I really loved the ending. I know, a lot of things are missing (sadly) and other rushed, but I truly love that Gojo dream came true: jujutsu society has changed. The new generation blew away the old one. And the last panel is a mirror of the first chapter's panel, where the little house (holding Sukuna's finger) was closed. Now it's open! The curses are something to not ostracize but to comprehend. And the last panel have this strong message.
Gojo chose the South, Sukuna chose the North. The two most strong sorcerers (at least, Sukuna in the past) walked a different path.
(My favourite thing is that Takaba is living in his domain/illusion to have Kenjaku by his side because he thought that would be funny -that's how is power works).
Aaand Itadori is my ray of sunshine and seeing Nanami smiling in the colour page was heart warming. <3
Gojo chose the South, Sukuna chose the North. The two most strong sorcerers (at least, Sukuna in the past) walked a different path.
(My favourite thing is that Takaba is living in his domain/illusion to have Kenjaku by his side because he thought that would be funny -that's how is power works).
Aaand Itadori is my ray of sunshine and seeing Nanami smiling in the colour page was heart warming. <3
2024-09-30 14:00 marked
Here is the novel link: https://booktoki313.com/novel/5608112
You guys will have to machine translate it. But it’s actually readable compared to other Korean BL novels. You guys can skip the spoilers down below if you are planning to read the novel.
So, the ML becomes the most humble guy in the current timeline. MC is “always first” in his book now. ML loves the MC a lot and regrets what happen in the past/1st timeline.
This is just the basic main points of the current timeline.
- ML likes kids but doesn’t want them because MC was pregnant with their kid before MC commited suicide. He believe he doesn’t deserve it after what happen.
- MC likes to read at the greenhouse and the ML allows him the freedom to do so
- One day MC goes to ML’s study and sees ML holding a gun. ML says the gun has no bullets. And MC asks why he has it as it is illegal. ML says grandpa gives it to him as a gift. ML also says something along the lines of the gun being using for something he regrets I think?
- ML hires a bodyguard for him, and this bodyguard use to be the captain of the ML’s defense team, but due to scandals caused by jealousy from his colleagues, he was fired (thus ML gave him a second chance; this is why don’t judge a book by its cover guys!! ML isn’t a bad person, just a human who made mistakes)
- MC and bodyguard were not on good terms at first but overtime they become good friends
- MC enters his first heat in the greenhouse one day, and not surprisingly ML shows up
- they do the snu snu, and ML was super super gentle and considerate of the MC (in comparison with the past timeline where the ML was rough with the MC)
- MC and ML attend the grandfather’s birthday of ML’s side and they meet rapist (ML’s brother)
- ML brother purposfully spills wine on MC, and offers to help. MC being a doormat (ugh) he follows him to the restroom where the rapist tries to rape MC.
- bodyguard informs ML, and ML comes to the rescue and bears the shit out of MC
- fast forward >>>> the same scenario happens where the stolen document case appears again
- MC is very hesitant, but still steals the document in the end. MC goes into estrus and ML shows up again. ML and MC does snu-snu once more.
- when MC wakes up, ML is holding the document in his hands. MC is in shock, but I believe ML doesn’t do anything and even gives him a USB. ML asks of the MC to take the USB to the ML’s secretary for him.
- MC in the end doesn’t give the document in the end nor even tamper with the USB. MC does get bitch slap by his shitty father though for failing.
-MC tries to go to his apartment to avoid ML seeing him, but ML is standing outside of his apartment complex with an umbrella. ML asks what happen, and MC says he fell. ML doesn’t speak further but comforts MC. Later on, ML harasses the shitty father 10 fold I believe.
- Fast forward >>>> ML suggests MC to do perfuming, to give him something to do in the future and to fulfill Mc’s dream. ML hires a teacher and MC learns how to become a perfumist.
- MC wants to make a perfume of his pheromones to give to the ML. And to make a perfume of ML’s pheromones for himself.
- ML then gives a company to the MC that has to do with perfumes. All the rights are handed over to MC and ML is just the investor.
- MC then questions ML why he keeps giving him things, and why he is so considerate and nice. ML just says he wants to gain a favor from the MC.
- fast forward >>>>> ML grandpa dies and ML’s brother goes missing. ML brother was deemed dead due to drowning (ofc ML killed him). Furthermore, MC’s father and other corrupt company members are arrested for fraud and embezzlement of company funds. MC has nothing to do with this as he did resign from his post in the beginning.
- ML asks MC for a dinner date. MC is nervous but says okay. ML says he wants to break the engagement and wants MC to freely do what he wants to do. MC is very upset after this.
- MC goes home and packs his things angrily. And then stops and storms into ML’s study where he sees Ml holding the “same” gun that was used in the past timeline
-MC says he doesn’t want to break up with the ML and asks why he was so nice to him in the first place if he was gonna leave him in the end!? MC and ML argue for a bit, MC says something and tried to leave and ML grabs him. They have angry snu-snu (not rape). ML permanently marks him and this is when MC remembers the past timeline
- the mark gave him back his memories, and is why ML tries to avoid marking MC
-MC leaves in the end, and ML let’s him
- MC and ML don’t meet for awhile, until MC meets him at the perfume company as business partners
-MC has not forgiven ML and tries to shoo him away, ML keeps coming back (yeah it’s chasing the wife scenario)
- fast forward >>> on the last day they meet up one more time, where MC forgives ML and ML cries like a bitch. (Honestly this was very adorable though) ML keeps crying as MC asks them to be lovers again.
- also if MC decided not to forgive ML, ML was planning to kill himself. MC reprimanded after they got back together tho.
-they have makeup sex and live happily ever after.
-extras are just the POV of the ML.
You guys will have to machine translate it. But it’s actually readable compared to other Korean BL novels. You guys can skip the spoilers down below if you are planning to read the novel.
So, the ML becomes the most humble guy in the current timeline. MC is “always first” in his book now. ML loves the MC a lot and regrets what happen in the past/1st timeline.
This is just the basic main points of the current timeline.
- ML likes kids but doesn’t want them because MC was pregnant with their kid before MC commited suicide. He believe he doesn’t deserve it after what happen.
- MC likes to read at the greenhouse and the ML allows him the freedom to do so
- One day MC goes to ML’s study and sees ML holding a gun. ML says the gun has no bullets. And MC asks why he has it as it is illegal. ML says grandpa gives it to him as a gift. ML also says something along the lines of the gun being using for something he regrets I think?
- ML hires a bodyguard for him, and this bodyguard use to be the captain of the ML’s defense team, but due to scandals caused by jealousy from his colleagues, he was fired (thus ML gave him a second chance; this is why don’t judge a book by its cover guys!! ML isn’t a bad person, just a human who made mistakes)
- MC and bodyguard were not on good terms at first but overtime they become good friends
- MC enters his first heat in the greenhouse one day, and not surprisingly ML shows up
- they do the snu snu, and ML was super super gentle and considerate of the MC (in comparison with the past timeline where the ML was rough with the MC)
- MC and ML attend the grandfather’s birthday of ML’s side and they meet rapist (ML’s brother)
- ML brother purposfully spills wine on MC, and offers to help. MC being a doormat (ugh) he follows him to the restroom where the rapist tries to rape MC.
- bodyguard informs ML, and ML comes to the rescue and bears the shit out of MC
- fast forward >>>> the same scenario happens where the stolen document case appears again
- MC is very hesitant, but still steals the document in the end. MC goes into estrus and ML shows up again. ML and MC does snu-snu once more.
- when MC wakes up, ML is holding the document in his hands. MC is in shock, but I believe ML doesn’t do anything and even gives him a USB. ML asks of the MC to take the USB to the ML’s secretary for him.
- MC in the end doesn’t give the document in the end nor even tamper with the USB. MC does get bitch slap by his shitty father though for failing.
-MC tries to go to his apartment to avoid ML seeing him, but ML is standing outside of his apartment complex with an umbrella. ML asks what happen, and MC says he fell. ML doesn’t speak further but comforts MC. Later on, ML harasses the shitty father 10 fold I believe.
- Fast forward >>>> ML suggests MC to do perfuming, to give him something to do in the future and to fulfill Mc’s dream. ML hires a teacher and MC learns how to become a perfumist.
- MC wants to make a perfume of his pheromones to give to the ML. And to make a perfume of ML’s pheromones for himself.
- ML then gives a company to the MC that has to do with perfumes. All the rights are handed over to MC and ML is just the investor.
- MC then questions ML why he keeps giving him things, and why he is so considerate and nice. ML just says he wants to gain a favor from the MC.
- fast forward >>>>> ML grandpa dies and ML’s brother goes missing. ML brother was deemed dead due to drowning (ofc ML killed him). Furthermore, MC’s father and other corrupt company members are arrested for fraud and embezzlement of company funds. MC has nothing to do with this as he did resign from his post in the beginning.
- ML asks MC for a dinner date. MC is nervous but says okay. ML says he wants to break the engagement and wants MC to freely do what he wants to do. MC is very upset after this.
- MC goes home and packs his things angrily. And then stops and storms into ML’s study where he sees Ml holding the “same” gun that was used in the past timeline
-MC says he doesn’t want to break up with the ML and asks why he was so nice to him in the first place if he was gonna leave him in the end!? MC and ML argue for a bit, MC says something and tried to leave and ML grabs him. They have angry snu-snu (not rape). ML permanently marks him and this is when MC remembers the past timeline
- the mark gave him back his memories, and is why ML tries to avoid marking MC
-MC leaves in the end, and ML let’s him
- MC and ML don’t meet for awhile, until MC meets him at the perfume company as business partners
-MC has not forgiven ML and tries to shoo him away, ML keeps coming back (yeah it’s chasing the wife scenario)
- fast forward >>> on the last day they meet up one more time, where MC forgives ML and ML cries like a bitch. (Honestly this was very adorable though) ML keeps crying as MC asks them to be lovers again.
- also if MC decided not to forgive ML, ML was planning to kill himself. MC reprimanded after they got back together tho.
-they have makeup sex and live happily ever after.
-extras are just the POV of the ML.
2023-11-11 22:39 marked
Novel spoilers:
- the seme is gonna be sooooooo whipped, you have no idea. Like he's going to be HEAD OVER FUCKING HEELS in love with yoohan.
- the uke has a tattoo on his lower back (I think) of God of Destruction (Hindu God) which is how Jay (the seme) will recognize him.
-Yoohan "saved" Jay from being jumped by several dangerous people when he was working at the karaoke shop in his bunny costume and saw that the fight was happening when he was taking a nap, and Jay was injured
- they will have a deal - he will be a temporary sponsor for him thinking he is someone else, since Jay has two names and surnames. (Yoon is a name he took because he hates his OG father's surname)
- The seme will make sure his identity as the president isn't revealed for a long time ahahahah and when the uke found out, he makes an appearance in the most funniest form ever (his rabbit onesie) hahahaha he wanted to shock him because he was so angry but Jay loved him so much that he was just laughing in happiness that he finally revealed himself and he came here in the same way
- that blonde haired bitch (the guy who is responsible for his brother's death) is a bigger asshole than you could EVER think - and his sponsor is the most disgusting man ever (he is in the arms dealing business and enjoys watching men get raped by a group of men, which this blonde bitch ropes in -the newbies who he invites for a drink or making connection - it was pretty gruesome to read)
- their first kiss is going to be sooooo cute, the seme saves him from being discovered by the blonde bitch, and their physical intimacy throughout the story is a step by step thing which i appreciated a lot - kisses, handjobs, jerking off together, and then eventual sex, which was initated by yoohan (he really waited for him to ask for it lmaoo)
- the seme lovesssss to tease him, and when he goes for an outdoor shoot, he stays in a hotel nearby and tells him to come over and randomly asks him out only to kiss him and says "ok I'll survive two more days with this"
- seme is an insomniac and he can only be asleep peacefully with uke next to him.
- the seme has a tragic backstory - abandoned child.
- A bunch of interesting characters are gonna show up eventually - for example: the manager of the club owned by Jay , where yoohan will go to eventually. Their secret hangout place where he's made to watch movies and read scripts by Jay.
- the seme is gonna be sooooooo whipped, you have no idea. Like he's going to be HEAD OVER FUCKING HEELS in love with yoohan.
- the uke has a tattoo on his lower back (I think) of God of Destruction (Hindu God) which is how Jay (the seme) will recognize him.
-Yoohan "saved" Jay from being jumped by several dangerous people when he was working at the karaoke shop in his bunny costume and saw that the fight was happening when he was taking a nap, and Jay was injured
- they will have a deal - he will be a temporary sponsor for him thinking he is someone else, since Jay has two names and surnames. (Yoon is a name he took because he hates his OG father's surname)
- The seme will make sure his identity as the president isn't revealed for a long time ahahahah and when the uke found out, he makes an appearance in the most funniest form ever (his rabbit onesie) hahahaha he wanted to shock him because he was so angry but Jay loved him so much that he was just laughing in happiness that he finally revealed himself and he came here in the same way
- that blonde haired bitch (the guy who is responsible for his brother's death) is a bigger asshole than you could EVER think - and his sponsor is the most disgusting man ever (he is in the arms dealing business and enjoys watching men get raped by a group of men, which this blonde bitch ropes in -the newbies who he invites for a drink or making connection - it was pretty gruesome to read)
- their first kiss is going to be sooooo cute, the seme saves him from being discovered by the blonde bitch, and their physical intimacy throughout the story is a step by step thing which i appreciated a lot - kisses, handjobs, jerking off together, and then eventual sex, which was initated by yoohan (he really waited for him to ask for it lmaoo)
- the seme lovesssss to tease him, and when he goes for an outdoor shoot, he stays in a hotel nearby and tells him to come over and randomly asks him out only to kiss him and says "ok I'll survive two more days with this"
- seme is an insomniac and he can only be asleep peacefully with uke next to him.
- the seme has a tragic backstory - abandoned child.
- A bunch of interesting characters are gonna show up eventually - for example: the manager of the club owned by Jay , where yoohan will go to eventually. Their secret hangout place where he's made to watch movies and read scripts by Jay.
2021-07-24 16:51 marked
YALL THE AUTHOR OF THIS MANGA DREW IVAN AND RWANDA KISSING LMFAOO
https://twitter.com/78111712/status/1393568939897065477?s=21
https://twitter.com/78111712/status/1393568939897065477?s=21
2021-07-16 19:06 marked
Turns out the Country she was serving when she was Estelle is dirty. The Emperor was greedy for more power/land so he decided to declare a war with the Duke's (ML) Country.
.
Also about the White Haired man (another Duke) he was Estelle's Childhood friend as shown.
The Reason why He(White Haired man) killed Estelle was to save Estelle - Killing her
(Though I don't support his way of saving, he should've told her the truth and maybe fled).
He didn't want to let Estelle know the truth about the Country she was serving(She could've been in danger)
.
But this doesn't mean I support him.
I would be still on the Duke's Side after hearing this. ( ̄∇ ̄")
.
Also about the White Haired man (another Duke) he was Estelle's Childhood friend as shown.
The Reason why He(White Haired man) killed Estelle was to save Estelle - Killing her
(Though I don't support his way of saving, he should've told her the truth and maybe fled).
He didn't want to let Estelle know the truth about the Country she was serving(She could've been in danger)
.
But this doesn't mean I support him.
I would be still on the Duke's Side after hearing this. ( ̄∇ ̄")
2021-06-24 00:40 marked
Princess Zelle was the eighth princess of Roymond, who reduced her presence so she won't be seen as a threat killed by her older siblings. Because of that, she avoided everyone of power and kept to herself. When Granor invaded her kingdom, she and her younger siblings fled to distract the enemies from her older siblings, the more powerful royal heirs. She was captured and woke up as a falcon.
She floundered around before becoming a messenger falcon of Valhail, the commander of the Roymond army and her 2nd sister's fiance. Because normal cavier falcon aren't smart, they keep getting captured by enemies. Valhail noted that Zelle seemed to be able to understand human speech and was initially suspicious, thinking that she is a spy. He started trusting her when she was injured on her first mission because the enemy wouldn't hurt their own spy. Zelle was a bit reckless because she prioritize the success of the army over her own life, which made Valhail mad a lot. She managed to figure out the map of the enemy's camp and was so well successful that the Granor called her the 'Eye of the Sky'.
Later, the Granor army claimed to have Zelle's body and threatened to kill her if the Roymond army attacks them. As the only known royal heir alive, Zelle is very precious to the Roymond army. Valhail managed to start a surprise attack, win the battle, and reclaim her body alive. However, they found that she was poisoned and would die in 30 days without an antidote. Bird Zelle got frustrated and bit her body on the neck, trying to wake herself up. Then Zelle flew off and was shot by poisoned darts after getting lured into a trap.
Zelle woke up as human again. Valhail started suspecting her to be a spy after she slipped a few times (she was supposed to in a coma ever since she was captured so she couldn't be aware of what's going on in the war). Eventually, it boiled to a point where Zelle admitted she was the bird and start quoting back the things Valhail said to the bird. Valhail was stunned, and while coming to terms with the truth, Zelle escaped. She was attacked by barbarians but was saved by Valhail, who admitted to believing her.
Spoiler: their reaction
There is a lot of awkwardness afterward because Valhail remembered he was rude to the bird a lot and Zelle was embarrassed by her behavior as a bird (cozying up to Valhail because she wanted to survive. He even asked her if that was sincere or just for survival. Zelle answered that she was lonely as a bird and he was the only one who recognized her intellect:blob_grin:).
