Chapter 1
1. Revenge
In front of Reinhardt, who came to her senses, her father’s coffin was placed.
Her father, who died more than 15 years ago.
She looked everywhere. It was the largest Agnes Hall in the house of Marquis of Linke, where she lived as a virgin.
It was exactly what she remembered 15 years ago.
She didn’t understand. The lid of the coffin wrapped in the flag of Allanquez, and the pale face of the father that is seen in the open coffin.
Is it a dream?
However, tears burst out even before she checked whether it was a dream or reality.
It’s probably because of her father’s face that she hadn’t seen in a long time.
Her father has faded from her memory and she never saw his face again even in her dreams.
Ah.
Father.
She collapsed in front of the coffin and cried to the point she fainted.
She cried, fainted, woke up, and cried again. She thought that since it was a dream anyway, she didn’t need to care whether people around her talked or not.
Reinhardt came to her senses at some point when she heard a voice behind her.
“I want you to break our marriage.”
She sat back with cloudy eyes. A man with silver hair, purple eyes, and a bright face stared down at her.
Michelle Allanquez, the Crown Prince of Allanquez, and her husband.
Reinhardt Linke is originally a girl who is strong enough to not cry, but she could not hide her tears when her father’s coffin was covered by the flag of the Allanquez.
Then, even before the tears on the flag dried up, her husband said that to her in front of the coffin.
Her eyes were swollen from crying so much, her eyes barely opened.
It was not because she’s sad. It was because she had been in a similar situation 15 years ago.
Everything happened just like before. She asked back slowly.
“What are you talking about…?”
“I want you to break our marriage.”
Michelle Allanquez looked down at her with his cold purple eyes. Reinhardt shut her mouth for a moment and looked up at him.
Is this a dream or not?
Still, she couldn’t tell. She looked around slowly.
Michelle looked at Reinhardt looking around her. She gave up trying to tell whether this is reality or not and opened her mouth.
“Michelle Allanquez.”
“…..”
“Your Highness, can you please speak properly? I’ll ask you for the second time, what did you just say?”
“I’ll say it for the third time. Break our marriage.”
Reinhardt clenched her hands on top of the coffin. Then she stood up while leaning on the coffin.
Her black dress felt heavy. Her dress, which drooped shabbily, was just as she remembered because she was in a hurry to wear it.
She continued, disregarding the train of thoughts that looked back on her past.
“Is that what you’re going to say in front of my father’s coffin?”
“Michelle Allanquez, my father died in the war instead of you.”
“He has fulfilled his duty as General of Allanquez.”
“Prince…”
Still, the anger she felt remained.
As if her chest was about to burst in rage, Reinhardt put her hand on her left chest and gently pressed on it.
Then she spouted words she had not said 15 years ago.
“He died because of you, who abandoned his duty as the crown prince.”
“Be careful what you say.”
“Watch your language, Michelle Allanquez!”
Reinhardt vented his anger. Michelle’s brows furrowed.
“My father died in the war instead of you. You read the letter that the emperor mourned my father’s death. It hasn’t been half a day since I read the letter, but you’re in front of me…!”
Her heart was pounding. Words didn’t come out properly and tears covered her eyes, and so she breathed again. She didn’t want to look like a fool who couldn’t even speak while crying in front of others.
She doesn’t want to wake up if this is a dream.
Reinhardt’s father, Hu Linke, wanted to give her the best position in the country.
The seat next to Michelle Alanquez has been hers since she was still 12. The two did not fall in love even after getting married, but Reinhardt had never felt sorry about her situation.
That’s what a political marriage is like. Living as the best woman in this country, she had never wanted a soft and vain feeling like love.
Michelle Allanquez never smiled at her, but she had never been bothered by it.
But for 15 years since this very moment, she held constant hatred towards Michelle Allanquez, questioning her father’s judgment.
Was this man my father had compared as the best man in the country?
He didn’t even blink in front of my father’s coffin and begged her to break their marriage instead, and now the prince frowns just because she verbally abused him.
“Hu Linke… yes, it is a pity. Allanquez lost such an important man.”
The silver-haired prince looked at Reinhardt and only uttered those two sentences as if he wasn’t red-handed or was just teasing her.
Reinhardt’s fingers were cold and trembling.
“You coward…”
“No matter what abusive language you say to me, Reinhardt, I will not take issue with the grief and madness of the one who lost her beloved father. However, I have to say what I have to say. I will break my marriage with you.”
It was only one person’s face that filled her head with words. A girl with silky, silver-colored hair and eyes.
The girl who came as a hostage to the Allanquez Empire from a small country.
Maybe it was her mistake for not being wary about her. Reinhardt had also been constantly reflecting on the actions she took.
“Of course, the reward for Hu Linke’s death will not be disappointing. Allanquez will compensate for the loyalty and glory that Linke had offered to Allanquez…”
Michelle’s voice was no longer heard.
