Just a few moments earlier…
“Give me another chance, Lia. Please, just one more shot. I’ll fix everything, I swear. I’ll make things right between us. You know I can,” Kai pleaded, searching for even the faintest sign of forgiveness, a glimmer of… hope.
Lia blinked, her gaze shifting uneasily as she noticed the onlookers, their hushed whispers swirling around them.
Her frown deepened, “Kai, what the hell are you doing? This is not the time or place for this! We’re already over, aren’t we? What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?” she asked with frustration.
Kai’s expression softened, “B-Because I-I always… love you, Lia. I never stopped. Not for a second.”
A collective gasp spread through the crowd, the murmurs intensifying as people leaned in, eager to witness the drama unfolding before them.
Selene, Aria and Helena tried to interfere but Lia stopped them, it was her problem!
Lia’s face remained cold, “Kai, we’ve been through this. We had this conversation already, didn’t we? I made myself perfectly clear… we are done. Finished.” Her eyes narrowed as she turned on her heel, hoping to escape before he caused an even bigger scene.
But Kai, relentless, followed her, shadowing her every movement.
He reached out, but his words seemed to evaporate before they could reach her ears.
Panic flashed in his eyes as he finally grasped her wrist, holding her tightly. He pleaded again, “Stop, Lia! Please, just hear me out. You don’t need to hide your feelings anymore. I know you’re scared, but I’ll protect you! No one can hurt us.
No one’s going to kill me… I’m the Arcane King, remember?”
Her lips twitched in disgust as she yanked her wrist free from his grip, “Hide my feelings? Kai, you’re delusional! My love for you died a long time ago, and if you lay a hand on me again, I swear to go—“
Before she could finish her threat, Kai interrupted, his voice softening, filled with confidence, “Lia… I know you still love me. I can see it in your eyes, in the way you look at me.” His gaze softened, becoming almost tender. His eyes shimmered with a romantic glow… a hope burning within him!!
Lia blinked, staring at him in utter disbelief, ‘What the actual fuck is he talking about?’ she thought.
“Are you even hearing what I’m saying? Or are you just having a conversation with yourself?”
Kai’s expression remained calm, almost serene as if her words didn’t penetrate the fantasy he had built in his mind.
His voice was so gentle it could’ve been mistaken for endearing by someone who didn’t know better, “Yes, I’m hearing your heart, Lia. And no matter what you say, I know… You always love m—“
Ssssssslluuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrppppppppppppp!
A long, drawn-out slurping sound pierced the tense, romantic? atmosphere, making Kai pause mid-sentence. His brow furrowed as he turned to glare at the source of the sound with annoyance, “Who the hel—” His words trailed off as his gaze fell upon…
Aqualina, who was casually sitting nearby, watching them with mild amusement, her lips wrapped around a teacup, sipping as if the scene before her was a soap opera.
“P-Princess?” Kai’s face went from angry to ghostly pale. He had completely forgotten about Aqualina standing there. Lost in his own world, he had acted without thinking. Now, with Aqualina’s presence crashing back into his awareness.
He already fucked with Vesperine’s situation and now… ‘Fuck!’ he screamed inwardly.
Ssssssslluuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrppppppppppppp!!
Aqualina took another long sip, her eyes gleaming with amusement. Finally, she broke the silence, “Go on… do what you need to do,” she said with a small, knowing smile, her voice calm, encouraging!
However, Inside, ‘Not like you’re my problem anymore… I have Aether Darling~’ Stay updated through empire
Kai, completely misunderstanding her casual attitude as support, felt his heart swell with misplaced happiness, ‘I’m surrounded by such amazing women… they really care for me,’ he thought, nearly overcome with emotion.
His eyes shimmered, almost on the verge of tears, steeling himself as he turned his focus back to Lia.
With Aqualina’s silent “permission,” Kai felt no need to hold back anymore, and he puffed out his chest, releasing the full force of his confidence.
“Lia, believe me… this time, you don’t need to hide anything from me. I finally understand it all. Everything! Please, give me just one more chance to make things right.”
Lia inhaled sharply, “Wow, Kai… I’m actually surprised you finally get it. So…”
Kai’s face brightened with hope…. But her next words hit him like a slap to the face.
“Fuck off!”
Lia turned without another glance and began to walk away.
Kai’s face turned bright red, his entire body burning with shame and humiliation.
He could feel the eyes of the crowd on him, their whispers like daggers slicing through his pride.
His lips trembled as he stood there, frozen, unsure whether to chase after her or to run away in embarrassment. His eyes subconsciously flickered to Aqualina, who was still hoping to watch the soap opera.
With a sigh, Aqualina shook her head, letting out an amused breath before,
Ssssssslluuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrppppppppppppp!!!
Those sounds seemed to snap something deep inside Kai…. A Deep humiliation!!!
Without thinking, he lunged forward, his face twisted in rage, and grabbed Lia’s wrist forcefully.