Zelle used her presence to boost the army's morale (the king and all his concubines are dead, along with many heirs). They continue to search for the remaining heirs (1st, 2nd, 4th, 9th, 10th). At one battle, they tried to divide the much larger Granor army. Zelle offered to be a bait, but was turned down by Valhail in favor of a fake bait. The battle was successful and the Granor retreated after taking a big loss. However, a Roymond assassin attacked Zelle, saying only the Eastern King should be the real ruler. Zelle suspected it was one of her siblings. She later strike up a friendship and alliance with Hilde, a politician from the East.
Spoiler: first kiss
Their first kiss happened after the assassination attempt. Zelle was in shock after one of her maid shielded her and was stabbed (don't worry, she survives) and Valhail barely managed to save her in time (he also gave her a necklace before the battle, which somehow bought Zelle precious time against the assassin). Zelle was a little hysterical and said that she wanted to live. When Valhail reassured her that she was alive, she said she can't feel that she's alive (she's in shock) and he proved her wrong by kissing her. He later apologized for the disrespect and asked to be punished, but Zelle refused, saying she kissed him back too.
Later, 4th prince was revealed to be alive. He claimed to have fought his way out of where he was imprisoned. Zelle was happy to see him until he later accused her of getting a good reputation and respect from the army by sleeping with Valhail and other higherups.
Spoiler: 4th Prince
Valhail got really mad at 4th prince for insulting Zelle. During an argument in the Armory, Zelle scratch herself on a spear with a poisoned tip and fell unconscious. She woke up in her bird body, which had been in a coma due to the same poison. Valhail realized this when the bird showed up and he worried about her a lot, refusing to send her to the enemy's camp. (One of his soldier even asked him if he fell in love with a bird because he was seen treating bird Zelle so tenderly. I think it was at this time that Valhail first admitted to one of his soldier that he loves Zelle) Zelle met Adele, a lady from the west who was thought to be a nerd. Zelle discovered that Adele is a genius and is well educated with eastern history. Zelle gave her some messages she got from the Granor and Adele managed to decode them, which talked about how the Granor are worried about their food supply. Valhail learned of Adele's intelligence through Zelle and asked Adele to identify the poison and figure out a cure.
Adele found that the cure is the poison after being diluted. They awoken soldiers that were poisoned in battle, but Zelle wouldn't wake up. Valhail later took Zelle to the cliffs where crystal roses grew. He told her that she should live her life however she want and he would support her. (Even during the war, Zelle didn't want to throw her presence around too much because she was afraid that her older sisters might kill her after the war is over and Valhail realized that) Zelle realized that she like him. Later, Zelle, in her bird body, participated in the war by gathering a bunch of birds and targeting the enemies' layout (they just followed her for some reason, which surprised her and she used it to her advantage) Adele figured out that both blood and poison were involved. She also figured out the history of Zelle's ancestor, who was said to have golden blood and shared that blood with cavier falcon and Zelle realize that could be the answer to why she can wake up in a cavier falcon's body. Zelle woke up after the new cure was administered.
After Adele met Zelle in her human body (she doesn't know Zelle is the bird, only Valhail and two of her maids, including the one that was stabbed, knows), she praised Zelle a lot because she found out through her investigation that Zelle faked a letter pretending to be 1st princess to save grain harvest from a typhoon and saved a lot of people from starvation a few years ago. Zelle was embarrassed because forging letter is a crime and she was trying to keep a low profile to stay alive. Later, rumors of how Zelle saved the grain supply spread though the people of Roymond. The Roymond army won the battle and reclaim Roymond's castle from the Granor. Zelle threw a banquet to celebrate. Granor sent a message asking to end the war.
Later, they found out the rumors about the 4th prince was true and Zelle thought that she must stop him from taking the throne. At the banquet, Valhail's people came and reveal that 4th prince did not fought his way to freedom, but his mother bought him with the lives of 200 Roymond people. A lot of people were angry. Valhail fought with 4th prince and mocked him for his perverse taste toward women who resembles his sisters, humiliating 4th prince in the battle to avenge the victims.
Not long after, 4th prince was found dead, having been killed brutally. In addition, her 2nd sister showed up now that the war has ended with soldiers of her own. She admitted to starting the war with Granor to get rid of 1st princess, but Granor betrayed her. She was the one who was bought out of prison with the lives of 200 Roymond people, but framed the shame on 4th prince. She was the true Eastern King (Her initials were the anagram for Eastern King. Zelle thought it was either 4th, 9th, or 10th because their maternal family are from the East) Zelle tried to run away with Valhail but surrendered after 2nd Princess threatened to kill Zelle's maids. She then imprisoned Zelle, trying to marry her off to Adele's brother, who was on 2nd Princess's side. But to do that, 2nd Princess must ascend the throne to gain the authority for that.
One of Zelle's maid slipped her the poison to putting her soul in the bird's body. Zelle took it, trying to help Valhail find evidence of 2nd Princess's crime. 2nd Princess killed off two of her own men who could be important witnesses, disheartening Zelle for failing. 2nd Princess was also annoyed with Valhail because he was her fiance but he asked to broke off his engagement and even fell in love with Zelle. Zelle pricked herself with a poisoned spear, waking up as a human again. At the coronation, Valhail's men broke in with evidence of 2nd Princess's crimes and the witness is - surprise - Adele's brother who 2nd princess is trying to marry Zelle to. (Earlier, Zelle accused him of wanting to possess her more than actually loving her, or he wouldn't have let 2nd princess imprison her) Most of the soldiers did not know of 2nd Princess' treason and served her because she was now first in line to the throne with the death of 1st Princess. Valhail's private army is loyal only to Zelle because Valhail swore an oath of loyalty to Zelle during the war and his army only obey the owner of the necklace, which Valhail gave to Zelle. :blobnosebleed:
The 2nd Princess is carried away, screaming at Zelle the whole time, blaming her for everything. With no other heirs, Zelle took the throne and became Empress. She went to look for her bird body, hoping to cure the poison for good and find a way for the bird to live its own life (which might be impossible because it only contain Zelle's soul. When Zelle is in her human body, the bird is unconscious), only to find that the bird had died not too long ago, after Zelle was crowned :blobsob::blobsob::blobsob: Valhail said that the war was too harsh on the bird's body in addition to the poisoning. They buried the body and erected a monument at its burial.
Side stories were somehow scrambled up, but here's the gist of the important part:
Spoiler: Side Story
Valhail asked her when she fell in love with him, Zelle replied that it was when he took her to see the crystal roses, so Valhail later proposed to her surrounded by crystal roses. They got married and got a son really quickly. First prince is Russellzen (Regen). Second prince, four years younger, is Kargale. Third princess, ten years younger than Russellzen, is Artiel. Artiel is doted on the most. When Russellzen was 15, the young emperor Recalius of the Belott empire (age 8) greeted them and must have made a mistake, because Artiel scolded him loudly. Amusingly, Recalius seemed to fell in love with Artiel, which made Russellzen and Kargale really protective. Recalius later start learning martial art from Valhail.
She floundered around before becoming a messenger falcon of Valhail, the commander of the Roymond army and her 2nd sister's fiance. Because normal cavier falcon aren't smart, they keep getting captured by enemies. Valhail noted that Zelle seemed to be able to understand human speech and was initially suspicious, thinking that she is a spy. He started trusting her when she was injured on her first mission because the enemy wouldn't hurt their own spy. Zelle was a bit reckless because she prioritize the success of the army over her own life, which made Valhail mad a lot. She managed to figure out the map of the enemy's camp and was so well successful that the Granor called her the 'Eye of the Sky'.
Later, the Granor army claimed to have Zelle's body and threatened to kill her if the Roymond army attacks them. As the only known royal heir alive, Zelle is very precious to the Roymond army. Valhail managed to start a surprise attack, win the battle, and reclaim her body alive. However, they found that she was poisoned and would die in 30 days without an antidote. Bird Zelle got frustrated and bit her body on the neck, trying to wake herself up. Then Zelle flew off and was shot by poisoned darts after getting lured into a trap.
Zelle woke up as human again. Valhail started suspecting her to be a spy after she slipped a few times (she was supposed to in a coma ever since she was captured so she couldn't be aware of what's going on in the war). Eventually, it boiled to a point where Zelle admitted she was the bird and start quoting back the things Valhail said to the bird. Valhail was stunned, and while coming to terms with the truth, Zelle escaped. She was attacked by barbarians but was saved by Valhail, who admitted to believing her.
Spoiler: their reaction
There is a lot of awkwardness afterward because Valhail remembered he was rude to the bird a lot and Zelle was embarrassed by her behavior as a bird (cozying up to Valhail because she wanted to survive. He even asked her if that was sincere or just for survival. Zelle answered that she was lonely as a bird and he was the only one who recognized her intellect:blob_grin:).
Zelle used her presence to boost the army's morale (the king and all his concubines are dead, along with many heirs). They continue to search for the remaining heirs (1st, 2nd, 4th, 9th, 10th). At one battle, they tried to divide the much larger Granor army. Zelle offered to be a bait, but was turned down by Valhail in favor of a fake bait. The battle was successful and the Granor retreated after taking a big loss. However, a Roymond assassin attacked Zelle, saying only the Eastern King should be the real ruler. Zelle suspected it was one of her siblings. She later strike up a friendship and alliance with Hilde, a politician from the East.
Spoiler: first kiss
Their first kiss happened after the assassination attempt. Zelle was in shock after one of her maid shielded her and was stabbed (don't worry, she survives) and Valhail barely managed to save her in time (he also gave her a necklace before the battle, which somehow bought Zelle precious time against the assassin). Zelle was a little hysterical and said that she wanted to live. When Valhail reassured her that she was alive, she said she can't feel that she's alive (she's in shock) and he proved her wrong by kissing her. He later apologized for the disrespect and asked to be punished, but Zelle refused, saying she kissed him back too.
Later, 4th prince was revealed to be alive. He claimed to have fought his way out of where he was imprisoned. Zelle was happy to see him until he later accused her of getting a good reputation and respect from the army by sleeping with Valhail and other higherups.
Spoiler: 4th Prince
Valhail got really mad at 4th prince for insulting Zelle. During an argument in the Armory, Zelle scratch herself on a spear with a poisoned tip and fell unconscious. She woke up in her bird body, which had been in a coma due to the same poison. Valhail realized this when the bird showed up and he worried about her a lot, refusing to send her to the enemy's camp. (One of his soldier even asked him if he fell in love with a bird because he was seen treating bird Zelle so tenderly. I think it was at this time that Valhail first admitted to one of his soldier that he loves Zelle) Zelle met Adele, a lady from the west who was thought to be a nerd. Zelle discovered that Adele is a genius and is well educated with eastern history. Zelle gave her some messages she got from the Granor and Adele managed to decode them, which talked about how the Granor are worried about their food supply. Valhail learned of Adele's intelligence through Zelle and asked Adele to identify the poison and figure out a cure.
Adele found that the cure is the poison after being diluted. They awoken soldiers that were poisoned in battle, but Zelle wouldn't wake up. Valhail later took Zelle to the cliffs where crystal roses grew. He told her that she should live her life however she want and he would support her. (Even during the war, Zelle didn't want to throw her presence around too much because she was afraid that her older sisters might kill her after the war is over and Valhail realized that) Zelle realized that she like him. Later, Zelle, in her bird body, participated in the war by gathering a bunch of birds and targeting the enemies' layout (they just followed her for some reason, which surprised her and she used it to her advantage) Adele figured out that both blood and poison were involved. She also figured out the history of Zelle's ancestor, who was said to have golden blood and shared that blood with cavier falcon and Zelle realize that could be the answer to why she can wake up in a cavier falcon's body. Zelle woke up after the new cure was administered.
After Adele met Zelle in her human body (she doesn't know Zelle is the bird, only Valhail and two of her maids, including the one that was stabbed, knows), she praised Zelle a lot because she found out through her investigation that Zelle faked a letter pretending to be 1st princess to save grain harvest from a typhoon and saved a lot of people from starvation a few years ago. Zelle was embarrassed because forging letter is a crime and she was trying to keep a low profile to stay alive. Later, rumors of how Zelle saved the grain supply spread though the people of Roymond. The Roymond army won the battle and reclaim Roymond's castle from the Granor. Zelle threw a banquet to celebrate. Granor sent a message asking to end the war.
Later, they found out the rumors about the 4th prince was true and Zelle thought that she must stop him from taking the throne. At the banquet, Valhail's people came and reveal that 4th prince did not fought his way to freedom, but his mother bought him with the lives of 200 Roymond people. A lot of people were angry. Valhail fought with 4th prince and mocked him for his perverse taste toward women who resembles his sisters, humiliating 4th prince in the battle to avenge the victims.
Not long after, 4th prince was found dead, having been killed brutally. In addition, her 2nd sister showed up now that the war has ended with soldiers of her own. She admitted to starting the war with Granor to get rid of 1st princess, but Granor betrayed her. She was the one who was bought out of prison with the lives of 200 Roymond people, but framed the shame on 4th prince. She was the true Eastern King (Her initials were the anagram for Eastern King. Zelle thought it was either 4th, 9th, or 10th because their maternal family are from the East) Zelle tried to run away with Valhail but surrendered after 2nd Princess threatened to kill Zelle's maids. She then imprisoned Zelle, trying to marry her off to Adele's brother, who was on 2nd Princess's side. But to do that, 2nd Princess must ascend the throne to gain the authority for that.
One of Zelle's maid slipped her the poison to putting her soul in the bird's body. Zelle took it, trying to help Valhail find evidence of 2nd Princess's crime. 2nd Princess killed off two of her own men who could be important witnesses, disheartening Zelle for failing. 2nd Princess was also annoyed with Valhail because he was her fiance but he asked to broke off his engagement and even fell in love with Zelle. Zelle pricked herself with a poisoned spear, waking up as a human again. At the coronation, Valhail's men broke in with evidence of 2nd Princess's crimes and the witness is - surprise - Adele's brother who 2nd princess is trying to marry Zelle to. (Earlier, Zelle accused him of wanting to possess her more than actually loving her, or he wouldn't have let 2nd princess imprison her) Most of the soldiers did not know of 2nd Princess' treason and served her because she was now first in line to the throne with the death of 1st Princess. Valhail's private army is loyal only to Zelle because Valhail swore an oath of loyalty to Zelle during the war and his army only obey the owner of the necklace, which Valhail gave to Zelle. :blobnosebleed:
The 2nd Princess is carried away, screaming at Zelle the whole time, blaming her for everything. With no other heirs, Zelle took the throne and became Empress. She went to look for her bird body, hoping to cure the poison for good and find a way for the bird to live its own life (which might be impossible because it only contain Zelle's soul. When Zelle is in her human body, the bird is unconscious), only to find that the bird had died not too long ago, after Zelle was crowned :blobsob::blobsob::blobsob: Valhail said that the war was too harsh on the bird's body in addition to the poisoning. They buried the body and erected a monument at its burial.
Side stories were somehow scrambled up, but here's the gist of the important part:
Spoiler: Side Story
Valhail asked her when she fell in love with him, Zelle replied that it was when he took her to see the crystal roses, so Valhail later proposed to her surrounded by crystal roses. They got married and got a son really quickly. First prince is Russellzen (Regen). Second prince, four years younger, is Kargale. Third princess, ten years younger than Russellzen, is Artiel. Artiel is doted on the most. When Russellzen was 15, the young emperor Recalius of the Belott empire (age 8) greeted them and must have made a mistake, because Artiel scolded him loudly. Amusingly, Recalius seemed to fell in love with Artiel, which made Russellzen and Kargale really protective. Recalius later start learning martial art from Valhail.
2021-05-27 18:08 marked
2021-05-26 23:52 marked
the author made cale & kim rok soo...
https://static.munpia.com/files/attach/2021/0514/003/w5W9qYE2t6gJZIEM.jpg
cale with „long“ hair
https://static.munpia.com/files/attach/2021/0514/003/jBtxjjksNHy2AkFQ.jpg
https://static.munpia.com/files/attach/2021/0514/003/w5W9qYE2t6gJZIEM.jpg
cale with „long“ hair
https://static.munpia.com/files/attach/2021/0514/003/jBtxjjksNHy2AkFQ.jpg
2021-05-14 12:03 marked
This one's really good!!! I really love these kinds of dark and psychological stories. It gives satisfaction, showcases the dark and deepest instinct that we have that we try so hard to hide, and really gives us the insight of us being the true monsters. There's nothing more satisfying than connecting the dots and seeing how the story unfolds.
http://www.mangago.zone/home/mangalist/845544/?filter=&page=1
This is one of my list. I especially love Brutal Satsujin, This Man, Funouhan, Alice in Borderland, Smokin' parade, Ajin.
I've been dying to see more stories like these, so please please please recommend me some more ~~~
http://www.mangago.zone/home/mangalist/845544/?filter=&page=1
This is one of my list. I especially love Brutal Satsujin, This Man, Funouhan, Alice in Borderland, Smokin' parade, Ajin.
I've been dying to see more stories like these, so please please please recommend me some more ~~~
2021-05-09 02:46 marked
I read a spoiler, apparently Dion doesn't love Roxanna. He's desensitised to everything and only her tears make him feel "alive" in a way. Basically because of his upbringing no one really cares about him, he does everything he's ordered to do (by their father) even if it's killing but it's really weird because no matter what he does he's not loved. But when he killed Roxanna's brother (it was either him or Roxanna who killed ashil I forgot) he saw her cry and it hit him. "She's crying because of me," something twisted like that. He felt something and that's the only time he's felt emotion. He felt alive because his existence has affected someone.
So does he love Roxanna? No, but he does want her to acknowledge him even if it's hatred that she feels for him. He's a very complex character and his shitty parents really made him the twisted guy we see him as. He wants to see her cry because it's the only time he feels like he feels something other than "wow Dion you're a great son because you killed blah blah you're a great Agriche". The reason why he tried to kill Roxanna's mum by flinging that monster in her direction was because he wanted to create a lasting impression on Roxanna so he's never forgotten, so his existence was worth it. And he wants to experience that feeling of "living" that's why he keeps saying that he wants to see her cry. He DOES NOT love his half-sister, it's hard to explain but he doesn't want to kiss her he just wants to leave a lasting impression on the first person who's managed to evoke emotion out of him.
