Chapter 6
The Serpent's Mission; The Name that Commands Thunder
As soon as the beginning of the hunt is announced, the horses and people move around crazily....but I mean it literally. For some particular reason, the horses have gone mad, every single horse. Even the Imperial Envoy is not spared. People topple off the backs of their horses, crash into trees and the supervisor is practically going insane.
Oris: My lady, it seems the plan is going according to your wishes.
Chaeri: Of course and I must thank you for your excellent execution~it is rather hilarious for me to watch but the most exciting part is not this. It is what happens after..Oh! I must play my part too.
Chaeri rises swiftly, disguising her satisfaction with horror and fear, quickly making her way out of her seat, she helps other ladies and elders out of the area lest they get hurt. Soon, the Imperial Envoy's horse crashes into a tree. The eucalyptus oil was definitely taking effect…..however that was not what caught her attention. Out of the corner of her eye, Chaeri could see someone glaring at her…
(Flashback)
In Chaeri's bedchamber.
Oris: But my lady,what shall I do with the eucalyptus oil?
Chaeri: Get some soldiers. When the hunt is to begin, they should pour the eucalyptus oil around the hunt site. The smell of the oil will drive the horses mad.The Imperial Envoy's horse is particularly sensitive to the scent of eucalyptus oil. So, make sure the smell absolutely reaches the horse. It should also be impossible to trace it back to me, understand?
Oris: Yes, my lady.
(End of flashback)
Elsewhere – Deep in the Forest
Ophelia (struggling to rein in her horse): "What is going on?! Why are the horses behaving this way?!"
Her steed bucked violently, foam at its mouth, eyes wild. Branches snapped around her as she was flung toward the cliff's edge. Her instincts screamed. With a desperate breath, she hurled herself off the saddle just as the horse crashed over the cliff and into the thundering waterfall below.
Ophelia (panting): Ah… that was close.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she clutched the damp earth, but her gaze remained sharp. This was no accident. Something was wrong.
The sounds of panic echoed in the distance, but she had other concerns—she was alone. Deep in the wilderness with chaos on all sides.
But Ophelia Celestine Seraphina was no fragile flower.
Rising, brushing the dirt from her blood-streaked gown, she scanned her surroundings. She followed the horse's broken trail until she stumbled upon a shadowed cave nestled between two ancient trees—a refuge, temporary but necessary.
She stayed there quietly, heart steady, until a rustle broke the stillness. Knights.
But not Solciel knights.
Their armor bore no crest of the Empire. Their swords gleamed with foreign design. Their language unfamiliar to the ear—except to hers.
Knight 1 (in Evlencian): That's the one. Target acquired.
Knight 2 (in Evlencian): Let's secure her. The commander wants her brought in.
Ophelia (inwardly): Evlencia…? Then this was no coincidence.
But she didn't flinch. She only stared, lips parted in gentle surprise.
Knight 1 (in Solcien): You are under suspicion of endangering our envoy. You must come with us.
Ophelia: Very well. Lead the way.
She walked between them, head held high, waiting for their next move.
Knight 2 (in Evlencian, smirking): Once we reach the river, we'll throw her over the waterfall.
Knight 1: A clean death. No trace. Perfect.
What they didn't realize—was that Ophelia understood every word.
Ophelia's fingers itched to move. Every breath was measured. Every step with the knights calculated.
She knew their plan—they intended to kill her. And they thought she was oblivious.
As they led her deeper into the forest, the waterfall's roar growing louder, she suddenly stumbled forward.
Ophelia (gasping): Ah—my ankle!
Knight 1 (frowning): Tch. Is she faking it?
But the moment their grip loosened, she spun on her heel and bolted.
Skirt hitched, branches slicing at her arms, she ran with every ounce of strength she had. Her lungs burned. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears.
Knight 2 (shouting in Evlencian): She's running! After her!
Steel clashed as one knight drew his sword and lunged—but she veered sharply, ducking beneath an arch of twisted vines. The path was uneven. Dangerous. But freedom was just ahead—
Until something cold snapped around her wrist.
