s affection.
What I needed was freedom from this family, guaranteed by the family head himself through a carefully negotiated agreement.
“What is it? You’ve made me curious.”
“First… I have the ability to bring you the head of the leader of House Catobleta of the Mist.”
I revealed my strongest card from the very beginning.
“…”
As expected, he said nothing.
He probably thinks I’ve gone insane.
The head of House Catobleta was incredibly powerful.
That was exactly why, in my first life, my family had lost everything to them.
A seventeen-year-old girl had suddenly climbed to ninth place in the succession rankings and was now talking about killing the head of House Catobleta.
Of course he’d think I was ridiculous.
Trying to make sense of what I’d just said, he frowned.
“Are you planning to seduce him?”
“No.”
“I’ll kill him with my sword.”
I’d already done it once during my third life.
But Father simply laughed as though I’d told a joke.
“You expect me to believe something so absurd…?”
“I knew you wouldn’t.”
“Then why say it?”
“Because I’m proposing a wager.”
Only then did his expression change.
“Within three years, if I bring you the head of House Catobleta’s leader, I win.”
“If I fail… I lose.”
“And what happens if you lose?”
“For the crime of daring to boast before my father… I’ll allow myself to be fed alive to a Tawaret.”
Among all methods of execution, being burned alive was said to be the most painful.
Yet people claimed that being eaten by a Tawaret was even worse.
A Tawaret was a giant bird monster.
It slowly pecked away at its prey.
The terrifying part was that it deliberately kept its victims alive so it could continue eating them.
Those captured by one would spend nearly an entire month being slowly devoured without ever being allowed to die.
Only then did Father’s expression become serious.
He had realized I was completely sincere.
“And if you win?”
“You’ll gain the head of your greatest enemy.”
“In return, you will guarantee my freedom from this family while allowing me to keep the privileges of being a Stelshernin.”
It was also my indirect way of saying—
I have absolutely no intention of inheriting this family.
From his perspective, it wasn’t a bad deal at all.
Besides…
No one hated House Catobleta more than my father.
“Three years?”
“That’s more than enough.”
I almost said six months.
But there was no way he’d believe that.
Seeing the doubt on his face, I smiled confidently.
After thinking for a while, he slowly nodded.
“Well, I lose nothing by accepting.”
“I accept your wager.”
“At the very least, that courage proves you inherited the Stelshernin blood more strongly than any of my other daughters.”
Lowering my eyes, I replied,
“Of course, everything we’ve agreed upon must be written down and officially notarized.”
I had no intention of being taken advantage of.
What if I really brought him House Catobleta’s leader’s head…
…only to receive nothing in return?
I didn’t trust my father.
Anyone who trusted that villain would be a fool.
“…Very well.”
He looked genuinely pleased now.
“And your second request?”
“Please change the missions assigned to me.”
In other words—
Stop giving me assignments that rely on my appearance.
Give me missions that require swordsmanship instead.
He stared at me for a long moment before turning around.
Walking back to his desk, he selected one file and handed it over.
I accepted it respectfully.
Even the folder itself was luxurious, bound with gold trim.
“Your mission is to assassinate the leader of a drug trafficking guild.”
I like this kind of work.
Eliminating villains.
Delivering justice.
And after seeing the portrait…
I immediately recognized him.
He was someone my master had already ordered me to kill during my second life.
“My third request…”
“In the succession competition, anyone who reaches a certain rank is allowed to make one wish to the family head.”
Naturally…
If the family head disliked the wish, he could simply reject it.
I already knew that.
Which was why I’d chosen something impossible to refuse.
“I want the Rose Sword.”
The Rose Sword.
Unlike ordinary swords, it bloomed crimson roses along its spine the more blood it absorbed.
The petals themselves were as sharp as blades.
A single slash from them could instantly take a person’s life.
It loved feeding on human blood or rose oil.
Some even claimed the sword possessed an ego of its own.
It was one of the greatest swords in existence.
Father froze for a brief moment.
“How do you know about something so highly classified?”
But after seeing my calm expression, he smiled.
“It suits you.”
Naturally, I expected him to give it to me.
I bowed politely.
“I’ll have Talain deliver the Rose Sword to you one week from now.”
What a terrible sense of humor.
Talain was Talesset’s full-blooded older brother.
In other words…
Father was practically telling us to fight to the death.
Without another word, I left his office.
I’d already shown all the respect that was necessary.
I’ve gotten everything I came for.
Once I became the owner of the Rose Sword—
the most beautiful sword in the world—
and eventually became someone beyond the reach of the law…
There would be nothing more I could wish for.
From now on…
No one would ever look down on me again.
Perhaps because I’d been trained to rely on charm and seduction…
My room was always overflowing with expensive jewelry.
Clink.
Bracelets.
Rings.
Necklaces.
Anklets.
I slowly let them slip through my fingers.
The sound of the jewels striking one another was surprisingly pleasant.
“This is payment for the information.”
“It will be more than enough.”
The guild member bowed respectfully.
I had come to the Information Guild to purchase classified information about the Pope.
If not for the Pope during my third life…
My peaceful life would’ve never fallen apart.
A single sentence from him had turned everything into hell.
Because people trusted his words.
If my father had suddenly announced,
“Letiana Stelshernin is actually someone from another world.”
No one would have believed him.
The same would have been true if any other noble had said it.
People would only question their motives.
But the Pope…
…was different.
He was someone capable of proving that other worlds truly existed.
When I eventually tried to become someone beyond the reach of the law…
He could become my greatest obstacle.
If the Pope declared me a witch for threatening the world’s order…
Could I really survive?
I couldn’t guarantee it.
Knowing such a danger existed…
I couldn’t simply ignore it.
I carefully tucked the thick stack of documents about the Pope inside my cloak.
Just as I was about to leave—
“Um…”
“…?”
“Why do you hide your beauty?”
I blinked.
The guild employee’s face had turned bright red.
Because I don’t want people recognizing me while I buy secret information.
I’d covered everything below my eyes with a thin black veil.
“You’re even more beautiful than the rumors say, Lady Letiana.”
“Your jewel-like eyes are… unbelievably…”
So…
The disguise hadn’t helped at all.
As I met his trembling gaze, he looked completely entranced.
I raised a finger to my lips.
“Shh.”
“If you keep today’s visit secret…”
“I might come back here instead of visiting another guild next time.”
“…!”
Leaving the guild employee nodding enthusiastically behind me,
I stepped out of the Information Guild.
Then I began reading the information I’d purchased about the Pope.
What I discovered…
…was far more shocking than I had expected.