You might think "but he's made so many other people cry other than Roxanna so why's he fixated on her? He definitely loves her." I think it's partly to do with how they both have the same dad, grew up with the same 'education' yet she's still managed to keep a small part of her human aspect. Roxanna isn't a killer like the others, and she still experienced emotions and Dion has recognised that she's still managed to keep her "Human side" and that's interesting to him? Idk how to say it but her human side makes his human side come out.
I made a comment a month ish ago saying "I wish they weren't siblings because they're both hot" but now I don't see them in that way. They're both twisted, like Roxanna says they're both going to Hell lol. Their parents are shit, especially Dion's mum she doesn't give a fuck about him no matter how brilliant of an Agriche he is and honestly I think it's because of her that he's so messed up in the head she's a really bad mum. He's just a broken character when you delve deeper into his back story.
I kinda pity him really yeah he's disgusting but I really hope he gets redemption.
That was a long comment and I said "something" way too many times but you can get the gist of what I'm trying to say. It's all very psychological and I think that the twisted personalities of each Agriche makes this Manhua a really great read.
So does he love Roxanna? No, but he does want her to acknowledge him even if it's hatred that she feels for him. He's a very complex character and his shitty parents really made him the twisted guy we see him as. He wants to see her cry because it's the only time he feels like he feels something other than "wow Dion you're a great son because you killed blah blah you're a great Agriche". The reason why he tried to kill Roxanna's mum by flinging that monster in her direction was because he wanted to create a lasting impression on Roxanna so he's never forgotten, so his existence was worth it. And he wants to experience that feeling of "living" that's why he keeps saying that he wants to see her cry. He DOES NOT love his half-sister, it's hard to explain but he doesn't want to kiss her he just wants to leave a lasting impression on the first person who's managed to evoke emotion out of him.
You might think "but he's made so many other people cry other than Roxanna so why's he fixated on her? He definitely loves her." I think it's partly to do with how they both have the same dad, grew up with the same 'education' yet she's still managed to keep a small part of her human aspect. Roxanna isn't a killer like the others, and she still experienced emotions and Dion has recognised that she's still managed to keep her "Human side" and that's interesting to him? Idk how to say it but her human side makes his human side come out.
I made a comment a month ish ago saying "I wish they weren't siblings because they're both hot" but now I don't see them in that way. They're both twisted, like Roxanna says they're both going to Hell lol. Their parents are shit, especially Dion's mum she doesn't give a fuck about him no matter how brilliant of an Agriche he is and honestly I think it's because of her that he's so messed up in the head she's a really bad mum. He's just a broken character when you delve deeper into his back story.
I kinda pity him really yeah he's disgusting but I really hope he gets redemption.
That was a long comment and I said "something" way too many times but you can get the gist of what I'm trying to say. It's all very psychological and I think that the twisted personalities of each Agriche makes this Manhua a really great read.
2021-04-10 22:16 marked
just gonna leave this disclaimer for everyone getting into this manhwa: its toxic. VERY toxic. the uke and seme are both obsessed with each other, the seme has hidden cameras in the uke’s room and one day catches him drunkenly having sex with a friend and used the tape to blackmail him into doing everything he wants, as time passes they start to like each other and when they are about to take the next step, the ukes brother catches them and believes that the seme who is poor was trying to rape his brother, the uke reaffirms this saying he was taken advantage of and the seme is thrown in jail. the uke regrets this later and leaves his family and begins to live an ordinary life full of regret , years later the seme leaves prison and works his way up until he is one of the richest and most powerful men. they meet again by chance and the seme wants to have his revenge and make the uke suffer in as many ways possible, the uke is full of guilt so he accepts all the suffering the seme puts him through thinking he deserves it . their relationship is full of ups and downs that make you question if they will truly have a happy ending, but its a relationship that is equally toxic
2020-12-27 04:02 marked
Here's a thorough review/summary of the spinoff glasses twin and the dark haired vice president (Hana No Arashi wa or Storm Flower)
https://otakutofujoshi.wordpress.com/2011/04/03/%E8%8A%B1%E3%81%AE%E5%B5%90%E3%81%AF-hana-no-arashi-wa-%E3%83%9F%E3%83%AA%E3%82%AA%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B3%E3%83%9F%E3%83%83%E3%82%AF%E3%82%B9-hertz-series-96/
https://otakutofujoshi.wordpress.com/2011/04/03/%E8%8A%B1%E3%81%AE%E5%B5%90%E3%81%AF-hana-no-arashi-wa-%E3%83%9F%E3%83%AA%E3%82%AA%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B3%E3%83%9F%E3%83%83%E3%82%AF%E3%82%B9-hertz-series-96/
2020-12-18 00:12 marked
Okay, so there it is. The king was born with congenital insensitivity to pain. It's funny how the author picked a real & rare genetic condition as the basis to create the character of the king. Not to be confused with the generalized loss of sense brought about by an illness like diabetes, people with this condition can feel everything (touch, temperature, etc.), except for pain, or extreme stimuli that cause pain. Lots of you have asked why the king is brutal. Well, turns out he never knew what pain was to begin with. To him, breaking an ankle, or stabbing/flogging someone is not a big deal, because for him, it's probably no different from feeling someone giving a tap or hard slap in the back. If you recall back when the king broke Heun's ankle, he said "Had I known you would be in so much pain, I wouldn't have done it". That line infuriated everyone, coz duh, why wouldn't you know something so obvious? Now we know, he really didn't know it. This is one of the root causes that makes him over the top heartless. But having witnessed the process of Heun breaking apart & dying of suicide 100 yrs ago, he started to learn to empathize. And he is still continuing to learn in this lifetime too. But as expected, change can't come overnight, it comes in stages. At least for now, I'll give him a bit of credit for his willingness to learn. And finally, this inability to feel pain is not something to be envious about. Being able to feel pain is essential to life. If you are robbed of that, you are basically being given a very severe handicap & you have to be extremely vigilant about the state of your well being at all times. And no, real people with the condition don't turn into a psycho like the king. They have their own portion of suffering too, although not in terms of physical pain. This is just fantasy story after all. ╮( ̄▽ ̄)╭
2020-12-12 14:32 marked
Hi, everyone. I am a novel reader and I am going to provide spoilers for those of you who want them, so read this with discretion! (Also some from the novel spoilers thread because they can explain far better than me.) Also, English is not my first language so I’m very sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes. This is going to be VERYYYYY long with A LOT of juicy spoilers!!!
Also, the main focus of this is not romance at all. The romance is kinda sorta near the end, not end end. It’s hard to explain but I will just say that this is mainly revenge focused.
First, the male lead:
The male lead is the crown prince. I initially had thought it would be the knight, but that knight is just a cute little addition who stays by her side! When they go to a masquerade ball, she reveals that she is not the real Veronica to him while they are in a carriage after he says that it is a “Knights duty to follow their master and it’s an honor that Elena chose him/me.”
This is the “relationship redemption” type. To be honest, the crown prince is one of my absolute favorite male leads. He is in the top 5. That is how much I adore him. And I do think you guys will adore him as much as I did while reading. Hopefully, these spoilers will satiate you!
The male lead, the crown prince. His name is Sian, or I guess “Claudius de Cyan” as they said in the manwha, In the first timeline, he had realized that Veronica was the fake and fell deeply in love with her. He wanted to protect her so he could not confess his feelings for her because if the nobles has noticed that he has any sort of affection for her, the grand Duke would use that opportunity for himself to gain support. The only reason why he said that their child, Ian, was a mistake is because Ian is male and could become an heir. He could not protect her, and not confessing his feelings to her became a useless thing. The Grand Duke had gained support.
Once the fake Veronica died (killed), he was so overcome with rage that he killed the real one and protected their baby. However, Sian still ended up being killed by the Grand Duke. The Grand Duke wanted to take revenge because Sian killed his daughter.
One of my favorite quotes from him, “ “Ian, your mother was the most beautiful and well-bred woman in the world. So let's remember her. Even though she lived as a shadow, she was a better queen than any other. Only you and I should not forget, Ian. Do you understand?"”
He died in vain. A horrible death. He tried to protect his beloved but he failed, and he tried to protect his child but he ended up being murdered.
Sian is a swordsmaster but he lived his life hiding his abilities due to the grand duke’s family, however in this timeline he changed his mind after listening to our FL and became an emperor/king dedicated to protecting his people.
Why they need a fake Veronica:
They needed a fake Veronica because the real one was poisoned and placed into a coma. The only way that it was going to be cured was to continue to let the coma run its course on her. Veronica was losing recognition in the social world so they quickly needed someone to take her place. That is why the cousin, Ren is very suspicious of her.
At first they needed to hide Veronica’s poisoning by having a substitute.
But Elena was a really good ‘fake Veronica’, even better than the original one, so they just decided to force her to work hard and build a good reputation for Veronica before her return.
Since Elena was simply a substitute, every of her achievements would be imputed to the Real Veronica. When Elena wasn’t ‘useful’ anymore, they would just have to eliminate her and Veronica would take her achievements without lifting a finger.
We
When Elena reveals that she is the a fake to the knight Hurebald in the carriage:
At first Hurelbad couldn't believe Elena's words, but then Elena confirmed that the real Veronica was alive and she was just a substitute. She also told him that the real Veronica might appear in any day and after that Elena would be like a puppet who had lost its value after the puppet show. Hurelbad was angry at Elena and told her that it doesn't matter if she is fake or not, she is his master and that wouldn’t change. Elena was touched by his loyalty and revealed that she is L and the owner of the famous saloon (Elena had anonymously owned a Saloon. And then the next scene proceeds with more of our beloved crown prince, Sian. Sian/Sion/Ciel/Cyan/Xion (you may see that as a translation for his name) and count Lyndon. Raid the opium dealers place. Sian reflects on how meeting Elena changed his life (Elena was the one that trapped the opium dealers and inform Sian). Yes, even more badass she is.
Sian’s relationship with Veronica (not Elena.) , how he reacted when he first meets her and how he falls in love with the fake Elena. all of this applies to the first timeline:
He despised Veronica. Each time he got close to her, he could only think of her cruelty in his memory. During childhood, she was not a kind person either. In his eyes, she was only a hypocrite, cruel and vicious woman.
During their official mariage, he didn't even bother to make eye contact with her since it was not worth it. The only thing they did was to do the first formal dance at the after-party dinner.
Veronica tried to call him, but Sian just ignored her.
After the party, Sian had to spend the night with Veronica. Veronica, in her nightwear, took courage to speak and to propose him some wine, but Sian still treated her as if she was invisible. He sat on a chair facing away from Veronica and stared at the window across the street.
He sat in this position until sunrise then left the room codly without any greetings.
It was one of the biggest humiliations that Veronica had faced.
How he falls in love with her (Elena) in the first timeline:
One day, Sian heard from Cecilia that Elena was learning tea etiquette. He found it quite unexpected coming from her but it was still not something he would care for.
When he walked through the East Palace, he heard that 'Veronica' was there. It made him feel like a precious place had been defiled by something ugly.
"Go back." He tried to chase her away, but when he saw 'Veronica's lonesome glance and her wistful smile , he was deeply confused whether she was really Veronica.
Nevertheless, he turned away, ignoring such annoyance. It's just a passing question. To Ciel, she was nothing but an object of contempt.
Every 2 days, 'Veronica' came to see Ciel to make him some tea, but it always resulted in him sending her back. This time, she began to disturbe Ciel, since the real Veronica never acted like this.
It became a daily routine for Ciel to send her back each time she came to see him
One day, she didn't came. Ciel found it unusual and asked his subordinates to find her whereabouts. Turned out she was having a tea time with Emperor Richard.
He then rushed to the garden and heard his father laughing. He doubted his ears since the emperor Richard had lost his laughter as his health deteriorated and as the atrocities of the nobles went too far. But now, he was showing a faint smile.
Well, Ciel decided to cut in
. Veronica was so embarassed that she ran away, whereas Ciel finally tasted her tea for the first time and found it surprinsingly delicious
When Richard died and his funeral took place, Ciel couldn't take his eyes off "Veronica" in a moment. Everything in "Veronica's mourning the death of Emperor Richard was reverent. Her moist eyes were filled with sincerity to dismiss it as acting.
After that, he overheard Len and Elena and discovered that she was a fake all along
When 'Veronica' saw him, she was terrified, Ciel was struck by a strong impulse. He wanted to comfort her. But he knew he shouldn't, so Ciel overcame the urge and turned a blind eye to her. He ignored her more harshly because she would shake his mind if he made eye contact.
Ciel became more and more confused about his feeling when he learned that "Veronica" was learning Painting from Raphael. He interrogated the latter, who responded to him that Veronica was not a cruel woman and she was suffering from a terrible solitude. Ciel didn't understand why since Veronica was the heir of the Grand Duke's house, with almost the world below her feet.
Sometimes later, Cecilia died by poisoning. Veronica's house was the prime suspect. 'Fake Veronica' too was a strong suspect since Cecilia drank tea with her the day before she died. But when Ciel saw "Veronica"'s moist eyes, looking at the dead Cecilia, which seemed to be heartbroken. Although she didn't shed tears, she seemed to swallow her sorrow. It was appalling to think that she was the one who poisoned Cecilia.
Cecilia's vacancy didn't feel much. Veronica, who participated in the Empress's events, played her role without fail.
The time between Ciel and "Veronica" naturally increased as they worked on the official schedule. When their eyes happened to meet, she shook her head, not knowing what to do.
Ciel looked at the fake Veronica. As the suspicion of being a fake grew stronger, there was admiration for the fake Veronica and her striking resemblance. They ressembled each other like twins.
However the fake Veronica was a good example of how to socialize with the envoys. Her elegant hand gestures, her smile and a frivolous way of speaking were incredibly dignified.
Perhaps conscious of Ciel's gaze, "Veronica" turned her head, and showed signs of embarrassment. She smiled awkwardly.
At that moment Ciel's face also turned with embarrassment. As he faced that smile, an indescribable strange feeling shook his chest to the point of displeasure. Ciel turned his head to turn away from the unknown emotion (love.)
After that day, Ciel deliberately kept the fake Veronica away. However, there were many common events between them. He tried not to make eye contact as much as he could, but she smiled awkwardly when he tried not to.
Thump. Yeah, that smile. It rushed in without permission and left its mark deep in Ciel's heart. It was a smile that made him think of something even when he closed his eyes and did other things.
.
.
It was the National Day, when Ciel got sick from overworking. Laying in his bed, he heard a voice calling him. It was the 'Fake Veronica'
The fake Veronica was looking anxiously down at him.
He asked:
"Who are you?"
"Yes?" The fake Veronica's eyes shook violently.
"I asked who you were."
It was something he wanted to ask more than a thousand times. Who was she?
To the unexpected question, the fake Veronica was silent. Soon, she smiled. A very painful and sad smile.
"It's me. The Empress Cecilia."
It couldn't be Cecilia. Because she was dead.
Still, Ciel understood why the fake Veronica said that: she was worried that Ciel might kick her out when he knew she was Veronica, but she wanted to be with him and she couldn't leave him because she was worried.
Ciel couldn't say anything. He was anxious to see her sincerity coming to him.
And Ciel's heart, which had been kept deep in his heart, was no different from hers, it was heartbroken.
Ciel felt that he wanted to put down his duties and responsibilities that he had on his shoulders for the first time while he was in a daze.
Ciel pulled her hand.
"Your Majesty?" The fake Veronica's upper body bent down like a fall.
Her surprised face was for a moment, and she gently closed her eyes, and soon after, their lips covered. They gave each other sad kisses that would only hurt each other.
Ciel/Sian’s memory’s in the second timeline:
Ciel didn’t reincarnate or got his memories of the 1st timeline back, he didn’t understand why Elena pushed him away like a person who was hurt by him.
Moreover, it was actually Elena who saw his flashbacks of the past in the form of dreams and not Ciel himself. So it was safe to say that this current Ciel didn’t have any idea about what he had done to her. (Basically Elena gets flashbacks of Ciel and learns why he treated her coldly.)
In the second timeline (current) he quickly becomes infatuated by her! He also finds out very quickly that she is a substitute!
——————————————————————
Elena and Ren team up to take down the duchy, the saloon a mentioned earlier (in Korean, l and r are commonly mixed up so Len and Ren will be used interchangeably)
Under the name of L, Elena organized a Secret Mask Salon. She used Lucia's appearance (wig, glasses,...)
That day, Elena met up with Len and asked him if he was her enemy in which he answered that they were on the same side now and he would help her to destroy the Grand Duchy.
Hurelbad and Elena's people were quite worried about this collaboration since Len was a double edge sword: His potential was sure to be a great help but there was also a risk that he might go out of control, but Elena still decided to trust him.
—————————————-
The delay of Veronica’s return:
Veronica was now awoken and was ready to return at anytime.
With that in mind, Elena and Ciel had a secret met-up. Ciel was dead-worried and asked Elena to leave as soon as possible since the Grand Duke would come to take her life very soon.
However, Elena knew that even if they had inflicted a financial damage to the Grand Duchy (the destruction of the opium plantation), it still lacked a decisive blow.
In order to buy herself sometimes, Elena asked Ciel to organize a selection to elect the Crown Princes, with the final ceremony in four month. Reluctant but Ciel utimately accepted her request.
Since Veronica hadn't been in society in over 3 years, Liv and the Grand Duchy would have no choice but to embrace Elena who was equipped with the necessary qualities to fight against other nobles.
