Alia is a skilled thief who, in search of a legendary treasure, sneaks into a castle under the cover of night. However, she unexpectedly witnesses the castle’s owner, the handsome and cold-hearted billionaire Marcellus, murder his wife. In the chaos of her escape, Alia is discovered and killed by him. But death isn’t the end. Alia wakes up to find herself reborn a year earlier, this time in the body of the wife Marcellus had killed—Livia. Faced with the man who had once killed her, now acting outwardly kind but still harboring deadly intentions, Alia knows she must uncover the truth within a year and avoid the same tragic fate. Her plan? Escape the castle and steal the treasure. During her time in the castle, Alia discovers that Livia’s identity is far from simple, and she soon finds herself tangled in a deeper conspiracy. Marcellus’s younger brother, Elias, has a close, secret relationship with Livia, one that seems to involve hidden feelings. As Alia secretly investigates Marcellus’s true intentions, she is drawn to his conflicting mixture of gentleness and coldness. At the same time, the body of Livia compels her to develop feelings for Elias, whose tender care for her awakens a sense of warmth. Caught in a whirlwind of emotions, Alia realizes that every person’s motives are more complex than they first appear, and she must make difficult choices between truth, revenge, love, and survival. As the one-year deadline approaches, the conspiracy unfolds, and Marcellus’s true intentions toward Livia are exposed. Alia finally finds a chance to escape. But with emotions tangled and fate inextricably linked to the castle, will she choose revenge and freedom, or will she find redemption and true love within the deadly walls of the castle?
View MoreThe night was dark and quiet, like a thick, inky shadow. A woman dressed in black slipped silently through the shadows toward the castle ahead. The moonlight cast a faint glow on her slender figure, outlining her graceful shape even in the night. The castle was a classic piece of medieval European architecture, with tall, towering spires and thick stone walls that looked both grand and eerie. Alia smirked slightly, muttering to herself, “Doesn’t seem too hard. A place this big, and no guards in sight? This should be a piece of cake.”
Even though she felt relaxed, Alia’s movements were precise and careful. She pulled out a detailed map of the castle from her bag, studying it in the dim light. With a confident nod, she silently slipped inside. Her eyes were sharp, quickly memorizing every hallway and corner. There were no guards, but infrared sensors were everywhere. Trained from a young age, Alia was more than used to these challenges. She moved skillfully, evading every sensor like a shadow gliding through the darkness.
After passing through layer after layer of obstacles, she finally reached the treasure room marked on her map. She held her breath, hiding behind a bookshelf as she prepared to make her move—when suddenly, a low, angry voice broke the silence.
“Why did you betray me? Do you even understand why I did all this?” The man’s voice was cold and harsh, slicing through the stillness of the night. Alia froze, instinctively looking up to find the source of the voice.
A moment later, a soft voice answered, distant and calm, yet laced with bitterness. “You never understood what I needed. You never really knew me. This would have ended sooner or later, with or without this.”
“No, I won’t let you go!” the man shouted.
As he spoke, the air grew heavy and thick, and then—BANG! A gunshot rang out, sharp and startling. Alia stumbled back in shock, her heart racing. Her hand flew to the knife at her waist, but the tiny movement betrayed her.
“Who’s there?” The man’s voice cut through the room, sharp and cold. In an instant, the lights blazed on. Alia’s eyes widened at the scene in front of her, blood chilling—there, sprawled on the floor in a pool of blood, lay a beautiful young woman. Over her stood a tall, cold-faced man, gripping a pistol tightly.
Before Alia could react, another gunshot echoed. Pain shot through her chest as the world blurred, her consciousness slipping away.
“Miss? Miss, please wake up! How could you fall so deeply unconscious? This illness… why did it get so serious this time?” A gentle, worried voice floated into Alia’s ears. She opened her eyes to see a maid sitting beside an extravagant bed, watching her with concern. Alia’s pale face looked frail, but somehow even more beautiful in her weakness, like a delicate figure from a painting.
“Miss?” Alia heard the voice, stirring her from a deep, foggy sleep. She struggled to open her eyes. Warm sunlight poured through sheer curtains, casting a soft glow around her. She whispered, almost instinctively, “Where… am I?”
“Oh! Miss, you’re awake!” The maid’s eyes filled with tears of joy as she clung to Alia’s hand, hardly believing it. “I’m so glad! I’ll go fetch the master right away!” With that, the maid hurried out, her joyful voice fading into the distance.
Alia closed her eyes again, trying to steady her mind. “Where is this? How did I end up here?” She felt a faint ache in her chest, reminding her of the events before she blacked out—she had been on a mission, sneaking into a creepy old castle to steal a legendary “Holy Grail.” But just as she was about to succeed, she had seen the castle’s stern, handsome owner murder his wife in cold blood. She had witnessed the scene and tried to escape—only to be shot by him.
“Where am I now? Did someone save me?” Alia pressed a hand to her chest, trying to sit up, but her body felt weak and her head heavy. She gritted her teeth, taking a shaky breath as her mind swirled in confusion.
Before she could gather her thoughts, quick footsteps sounded from the hallway, and a tall, striking man rushed to her bedside. His features were sharp and defined, his eyes filled with worry and relief. He grasped Alia’s hand, his voice brimming with emotion, “My dear, you’re awake! Do you have any idea how worried I was?”