Michelle’s mouth, which always looked like the corners of his mouth were smiling, seemed to be laughing at her again.
“The province of Helka belongs to the Linke family…”
Oh, my land. Helka. She burst into tears the moment she heard the name. After her father died, she constantly dreamt of revenge.
Helka was also hers and a springboard for revenge. However, she had not received the estate for her father’s death.
“And since you want to divorce me, I will also ask for the proper amount of compensation for that… along with a million Allanque…….”
Reinhardt didn’t let Michelle talk more. It was enough 15 years ago for that son of a pig to spout nonsense in front of her.
“I, uh, don’t have a million Allanque for the Linke family…”
“So now, do you know why I’m angry at you?”
Michelle wrinkled his eyebrows. Reinhardt looked straight at Michelle and said,
“Bring life for life, bring back Princess Canaria alive.”
“….There’s a limit to my patience, Reinhardt Linke.”
Perhaps he was getting angry, Michelle snapped at her with a straight face. Reinhardt said without laughing.
“The reason my father lost his life in Sarawak is because of Princess Canaria’s playfulness, so I’ll have to cut off her wrist before I can free myself from you.”
“Reinhardt Linke. I didn’t know you were this cruel.”
She couldn’t help but snort. However, tears flowed even before she started laughing.
Reinhardt clenched her teeth again because of the relentless tears on her cheeks.
She wanted to say something, but she couldn’t. It was obvious that if she opened her mouth, only ugly tears would spill out.
‘This isn’t it. I was hoping that I could say a word to this bastard.’
“…I don’t think this is the right time to talk, so I will take my leave. Soon, the palace will send you a letter of approval to annul our marriage.”
Michelle sighed and turned around when he saw that Reinhardt, whose eyes were wide open and whose teeth were tightly clenched, could only make faint sounds.
No, she couldn’t let that son of a gun get her like this.
As Michelle was about to leave the hall, Reinhardt was barely able to spit out her words.
“We will change the terms of compensation.”
“……What?”
“What’s wrong with Princess Canaria, you son of a bitch.”
“……Reinhardt Delphina Linke! What a disgrace!”
In front of the crown prince, who looked back at her after the sudden swearing, Reinhardt Linke said, wiping tears dripping from her cheeks with her hands,
“Give me your neck. I’ll cut it and give it to her as dog food.”
“You-!”
“And I’ll have Princess Canaria drink your eyeballs. After drinking, I will kick her, barefooted, into the desert of Sarawak. Your body will already be buried there, so Princess Canaria will be happy.”
The prince’s expression changed and he strode towards her.
Since he had announced their divorce, the hallway was filled with gossips about her, the prince, and her father.
“Watch what you say.”
“You said that my abusive language and insanity of losing my beloved father will be left off the hook out of benevolence. Is that all of your patience’s worth? I cannot help but doubt Alanquez’s future.”
“Reinhardt Delphina Linke!”
“Don’t call my name, you son of a bitch. It’s a noble name my father gave me.”
Hu Linke loved his daughter dearly, enough to give her a name that has been handed down only to the fittest for all of their generations.
{My dear little apple pie. I will make you the noblest woman in this country.}
Tears flowed whenever she thought of his warm voice.
Eventually, Michelle, who couldn’t stand it, pushed her shoulder. Reinhardt slapped Michelle on the cheek without hesitation.
Pak!
The slap resounded.
She slapped him hard. Due to the unexpected blow, Michelle looked back at her as if he couldn’t believe what she just did.
She shouted without hesitation.
“If it’s not life, I don’t need compensation!”
“This s-…”
Michelle came up and raised his hand. Reinhardt did not lose and kicked Michelle on the knee and hit his chest.
Reinhardt, who almost cried like an animal, pushed and hit him. Michelle blocked her a few times and finally grasped her.
His hand clasped Reinhardt’s neck and Reinhardt struggled.
However, she could not beat Michelle, who was taller than her.
When she noticed that her eyes were getting blurry, she rebelled violently, but Michelle tightened his grip even more.
‘This ignorant bitch. She didn’t even learn how to control her strength……’
Michelle didn’t want to kill her. He wouldn’t be able to.
Now that the Marquis of Linke is dead, if his daughter dies too, there will be even more suspicion.
Instead, Michelle pushed her to the ground.
Reinhardt fell back. Allanquez’s flag that was draped over the coffin lid fell on the marble floor.
She fell on top of her father’s coffin.
Something was caught in Reinhardt’s hand as she stumbled. It was the sword that her father always used.
She didn’t think twice.
Reinhardt pulled the sword out of its sheath and thrust it through Michelle’s body.
Blood gushed out continuously. Then she heard a scream.
Reinhardt smiled in satisfaction.