During that time, Elena would use her status as Princess Veronica to turn the nobility around.
Before leaving, Ciel asked Elena to not get hurt and if she felt dangerous, just throw everything away and get out of there.
At Liabrick (Liv)'s side, she was surprised with the news of the Crown Princess' ceremony, and just as Elena predicted, she and the Grand Duke decided to use Elena for the competition.
Liv came to inform the Real Veronica about her delayed return and promised her that when she came back, the Crown Princess' would already be ready for her to sit.
Veronica warned Liv that she would not accept any blemishes when she came back but accepted the decision. For Veronica, the seat was obviously for her since in the only Empire, there was only Ciel who was fit for her (she did not like him romantically but she thought that only him would be at her level of nobility gosh, shows how she’s a hold digging bitch.)
Liv came to see Elena and give her a letter from her parents (obviously a fake since they didn't know their whereabouts and they didn't know that the mastermind was Elena haha), threatened her to do well in the Crown Princess' competition if not they would take back the money from them.
Elena just laughed inside and played with Liv's abominable prank.
——————————————-
The preparation: (further spoilers ahead are the academy and more of Elena being the white lotus she is )
Liv increased Elena's lessons but her teacher (Madam the Pangloz) knew that Elena was already perfect so instead they just leisurely having tea time or she just let Elena alone and the latter continued to prepared her plan
The servent brought out fortune cookies and Elena understood that inside those biscuits there were secret messages from Len to not make the Grand Duchy suspicious
Later, Liv dragged Elena into a nobles' meeting to try to find faults in her but Elena just succeded in everything (her gaze, hand gestures, speech were all perfect)
Elena just thought "Veronica won't get her reputation either way"
Inside Liabrick's mind, doubts became more and more intense "maybe, really if..she lied to me?!" As in the past she would have dismissed as nonsense but not anymore (ya know when she failed as appointing Lorentz as Elena's watchdog and many other stuffs).
She secretly asked for Anne the maid to report to her everything, but Anne just lied by fear. Liv noticed there was a ruby ring in Anne's finger.
She understood that Elena had pretented to trust Anne, gave her a precious jewelry and ultimately succeded in buying her
Elena attented some other meetings and she noticed that Liabrick became more and more wary of her.
This time, she danced with Len and during the dance they talked about political stuffs.
She also talked with some other nobles. I skipped those parts too but she managed to manipulate some of them, secretly came to their mansion disguised as May (with Hurelbad as her side) and proposed to them some investissment.
Back to Ciel, he met up with a Jacqueline who was introduced to him by Elena as "L". They talked about the preparation of the downfall of the Grand Duchy and Jacqueline said that she thought Ciel and L were lovers and Ciel had a faint smile haha
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First contest:
First contest was tea time. There were 34 candidates.
Of course, Elena was perfect. Other nobles including Abella (she came from other grand families) tried to mock 'Fake Veronica' but Elena just smiled and talked to them about the illegal transaction during the late-night ball recently and those girls freaked out
In the meantime, Leabrick tried to find the 'suspicious' people who came to the late-night ball and ultimately destroyed their financial income (the ball was financed by the Grand Duke). Her doubt came to Ciel (yep they also monitored the Crown Prince) and understood that him too was up to something.
Since there were too many stuffs going on, Liabrick overworked and became more and more skinny.
Anyway, she came to Elena's room and announced her result: 'fake Veronica' came 1st with an overwhelming score.
Elena played the fake white lotus and acted as if she was really surprised and happy while Liv pretended to be a "good sister", holding Elena's hands, and questioned her about Len, about why she met up with him. She kept pressuring Elena in order to find some faults and mistakes.
Well, Elena just cried and made some excuse that she met up with him because Len knew she was a substitute . Liv patted Elena shoulders, saying that Elena wouldn't need to worry because she would take care of it blabla
Lorentz reported everything to the Real Veronica. The latter didn't seem so uninterested anymore. This time, she asked Lorentz to tell Liabrick to keep the doll (= Elena) alive. Lorentz didn't understand why and Veronica explained that it would be more fun to see the despair in her substitute "You take what's most precious, you trample on it, you throw it away. Just as fair as you enjoyed it...I'll give it to you, to that mean bitch who looks like me"
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Second contest:
The second contest was a face-to-face with the elders.
Elena came down the stair, the grand duke waited for her, hugged her and prayed for her good fortune.
During the competition, Elena gave different answers compared to other candidates and the jury seemed to really like her.
The contest ended, Elena had a secret talk with Ciel (he was so cuute, I mean he said something like "It's a shame that you're doing so well. There's no room for me to come forward" or "meeting you is the greatest blessing of my life") and talked about the plan in her head. Ciel was really amazed!
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Liv/ Liabrick leaving:
Liabrick was now in a difficult position: she made a mistake (opium plantation and stuffs) but was given another chance to made up because she was trusted by the Grand Duke, but things kept slipping out of her hands. If she couln't succeed this time, she would likely lost her position. Panicked, she went to the Grand Duke, tried to persuade him and asked him to give her 10 more days to split up the organized aristocracy.
But there was no place for her in the heart of the Grand Duke.
He was disappointed in Liv and she couldn't not do anything as she pleased anymore.
Still Liv confided to the Grand Duke than the 'Fake Veronica' was really suscious and said goodbye to the Grand Duke who didn't even bother to look at her.
When Elena heard from Anne that Liabrick was leaving the palace, she was so happy that she wanted to laughed at her with a sad performance. But it was too early to be intoxicated with a small victory. The duke and Veronica were still alive and there was still a long way to go.
Just in time, Elena saw Liv leaving the mansion. Their gazes collided, Elena didn't avoid the eye. There were no need to deceive Leabrick anymore, and she had a faint but clear smile around her mouth
After Liv left, Lorentz came to see Elena as the Grand Duke's command and promised to serve Elena with all his heart. Elena just laughed as his hypocrisy and acted as if she was really happy to have him. Nevertheless, Elena felt safe because she knew she had Hurelbad by her side.
Lorentz's appointment to control Elena was not a coincidence, it was issued by the grand duke, which was caused by Liabrick suspicion.
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Third contest day:
The third contest was to see the Empress (Empress Florence was crowned Empress after Empress Seon (Ciel mother) died, in the first timeline she caught little Ciel like a mouse and vented her anger by persistently harassing Elena)
Before the actual contest, the following events contained in the spoilers below took place. And of course, because of that, Elena was unable to attend the 3rd competition
Liv’s attack and FAILURE!!:
Even with Lorentz by Elena's side, Liv still wanted to have revenge and decided to launch an attack to kill Elena. She deployed the 2nd infantry division around the Grand Duke palace with some of the 1st infantry division.
Now she couldn't look down on Elena anymore. She recognized her as an equal or greater than herself.
She waited for Elena to come out to kill her.
However, Elena was a few steps ahead and escaped. They couldn't even find Lorentz either. Panicked, Liv ordered the army to dispatch and find Elena.
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The end of Lorentz:
Elena asked Hurelbad and Lorentz stay outside of her room.
A while later, Hurelbad knocked the door. No answers. He called several times but there was still no answer.
Feeling something strange, Lorentz turned the doorknob roughly and ran into the room. His expression hardened as he witnessed the empty drawing room. He searched everywhere as if being possessed but couldn't find any trace of Elena.
Click.
When Lorentz turned around, he saw Hurelbad locked the door.
"What is this about?"
Hurelbad, whose expression did not change even though Elena had vanished
"The lady told me to deliver the message"
He pulled out the sword
"I'll give Lord Lorentz, the knight of Betrayal, a sabbatical. That's the punishment for you"
Lorentz's face was beautifully distorted. It sound ridiculous and insulting to say that a little junior was going to punish him
"The knight of betrayal? I've accepted you as a knight without foundation, and you're not even have the qualifications for, it's a sight. Listen to me Hurelbad! The knight of betrayal is not me but you! You don't even know that your owner is a fake princess. Putting a sword at me is an act of betraying the great house itself!
Hurelbad's expression did not change a bit. He raised his sword and showed firm determination
"This is my chivalry" (Hurelbas being the perfect knight he is!)
"What?"
"My lady is only her. Betraying her is the most disgraful thing to me"
"You son of a.....you know everything from the beginning!"
Now Lorentz understood the situation. It was premeditated to keep him and Hurelbad away from the drawing room under the pretext of being sensitive ahead of the 3rd contest.
Lorentz grated his teeth
"That's why I don't accept the rootless. You or that b!tch".
He pulled out the sword he was wearing. A creepy energy flowed from the blade.
"If I torture you, I'll be able to track down the face princess. Do you knowthe fake princess made a mistake? Leaving you here. You'll never win me'
Lorentz kicked the ground, blew himself away and rushed at Hurelbad but the latter slanted his body and splat his attack.
Lorentz kept on attacking and Hurelbad kept on avoiding. In anyone's eyes, Lorentz was in charge of the game. He went wild
"You're good at dodging...can you do that if I cut out off your leg?"
However, such a judgment has led to an irreversible situation.
"Oh, my God," Lorentz looked down at his abdomen with uncontrollably trembling eyes. The cold blade pierced the abdomen and seemed to protrude behind the waist.
He didn't even see the movement "Imagination? Hey, that's ridiculous. To that baseless... ...from the meadow tribe. "
Lorentz grew up thinking he was a genius since he was young. So far, his record for the youngest knight that he received at the age of 18 has not been broken.
He could not get a blow from Hurelbad. It was not a little gap, but the overwhelming gap.
Hurrelbad looked at Lorentz like that with an indifferent glance.
Hurrelbad's image of taking victory for granted made Lorentz even more miserable:
"You, you son of a b!tch..." Blood flowed back when the blade that felt cold dug into the flesh and abdomen.
He was unable to stand the bitter blood flowing back to his mouth.
"Oop."
Hurelbad stuffed his handkerchief into Lorentz's mouth. The backflowed blood colored the handkerchief red.
Lorentz had no power to resist. Looking at him like that, Hurelbad said without a hitch.
"The punishment you give is rest. Death. Don't think this is the end. I'll make you pay for insulting the meadow tribe you ignored,"
Hurrelbad looked scary.
"Come on, come on, my master..." Lorentz thought he should go to Leabrick while his consciousness was blurry. But the dying body drooped, betraying his will.
After confirming that he was out of breath, Hurelbad supported his falling body with one hand. Then, he took out an extra handkerchief and put it on top of the sword-stained blood.
It was a measure to prevent blood from leaking out as much as possible.
Elena ordered not to leave any trace as much as possible. That's why Hurelbad aimed for a loophole in the process of defeating Lorentz.
It was almost impossible for him to pull out if the guards came after hearing the sound of the sword striking.
"There's still a long way to go." It was good to deliberately avoid a close game, induce Lorenz's carelessness, and then take a blow. It was not that difficult as the difference in skills was so great.
The problem was in his hands. Angried at Lorentz insults, he reacted violently without realizing it. Emotionally, he killed Lorentz with more blood than expected.
"I don't care if you insult me and spit on my face. But I can't forgive you for swearing at my lady."
Lorentz's body, which had become a cold body, was dragged to the fireplace. Blood gushed out of the sword-stained area in Lorentz's uniform.
Hurelbad grabbed the candlestick and manipulated it as Elena told him.
Click!
There was a perfect fit, and the wall inside the fireplace opened, revealing the secret passage. Hurelbad moved the body of the sword-tipped Lorentz into a secret passage. Then, he looked inside the drawing room, looked for any traces he might have left behind, and disappeared into the secret passageway.
The stone wall closed behind the fireplace and returned to its original form.
————————————
Liabrick’s downfall:
Eventually, Lucas (= the best knight of the Grand Duke family) and a few people were able to found Elena, Hurelbad and May
They lauched an attack, but soon there were Len and Ciel who rejoined and helped Hurelbad defeating the knight.
Actually, Ciel was using the excuse of going "hunting" and "coincidentaly " witnessed the accident and launched a direct investigation.
Ciel revealed the existence of Leabrick and many political not-so-funny-stuffs going on. Consequently, many nobles openly expressed their distrust to the Grand Duchy.
In the end, even The grand duke had to come foward and comforted the angry aristocrats, saying that Leabrick had acted arbitrarily and had nothing to do with him.
In such a chaotic situation, Elena disappeared (actually she was hiding in her Secret Salon) and the Real Veronica officially returned
The Grand Duke locked Leabrick in the prison.
"It's funny," said Leah Brick, who had become half-mole by confinement. The hair was disheveled and the neat dress was dirty. There was not even a trace of the woman who shook the empire with hers brain.
"I can't believe I'm being humiliated by a little girl who doesn't even know the very foundation of the country."
"I think the reputation of Liabrick has been bubbling over. You've become arrogant after you've tasted some small success." Leabrick's eyes trembled thinly at Grand Duke Frances' insulting remarks.
She could bear it as much as she could. It was the fact that she was trampled on by Elena to the point where she could not deny a word of his miserable words.
"Kill me."
"Kill you?" sneered Grand Duke. "This is difficult."
"You've been so merciful to me."
"They're asking me to pay a huge fine for running a knight without permission in the imperial court. That's all? The nobles talk a lot about your command of the Knights."
Liabrick became a honeyed mute. It was a mistake and a failure. There was nothing to say.
Frances laughed sarcastically, looking at her avoiding the gaze.
"Have you looked in here? Half of those trapped in here are fom you."
"Well, Your Highness."
"Keep rotting in here. Every day, look back at yourself in the same situation as them and despair, Leabrick."
When he mentioned her name, Leabrick's lips, which had already turned blue, trembled. Grand Duke Frances giggled as if to enjoy her reaction.
"And you don't know, do you? Will I change my mind over time? Then I can think of your precious talent and bring it out."
"Please..."
Grand Duke Frances turned away with a faint laugh. Soon the silence that lay over the shaking candle was broken by the cry of the prisoners.
"You, you were LIABRICK?"
"You locked me up here. I am innocent!"
"I will kill you! I'm going to kill you"
"You're going to die! Ugh!"
The prisoners trapped in the iron bars were crazed with all kinds of abuse.
As Grand Duke Frances said, half of them were in Leabrick's conspiracy, or were taken away from hostility and trapped here.
"Stop it," said Leabrick, pulling her leg and turning herself into a gumbel.
Being trapped alone was to suffer from terrible fear and despair, and as the abuse, insults, demeaning and contempt of the prisoners with grudges poured out, there was no resource to endure mentally.
"Please, stop it!"
Leabrick closed hes ears with both hands and screamed.
But her cry only further stimulated the prisoners with no avail.
Rather, it became more intense. For a very long time.
—————————————
Anna, that wretched maid:
Anna, with May, followed Elena in her escaping. She was so scared of the Grand Duke coming for her life and begged Elena to save her.
So Elena and Emilio (another character) decided to banish Anna from the Empire and coaxed her to board the ship to Mariana Islands with good words.
In the oral fairy tale, it was referred as the heaven on earth, but in reality, the land was abandonned. It was invaded by pirates, and it was even hard to catch fish due to strong waves.
————————————
Elena’s parents:
Elena heard new of her parents from Emilio.
They successfuly settled in the northern part of the country and were said to be engaged in the Wine business, as recommended by Elena in her letter, and now they lived in a well-to-do life thanks to the booming commerces.
Elena was very proud of the 2 of them who was forced to settle in an exotic island without connection.
Elena’s plans: (saloon):
As she had been working as "L" for a while, she thought to strengthen the inner workings of the salon and setting a financial trap to the Grand Duke family.
So far, Elena had been constrained as she always needed to devise a scheme to avoid Leabrick's surveillance. But not anymore. She was now able to the the initiative in drawing up the game.
Elena had bought all the surroungding lands and buildings around the Salon at a low price, and now the price was soaring high. Therefore, now there were more than a 100 lands, forests, and building purchased in the capital in the name of L. She could now even be called as the "Empire's greater financier" in name and in reality.
Seems like Elena was collaborating with Caliph, an art broker, and since she already knew what art and fashions trends would be like in the future, she thought of taking advantage of that by opening her own Street.
The Noblesse Street, belonged to the Grand Duke family, was under construction, with the objective to attract the aristocrats. Astronomical founds had been invested.
Consequently, with Elena's street, the Noblesse one would lose its place and instead, fashion-concious and artistic-minded aristocrates would visit the special street that had been created around the Salon.
————————————————————————
Ren/Len and “male-lead syndrome”:
Elena scheduled a meeting with Len after a long time.
Len previously had asked Elena to grant a wish in exchange of him helping her to escape.
Elena then asked Len to wish for something and she'd try to grand it in her capacity.
The only thing that Len asked for was that....to stay with him for about 6 hours (before Ciel came)
Elena stared at Len since it was a little bit embarrasing for her but accepted it anyway because it was not a difficult request.
Len asked to have a meal with her, then a cup of tea.
While Elena was preparing the tea, Len just kept looking at her for a long time.
"What shall we do now?"
"Nothing" said Len while leaning on the sofa as if he were serious.
"Why do you keep looking like that?"
The longer Len looked at her, the more and burdensome Elena was"
"Can you stop looking?"
"Why?"
"I'm burneded"
"No." Len laughed. "You do your job. I did what I had to do" His attitute was cleary different than from the past.
"Don't regret it later"
Elena picked up a philosophy book and sat down.
.
.
"Oh" When Elena briefly closed the book and stretched her shoulders and that the burden had disappeared.
Len was sleeping like a crib.
'who would know this man would be the greatest rascal of the Empire?'
Elena carefully recovered him with a blanket and looked at him closely.
She thought he was handsome.
"Hey"
"You didn't sleep?"
"It's too close" A hoarse voice came through Len's lips. Only then did Elena realize they were so close to each other that they could hear each other's breath.
