“My beautiful swan.”

The return of Lia was rejected, especially by the concubines who had killed their daughters and been deprived of the right to motherhood.

But elsewhere, far away from anything the eyes could see…

“Hmmm… has my beautiful one truly returned?”

A rough, deep voice echoed, carrying terrifying joy.

“At last… your absence was long, my little one.”

He paused for a moment… then whispered:

“It is time to fulfill my promise…”

Be ready to receive your punishment…?

“My beautiful swan…”

The Fifth World is ruled by the ideal spirits of ice, or water, since ice originates from water.

The descendants of this lineage have the ability to control the water element and manipulate temperature to turn it into ice.

In other words:

“They are chosen by the water element and have a high affinity with it.”

The Fifth World is divided into twelve kingdoms:

1. Kingdom of Nevaris

2. Kingdom of Glaciora

3. Kingdom of Frizalia

4. Kingdom of Cristavel

5. Kingdom of Hydros

6. Kingdom of Thalasera

7. Kingdom of Meridion

8. Kingdom of Aiscara

9. Kingdom of Lucinar

10. Kingdom of Valdrain

11. Kingdom of Serafrost

12. Kingdom of Estia

The status, wealth, and glory of each kingdom depend on the number of “Chosen Ones” among its people and the degree of favor granted by the spirits.

Among all kingdoms, Estia is the weakest. The only reason its royal lineage was preserved was the emergence of a Chosen One not of the water spirit, but of the wind spirit: “Carlos de Estia,” the crown prince of Estia, with an affinity reaching 97%, an extremely rare level. Because of the close relationship between spirits and respect for the Wind Spirit, their lineage was spared. Otherwise, long ago there would have been a complete execution of the humble Estia family. He was even invited to the Fourth World to train under one of the greatest masters.

The law is clear:

“Whoever is not acknowledged by the Water Spirit is not acknowledged by the will of the kingdom, and his fate is execution in respect of the kingdom’s will.”

For this reason, Estia was ostracized and ranked last in a world where the strong devour the weak and the law of the jungle reigns. And when we say ostracized, we mean in every sense—openly and in hidden mockery. When the first princess was born, things became even stranger.

Five years later:

— “Heh… isn’t that the so-called ugly, disfigured one? Who allowed her to attend His Highness’s banquet, young master?”

— “It really is her, hahaha! What is that wooden mask and ugly dress? Even my dog Felia dresses better. She looks like a common girl, what an eyesore!”

— “Haven’t you heard the rumors, little lady? She’s an orphan… that clown king killed her mother right after she was born!”

— “Where are the guards? Remove that masked ugly girl before she ruins Young Master Damien’s mood!”

Lia, five years old, stood in the middle of a group of noble children whispering insults at her, not even bothering to hide the contempt in their eyes.

“Calm down, Lia… just five more minutes and I’ll leave this party,” she sighed inwardly, trying to convince herself not to care. She had always been quiet and harmless since childhood, and she didn’t understand why people called her ugly, keeping a safe distance from her… as if even approaching her could spread a “curse of ugliness.”

In the Estia kingdom’s main council hall:

“What do you mean, Father Emperor? How can you ask me to accompany a child with zero affinity for the water element? That’s simply impossible!”

“My dear, isn’t there another way to reject the Spirit Decree? How can we accept a commoner into our family? What will the other kingdoms say?”

The Spirit Decree is an order issued by the Spirits, the only authority capable of approving it. It is used to issue direct commands to the highest noble families in matters of extreme secrecy and urgency.

And of course, rejecting it is equivalent to courting death.

Even the Emperor of the First Kingdom, the supreme ruler of the Fifth World, has no right to refuse it, because he cannot stand against the Spirits—especially the Water Spirit.

Empress Sophia de Nevaris stood beside her ten-year-old son, Prince Damien, discussing the decree that ordered the second prince to be engaged to the first princess of Estia, for no clear reason.