“LIA! Don’t you think you’re being a bit too bitchy right now?!
I, as a man, have lowered myself more than enough. I’ve owned up to my mistakes!
I know I messed up, but that doesn’t mean I’m the only one at fault here!
You’re wrong too!
If you had just told me everything from the beginning, we wouldn’t have ended up like this. We wouldn’t have been torn apart if you had just talked to me!” His voice cracked as he spat out his frustrations, the anger simmering beneath the surface finally boiling over.
“You betrayed me, Lia! If you’d told me about your mother, I could have helped—my mother could’ve helped us! But instead, you decided to go off and save me on your own… What were you thinki..n..g…?!” His voice wavered between pain and fury, but his words trailed off as something horrifying caught his eye.
His gaze dropped to Lia’s mouth, his words frozen as he noticed something there—something he couldn’t immediately comprehend…
A torn hand!!
He blinked, his heart skipped a beat as a cold wave of dread washed over him. Slowly, he lowered his eyes further,
Blood!!
The hand that had been gripping Lia’s wrist… was gone.
Drip, Drip…
Blood was pouring from his forearm, the red liquid staining the ground beneath him. His body shook as the pain finally registered.
“AARRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”
Thud!
His legs gave way beneath him, and he collapsed to the ground, his wide eyes fixed on Lia in disbelief and terror.
“L-Lia?”
“KYYAAA!” The crowd erupted into screams, some ran, trying to escape the scene unfolding before them.
Meanwhile…
Step!
Lia took a slow, deliberate step forward, her eyes glowing an unsettling shade of bloody red. The torn remains of Kai’s hand dangled from her mouth, her expression devoid of emotion.
Fear gripped Kai’s heart tighter than it ever had before, he forgot to even breathe.
He instinctively crawled backwards in fear!
“N-No… Please… I-I’m sorry… I-I didn’t mean—” Kai’s voice was nothing more than a stammer, the bravado that once fueled his words completely gone.
Lia crouched down to his level, her expression indifferent, cold as ice. She spat the severed hand onto the ground, her lips curling in disgust.
Her voice was flat, almost bored, as she spoke. “I told you not to touch me, didn’t I?” Her eyes flicked to the hand, then back to Kai’s face. “Next time, it won’t just be your hand, Kai. Keep that in mind.”
“What the hell is going on here?!”
The sharp voice of a professor came.
Lia, her eyes still locked on Kai’s, didn’t even flinch at the professor’s voice. She whispered, her voice barely audible, “I never wanted to say this, but you forced my hand… literally.
Yes, I used to love you, Kai. But that’s in the past.” Her expression twisted in disgust as she looked at him, “You too over me… What you have is not love at all… I just realized after seeing him… I can see that… In your eyes, There is no hint of love, unlike ‘His’ care and gentleness…
You just want to own me… That’s not love!!”
Her lips curled in disdain, “You feel fake! You are fake!!”
“Enough, Lia!” Another voice, sharp and commanding, broke in.
Delphine, accompanied by other professors, appeared on the scene. She moved quickly, stepping between Lia and Kai, pulling her back before the situation could escalate further.
“Someone call the Healing Department!” Delphine shouted to one of the other staff members, her voice urgent as she glanced down at Kai, who was pale and in shock, blood still trickling from his severed limb, “Kai, calm down. You need to breathe…” she urged, her voice softening, but her words fell on deaf ears. Kai’s eyes were vacant, his mind racing with one single, horrifying realization.
‘Him’
The word echoed in Kai’s mind, his face twisting in anguish. He barely heard the commotion around him as his thoughts spiralled out of control.
‘D-Does she loves someone else?’ His chest tightened. His face contorted with horror. He couldn’t wrap his mind around what he had just heard.
“Lia… y-you’re lying, right?” Kai shouted suddenly, his voice rising in panic, ignoring Delphine’s attempts to calm him, “You’re lying! There’s no way… you can’t love someone else… NO!”
He tried to push past Delphine, but before he could take another step, his body went limp. Delphine knocked him out with a quick strike, her face filled with worry as she watched him collapse onto the stretcher, “Get him to the infirmary now,” she ordered as the healers rushed forward.
Lia stood still as she was being questioned by Delphine.
Meanwhile…
Victor, watching from a distance, ‘Did she just tear his hand off… just like that?’ His mind struggled to process what he had just witnessed. He wasn’t entirely sure what the hell had happened, but one thing was certain… it was bloody and brutal.
His eyes flickered over to Delphine, who let go of Lia and watched her walk away from the chaotic scene, with Selene, Aria, and Helena trailing closely behind. But Lia stopped them with a glance, signalling that she needed space.
Victor shook his head and let out a small sigh. ‘Well, I suppose babysitting is part of the process of being an adult,’ he thought, his expression softening as he watched her trembling hand. He sighed again and changed his disguise.
