ESWPT 06

Chapter 6

“Y-Yes…!”

Even after the young soldier hurriedly disappeared, a heavy silence lingered.

Cecilia Keres.

It was a name no one could not know.

Yet there was a reason why no one recognized her, despite her being a famous figure in high society.

Originally, Cecilia had been a lovely girl with radiant blonde hair, blue eyes, and rosy cheeks. Even after becoming the Duchess of Keres at a young age, her youthful appearance remained unchanged.

But this woman before them…

Her hair glowed white.

Her sharp blue eyes seemed capable of killing someone with a single glance.

Her skin was pale enough to be mistaken for marble…

She was nothing short of a witch.

Of course, it wasn’t that her beauty had diminished.

She was undoubtedly beautiful.

If her previous self was the epitome of human beauty, her current form was unreal—transcending time and space.

Yet excessive beauty inspired fear rather than admiration.

‘Ah, I can’t even speak…’

‘I’ve heard witches can turn humans into frogs in an instant!’

While the soldiers cowered in terror, the Emperor’s right-hand man, the commander of the personal guard, appeared.

However, he was not the familiar, foul, and unpleasant knight Cecilia remembered.

‘Ferrol?’

Cecilia blinked.

She knew him well.

Sir Ferrol.

A man whom her ex-husband, Edward Keres, trusted like a brother, confiding in him completely.

Ferrol openly disregarded and was wary of her, but his loyalty to Edward was unparalleled.

She had thought he would never side with the Emperor…

‘People change. I have too.’

Ferrol slowly spoke with a stone-like expression.

“The Emperor requests your presence. Consider it an honor.”

“…….”

Cecilia said nothing and followed him.

The Machin Sword tied to her leg by leather straps twitched.

According to Bjorn, a contract with a demon could only be broken with a weapon from the heavens.

‘I can’t use it. But you can.’

The Machin Sword, said to be forged from a rare mineral that falls from the sky once every few centuries, possessed immense magical power. It could not be touched before reaching the age of maturity.

‘But you are a monster.’

A few hours ago, Bjorn had handed her the Machin Sword, his tone a mix of praise and reprimand.

‘See? It’s already welcoming you.’

As he said, Cecilia felt the sword respond the moment she grasped it.

‘With this, I can break the demon’s contract… and kill the Emperor.’

She straightened her back and walked forward, eyes fixed ahead.

The Emperor, stripped of his demonic contract, was just an ordinary human. No grand magic would be necessary.

After walking barely a hundred steps, Cecilia sensed a colossal power—enough to threaten even a grand mage.

“It’s him!”

Bjorn cried out, a scream only Cecilia could hear.

“Kill him immediately!”

Instinct overrode reason.

Cecilia lunged forward, her entire body flying through the air to strike the figure in the corridor.

She had no intention of prolonging this. There was only one chance.

A demon would never show mercy to a rival who missed their opportunity.

‘Die!’

Cecilia raised the Machin Sword high.

All her magical power was absorbed into the blade, forming a massive lightning-like spear.

The preparation took less than a second, and she struck toward the Emperor—or rather, the one she believed to be the Emperor.

“……!”

Cecilia’s eyes widened as her hands holding the Machin Sword convulsed.

‘He’s not the Emperor!’

She remembered the Emperor’s face clearly.

Gray hair, deep nasolabial folds, and greedily shining eyes…

But this man?

Dark hair with a bluish tint.

Exquisite amber eyes, filled with fascination the moment he saw her.

Gentle like a great riverside willow, yet in no way weak.

Cecilia recognized him immediately.

The man who had stirred the hearts of many women, yet never hers.

Cold yet warm, cynical yet thoughtful, utterly unpredictable.

None other than… her ex-husband, Edward Keres.

And somehow, the divorce had apparently not been made public!

‘No…!’

Cecilia tried to stop herself, but it was too late.

The Machin Sword, having absorbed her vast magical power, went berserk and unleashed unimaginable force upon Edward Keres.

Enough power to destroy the entire palace.

Cecilia squeezed her eyes shut.

‘No one will survive. Countless innocents will die because of me!’

One second, two seconds, three… ten seconds passed, yet no screams came.

Cautiously, she opened one eye.

Edward Keres.

His familiar face bore a familiar expression.

Slightly furrowed brows, lips thin and pressed.

“Huh.”

A low click of his tongue sounded, and Cecilia flinched.

“Did you hate me that much, Cecilia? Enough to try and kill me?”

“…….”

She turned her head slowly.

Edward now wore the Emperor’s exclusive purple cloak.

That wasn’t all.

The Machin Sword had vanished without a trace, undoubtedly spent completely in the battle.

The demon had protected its contractor.

‘…Impossible. No way. It can’t be…’

Yet Cecilia’s sharp mind drew the only rational conclusion.

The one who had threatened her through Mezhina.

The one who had terrified Bjorn.

The one who, according to Linek, had a contract with the demon Emperor…

None other than Edward Keres.

“Why… why did you do it?”

Bjorn shouted, but there was no answer to give.

While Cecilia was in shock, Edward’s cold voice reached her.

“Unfortunately, my life is rather resilient.”

“Edward.”

Cecilia finally managed to speak, and Edward’s face twitched slightly.

“I’m truly sorry. It was a mistake on my part….”

“A mistake… nearly destroying the world, is that what you mean?”

Cecilia was momentarily at a loss for words, staring at him.

‘He’s gotten a bit dramatic while I wasn’t looking.’

Even if the palace had been destroyed, it didn’t mean the world was ending.

Edward stepped closer to her. The familiar scent of musk reached her nose.

“I know everything. You thought you could run for your entire life, only to be caught eventually. You must have wanted to escape by any means necessary.”

“Nonsense….”

The truth slipped out of her mouth before she could stop it.

Cecilia had neither fled from Edward nor been captured.

“Nonsense?”

Edward’s lips twisted.

Cecilia froze.

Edward never wore such an expression… toward her, at least.

More precisely, he had never shown such cruel intent toward her.

Yet now, he looked at her as if facing an enemy.

“Then explain it, Cecilia. Why, on that day, did you betray me?”