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?
Lihat lebih banyakThe 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 had fallen thick over the forest, the air humming faintly with insectsong.Livia stood at the edge of the hunter’s lodge for some time, eyes locked on the direction Jim had vanished. She didn’t move. She didn’t call anyone. Her heart was a tidal surge of thoughts, but her expression remained unreadable.Only after she was certain Jim was far—truly gone, with not even a possibility of surveillance—did she finally lift her hand.“Back to the castle.”Red frowned. He clearly didn’t like it, but still led the others away in silence. He knew Livia wasn’t the kind of heiress who needed protection anymore.Once back at the castle, Livia remained on edge. She climbed the tower and opened the mirror array hidden in the inner chamber, scanning for any suspicious eyes before she finally exhaled deeply. Then she unlocked her communicator and sent a coded message—short and sharp, intelligible only to her and Adrian.Not long after, a faint knock came from the hidden corridor.“It’s me,” Adri
Jim stood in the depths of the night, brows slightly furrowed, eyes sharp—his mind seeming to hold an entire map of troop formations. He continued to speak, steadily and without pause.His pace gradually quickened, yet not a single detail was muddled. Complex routes, time checkpoints, overlapping patrol cycles—he recited them all with the clarity of running water, missing not a single nuance.“…As for the latest changes, starting tomorrow, there will be a minor rotation at the northwest sector. One hour before the shift, a temporary gap in security will occur. Three days later, the northern troops will reposition. The transfer path follows a Z-shaped detour through the eastern trail—except, the breach near the southeastern cliff face will be left unguarded.”Livia continued writing rapidly, quietly astonished.—This man’s memory… it was even more terrifying than the rumors said.He wasn’t merely a king of the underworld—he was a hunter, a walking map.Though she kept her expression ca
Just as Jim was about to turn and leave, a wave of urgency surged in Livia’s chest.She didn’t know if things were going smoothly on Adrian’s side—whether the Holy Grail’s base had been secured, or if they’d managed to leave safely. She couldn’t hear anything from the distant abandoned well. All she could rely on now was time. And at this moment, she needed more of it.But she also knew—she couldn’t show even a trace of unease.So she steadied herself, putting on a calm, even slightly detached tone, and said:“Lord Jim, King of the Underworld, before you leave, I have one final request.”Jim turned back, raising an eyebrow.“Oh? Still playing games?”Livia gave a faint smile, her gaze sharp as a blade.“Since you claim to know Eryx’s deployments and movements, I want to test whether your memory truly lives up to your title.”She spoke slowly and deliberately:“You want that document—I’ll consider it. But only if you can recite the troop formations and movement plans of Eryx’s legions
The two stood facing each other in the night outside the hunting lodge, the air between them seemingly frozen. The silence stretched too long, and even the wind rustling through the shrubs seemed to carry a trace of tension. Livia knew—the true focus of today’s plan was never about the map. It was about testing, bartering, and more importantly, buying time—diverting the attention of Jim and the remnants of Eryx’s forces.But if she could extract even a sliver of intel from Jim—no matter how tainted with lies—it would be an invaluable breakthrough.She drew a quiet breath and spoke gently:“Very well. You want the original—I don’t have it. I only have a copy. I’m sure you won’t mind.”“Ha—” Jim let out a hoarse laugh, amused and seemingly satisfied.“A copy is fine. As long as you’re not trying to walk away with everything for nothing, I’ve no complaints.”He paused, and then, in a tone that was either casual banter or genuine goodwill, added:“You know… if you manage to crawl out of t
“First, I need to confirm something.”Jim suddenly shed his usual flippant attitude, his gaze sharp as a blade. “Do you really know what file I’m talking about? Or are you just bluffing?”Livia met his eyes without the slightest hesitation, even a hint of mockery dancing in her gaze.“You’re talking about a map, aren’t you?”The answer was simple—yet hit the mark with precision.A gleam flashed in Jim’s eyes. He didn’t press the issue, instead slowly changed direction as if taking a casual stroll. But Livia knew—he was sizing up her relationship with Marcellus.“Interesting,” he chuckled under his breath. “So how did you find out about the file? Don’t tell me… Marcellus told you himself?”Livia shook her head, her smirk deepening with scorn.“You overestimate him. He’d never trust anyone—least of all me.”She paused, then continued calmly,“My father told me. You know how Edgar is—he never bets on just one side. He ordered me to find a way to get a look at that file. What he didn’t ex
A faint forest breeze carried the scent of grass and wood between the two of them.Jim stood in the shadowy night, eyes slightly lowered in contemplation.Naturally, he didn’t fully believe Livia’s words.She was too calm—calm in a way that didn’t match a noble lady raised in luxury inside the castle.Though there’d been rumors lately that she was no longer the sheltered, sentimental young woman she once was, Jim knew better: it takes more than a few incidents to fundamentally change a person’s nature.Everything about her tonight felt coached, deliberate—like someone had trained her and set this all in motion.Still, what she said wasn’t wrong.Though he sat atop the throne of the city’s underworld, with his influence seeping into every crack and corner of urban life, if he truly went up against the military legions head-on, even if he could escape unscathed, he’d never seize the so-called “Holy Grail.”Over the years, he’d seen countless power-hungry fools, heard too many legends ab
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