She backpedaled and sprained her ankle. When Elena was about to fall, Len stretched out his arm and pull Elena on his lap.
———————————————————————
Len was red from the face to the neck
"You're too close"
"Would you mind? You saved me again"
Len grinned and looked at Elena with a silent smile.
Truth behind Veronica’s poisoning:
"I have something to say" Len was still smiling, but his eyes not anymore.
"What if I was at the start?"
The words of Len caused Elena a stir
"Don't you wonder why Veronica disappeared? Suddenly the healthy kid?"
"Why?"
"Because she was poisoned"
Considering she had not showed up for nearly 3 years, Elena thought it was a disease but it was actually poison.
"No way"
"That's right. I poisoned her"
Len told the whole truth without hiding it and asked Elena if she was angry and if she wanted to hit him?
Elena was really angry ben she knew that Len was hurt. Without him, she wouldn't be dragged in all this mess in the past as well in the present.
But when she thought about Ian, her unparalleled joy in the world, and her identity as "L", the hostess of the secret salon and the leading woman, she knew that she could only be here today thanks to Veronica's poisoning.
Then Len asked for her real name. After hesitating, Elena admitted:
"Elena"
Len muttered her name repeatedly like a parrot and seemed very excited "Elena, Elena, Elena"
"Stop calling me"
Then they talked about the Grand Duke family who could get rid of Raphael, Cristina and Gentonio since they couldn't hire them, that's why Elena and her teams needed to devise a plan to protect those 3.
It was then that they ran out of time.
"Time's almost up"
"You don't regret it? I think you wrote your wish in vain"
"Well, don't worry. Anything's more meaningful when it's left" Len grinned
"You're a real weirdo"
—————————————-
Back to our man, Ciel:
Soon Ciel arrived and joined Len and Elena
Ciel and Len just kept glaring at each other so Elena had to mediate between the 2.
They talked a about the Grand Duke family
At the end, Elena asked Len to let her and Ciel alone, in which Len left while pouting his lips haha
When they were finally alone, Elena gave Ciel an enveloppe with an astronomical amount of money. In the past, she knew he failed as an emperor because of the nobles' resistance but also financial problem
Ciel had a bitter smile. She knew everything, but he still felt miserable. The situation was so unsympathetic, even more because he couldn't refuse.
Ciel told Elena that it would be better to bestow her a title. Elena refused as she was good for now and the big problem was that she was a woman, and throughout history, only a few of them had been granted a title alone.
However, Ciel was stubborn, he wanted to protect Elena and he knew that giving her a title would stabilize her position. And using the law, even the Grand Duke could not persecute Elena.
"I'm more worried about you than you are concerned about me. I won't allow you to refuse"
With Ciel's heartfelt words, Elena was moved.
"....I'll accept it, Your Highness"
"The title is Baroness Jun. We'll take care of the award ceremony as a informal ceremony outside. I'll send someone to the salon"
"I'll greet the Empire gladly".
Now, L had become an imperial aristocrat in name and reality. It was her recompense, and her reputation would grow more and more, to be standing at the same line as the real Veronica.
"It's late" Ciel sneaked out the Imperial palace out of the eyes of the watchmen implanted by the nobles. Now he had to go back because he couldn't leave the palace empty for too long"
"Yes, it was unintentionally long, your Highness"
"Ciel"
"...."
"So call me"
Elena waved her hands in dismay "No, I don''t dare say in your presence...."
"I'd like it"
"It can't happen. Please.."
Elena was once a queen, she was sensitive to those manners. The only woman who could call Ciel by his name would be his companion for the rest of his life.
"Will you?"
"Yes?" Elena opened her eyes like a deer and blinked (yes she fell into the trap :blobrofl:)
"However, there is a condition. No, I would say it's a request."
"A favor?"
"Can you allow me to know your real name?"
Elena, dumbfounded by the sudden turn of conversation, stared blankly at Ciel
'You don't wan to know my real name, do you? No, I don't think so'.
But seeing Ciel with an awkward look on his face, deepened her conviction.
"I'm sorry. Is it difficult? It's late now"
Elena's eyes softened. Ciel had never been urged. He never knew her name properly, and silently believed and waited for her to tell him first. It was time to repay the wait.
"It's Elena."
"Elena". His expression, looking at Elena became strange. It was also new for her to tell him her real name for the first time and to hear her real name through his voice.
A feverish smile came around his mouth.
"Let's keep that name for a long time, Elena."
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I am tired of typing so I will just skip to spoilers about the end, and romance between Elena and Ciel! ٩(๑❛ᴗ❛๑)۶
The ending (revenge): - the Archduke Ranche was executed
- Veronica was decapitated a while after him (the last chapter concentrated on her execution): she was charged with conspiracy, attempt murder, damage the Emperor,... with a total of 11 crimes. Before dying, she cursed everyone, especially Elena : « Don’t think this is the end, even after I die, I’ll visit you every night and drag you to hell »
- Before going to the Arc of Triumph (where the execution took place), Elena met up with Len (Ren) and asked him why he decided not to go, in which he answered : « I’m not interested in the death of a crazy bitch »
- Elena was escorted by Hurelbad to Ciel’s side (Ciel actually had prepared the most visible seat just for her). Wearing an expressionless face, she didn’t take her eyes off the decapitation even for a moment. It was the magic of revenge.
Veronica’s neck rolled under the execution table. The revenge was done, Elena could live properly now. She decided to live on with a smile until she couldn’t take any more steps further in life.
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The confession (KYAAAA!!! UNDOUBTEDLY ONE OF MY MOST FAVORITE MOMENTS IN THE NOVEL!! HERE IS AN EXCERPT! FROM CHAPTER 230! This is after the execution of Veronica, hehe, Revenge complete.)
Not long after she entered the carriage, the vibration that was coming from the ground stopped.
"Have we already arrived?"
Den nodded, took out his watch, checked the time, and was relieved.
"That's a relief. I can't wait until today is over. Will you get off?"
Elena, who got off the carriage following Den, was startled by the place.
"Here?"
The unidentified thing located near the salon was in front of the livestock.
"Ah," spread out like moving stars in the night sky was a galaxy of fireflies. The brilliance caught her eyes, and the sour night breeze blew softly.
The mellow scent of flowers consoled her mind and body. A very familiar sound of water relaxed Elena's ears.
She thought about her childhood’s place, where people used to play with their feet in the water flowing deep in the mountains.
It was an incredible garden in the center of the capital. It was artificial, but beautiful.
She felt like she was being healed.
"Elena,"
Elena turned her head and saw a man stood with his back against the Laurel tree
"Your Majesty."
Accentuated by the fireflies, there was a clearer smile on Ciel's face than ever before.
“Happy birthday.” he said,
“Oh,” Her heart was moved by his most affectionate congratulations. Including previous and present life.
Ciel smiled. Elena couldn't take her eyes off him.
His smile was natural enough to think that he was a cheerful person
"You know, you pushed me out as soon as I approached."
"Did I do that?"
"You pushed me out like a person who was hurt by me. It wasn't a day or two that I spent the nights with my eyes open, thinking I might have given you new wounds I didn't know."
Elena's eyes shook at Ciel's frank confession.
Elena, who was trying not to repeat past mistakes, did not expect to make Ciel heartbroken.
“So I hesitated.”
“Your Majesty.”
“But I don't want to hesitate any more.”
Ciel approached while looking at Elena.
He stood within reach. The distance that Elena had never been able to reach in the past, but now had been narrowed down.
He held out his hand.
”Will you be my lover?”
Elena's heart dropped. It was pounding so fast that she couldn't control it.
"I promise won't burden you. I'll keep our meeting secret until you allow it."
“Your Majesty.”
“Would you like to meet me like this?”
The barrier she had put gradually fell apart after Ciel's sincere confession.
She felt that very little by little, there was a clear crack going on, though insignificant to the point of being invisible. Ciel stood silent, reaching out his hand.
The fireflies stayed at his fingertips, reminding him of the distance between the two.
Elena hesitated. She was happy but scared at the same time, everything had changed so much compared to the past. She was afraid she would repeat the same mistake.
The newly launched relationship between the two could also face tragedies and she could lose what she'd accumulated.
Elena needed a lot of courage. 'I want to hold that hand.'
The feelings she had suppressed so far were choked up. She felt pathetic when she tried not to look back by forcibly turning away, avoiding, and pushing.
She wanted to change it. She wanted to get out of the past. And she wanted to be honest.
Elena put her white and long fingers on Ciel's hands. The fireflies flew in unison as if they had promised.
She wanted to know about this person. Even if she could regret it, she could keep it as a good memory.
“Ha ha ha,” Ciel laughed with the brightest smile. "You won't know how happy I am. I'm happy enough to want to hug you right now and run around the capital like a crazy man."
“Please respect yourself,” Elena laughed shyly. She did not hate him, who was delighted to forget even the status of the emperor. "Will you take a walk with me?"
"Yes," said Ciel amiably while leading her hand to his side.
The shoulders of the two people standing side by side showed a different picture from the past.
"In the future, I'll tell you my story."
"It's okay now. "
"No, I'll do it when the time accumulates a little longer. When those memories become dull enough to fade”.
By then, everything would have changed, to the point where she would feel pathetic if she kept on clinging on the past.
While pledging to him, Elena walked with Ciel through the garden and felt the warmth of both hands held tightly together for a long time.
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Some more Ciel and Elena moments! :
In chapter 234, during their sleep-over, Lucia asked Elena if she and Ciel had kissed or doing anything more, in which Elena was very embarassed since they had only hold hands (hold hands, see each other in the moonlight, and walk together..). The surprised Lucia exclaimed that even middle schoolers nowadays kissed
Elena thought about her past memories and baby Ian. They still left a scar in her heart, but she knew how considerate was Ciel so she thought it was time to move on.
In chapter 235, Elena organized a musical play and invited Ciel to watch it with her. When Ciel arrived he was quite worried because of her pale complexion (she worked very hard to prepare the play) but Elena reassured him that it was okay.
Elena sat next to Ciel with their shoulders almost touching
During the play, she couldn't concentrate at all and kept admiring Ciel. She felt confort next to him and eventually fell asleep
When she woke up, the play was over and everybody was gone except Elena and Ciel haha.
Ciel opened his mouth when he noticed she opened her eyes
''would you like to rest a little more?'' and wrapped her head, pulled it gently and leaned it on his shoulder.
Elena was embarassed since it was the first time she showed this disorganized appearance to someone else, especially Ciel.
But contrary to her expectation, Ciel turned his head, looked at Elena with a deep look as if she was being sucked in and wrapped her check in the soft touch of his hand and asked her if she believed him if he said that she was adorable?
——————————————
A kiss!!! One of my favorite scenes as well:
“So would you believe me if I said you were more lovely?"
"Your Majesty, it's..” Elena didn’t know what to say.
She couldn't think of anything as if her usual brilliant mind had hardened.
No matter how tired you are, it's against etiquette to show some loose humility
Then she fell asleep. She was afraid that she had drooled, and her saliva might have caused some kind of scandal
But she guessed that was not the plan.
“I still can't believe it”
The affection dropped sharply in Ciel's mellow eyes.
"The fact that you and I are lovers. It’s like living in a dream-like world every day”
Elena felt like she was going to be sucked into Ciel's eyes and voice which directed at her.
The warmth of his hands sweeping down her cheeks, as if his heart had already been conveyed, made her heart raced so fast that even his heart could not be unaffected.
“There's no place that's not pretty…”
“That's why I keep getting greedy. I know I shouldn't do this, but I want to have all of you."
Ciel grabbed her chin softly with the hand that was covering her cheek and lifted it carefully. The eyes of Ciel and Elena crossed diagonally.
Ciel slowly put his lips on Elena's lips, as if time had stopped.
“Ah.”
Elena felt breathless from the soft touch of Ciel's mouth.
She thought this moment was like a lie.
Lovely kisses were like this. It made her forget all the pain of the wounds, and it made her feel that she was living now, and not in the past anymore.
Maybe that was why. Even the bitterness that was conveyed after the kiss was heartrending to her.
Not because she was a shadow, but because Ciel chose a woman named Elena. Elena unwittingly reached behind Ciel and wrapped her hands around his neck. She was so active as if she wanted this kiss more than anything else. As if no one could understand or know.
Ciel was surprised at the moment, but soon followed her and kissed her violently. He gave Elena a crushing hug. Hard enough to feel that his will would never let go.
When such Ciel's heart was conveyed, Elena’s eyes became watery.
Her one-sided affection no longer existed. She was so glad that they wanted each other.
So, they didn't let each other go. As if time had stopped, the two people exchanged deep kisses.
Ciel took off his lips first.
"Why are you crying?" Sian's eyes shook when he saw the water dropped around Elena's eyes.
It was because he was worried that he did something wrong when he conveyed his feelings.
“I'm glad” Elena smiled more brightly than ever, looking at Ciel wiping away the tears around her eyes.
Ciel felt an unknown lump in her tearful smile.
"Do you remember? You cried in front of me when we first met."
Ciel felt a strangely prickly pain in his heart when he saw her tears. Where there was a story he didn't remember, that someone forcibly made him forget
"It seems like I've seen this even before meeting you...”
"...As I said before, you…”
The eyes of Ciel, who was about to say that she had never been ugly for a moment, were wide open.
That was because Elena kissed him as if she was blocking him. As if she asked him to not to say anything.
Ciel shut his eyes again, as if he read her mind.
'Maybe..'
Kissing him was not just a confirmation of Ciel's affection.
It was a sentiment that could not be conveyed in a hundred words.
They could not reach each other through the past. The day Ian was born, Ciel had treated her more dearly than anyone else.
So far, she had only thought that the memory of that fateful day was a mistake by Ciel, who had mistaken her for Cecilia. Because he couldn't treat Veronica like that.
'Miracle is a product of desperation. Not only with love, but with the earnestness of someone.'
Cardinal Benedict’s words lingered in Elena's head and did not leave.
Looking back, she couldn't forget Ciel's words, asking who she was.
On the day where she was hurt by his harsh words, that he had turned away from Ian, Elena gave up her heart toward Ciel.
The expression of Ciel that day, was false.
It was ringing before her eyes. So Elena couldn't stop this long kiss. Sometimes in life, one's intuition is swept away by vague and unstable emotions. Her intuition kept whispering to Elena, who looked through the broken fragment of memories.
A miracle that broke down the wall of time and brought her back to life. Maybe it was this guy, Ciel.
It was impossible to check, but Elena keeps going that way.
That's why the kiss was, for her, a means to rest and to heal.
That is it for the spoilers I’ll provide. Maybe I will crate an account to spoil some more! I hope you enjoyed, everyone! And I hope you no longer think Ciel is an asshole.
Also, the main focus of this is not romance at all. The romance is kinda sorta near the end, not end end. It’s hard to explain but I will just say that this is mainly revenge focused.
First, the male lead:
The male lead is the crown prince. I initially had thought it would be the knight, but that knight is just a cute little addition who stays by her side! When they go to a masquerade ball, she reveals that she is not the real Veronica to him while they are in a carriage after he says that it is a “Knights duty to follow their master and it’s an honor that Elena chose him/me.”
This is the “relationship redemption” type. To be honest, the crown prince is one of my absolute favorite male leads. He is in the top 5. That is how much I adore him. And I do think you guys will adore him as much as I did while reading. Hopefully, these spoilers will satiate you!
The male lead, the crown prince. His name is Sian, or I guess “Claudius de Cyan” as they said in the manwha, In the first timeline, he had realized that Veronica was the fake and fell deeply in love with her. He wanted to protect her so he could not confess his feelings for her because if the nobles has noticed that he has any sort of affection for her, the grand Duke would use that opportunity for himself to gain support. The only reason why he said that their child, Ian, was a mistake is because Ian is male and could become an heir. He could not protect her, and not confessing his feelings to her became a useless thing. The Grand Duke had gained support.
Once the fake Veronica died (killed), he was so overcome with rage that he killed the real one and protected their baby. However, Sian still ended up being killed by the Grand Duke. The Grand Duke wanted to take revenge because Sian killed his daughter.
One of my favorite quotes from him, “ “Ian, your mother was the most beautiful and well-bred woman in the world. So let's remember her. Even though she lived as a shadow, she was a better queen than any other. Only you and I should not forget, Ian. Do you understand?"”
He died in vain. A horrible death. He tried to protect his beloved but he failed, and he tried to protect his child but he ended up being murdered.
Sian is a swordsmaster but he lived his life hiding his abilities due to the grand duke’s family, however in this timeline he changed his mind after listening to our FL and became an emperor/king dedicated to protecting his people.
Why they need a fake Veronica:
They needed a fake Veronica because the real one was poisoned and placed into a coma. The only way that it was going to be cured was to continue to let the coma run its course on her. Veronica was losing recognition in the social world so they quickly needed someone to take her place. That is why the cousin, Ren is very suspicious of her.
At first they needed to hide Veronica’s poisoning by having a substitute.
But Elena was a really good ‘fake Veronica’, even better than the original one, so they just decided to force her to work hard and build a good reputation for Veronica before her return.
Since Elena was simply a substitute, every of her achievements would be imputed to the Real Veronica. When Elena wasn’t ‘useful’ anymore, they would just have to eliminate her and Veronica would take her achievements without lifting a finger.
We
When Elena reveals that she is the a fake to the knight Hurebald in the carriage:
At first Hurelbad couldn't believe Elena's words, but then Elena confirmed that the real Veronica was alive and she was just a substitute. She also told him that the real Veronica might appear in any day and after that Elena would be like a puppet who had lost its value after the puppet show. Hurelbad was angry at Elena and told her that it doesn't matter if she is fake or not, she is his master and that wouldn’t change. Elena was touched by his loyalty and revealed that she is L and the owner of the famous saloon (Elena had anonymously owned a Saloon. And then the next scene proceeds with more of our beloved crown prince, Sian. Sian/Sion/Ciel/Cyan/Xion (you may see that as a translation for his name) and count Lyndon. Raid the opium dealers place. Sian reflects on how meeting Elena changed his life (Elena was the one that trapped the opium dealers and inform Sian). Yes, even more badass she is.
