Chapter 2

Late that night, the doors to my bedchamber were shoved open.

Kaelen strode in, his brows furrowed in obvious frustration.

"Valentina, where on earth did you find a maid with so little manners?" He sat down next to me, sighing heavily. "That Lyra has no sense of decorum. She practically threw herself into my chest in the hallway today. Behaving so loosely—it is a disgrace to us both!"

I lowered my eyes, quietly studying his handsome face.

In my past life, he came to me with the exact same complaints.

I was so foolish back then. I actually thought he despised her. I even defended her, saying she was new and did not know the palace rules, begging him to go easy on her.

My pathetic love blinded me. I could not see that beneath his feigned annoyance was a barely concealed, burning lust.

"Is that so?" I looked up and gave him a gentle smile. "You do not like her?"

Kaelen froze for a split second.

An unnatural look flashed across his eyes before he pulled me into his arms.

"Do not be ridiculous," he murmured, kissing my forehead with rehearsed devotion. "You are my only queen. For the rest of my life, I will only love Valentina."

Hearing that familiar vow, my mind drifted back to the day we met.

I had just fled to the mortal realm and unluckily ran into a pack of vicious bandits.

It was Kaelen who rode in on his warhorse, swinging his sword like a hero to save me.

He brought me back to his palace, claiming it was love at first sight. He showered me with jewels and silks, soothed my panicked heart, and got down on one knee to swear he would love only me forever.

But the truth?

His vows were like morning dew—evaporating the second the sun came out.

I fought the urge to shove him away and leaned submissively against his chest. "If you dislike her so much, I will be stricter with her rules tomorrow."

Kaelen went silent for a moment before saying, "No need to be too harsh. They are just minor offenses, anyway."

I smiled mockingly to myself and said nothing.

After that, Lyra did not hold back. In fact, she grew bolder.

She began openly walking in and out of Kaelens bedchambers, sometimes staying for hours.

At the same time, a shocking rumor started spreading through the palace.

"Did you hear? That new girl, Lyra, is not a maid at all. She is a real goddess!"

"Yes! She described every inch of Mount Olympus perfectly. And yesterday, I saw her wave her hand, and all the roses in the garden bloomed at once!"

When the rumors reached me, Chloe was furious. "What goddess? What Olympus? She is just a stray you took pity on!"

"She is making it all up just to seduce the King. My Queen, you have to stop her!"

I just took a sip of my wine and shook my head calmly. "It is fine. Let it be."

After all, the higher she climbed, the harder the fall would break her.

No one else knew, but I did. The blooming roses were just a cheap illusion caused by a minor magical trinket she had stolen from my room.

I let the rumors fester, even ordering the guards to turn a blind eye to the whispering.

Kaelen never came to complain about Lyra again.

Instead, whenever her name was mentioned, his eyes burned with a hunger that could set the room on fire.

He believed the rumors. He did not just want a beautiful woman anymore; he wanted a goddess who could bring him power.

Watching their little romance heat up, I returned to my room and locked the door.

I pricked my finger, letting a single drop of golden divine ichor fall onto a piece of parchment to contact my father, Zeus.

"Father, I have had my fill of the mortal realm. Come get me in a month."

A moment later, golden runes shimmered on the parchment.

I stared at the words, a cold smile curving my lips.

Father had replied. In exactly one month, I would return to the heavens for good.

And one month was more than enough time to send this wretched pair straight to Hades.