The Emperor looked at his wife and son, the latter bearing 80% resemblance to him, with crystal-gray hair and gray eyes, a look unique to the imperial family. Anyone who saw him would think he embodied the Water Spirit itself.

“Enough! Do you want to end our family’s rule that has lasted thousands of years by rejecting a Spirit Decree?” the Emperor roared.

The Empress replied tearfully:

“No, Your Majesty… but… isn’t our son already engaged to the princess of the Second Kingdom? Wouldn’t this be an insult? And also—”

“Silence, Sophia! Do you think I enjoy this damned decision? All that matters… is that it must be carried out.”

A massive pressure spread through the hall, forcing everyone to their knees.

Then he added in a heavy voice:

“For now, we will proceed formally… then we will see how to deal with this disaster later.”

The pressure faded.

Relief flickered on the Empress’s face.

“Thank you for Your Majesty’s wise decision.”

“Everyone may leave… except Damien.”

The doors closed.

Father and son remained alone.

“Damien.”

“Yes, Imperial Father.”

“Tell me… why don’t the higher Spirits intervene in political matters of our kingdom?”

“Because they don’t care about such ‘trivial’ matters, and only intervene in issues related to world balance or their direct will.”

A short silence.

“Then… what makes them intervene now?” the Emperor asked, narrowing his eyes.

Damien replied cautiously:

“This means… that girl is not ordinary.”

Back at the hall:

The discussion about Lia continued while she stood far away like a doll waiting for the right moment to leave.

Then suddenly…

A noble stepped forward with a confident smile.

“Let’s see… is she really as ugly as they say?”

He reached for her wooden mask.

“Stop…” she whispered, barely audible.

But he did not stop.

He grabbed the mask—

And suddenly…

Everything went silent, waiting for what lay beneath it.

The air froze…

And sound vanished.

Then—

A dark, formless aura erupted from Lia’s body, like flames, but black.

Lia’s heart trembled in terror.

It was not water…

Nor ice…

Something else.

Something that did not belong to this world.

Hands pulled back instantly, and the boy fell to the ground, crawling away in panic.

“My hand… my hand is burned!”

“What… what is this?!”

Even laughter disappeared.

Contempt turned into fear.

All eyes turned toward the source.

Lia stood trembling, tears forming behind her mask.

She didn’t understand what was happening…

Her eyes froze as she saw the boy’s hand… now disfigured.

But why didn’t that fire harm her? Could it be… protecting her?

“I… didn’t do anything…”

Her voice trembled.

“What did you do to my son, you cursed witch?!” the boy’s mother screamed.

“Justice… justice must be served!”

Lia stepped back unconsciously…

Then—

She turned and ran.

No one dared to stop her.

She ran with all her strength, voices chasing her…

Running… and running… until—

Suddenly, a strong hand grabbed her from behind and covered her mouth.

She smelled cold cedar wood… for some reason, it felt familiar.

She tried to scream, but—

“Shh… calm down, my swan.”

Her body froze.

That nickname…

She knows it.

Slowly, she opened her eyes and held her breath—

To find herself facing a man…

Unnaturally handsome, appearing in his thirties, with jet-black hair slicked back, blood-red eyes—beautiful, yet terrifying. He looked like something not of this world, dressed in ancient-style robes that clung to his strong body.

But what caught her attention most…

A tattoo running along his neck—

Black fire.

The same one that had appeared from her moments ago.

The world around them fell silent, as if only they existed.

Lia whispered, trembling:

“You… are responsible for what happened?”

He nodded calmly.

“But… why?”

He smiled faintly, but it didn’t reach his eyes:

“Because… no man other than me has the right to see what belongs to me… or try to harm it…”

A pause—

“…except me.”

Her eyes widened slowly.

Belongs to him? Since when did she belong to a man she didn’t even know?

Before she could process his words—

He reached out…

And removed her mask.