Sian’s relationship with Veronica (not Elena.) , how he reacted when he first meets her and how he falls in love with the fake Elena. all of this applies to the first timeline:
He despised Veronica. Each time he got close to her, he could only think of her cruelty in his memory. During childhood, she was not a kind person either. In his eyes, she was only a hypocrite, cruel and vicious woman.
During their official mariage, he didn't even bother to make eye contact with her since it was not worth it. The only thing they did was to do the first formal dance at the after-party dinner.
Veronica tried to call him, but Sian just ignored her.
After the party, Sian had to spend the night with Veronica. Veronica, in her nightwear, took courage to speak and to propose him some wine, but Sian still treated her as if she was invisible. He sat on a chair facing away from Veronica and stared at the window across the street.
He sat in this position until sunrise then left the room codly without any greetings.
It was one of the biggest humiliations that Veronica had faced.
How he falls in love with her (Elena) in the first timeline:
One day, Sian heard from Cecilia that Elena was learning tea etiquette. He found it quite unexpected coming from her but it was still not something he would care for.
When he walked through the East Palace, he heard that 'Veronica' was there. It made him feel like a precious place had been defiled by something ugly.
"Go back." He tried to chase her away, but when he saw 'Veronica's lonesome glance and her wistful smile , he was deeply confused whether she was really Veronica.
Nevertheless, he turned away, ignoring such annoyance. It's just a passing question. To Ciel, she was nothing but an object of contempt.
Every 2 days, 'Veronica' came to see Ciel to make him some tea, but it always resulted in him sending her back. This time, she began to disturbe Ciel, since the real Veronica never acted like this.
It became a daily routine for Ciel to send her back each time she came to see him
One day, she didn't came. Ciel found it unusual and asked his subordinates to find her whereabouts. Turned out she was having a tea time with Emperor Richard.
He then rushed to the garden and heard his father laughing. He doubted his ears since the emperor Richard had lost his laughter as his health deteriorated and as the atrocities of the nobles went too far. But now, he was showing a faint smile.
Well, Ciel decided to cut in
. Veronica was so embarassed that she ran away, whereas Ciel finally tasted her tea for the first time and found it surprinsingly delicious
When Richard died and his funeral took place, Ciel couldn't take his eyes off "Veronica" in a moment. Everything in "Veronica's mourning the death of Emperor Richard was reverent. Her moist eyes were filled with sincerity to dismiss it as acting.
After that, he overheard Len and Elena and discovered that she was a fake all along
When 'Veronica' saw him, she was terrified, Ciel was struck by a strong impulse. He wanted to comfort her. But he knew he shouldn't, so Ciel overcame the urge and turned a blind eye to her. He ignored her more harshly because she would shake his mind if he made eye contact.
Ciel became more and more confused about his feeling when he learned that "Veronica" was learning Painting from Raphael. He interrogated the latter, who responded to him that Veronica was not a cruel woman and she was suffering from a terrible solitude. Ciel didn't understand why since Veronica was the heir of the Grand Duke's house, with almost the world below her feet.
Sometimes later, Cecilia died by poisoning. Veronica's house was the prime suspect. 'Fake Veronica' too was a strong suspect since Cecilia drank tea with her the day before she died. But when Ciel saw "Veronica"'s moist eyes, looking at the dead Cecilia, which seemed to be heartbroken. Although she didn't shed tears, she seemed to swallow her sorrow. It was appalling to think that she was the one who poisoned Cecilia.
Cecilia's vacancy didn't feel much. Veronica, who participated in the Empress's events, played her role without fail.
The time between Ciel and "Veronica" naturally increased as they worked on the official schedule. When their eyes happened to meet, she shook her head, not knowing what to do.
Ciel looked at the fake Veronica. As the suspicion of being a fake grew stronger, there was admiration for the fake Veronica and her striking resemblance. They ressembled each other like twins.
However the fake Veronica was a good example of how to socialize with the envoys. Her elegant hand gestures, her smile and a frivolous way of speaking were incredibly dignified.
Perhaps conscious of Ciel's gaze, "Veronica" turned her head, and showed signs of embarrassment. She smiled awkwardly.
At that moment Ciel's face also turned with embarrassment. As he faced that smile, an indescribable strange feeling shook his chest to the point of displeasure. Ciel turned his head to turn away from the unknown emotion (love.)
After that day, Ciel deliberately kept the fake Veronica away. However, there were many common events between them. He tried not to make eye contact as much as he could, but she smiled awkwardly when he tried not to.
Thump. Yeah, that smile. It rushed in without permission and left its mark deep in Ciel's heart. It was a smile that made him think of something even when he closed his eyes and did other things.
.
.
It was the National Day, when Ciel got sick from overworking. Laying in his bed, he heard a voice calling him. It was the 'Fake Veronica'
The fake Veronica was looking anxiously down at him.
He asked:
"Who are you?"
"Yes?" The fake Veronica's eyes shook violently.
"I asked who you were."
It was something he wanted to ask more than a thousand times. Who was she?
To the unexpected question, the fake Veronica was silent. Soon, she smiled. A very painful and sad smile.
"It's me. The Empress Cecilia."
It couldn't be Cecilia. Because she was dead.
Still, Ciel understood why the fake Veronica said that: she was worried that Ciel might kick her out when he knew she was Veronica, but she wanted to be with him and she couldn't leave him because she was worried.
Ciel couldn't say anything. He was anxious to see her sincerity coming to him.
And Ciel's heart, which had been kept deep in his heart, was no different from hers, it was heartbroken.
Ciel felt that he wanted to put down his duties and responsibilities that he had on his shoulders for the first time while he was in a daze.
Ciel pulled her hand.
"Your Majesty?" The fake Veronica's upper body bent down like a fall.
Her surprised face was for a moment, and she gently closed her eyes, and soon after, their lips covered. They gave each other sad kisses that would only hurt each other.
Ciel/Sian’s memory’s in the second timeline:
Ciel didn’t reincarnate or got his memories of the 1st timeline back, he didn’t understand why Elena pushed him away like a person who was hurt by him.
Moreover, it was actually Elena who saw his flashbacks of the past in the form of dreams and not Ciel himself. So it was safe to say that this current Ciel didn’t have any idea about what he had done to her. (Basically Elena gets flashbacks of Ciel and learns why he treated her coldly.)
In the second timeline (current) he quickly becomes infatuated by her! He also finds out very quickly that she is a substitute!
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Elena and Ren team up to take down the duchy, the saloon a mentioned earlier (in Korean, l and r are commonly mixed up so Len and Ren will be used interchangeably)
Under the name of L, Elena organized a Secret Mask Salon. She used Lucia's appearance (wig, glasses,...)
That day, Elena met up with Len and asked him if he was her enemy in which he answered that they were on the same side now and he would help her to destroy the Grand Duchy.
Hurelbad and Elena's people were quite worried about this collaboration since Len was a double edge sword: His potential was sure to be a great help but there was also a risk that he might go out of control, but Elena still decided to trust him.
—————————————-
The delay of Veronica’s return:
Veronica was now awoken and was ready to return at anytime.
With that in mind, Elena and Ciel had a secret met-up. Ciel was dead-worried and asked Elena to leave as soon as possible since the Grand Duke would come to take her life very soon.
However, Elena knew that even if they had inflicted a financial damage to the Grand Duchy (the destruction of the opium plantation), it still lacked a decisive blow.
In order to buy herself sometimes, Elena asked Ciel to organize a selection to elect the Crown Princes, with the final ceremony in four month. Reluctant but Ciel utimately accepted her request.
Since Veronica hadn't been in society in over 3 years, Liv and the Grand Duchy would have no choice but to embrace Elena who was equipped with the necessary qualities to fight against other nobles.
During that time, Elena would use her status as Princess Veronica to turn the nobility around.
Before leaving, Ciel asked Elena to not get hurt and if she felt dangerous, just throw everything away and get out of there.
At Liabrick (Liv)'s side, she was surprised with the news of the Crown Princess' ceremony, and just as Elena predicted, she and the Grand Duke decided to use Elena for the competition.
Liv came to inform the Real Veronica about her delayed return and promised her that when she came back, the Crown Princess' would already be ready for her to sit.
Veronica warned Liv that she would not accept any blemishes when she came back but accepted the decision. For Veronica, the seat was obviously for her since in the only Empire, there was only Ciel who was fit for her (she did not like him romantically but she thought that only him would be at her level of nobility gosh, shows how she’s a hold digging bitch.)
Liv came to see Elena and give her a letter from her parents (obviously a fake since they didn't know their whereabouts and they didn't know that the mastermind was Elena haha), threatened her to do well in the Crown Princess' competition if not they would take back the money from them.
Elena just laughed inside and played with Liv's abominable prank.
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The preparation: (further spoilers ahead are the academy and more of Elena being the white lotus she is )
Liv increased Elena's lessons but her teacher (Madam the Pangloz) knew that Elena was already perfect so instead they just leisurely having tea time or she just let Elena alone and the latter continued to prepared her plan
The servent brought out fortune cookies and Elena understood that inside those biscuits there were secret messages from Len to not make the Grand Duchy suspicious
Later, Liv dragged Elena into a nobles' meeting to try to find faults in her but Elena just succeded in everything (her gaze, hand gestures, speech were all perfect)
Elena just thought "Veronica won't get her reputation either way"
Inside Liabrick's mind, doubts became more and more intense "maybe, really if..she lied to me?!" As in the past she would have dismissed as nonsense but not anymore (ya know when she failed as appointing Lorentz as Elena's watchdog and many other stuffs).
She secretly asked for Anne the maid to report to her everything, but Anne just lied by fear. Liv noticed there was a ruby ring in Anne's finger.
She understood that Elena had pretented to trust Anne, gave her a precious jewelry and ultimately succeded in buying her
Elena attented some other meetings and she noticed that Liabrick became more and more wary of her.
This time, she danced with Len and during the dance they talked about political stuffs.
She also talked with some other nobles. I skipped those parts too but she managed to manipulate some of them, secretly came to their mansion disguised as May (with Hurelbad as her side) and proposed to them some investissment.
Back to Ciel, he met up with a Jacqueline who was introduced to him by Elena as "L". They talked about the preparation of the downfall of the Grand Duchy and Jacqueline said that she thought Ciel and L were lovers and Ciel had a faint smile haha
—————————————————
First contest:
First contest was tea time. There were 34 candidates.
Of course, Elena was perfect. Other nobles including Abella (she came from other grand families) tried to mock 'Fake Veronica' but Elena just smiled and talked to them about the illegal transaction during the late-night ball recently and those girls freaked out
In the meantime, Leabrick tried to find the 'suspicious' people who came to the late-night ball and ultimately destroyed their financial income (the ball was financed by the Grand Duke). Her doubt came to Ciel (yep they also monitored the Crown Prince) and understood that him too was up to something.
Since there were too many stuffs going on, Liabrick overworked and became more and more skinny.
Anyway, she came to Elena's room and announced her result: 'fake Veronica' came 1st with an overwhelming score.
Elena played the fake white lotus and acted as if she was really surprised and happy while Liv pretended to be a "good sister", holding Elena's hands, and questioned her about Len, about why she met up with him. She kept pressuring Elena in order to find some faults and mistakes.
Well, Elena just cried and made some excuse that she met up with him because Len knew she was a substitute . Liv patted Elena shoulders, saying that Elena wouldn't need to worry because she would take care of it blabla
Lorentz reported everything to the Real Veronica. The latter didn't seem so uninterested anymore. This time, she asked Lorentz to tell Liabrick to keep the doll (= Elena) alive. Lorentz didn't understand why and Veronica explained that it would be more fun to see the despair in her substitute "You take what's most precious, you trample on it, you throw it away. Just as fair as you enjoyed it...I'll give it to you, to that mean bitch who looks like me"
—————————————
Second contest:
The second contest was a face-to-face with the elders.
Elena came down the stair, the grand duke waited for her, hugged her and prayed for her good fortune.
During the competition, Elena gave different answers compared to other candidates and the jury seemed to really like her.
The contest ended, Elena had a secret talk with Ciel (he was so cuute, I mean he said something like "It's a shame that you're doing so well. There's no room for me to come forward" or "meeting you is the greatest blessing of my life") and talked about the plan in her head. Ciel was really amazed!
—————————-
Liv/ Liabrick leaving:
Liabrick was now in a difficult position: she made a mistake (opium plantation and stuffs) but was given another chance to made up because she was trusted by the Grand Duke, but things kept slipping out of her hands. If she couln't succeed this time, she would likely lost her position. Panicked, she went to the Grand Duke, tried to persuade him and asked him to give her 10 more days to split up the organized aristocracy.
But there was no place for her in the heart of the Grand Duke.
He was disappointed in Liv and she couldn't not do anything as she pleased anymore.
Still Liv confided to the Grand Duke than the 'Fake Veronica' was really suscious and said goodbye to the Grand Duke who didn't even bother to look at her.
When Elena heard from Anne that Liabrick was leaving the palace, she was so happy that she wanted to laughed at her with a sad performance. But it was too early to be intoxicated with a small victory. The duke and Veronica were still alive and there was still a long way to go.
Just in time, Elena saw Liv leaving the mansion. Their gazes collided, Elena didn't avoid the eye. There were no need to deceive Leabrick anymore, and she had a faint but clear smile around her mouth
After Liv left, Lorentz came to see Elena as the Grand Duke's command and promised to serve Elena with all his heart. Elena just laughed as his hypocrisy and acted as if she was really happy to have him. Nevertheless, Elena felt safe because she knew she had Hurelbad by her side.
Lorentz's appointment to control Elena was not a coincidence, it was issued by the grand duke, which was caused by Liabrick suspicion.
———————————————
Third contest day:
The third contest was to see the Empress (Empress Florence was crowned Empress after Empress Seon (Ciel mother) died, in the first timeline she caught little Ciel like a mouse and vented her anger by persistently harassing Elena)
Before the actual contest, the following events contained in the spoilers below took place. And of course, because of that, Elena was unable to attend the 3rd competition
Liv’s attack and FAILURE!!:
Even with Lorentz by Elena's side, Liv still wanted to have revenge and decided to launch an attack to kill Elena. She deployed the 2nd infantry division around the Grand Duke palace with some of the 1st infantry division.
Now she couldn't look down on Elena anymore. She recognized her as an equal or greater than herself.
She waited for Elena to come out to kill her.
However, Elena was a few steps ahead and escaped. They couldn't even find Lorentz either. Panicked, Liv ordered the army to dispatch and find Elena.
————————————————————
The end of Lorentz:
Elena asked Hurelbad and Lorentz stay outside of her room.
A while later, Hurelbad knocked the door. No answers. He called several times but there was still no answer.
Feeling something strange, Lorentz turned the doorknob roughly and ran into the room. His expression hardened as he witnessed the empty drawing room. He searched everywhere as if being possessed but couldn't find any trace of Elena.
Click.
When Lorentz turned around, he saw Hurelbad locked the door.
"What is this about?"
Hurelbad, whose expression did not change even though Elena had vanished
"The lady told me to deliver the message"
He pulled out the sword
"I'll give Lord Lorentz, the knight of Betrayal, a sabbatical. That's the punishment for you"
Lorentz's face was beautifully distorted. It sound ridiculous and insulting to say that a little junior was going to punish him
"The knight of betrayal? I've accepted you as a knight without foundation, and you're not even have the qualifications for, it's a sight. Listen to me Hurelbad! The knight of betrayal is not me but you! You don't even know that your owner is a fake princess. Putting a sword at me is an act of betraying the great house itself!
Hurelbad's expression did not change a bit. He raised his sword and showed firm determination
"This is my chivalry" (Hurelbas being the perfect knight he is!)
"What?"
"My lady is only her. Betraying her is the most disgraful thing to me"
"You son of a.....you know everything from the beginning!"
Now Lorentz understood the situation. It was premeditated to keep him and Hurelbad away from the drawing room under the pretext of being sensitive ahead of the 3rd contest.
Lorentz grated his teeth
"That's why I don't accept the rootless. You or that b!tch".
He pulled out the sword he was wearing. A creepy energy flowed from the blade.
"If I torture you, I'll be able to track down the face princess. Do you knowthe fake princess made a mistake? Leaving you here. You'll never win me'
Lorentz kicked the ground, blew himself away and rushed at Hurelbad but the latter slanted his body and splat his attack.
Lorentz kept on attacking and Hurelbad kept on avoiding. In anyone's eyes, Lorentz was in charge of the game. He went wild
"You're good at dodging...can you do that if I cut out off your leg?"
However, such a judgment has led to an irreversible situation.
"Oh, my God," Lorentz looked down at his abdomen with uncontrollably trembling eyes. The cold blade pierced the abdomen and seemed to protrude behind the waist.
He didn't even see the movement "Imagination? Hey, that's ridiculous. To that baseless... ...from the meadow tribe. "
Lorentz grew up thinking he was a genius since he was young. So far, his record for the youngest knight that he received at the age of 18 has not been broken.
He could not get a blow from Hurelbad. It was not a little gap, but the overwhelming gap.
Hurrelbad looked at Lorentz like that with an indifferent glance.
Hurrelbad's image of taking victory for granted made Lorentz even more miserable:
"You, you son of a b!tch..." Blood flowed back when the blade that felt cold dug into the flesh and abdomen.
He was unable to stand the bitter blood flowing back to his mouth.
