Chapter 1

“Host, be careful. Adrian's completely unhinged right now. Anyone who crosses his path ends up dead."

The system's voice trembled inside my head.

"He killed the young king, imprisoned the dowager queen, and left the capital awash in blood. He swore that unless you returned, he'd make the whole world pay for your death."

I stood within the void, looking at the system's crumbling world.

Three years ago, I failed to win Adrian over.

To escape, I threw myself from a cliff that plunged into a seemingly endless abyss before his eyes, leaving not even a trace of my remains behind.

I traded away all my feelings in exchange for a ticket home.

Now, nothing could stir my emotions anymore. If anything, I'd become cold-hearted.

“Three months. Ten million dollars.” I repeated my terms, my tone as casual as if I were discussing grocery prices.

“Deal! As long as you can stop him from blowing up the World Core!”

The system hurriedly shoved me down.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself inside a magnificent yet eerily oppressive manor.

It was Adrian's estate.

It was also the prison he built for himself.

The courtyard gate was tightly shut. Only a few eternal lanterns swayed in the darkness, casting ghostly light.

A man dressed in black stood with his back to me, holding a shattered jeweled hairpin—the only trace I left behind when I disappeared three years ago.

After three years apart, the murderous aura surrounding Adrian had become so intense it was suffocating.

He had grown thinner. His lonely silhouette resembled a solitary sword that could snap at any moment.

“Get out.”

He seemed to sense someone behind him.

Without turning around, he spoke in a hoarse, icy voice.

“I've already said that no one is allowed in here.”

I looked at him, and a memory flashed through my mind.

Three years ago, he abandoned me alone in a bandits' hideout for the sake of his cousin, Sharon Cook.

Back then, I would have cried and been devastated.

Now, I felt nothing.

I mimicked the way I used to speak and breathe, then called softly, “Adrian.”

The man froze instantly.

“Adrian, I'm back.”

The next second, a powerful gust of wind swept toward me.

Adrian appeared before me almost instantly.

He stared at me without blinking.

Those eyes that once filled with arrogance were now bloodshot.

Shock, overwhelming joy, and a trace of cautious fear churned within them.

“Be... Bella?”

He lifted a hand, wanting to touch my face, but his fingers stopped just short of reaching me.

They trembled violently, as if the slightest touch would cause me to shatter like a dream.

“Is it really you? Is it truly you?”

I looked at him acting like this and felt absolutely nothing.

I raised my hand and took his icy palm, pressing it against my cheek.

The warmth of my skin met his fingers.

“It's me.” I gave him a perfect, gentle smile. “I didn't die. I'm back.”

“Bella!”

Adrian pulled me into his arms with a violent force.

His grip was so tight it felt as though he might crush my ribs. His entire body trembled.

Scalding tears instantly soaked through my shoulder.

He was crying.

The feared Regent who slaughtered countless people and struck terror throughout the realm was now holding me in his arms, crying like a lost child who had finally found his way home.

“You finally came back... I knew you weren't dead... I knew it...

“Don't leave me again. Please, Bella. Don't leave me again...”

I let him hold me.

My hands mechanically patted his back.

“I'm not leaving. I won't leave again.”

The most heartfelt promises slipped from my lips, yet my eyes drifted past his shoulder to the flickering candlelight dancing through the hall.

Cold and indifferent, I watched the flames sway.

Eighty-nine days and twenty-three hours remained.