A gauntleted hand yanked her back with brutal force.
Knight 1 (gritting his teeth): Foolish girl.
She kicked him, hard.
But it only made him angrier.
She struggled, biting down a cry as she was slammed into the forest floor. The metallic taste of blood hit her tongue. Her vision blurred—
Knight 2 (raising his sword): We'll make it look like an accident. A beast attack, perhaps.
Ophelia glared up at them, fury blazing behind her sapphire eyes.
Ophelia: Cowards. You hide behind politics and kill women in shadows.
Just as the knight raised his sword—
Ophelia (low, breathless, with fire in her eyes): Elciela…
Kaiser.
The forest froze.
A pulse tore through the air, like the heartbeat of the world itself had skipped.
Then—
A thunderous crack.
The knight's blade shattered mid-air, exploding into fragments of burning silver light, the shockwave knocking both attackers off their feet.
The trees bowed as wind surged through the clearing, and in the very next breath, he appeared.
Clad in obsidian and gold, Crown Prince Adrien Sebastien Asriel von Kaiser Ciel stepped into view, sword drawn, eyes gleaming with a fury so cold it could have frozen the sun itself.
His presence was absolute. Divine. Terrifying.
The knights scrambled backward, terror overtaking their faces, but it was too late.
Adrien stood between them and Ophelia now—
Not a man. Not a prince. But a force.
He didn't speak. He didn't need to. His silence was heavier than death itself.
Adrien (low, to the Evlencian knights): You touched what is mine.
Each word dripped like venom.
Adrien: You dared to lay a hand on her?
One of the knights lunged forward in desperation—
Mistake.
Adrien moved like a storm unchained.
His blade—Vaelastra, forged of starlight and oath—sang through the air, striking the knight down in a single merciless blow.
The other tried to run. Adrien raised a hand—
A burst of magic ripped the ground apart beneath the man's feet, hurling him into a tree with bone-snapping force.
The forest fell still once more. A silence born of fear... and reverence.
Then—
Adrien: Ophie.
His voice cracked, not from rage, but something far more raw.
She looked up from the ground, her hands scraped, her gown torn, blood on her lip—but still proud. Still whole.
Ophelia (softly, shaken): Asriel….
He crossed to her in an instant, sword forgotten, dropping to his knees before her.
His hands—those same hands that just ended lives without blinking—now cupped her cheeks with unbearable gentleness.
Adrien: You're hurt. I'm going to kill them all.
Adrien (to his knights): Find everyone tied to this. I don't want arrests. I want corpses. I want Evlencia to choke on the cost of touching her.
Ophelia (placing her hand on his): I'm alright… now that you're here.
He stared at her—his fury restrained only by her presence.
Behind him, the wind rustled again. The remaining knights were nowhere to be found. His men had arrived, cloaked and masked, cleaning up the wreckage silently.
He pulled her gently into his arms, cradling her like something sacred.
Adrien (softly): Never speak that name unless you mean for me to come.
Or unless you're in danger.
Ophelia (murmuring): Then perhaps I shall say it more often... Kaiser….
Adrien (leaning in, eyes burning): Say it again.
His thumb brushes her bloodied lip.
Adrien: That name doesn't belong to the world. Only you.
Crown Prince Adrien Sebastian Asriel de Kaiser von Ciel
Heir to the Sky Throne of Solciel
With snow-white hair and mismatched eyes—one gold, one crimson—Adrien looks like he was carved by the gods and cursed by them in the same breath.
To the world, he's cold, cruel, and untouchable. A warborn prince who never smiles and commands armies like a legend. They whisper he's cursed. That he killed his own uncle without flinching.
They're all wrong.
Because behind closed doors, he's hers.
He smiles only for Lady Ophelia. Sleeps in her lap fully armored. Puts on her slippers. Opens every door for her. Carries every burden.
He wields forbidden ancient magic, more powerful than even his father knows—and he'd burn the world to protect her.
"If you cry, I'll turn this empire to ash."