"Oop."
Hurelbad stuffed his handkerchief into Lorentz's mouth. The backflowed blood colored the handkerchief red.
Lorentz had no power to resist. Looking at him like that, Hurelbad said without a hitch.
"The punishment you give is rest. Death. Don't think this is the end. I'll make you pay for insulting the meadow tribe you ignored,"
Hurrelbad looked scary.
"Come on, come on, my master..." Lorentz thought he should go to Leabrick while his consciousness was blurry. But the dying body drooped, betraying his will.
After confirming that he was out of breath, Hurelbad supported his falling body with one hand. Then, he took out an extra handkerchief and put it on top of the sword-stained blood.
It was a measure to prevent blood from leaking out as much as possible.
Elena ordered not to leave any trace as much as possible. That's why Hurelbad aimed for a loophole in the process of defeating Lorentz.
It was almost impossible for him to pull out if the guards came after hearing the sound of the sword striking.
"There's still a long way to go." It was good to deliberately avoid a close game, induce Lorenz's carelessness, and then take a blow. It was not that difficult as the difference in skills was so great.
The problem was in his hands. Angried at Lorentz insults, he reacted violently without realizing it. Emotionally, he killed Lorentz with more blood than expected.
"I don't care if you insult me and spit on my face. But I can't forgive you for swearing at my lady."
Lorentz's body, which had become a cold body, was dragged to the fireplace. Blood gushed out of the sword-stained area in Lorentz's uniform.
Hurelbad grabbed the candlestick and manipulated it as Elena told him.
Click!
There was a perfect fit, and the wall inside the fireplace opened, revealing the secret passage. Hurelbad moved the body of the sword-tipped Lorentz into a secret passage. Then, he looked inside the drawing room, looked for any traces he might have left behind, and disappeared into the secret passageway.
The stone wall closed behind the fireplace and returned to its original form.
————————————
Liabrick’s downfall:
Eventually, Lucas (= the best knight of the Grand Duke family) and a few people were able to found Elena, Hurelbad and May
They lauched an attack, but soon there were Len and Ciel who rejoined and helped Hurelbad defeating the knight.
Actually, Ciel was using the excuse of going "hunting" and "coincidentaly " witnessed the accident and launched a direct investigation.
Ciel revealed the existence of Leabrick and many political not-so-funny-stuffs going on. Consequently, many nobles openly expressed their distrust to the Grand Duchy.
In the end, even The grand duke had to come foward and comforted the angry aristocrats, saying that Leabrick had acted arbitrarily and had nothing to do with him.
In such a chaotic situation, Elena disappeared (actually she was hiding in her Secret Salon) and the Real Veronica officially returned
The Grand Duke locked Leabrick in the prison.
"It's funny," said Leah Brick, who had become half-mole by confinement. The hair was disheveled and the neat dress was dirty. There was not even a trace of the woman who shook the empire with hers brain.
"I can't believe I'm being humiliated by a little girl who doesn't even know the very foundation of the country."
"I think the reputation of Liabrick has been bubbling over. You've become arrogant after you've tasted some small success." Leabrick's eyes trembled thinly at Grand Duke Frances' insulting remarks.
She could bear it as much as she could. It was the fact that she was trampled on by Elena to the point where she could not deny a word of his miserable words.
"Kill me."
"Kill you?" sneered Grand Duke. "This is difficult."
"You've been so merciful to me."
"They're asking me to pay a huge fine for running a knight without permission in the imperial court. That's all? The nobles talk a lot about your command of the Knights."
Liabrick became a honeyed mute. It was a mistake and a failure. There was nothing to say.
Frances laughed sarcastically, looking at her avoiding the gaze.
"Have you looked in here? Half of those trapped in here are fom you."
"Well, Your Highness."
"Keep rotting in here. Every day, look back at yourself in the same situation as them and despair, Leabrick."
When he mentioned her name, Leabrick's lips, which had already turned blue, trembled. Grand Duke Frances giggled as if to enjoy her reaction.
"And you don't know, do you? Will I change my mind over time? Then I can think of your precious talent and bring it out."
"Please..."
Grand Duke Frances turned away with a faint laugh. Soon the silence that lay over the shaking candle was broken by the cry of the prisoners.
"You, you were LIABRICK?"
"You locked me up here. I am innocent!"
"I will kill you! I'm going to kill you"
"You're going to die! Ugh!"
The prisoners trapped in the iron bars were crazed with all kinds of abuse.
As Grand Duke Frances said, half of them were in Leabrick's conspiracy, or were taken away from hostility and trapped here.
"Stop it," said Leabrick, pulling her leg and turning herself into a gumbel.
Being trapped alone was to suffer from terrible fear and despair, and as the abuse, insults, demeaning and contempt of the prisoners with grudges poured out, there was no resource to endure mentally.
"Please, stop it!"
Leabrick closed hes ears with both hands and screamed.
But her cry only further stimulated the prisoners with no avail.
Rather, it became more intense. For a very long time.
—————————————
Anna, that wretched maid:
Anna, with May, followed Elena in her escaping. She was so scared of the Grand Duke coming for her life and begged Elena to save her.
So Elena and Emilio (another character) decided to banish Anna from the Empire and coaxed her to board the ship to Mariana Islands with good words.
In the oral fairy tale, it was referred as the heaven on earth, but in reality, the land was abandonned. It was invaded by pirates, and it was even hard to catch fish due to strong waves.
————————————
Elena’s parents:
Elena heard new of her parents from Emilio.
They successfuly settled in the northern part of the country and were said to be engaged in the Wine business, as recommended by Elena in her letter, and now they lived in a well-to-do life thanks to the booming commerces.
Elena was very proud of the 2 of them who was forced to settle in an exotic island without connection.
Elena’s plans: (saloon):
As she had been working as "L" for a while, she thought to strengthen the inner workings of the salon and setting a financial trap to the Grand Duke family.
So far, Elena had been constrained as she always needed to devise a scheme to avoid Leabrick's surveillance. But not anymore. She was now able to the the initiative in drawing up the game.
Elena had bought all the surroungding lands and buildings around the Salon at a low price, and now the price was soaring high. Therefore, now there were more than a 100 lands, forests, and building purchased in the capital in the name of L. She could now even be called as the "Empire's greater financier" in name and in reality.
Seems like Elena was collaborating with Caliph, an art broker, and since she already knew what art and fashions trends would be like in the future, she thought of taking advantage of that by opening her own Street.
The Noblesse Street, belonged to the Grand Duke family, was under construction, with the objective to attract the aristocrats. Astronomical founds had been invested.
Consequently, with Elena's street, the Noblesse one would lose its place and instead, fashion-concious and artistic-minded aristocrates would visit the special street that had been created around the Salon.
————————————————————————
Ren/Len and “male-lead syndrome”:
Elena scheduled a meeting with Len after a long time.
Len previously had asked Elena to grant a wish in exchange of him helping her to escape.
Elena then asked Len to wish for something and she'd try to grand it in her capacity.
The only thing that Len asked for was that....to stay with him for about 6 hours (before Ciel came)
Elena stared at Len since it was a little bit embarrasing for her but accepted it anyway because it was not a difficult request.
Len asked to have a meal with her, then a cup of tea.
While Elena was preparing the tea, Len just kept looking at her for a long time.
"What shall we do now?"
"Nothing" said Len while leaning on the sofa as if he were serious.
"Why do you keep looking like that?"
The longer Len looked at her, the more and burdensome Elena was"
"Can you stop looking?"
"Why?"
"I'm burneded"
"No." Len laughed. "You do your job. I did what I had to do" His attitute was cleary different than from the past.
"Don't regret it later"
Elena picked up a philosophy book and sat down.
.
.
"Oh" When Elena briefly closed the book and stretched her shoulders and that the burden had disappeared.
Len was sleeping like a crib.
'who would know this man would be the greatest rascal of the Empire?'
Elena carefully recovered him with a blanket and looked at him closely.
She thought he was handsome.
"Hey"
"You didn't sleep?"
"It's too close" A hoarse voice came through Len's lips. Only then did Elena realize they were so close to each other that they could hear each other's breath.
She backpedaled and sprained her ankle. When Elena was about to fall, Len stretched out his arm and pull Elena on his lap.
———————————————————————
Len was red from the face to the neck
"You're too close"
"Would you mind? You saved me again"
Len grinned and looked at Elena with a silent smile.
Truth behind Veronica’s poisoning:
"I have something to say" Len was still smiling, but his eyes not anymore.
"What if I was at the start?"
The words of Len caused Elena a stir
"Don't you wonder why Veronica disappeared? Suddenly the healthy kid?"
"Why?"
"Because she was poisoned"
Considering she had not showed up for nearly 3 years, Elena thought it was a disease but it was actually poison.
"No way"
"That's right. I poisoned her"
Len told the whole truth without hiding it and asked Elena if she was angry and if she wanted to hit him?
Elena was really angry ben she knew that Len was hurt. Without him, she wouldn't be dragged in all this mess in the past as well in the present.
But when she thought about Ian, her unparalleled joy in the world, and her identity as "L", the hostess of the secret salon and the leading woman, she knew that she could only be here today thanks to Veronica's poisoning.
Then Len asked for her real name. After hesitating, Elena admitted:
"Elena"
Len muttered her name repeatedly like a parrot and seemed very excited "Elena, Elena, Elena"
"Stop calling me"
Then they talked about the Grand Duke family who could get rid of Raphael, Cristina and Gentonio since they couldn't hire them, that's why Elena and her teams needed to devise a plan to protect those 3.
It was then that they ran out of time.
"Time's almost up"
"You don't regret it? I think you wrote your wish in vain"
"Well, don't worry. Anything's more meaningful when it's left" Len grinned
"You're a real weirdo"
—————————————-
Back to our man, Ciel:
Soon Ciel arrived and joined Len and Elena
Ciel and Len just kept glaring at each other so Elena had to mediate between the 2.
They talked a about the Grand Duke family
At the end, Elena asked Len to let her and Ciel alone, in which Len left while pouting his lips haha
When they were finally alone, Elena gave Ciel an enveloppe with an astronomical amount of money. In the past, she knew he failed as an emperor because of the nobles' resistance but also financial problem
Ciel had a bitter smile. She knew everything, but he still felt miserable. The situation was so unsympathetic, even more because he couldn't refuse.
Ciel told Elena that it would be better to bestow her a title. Elena refused as she was good for now and the big problem was that she was a woman, and throughout history, only a few of them had been granted a title alone.
However, Ciel was stubborn, he wanted to protect Elena and he knew that giving her a title would stabilize her position. And using the law, even the Grand Duke could not persecute Elena.
"I'm more worried about you than you are concerned about me. I won't allow you to refuse"
With Ciel's heartfelt words, Elena was moved.
"....I'll accept it, Your Highness"
"The title is Baroness Jun. We'll take care of the award ceremony as a informal ceremony outside. I'll send someone to the salon"
"I'll greet the Empire gladly".
Now, L had become an imperial aristocrat in name and reality. It was her recompense, and her reputation would grow more and more, to be standing at the same line as the real Veronica.
"It's late" Ciel sneaked out the Imperial palace out of the eyes of the watchmen implanted by the nobles. Now he had to go back because he couldn't leave the palace empty for too long"
"Yes, it was unintentionally long, your Highness"
"Ciel"
"...."
"So call me"
Elena waved her hands in dismay "No, I don''t dare say in your presence...."
"I'd like it"
"It can't happen. Please.."
Elena was once a queen, she was sensitive to those manners. The only woman who could call Ciel by his name would be his companion for the rest of his life.
"Will you?"
"Yes?" Elena opened her eyes like a deer and blinked (yes she fell into the trap :blobrofl:)
"However, there is a condition. No, I would say it's a request."
"A favor?"
"Can you allow me to know your real name?"
Elena, dumbfounded by the sudden turn of conversation, stared blankly at Ciel
'You don't wan to know my real name, do you? No, I don't think so'.
But seeing Ciel with an awkward look on his face, deepened her conviction.
"I'm sorry. Is it difficult? It's late now"
Elena's eyes softened. Ciel had never been urged. He never knew her name properly, and silently believed and waited for her to tell him first. It was time to repay the wait.
"It's Elena."
"Elena". His expression, looking at Elena became strange. It was also new for her to tell him her real name for the first time and to hear her real name through his voice.
A feverish smile came around his mouth.
"Let's keep that name for a long time, Elena."
———————————————————————-
I am tired of typing so I will just skip to spoilers about the end, and romance between Elena and Ciel! ٩(๑❛ᴗ❛๑)۶
The ending (revenge): - the Archduke Ranche was executed
- Veronica was decapitated a while after him (the last chapter concentrated on her execution): she was charged with conspiracy, attempt murder, damage the Emperor,... with a total of 11 crimes. Before dying, she cursed everyone, especially Elena : « Don’t think this is the end, even after I die, I’ll visit you every night and drag you to hell »
- Before going to the Arc of Triumph (where the execution took place), Elena met up with Len (Ren) and asked him why he decided not to go, in which he answered : « I’m not interested in the death of a crazy bitch »
- Elena was escorted by Hurelbad to Ciel’s side (Ciel actually had prepared the most visible seat just for her). Wearing an expressionless face, she didn’t take her eyes off the decapitation even for a moment. It was the magic of revenge.
Veronica’s neck rolled under the execution table. The revenge was done, Elena could live properly now. She decided to live on with a smile until she couldn’t take any more steps further in life.
———————————————————
The confession (KYAAAA!!! UNDOUBTEDLY ONE OF MY MOST FAVORITE MOMENTS IN THE NOVEL!! HERE IS AN EXCERPT! FROM CHAPTER 230! This is after the execution of Veronica, hehe, Revenge complete.)
Not long after she entered the carriage, the vibration that was coming from the ground stopped.
"Have we already arrived?"
Den nodded, took out his watch, checked the time, and was relieved.
"That's a relief. I can't wait until today is over. Will you get off?"
Elena, who got off the carriage following Den, was startled by the place.
"Here?"
The unidentified thing located near the salon was in front of the livestock.
"Ah," spread out like moving stars in the night sky was a galaxy of fireflies. The brilliance caught her eyes, and the sour night breeze blew softly.
The mellow scent of flowers consoled her mind and body. A very familiar sound of water relaxed Elena's ears.
She thought about her childhood’s place, where people used to play with their feet in the water flowing deep in the mountains.
It was an incredible garden in the center of the capital. It was artificial, but beautiful.
She felt like she was being healed.
"Elena,"
Elena turned her head and saw a man stood with his back against the Laurel tree
"Your Majesty."
Accentuated by the fireflies, there was a clearer smile on Ciel's face than ever before.
“Happy birthday.” he said,
“Oh,” Her heart was moved by his most affectionate congratulations. Including previous and present life.
Ciel smiled. Elena couldn't take her eyes off him.
His smile was natural enough to think that he was a cheerful person
"You know, you pushed me out as soon as I approached."
"Did I do that?"
"You pushed me out like a person who was hurt by me. It wasn't a day or two that I spent the nights with my eyes open, thinking I might have given you new wounds I didn't know."
Elena's eyes shook at Ciel's frank confession.
Elena, who was trying not to repeat past mistakes, did not expect to make Ciel heartbroken.
“So I hesitated.”
“Your Majesty.”
“But I don't want to hesitate any more.”
Ciel approached while looking at Elena.
He stood within reach. The distance that Elena had never been able to reach in the past, but now had been narrowed down.
He held out his hand.
”Will you be my lover?”
Elena's heart dropped. It was pounding so fast that she couldn't control it.
"I promise won't burden you. I'll keep our meeting secret until you allow it."
“Your Majesty.”
“Would you like to meet me like this?”
The barrier she had put gradually fell apart after Ciel's sincere confession.
She felt that very little by little, there was a clear crack going on, though insignificant to the point of being invisible. Ciel stood silent, reaching out his hand.
The fireflies stayed at his fingertips, reminding him of the distance between the two.
Elena hesitated. She was happy but scared at the same time, everything had changed so much compared to the past. She was afraid she would repeat the same mistake.
The newly launched relationship between the two could also face tragedies and she could lose what she'd accumulated.
Elena needed a lot of courage. 'I want to hold that hand.'
The feelings she had suppressed so far were choked up. She felt pathetic when she tried not to look back by forcibly turning away, avoiding, and pushing.
She wanted to change it. She wanted to get out of the past. And she wanted to be honest.
Elena put her white and long fingers on Ciel's hands. The fireflies flew in unison as if they had promised.
She wanted to know about this person. Even if she could regret it, she could keep it as a good memory.
“Ha ha ha,” Ciel laughed with the brightest smile. "You won't know how happy I am. I'm happy enough to want to hug you right now and run around the capital like a crazy man."
“Please respect yourself,” Elena laughed shyly. She did not hate him, who was delighted to forget even the status of the emperor. "Will you take a walk with me?"
"Yes," said Ciel amiably while leading her hand to his side.
The shoulders of the two people standing side by side showed a different picture from the past.
"In the future, I'll tell you my story."
"It's okay now. "
"No, I'll do it when the time accumulates a little longer. When those memories become dull enough to fade”.
By then, everything would have changed, to the point where she would feel pathetic if she kept on clinging on the past.
While pledging to him, Elena walked with Ciel through the garden and felt the warmth of both hands held tightly together for a long time.
——————————————————————-
Some more Ciel and Elena moments! :
In chapter 234, during their sleep-over, Lucia asked Elena if she and Ciel had kissed or doing anything more, in which Elena was very embarassed since they had only hold hands (hold hands, see each other in the moonlight, and walk together..). The surprised Lucia exclaimed that even middle schoolers nowadays kissed
Elena thought about her past memories and baby Ian. They still left a scar in her heart, but she knew how considerate was Ciel so she thought it was time to move on.