Alia’s eyes widened, her breath catching in shock. Her mind went blank, and for a moment, the pain in her chest vanished. She knew this man—she could never forget him. He was the very same man who, just last night, had murdered his wife and shot at her, the castle’s cold-blooded killer—Marcellus!
Night was falling when Emma burst through the castle gates like a storm. Her body was slick with sweat, eyes sharp and scanning the crowd like blades. Without hesitation, she grabbed a passing servant.“Elias! Have you seen him?!” she asked in a low voice, but her tone was razor-sharp, urgency pouring from every word.A few familiar guards nearby paused. Though her appearance was unfamiliar and her clothes plain, they recognized her voice and exchanged surprised glances. One of them whispered, “Are you… the new Captain of the Guard?”Emma gave a quick nod, too rushed to explain further. “Where is he? I need to find him—it’s urgent. Livia is in danger!”The soldier shook his head. “Lord Elias hasn’t shown up today. We haven’t seen him.”Emma’s heart pounded like a drum. She had already tried calling Elias several times on the way here, but he never picked up. A sinking feeling formed in her chest. She hesitated, wondering if she should go straight to the hospital and find Marcellus ins
The mysterious man and his team finally followed the trail of marks and scent deep into the cave, slowly approaching a narrow crevice. His gaze swept over the seemingly natural pile of stones and tangled vines covering the entrance. With a quiet scoff, he crouched down and easily cleared away the disguise.The opening was narrow—barely large enough for a woman to crawl through. He narrowed his eyes and peered into the darkness. At the far end of the cramped tunnel, he could just make out a faint figure curled up in the shadows. The dim light and tight angle made it hard to distinguish any details, but he was certain—what he sought was in there.“The person inside,” he called out, voice gentle yet commanding, tinged with a smile that seemed to see through lies, “whoever you are, please come out. We can talk. I promise—we won’t hurt you.”There was a brief silence. Then the figure stirred, and a cautious, slightly weak female voice responded.“Who are you people? I’m just a traveler exp
Just as Alia was about to sink deeper into those fragmented, flickering memories, an urgent and familiar voice broke through.“Livia! Livia—wake up!”The voice seemed to rise from underwater, distant at first, then gradually sharpening. She slowly opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was Emma’s face—anxious and filled with concern. The flickering torchlight in the cave cast tangled shadows across her expression.“What happened to you? Are you alright? What is that shard?” Emma asked urgently, her eyes darting between Livia (Alia) and the piece of metal wrapped in cloth.Livia—no, Alia—rubbed her temple, her voice faint but steady. “I… I saw past memories. I think they were mine. When I touched that fragment, it triggered something… something that was sealed. My memories are returning.” She looked up, her tone firmer now. “That metal shard… it’s part of the Grail.”Emma opened her mouth to ask more, but suddenly froze.“Shh,” she said sharply, lowering her voice as she turned t
The mysterious man, along with Will and the silent squad of elite soldiers, waited a few moments longer after confirming that Livia and Emma had entered the cave. Only after ensuring no one else was around did they silently follow them in. In the dim light, the man’s expression shifted slightly when his gaze fell on the finely hidden, intricate symbols carved into the cave walls. He paused, just briefly.“Interesting…” The man ran his fingers along a faint groove at the corner of a rock face, a rare glimmer of appreciation flashing in his eyes. “This technique… Fascinating. I never expected to encounter an old friend like this again.” He let out a faint, enigmatic smile. “Today’s haul may be far more than we bargained for.”Will stood behind him, his brow slightly furrowed as he looked at the unremarkable markings. But he said nothing—he knew the man could read something from them, and he wouldn’t ask what didn’t need asking.“You can read their signals?” Will asked in a low voice.“C
The scene shifts to a secluded mountain path. Livia and Emma had changed into coarse gray garments, cloaked and hooded, resembling two humble village women on a journey. With simple bundles strapped to their backs, their pace was steady and unhurried, and their movements natural—so well-disguised that not a single flaw could be discerned. Sunlight filtered through the branches above, casting dappled shadows over them as they moved, every step carefully measured, every glance sharp and alert.What they didn’t know was that, just a hundred meters away, another figure trailed them silently beneath the cover of the trees—accompanied by a dog. He kept a considerable distance, as if entirely unconcerned with losing them. His steps were so light that not a single leaf stirred beneath his feet. He moved like a shadow, one with the forest—undetectable unless he chose to be seen.Not far behind him, a small unit advanced silently through the dense woods.Leading them was a tall, imposing man. H
Several nights ago, under an ink-dark sky, the wind howled softly through tents and stone walls, like a ghost’s sigh. Eryx stood by the narrow window of his study, gazing at the faint glow of the distant army campfires. After a long silence, he turned and looked toward the shadows—where a man stepped forward.The man wore a dark gray cloak with the hood drawn low, revealing only the sharp line of his jaw and a faint, cold smile at the corner of his lips. It was the mysterious figure from before.“You finally came,” Eryx said, his voice low and edged with caution. “I’ve set everything up as we discussed. I’ve made Livia and Marcellus believe we’ve taken the bait. We’re pretending our attention is still on their region. By now, they should have noticed the changes in troop deployment around our expansion zone.”The man gave a slight nod, his tone indifferent. “Good. You’ve played your part well—like someone who’s truly fallen for their trap. But your opponents are no fools. They won’t j
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