Chapter 1

By the time the priest stumbled into the cellar, I was holding my sister Lily in my arms, softly singing to her.

We were twins. Growing up, we'd never spent a day apart.

But five years earlier, I'd chosen to stay behind and suppress the demon for Victor. As my car pulled away, Lily had chased after me in tears.

"Don't go! Don't leave me alone! I'll never bug you to sing again! I'll sing for you instead! It's too lonely there! I don't want you to go!"

Her sobs had nearly broken my heart.

But I forced myself not to look back.

Three cycles of 666 days. That was all it would take to seal the demon for good. A little over five years.

Then I could go home to Lily.

Instead, she was lying dead in my arms, her body crushed after being run over again and again.

"What a joke. One of the last daughters of my witch bloodline didn't die of old age or while fighting a demon. She was run over by an ordinary person. Priest, I guarded this cursed ground for five years, yet I couldn't even protect my own sister. Tell me. Is that fair?"

After Sophia arrived, Lily's life became a living hell.

Back when I lived with the Smiths, Lily had been treated like a princess.

The moment I left, they treated her worse than an animal. They kicked her, beat her, and used her as their punching bag.

Five years of abuse had left her nothing but skin and bone.

The only thing that kept her alive was the hope of seeing me one last time.

Victor had seen it all.

All he had to do was say one word, and Lily could have lived with dignity.

Yet he refused because he didn't want to upset Sophia.

The maid I'd left behind could only sneak into the kitchen at night, dig through the leftovers for scraps and pass them to Lily through the bars of the cage they kept her in.

"They say Sophia still wasn't satisfied. She complained that Lily didn't scream loud enough when she beat her and didn't lick her shoes clean enough. Priest, you told me Lily was fine, didn't you?"

Father Luca's legs gave out, and he dropped to his knees before me.

He couldn't say a word in his own defense.

Instead, he planted himself in the doorway, refusing to let me leave before the seal was complete.

As the Great Witch of this generation, my soul could suppress the demon's curse.

By doing that, the Smith family would remain rich, powerful, and untouchable for generations.

Victor had only become the head of the Smith family because he'd married me.

"Ma'am, you can't leave!"

He spread his arms and blocked the doorway.

"There's less than six months left! Then the demon will be sealed forever! When that happens, your husband and son will come to take you home. Your family can finally be together again!

"If you leave now, everything you've sacrificed will be for nothing! The curse will return, the demon will break free, and your family will fall. Your husband and son will suffer too!"

His whole body trembled as he desperately tried to talk me down. "What happened to Lily had to be an accident. Besides, she's already gone! But your husband and son are still alive! They're waiting for you at home! Just hold on for another six months. Once the seal is complete, you can get all the revenge you want!"

How reasonable.

It was the same argument he'd used to convince me five years ago.

Seal the demon. Protect the family. Give your husband and son a lifetime of wealth and power.

And what did I get in return? My sister's corpse.

Screw being reasonable.

I calmly pulled out my silver pistol and shoved the priest out of my way.

"My sister's death will be paid for in blood. They are guilty. Why shouldn't I let the demon destroy them?"