In chapter 235, Elena organized a musical play and invited Ciel to watch it with her. When Ciel arrived he was quite worried because of her pale complexion (she worked very hard to prepare the play) but Elena reassured him that it was okay.
Elena sat next to Ciel with their shoulders almost touching
During the play, she couldn't concentrate at all and kept admiring Ciel. She felt confort next to him and eventually fell asleep
When she woke up, the play was over and everybody was gone except Elena and Ciel haha.
Ciel opened his mouth when he noticed she opened her eyes
''would you like to rest a little more?'' and wrapped her head, pulled it gently and leaned it on his shoulder.
Elena was embarassed since it was the first time she showed this disorganized appearance to someone else, especially Ciel.
But contrary to her expectation, Ciel turned his head, looked at Elena with a deep look as if she was being sucked in and wrapped her check in the soft touch of his hand and asked her if she believed him if he said that she was adorable?
——————————————
A kiss!!! One of my favorite scenes as well:
“So would you believe me if I said you were more lovely?"
"Your Majesty, it's..” Elena didn’t know what to say.
She couldn't think of anything as if her usual brilliant mind had hardened.
No matter how tired you are, it's against etiquette to show some loose humility
Then she fell asleep. She was afraid that she had drooled, and her saliva might have caused some kind of scandal
But she guessed that was not the plan.
“I still can't believe it”
The affection dropped sharply in Ciel's mellow eyes.
"The fact that you and I are lovers. It’s like living in a dream-like world every day”
Elena felt like she was going to be sucked into Ciel's eyes and voice which directed at her.
The warmth of his hands sweeping down her cheeks, as if his heart had already been conveyed, made her heart raced so fast that even his heart could not be unaffected.
“There's no place that's not pretty…”
“That's why I keep getting greedy. I know I shouldn't do this, but I want to have all of you."
Ciel grabbed her chin softly with the hand that was covering her cheek and lifted it carefully. The eyes of Ciel and Elena crossed diagonally.
Ciel slowly put his lips on Elena's lips, as if time had stopped.
“Ah.”
Elena felt breathless from the soft touch of Ciel's mouth.
She thought this moment was like a lie.
Lovely kisses were like this. It made her forget all the pain of the wounds, and it made her feel that she was living now, and not in the past anymore.
Maybe that was why. Even the bitterness that was conveyed after the kiss was heartrending to her.
Not because she was a shadow, but because Ciel chose a woman named Elena. Elena unwittingly reached behind Ciel and wrapped her hands around his neck. She was so active as if she wanted this kiss more than anything else. As if no one could understand or know.
Ciel was surprised at the moment, but soon followed her and kissed her violently. He gave Elena a crushing hug. Hard enough to feel that his will would never let go.
When such Ciel's heart was conveyed, Elena’s eyes became watery.
Her one-sided affection no longer existed. She was so glad that they wanted each other.
So, they didn't let each other go. As if time had stopped, the two people exchanged deep kisses.
Ciel took off his lips first.
"Why are you crying?" Sian's eyes shook when he saw the water dropped around Elena's eyes.
It was because he was worried that he did something wrong when he conveyed his feelings.
“I'm glad” Elena smiled more brightly than ever, looking at Ciel wiping away the tears around her eyes.
Ciel felt an unknown lump in her tearful smile.
"Do you remember? You cried in front of me when we first met."
Ciel felt a strangely prickly pain in his heart when he saw her tears. Where there was a story he didn't remember, that someone forcibly made him forget
"It seems like I've seen this even before meeting you...”
"...As I said before, you…”
The eyes of Ciel, who was about to say that she had never been ugly for a moment, were wide open.
That was because Elena kissed him as if she was blocking him. As if she asked him to not to say anything.
Ciel shut his eyes again, as if he read her mind.
'Maybe..'
Kissing him was not just a confirmation of Ciel's affection.
It was a sentiment that could not be conveyed in a hundred words.
They could not reach each other through the past. The day Ian was born, Ciel had treated her more dearly than anyone else.
So far, she had only thought that the memory of that fateful day was a mistake by Ciel, who had mistaken her for Cecilia. Because he couldn't treat Veronica like that.
'Miracle is a product of desperation. Not only with love, but with the earnestness of someone.'
Cardinal Benedict’s words lingered in Elena's head and did not leave.
Looking back, she couldn't forget Ciel's words, asking who she was.
On the day where she was hurt by his harsh words, that he had turned away from Ian, Elena gave up her heart toward Ciel.
The expression of Ciel that day, was false.
It was ringing before her eyes. So Elena couldn't stop this long kiss. Sometimes in life, one's intuition is swept away by vague and unstable emotions. Her intuition kept whispering to Elena, who looked through the broken fragment of memories.
A miracle that broke down the wall of time and brought her back to life. Maybe it was this guy, Ciel.
It was impossible to check, but Elena keeps going that way.
That's why the kiss was, for her, a means to rest and to heal.
That is it for the spoilers I’ll provide. Maybe I will crate an account to spoil some more! I hope you enjoyed, everyone! And I hope you no longer think Ciel is an asshole.
2020-11-08 20:49 marked
2020-10-24 02:07 marked
2020-09-30 19:38 marked
2020-09-26 05:45 marked
2020-09-14 18:48 marked
ABOUT THE “GIRLFRIEND” ISSUE:
Magnolia said:
I was actually confused about that part too but after re-reading I don't believe that Ian got himself a girlfriend. For starters, after they came back from visiting the family's house, and Jeremy's confession before Sandra's grave, he was finally able when confronted by Ian to accept being loved. Of course, Jeremy's soul and heart are still scarred, so it isn't possible for him yet to lead the life of a normal couple with Ian but the relationship hasn't ended.
[Jeremy: Can you love me even though I am a killer? Can I test your love?
Ian: That day I finally felt he was born]
http://www.mangago.zone/read-manga/zankoku_na_kami_ga_shihai_suru/mh/v17/c086/44/
Yes, this is what Ian was waiting for because this is the start of catharsis … so why would they break up? Why would he get himself a girlfriend, even months after that? Jeremy has already challenged him about the love issue, and Ian, being as steadfast and stubborn as he is, would never back up, would never fail to prove to him that he can have faith in his love. When Ian broke up with Nadia, he told her that the only way he can communicate with someone like Jeremy is through love. Throughout this difficult relationship, he was waiting for this opening either to be told that he is loved by Jeremy or that Jeremy accepts to be loved by him. He was going to lose hope and end things with him though he was reluctant about it, seeking for excuses to meet up with him again, however Jeremy finally accepted his love by saying the words I quoted before (so there won't be any other partners, lovers or else everything Ian has done up till would have beeen futile and he still has hope that this relationship will progress more … there is a hint about that in the last chapters' pages).
Some readers have suggested that Jeremy was jealous from the lady friend who was accompanying Ian so he referred to her as being his girlfriend (this is very plausible because Jeremy isn't direct with expressing his jealousy).
Finally, Ian explicitly spoke about love: during September throughout November, Jeremy alienates himself and avoids Ian because this is the period when he was entrapped by Greg, but during December, this is his “winter celebration” where he can finally monopolize and embrace Jeremy, so he is waiting for that as much as Jeremy is waiting for it, waiting for the fun (he said so explicitly), when they get lost in their imagination/ vision, overlooking the cliffs.
If Ian had a girlfriend (a companion/ a partner), if he had grown out of his feelings for Jeremy, he wouldn't have said that. It is not even a possibility because if he had, the last chapter would have completely been different so the end lies in these words “I've been waiting too the December that I can monopolize him and embrace him. That is my winter celebration”.
“How often does LOVE go back and forth between the threshold of life and death” (death: September --- November; life = December)
:)
It is a very beautiful ending (the last page about Schubert has a meaning too as Ian invited Jeremy before with a promise but I kind of forgot what is was – kissing him maybe – I am not sure)
http://www.mangago.zone/read-manga/zankoku_na_kami_ga_shihai_suru/mh/v17/c086/60/
Gigi’s reply to Magnolia:
Magnolia I totally agree with what you said it's true that their love still has hope . You may not realize or notice those ceramic Jeremy made in the last chapter when he come to see Ian- it's the two hand grabbed each other. This is the testament to love , two people closer together and hold each other . But there are many thing that didn't resolve well in the end but at least love will grow more and in this cruel world still has little light of happiness
Magnolia’s reply to Gigi (ceramic hands):
Ah, you are right. It does have a meaning but I've omitted it in order to shorten my interpretation. You see, I originally had associated it with the beginning of the healing process Jeremy went through. The reason for this is that the first hand he sent to Ian is after they had a fight and Jeremy said to him that he won't need him anymore. Of course, Jeremy wasn't able to accept Ian's love which was conveyed to him by his will to possess him (don't go to the massage center, don't let yourself be embraced by other men even if it is just sleeping next to each other).
However, Jeremy was being influenced by his love for Ian because he created a normal hand instead of the one he created before with needles. Perhaps (as a hypothesis), the hand Jeremy created with needles, symbolizes on a subconscious level his rejection of any form of help, kindness or support which might be offered to him because of his guilt feelings (needles equal punishment). However, when he started to open up gradually to Ian, even though he stopped seeing him after their fight, he created a normal hand (again that might signify that he was starting the healing process which reached its climax after the confrontation in front of Sandra's grave).
Therefore, you are absolutely right, the fact that Jeremy sent Ian the other hand and the way Ian arranged them, mean that they've finally reached a symbiotic equilibrium in their relationship. It is a very powerful symbol in the last chapter like you've pointed out.
Finally about the last sentence you've wrote, the ending, no the whole progress of the series, is well thought of. It is expected that the recovery process will be very slow – perhaps Jeremy won't be able to return to being fully normal after all of this. He was literally shattered into pieces and brought back from his inner "hell" only by a miracle called love. A subtle and sincere love which makes this ending very touching, symbolic and realistic at the same time!
My own comments:
The ceramic hands symbolize Jermey’s relationship with Ian, and how now Jermey is more open toward being loved. The first time Jeremy made the hand, it had needles in it. But on chapter 86, the hand is without a needles: this shows how Jermey is now able to love Ian without hurting anymore, and that now he’s more open to being emotionally vulnerable (open to being loved). Furthermore, since the hand is holding hands with another hand, it symbolizes the love between Jeremy and Ian, and does show that now they are in a relationship or will be in time (but maybe not a traditional relationship).
Also, Ian says that he will “monopolize” and “embrace” Jeremy as a “winter celebration” every year. This shows that their relationship has not completely ended, and I doubt that if Ian had a girlfriend, she would allow him to “embrace” someone else. Moreover, the page says! “How often does LOVE go back and forth between the threshold of life and death”. And as Mongolia said, death is symbolized by September and November when Jermey is away, while life is symbolized by December when Jermey is with Ian as a “winter celebration”.
Lastly, I agree with whoever said Jermey might have said “girlfriend” because of jealousy. If we look at the page in context, Ian says “We had a huge fight in summer, didn’t we?”, and Jermey replies while blushing “That’s because you tried to force your girlfriend to buy my pieces.” Jermey is clearly flustered, and as we all know, Jermey is rarely honest about his feelings to Ian. Even if Ian has a girlfriend (which I doubt), I don’t think it will ever be serious or on the level he has with Jermey. Both Jermey and Ian is going to be connected for their whole lives, no matter what. Other people won't even compare.
Magnolia said:
I was actually confused about that part too but after re-reading I don't believe that Ian got himself a girlfriend. For starters, after they came back from visiting the family's house, and Jeremy's confession before Sandra's grave, he was finally able when confronted by Ian to accept being loved. Of course, Jeremy's soul and heart are still scarred, so it isn't possible for him yet to lead the life of a normal couple with Ian but the relationship hasn't ended.
[Jeremy: Can you love me even though I am a killer? Can I test your love?
Ian: That day I finally felt he was born]
http://www.mangago.zone/read-manga/zankoku_na_kami_ga_shihai_suru/mh/v17/c086/44/
Yes, this is what Ian was waiting for because this is the start of catharsis … so why would they break up? Why would he get himself a girlfriend, even months after that? Jeremy has already challenged him about the love issue, and Ian, being as steadfast and stubborn as he is, would never back up, would never fail to prove to him that he can have faith in his love. When Ian broke up with Nadia, he told her that the only way he can communicate with someone like Jeremy is through love. Throughout this difficult relationship, he was waiting for this opening either to be told that he is loved by Jeremy or that Jeremy accepts to be loved by him. He was going to lose hope and end things with him though he was reluctant about it, seeking for excuses to meet up with him again, however Jeremy finally accepted his love by saying the words I quoted before (so there won't be any other partners, lovers or else everything Ian has done up till would have beeen futile and he still has hope that this relationship will progress more … there is a hint about that in the last chapters' pages).
Some readers have suggested that Jeremy was jealous from the lady friend who was accompanying Ian so he referred to her as being his girlfriend (this is very plausible because Jeremy isn't direct with expressing his jealousy).
Finally, Ian explicitly spoke about love: during September throughout November, Jeremy alienates himself and avoids Ian because this is the period when he was entrapped by Greg, but during December, this is his “winter celebration” where he can finally monopolize and embrace Jeremy, so he is waiting for that as much as Jeremy is waiting for it, waiting for the fun (he said so explicitly), when they get lost in their imagination/ vision, overlooking the cliffs.
If Ian had a girlfriend (a companion/ a partner), if he had grown out of his feelings for Jeremy, he wouldn't have said that. It is not even a possibility because if he had, the last chapter would have completely been different so the end lies in these words “I've been waiting too the December that I can monopolize him and embrace him. That is my winter celebration”.
“How often does LOVE go back and forth between the threshold of life and death” (death: September --- November; life = December)
:)
It is a very beautiful ending (the last page about Schubert has a meaning too as Ian invited Jeremy before with a promise but I kind of forgot what is was – kissing him maybe – I am not sure)
http://www.mangago.zone/read-manga/zankoku_na_kami_ga_shihai_suru/mh/v17/c086/60/
Gigi’s reply to Magnolia:
Magnolia I totally agree with what you said it's true that their love still has hope . You may not realize or notice those ceramic Jeremy made in the last chapter when he come to see Ian- it's the two hand grabbed each other. This is the testament to love , two people closer together and hold each other . But there are many thing that didn't resolve well in the end but at least love will grow more and in this cruel world still has little light of happiness
Magnolia’s reply to Gigi (ceramic hands):
Ah, you are right. It does have a meaning but I've omitted it in order to shorten my interpretation. You see, I originally had associated it with the beginning of the healing process Jeremy went through. The reason for this is that the first hand he sent to Ian is after they had a fight and Jeremy said to him that he won't need him anymore. Of course, Jeremy wasn't able to accept Ian's love which was conveyed to him by his will to possess him (don't go to the massage center, don't let yourself be embraced by other men even if it is just sleeping next to each other).
However, Jeremy was being influenced by his love for Ian because he created a normal hand instead of the one he created before with needles. Perhaps (as a hypothesis), the hand Jeremy created with needles, symbolizes on a subconscious level his rejection of any form of help, kindness or support which might be offered to him because of his guilt feelings (needles equal punishment). However, when he started to open up gradually to Ian, even though he stopped seeing him after their fight, he created a normal hand (again that might signify that he was starting the healing process which reached its climax after the confrontation in front of Sandra's grave).
Therefore, you are absolutely right, the fact that Jeremy sent Ian the other hand and the way Ian arranged them, mean that they've finally reached a symbiotic equilibrium in their relationship. It is a very powerful symbol in the last chapter like you've pointed out.
Finally about the last sentence you've wrote, the ending, no the whole progress of the series, is well thought of. It is expected that the recovery process will be very slow – perhaps Jeremy won't be able to return to being fully normal after all of this. He was literally shattered into pieces and brought back from his inner "hell" only by a miracle called love. A subtle and sincere love which makes this ending very touching, symbolic and realistic at the same time!
My own comments:
The ceramic hands symbolize Jermey’s relationship with Ian, and how now Jermey is more open toward being loved. The first time Jeremy made the hand, it had needles in it. But on chapter 86, the hand is without a needles: this shows how Jermey is now able to love Ian without hurting anymore, and that now he’s more open to being emotionally vulnerable (open to being loved). Furthermore, since the hand is holding hands with another hand, it symbolizes the love between Jeremy and Ian, and does show that now they are in a relationship or will be in time (but maybe not a traditional relationship).
Also, Ian says that he will “monopolize” and “embrace” Jeremy as a “winter celebration” every year. This shows that their relationship has not completely ended, and I doubt that if Ian had a girlfriend, she would allow him to “embrace” someone else. Moreover, the page says! “How often does LOVE go back and forth between the threshold of life and death”. And as Mongolia said, death is symbolized by September and November when Jermey is away, while life is symbolized by December when Jermey is with Ian as a “winter celebration”.
Lastly, I agree with whoever said Jermey might have said “girlfriend” because of jealousy. If we look at the page in context, Ian says “We had a huge fight in summer, didn’t we?”, and Jermey replies while blushing “That’s because you tried to force your girlfriend to buy my pieces.” Jermey is clearly flustered, and as we all know, Jermey is rarely honest about his feelings to Ian. Even if Ian has a girlfriend (which I doubt), I don’t think it will ever be serious or on the level he has with Jermey. Both Jermey and Ian is going to be connected for their whole lives, no matter what. Other people won't even compare.
2020-08-31 00:52 marked
Masataka saying "this person's sins are at the same time, the sins of people around him" got me everytime, reminding me over and over again that a sinner doesn't necessarily mean they're a bad person or that it's purely the perpetrator's fault. The world gives the gun, the people piles the bullet, the circumstances point the target, and a moment of weakness pulls the trigger.
2020-08-21 07:11 marked
Maybe I am the only one but