"Layla, under the guise of marriage, you secretly conspired to mobilize the 72 water forces and the northern army camp, ordering your men to gather troops, intending to rebel and kill me for power. Do you admit it?"

Vincent's sharp voice cut through the air, every word like a decisive blow.

His gaze was as sharp as a blade, each glance slicing deep into my heart.

"Why..."

Trembling, I lifted my head in disbelief, looking at Vincent.

Vincent glanced coldly, his voice icy and unfamiliar. "Layla, why keep lying? Did you think I didn't know you were the lost princess of the royal family?"

I froze, then suddenly shivered all over as if my body was being hacked apart. A burning pain spread through my organs. I forced a smile, but tears fell instead.

Bitter, thick drops of blood fell, one by one, onto the jade steps.

In this moment, there was no point in denying it anymore.

"It's a happy ending, why am I crying?"

"Vincent is so amazing, he really loves her!"

"Please write a side story! I want to see Vincent and her happy after their wedding."

The cold voices slithered into my ears like snakes. My head pounded, and I bit my tongue to stop the physical and soul-deep pain.

"What are they talking about? Don't they see what Vincent has done to me?

He's going to kill me! For a crime I didn't even commit!"

"Ah!"

I screamed hoarsely, clenching my teeth against the unbearable pain stabbing at my heart. I pulled the sharpest hairpin from my head.

"Vincent..."

The hairpin pierced my flesh with a dull thud. As I looked into Vincent's eyes, I saw a flash of pain that quickly turned into overwhelming cold indifference.

The next second, I was thrown down, tumbling down the forty-five jade steps and landing heavily in front of Jason and Austin's horses.

My spine shattered.

Dark blood flowed, winding down the steps.

Barely alive, I saw Jason pull out a handkerchief, covering his nose and mouth. He stepped back, pulling the reins of his horse.

As for Austin, he remained cold and indifferent, showing no reaction.

"Why didn't she choose the second lead? Jason is so gentle, I'm crying!"

"Austin, my sweet Austin, he's the one who's been protecting the heroine all along!"

"Why can't the three of them just be together?"

My soul was tearing apart.

"Have they all gone mad?

They're all trying to kill me! None of them love me!"

Hot, thick blood blurred my wide eyes. My vision was red when something gentle suddenly fell on my face. It felt like a straw hat.

"Kingston, you're still alive?!" Vincent's voice was filled with anger and shock.

No one answered, only the mournful sound of clashing swords filled the air.

It took a long time, a really long time.

For the first time, I realized that death doesn't come as quickly as I thought.

Suddenly, the hat covering my face was lifted away.

I couldn't see anything, but I could feel someone trembling as they kissed my bloodstained lips.

Cold, yet tender.

"Kingston, that villain, is so awful. I'm glad he died in the end."

Kingston, in the end, you were the only one who truly loved me.

Thud.

My head knocked against the coffin in front of the altar, making a sharp sound.

I held my head as I got up, my whole body aching as if it had been reforged. My blurry vision gradually cleared, revealing a coffin in front of me. I held a memorial tablet in my hand.

The tablet read: [Memorial Tablet of Adriel, 18th Master of the Cole Sect.]

I had carved this tablet with my own hands, and I had bought this coffin myself.

My grief over my master's death etched every detail into my mind.

Now, I had somehow been reborn on this very day.

"Master."

I carefully placed the tablet on the altar, knelt down, and solemnly bowed three times.

I remembered my master's last words. She warned me never to leave the mountain after her death. But in my previous life, I had found the solitude unbearable and chose to leave the mountain today.

My plan was to travel for just a year before returning to the sect. During that journey, I encountered Austin, Jason, and Vincent. From that moment, I never made it back to the mountain.

"Master, I'm leaving."

I stood up.

"I'm going to kill those three heartless men.

"Once they're dead, I'll come back."