The young man staggered back, his vision spinning. The bottle smash had rattled his skull. Blood poured down his face, blurring his sight.He stumbled like a drunk, crashing into nearby tables. Wine glasses shattered. Bottles tipped and rolled. Plates clattered to the floor. Then his legs gave out, and he collapsed hard onto the tiles.Gasps rippled through the restaurant.Gerhard stepped forward and glared down at him. Blood soaked the young man’s hair, dripping onto the floor. Gerhard’s lips curled into a vicious sneer.“Get lost,” he growled coldly, “or you’ll die right here.”The young man groaned and forced himself up, swaying as he pressed a trembling hand against his bleeding head. His eyes burned with rage as he locked onto Gerhard.“Alright, tough guy,” he spat through clenched teeth. “Just wait. Let’s see if you can survive tonight.”With unsteady steps, he turned and staggered toward the exit, leaving a trail of red behind him.“Fucking loser,” Gerhard scoffed. “Who does he

Renata walked forward despite the pain burning through her body. Each step sent a sharp ache through her hips, but she didn’t slow down. She stared straight into the eyes of the young man who had tried to rape her.“Remember my face,” she said coldly. “Remember what you tried to do to me.”She drove the knife into another man’s stomach.“This is the karma you earned.”She moved down the line, stabbing them one by one. Her voice stayed steady, flat, terrifying.“Remember the price of touching a duke’s daughter.”“Please—please,” one man sobbed, his voice breaking. “I don’t want to die.”Renata’s eyes filled with tears, but her hand didn’t shake.“Neither do I,” she said quietly. “I didn’t want to die either. But you forced your hands on me. You chose this first. I’m only finishing it.”Another man was stabbed. None of them could move. An invisible pressure wrapped around their bodies, paralyzing them with pure fear—Alex’s unseen force holding every one of them completely still.“No—ple

In another place, Katarina sat with her father, Otto Rosenheim, inside a study.Otto leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepled.“Have you successfully taken Heinrich out of prison?” he asked calmly.“Yes,” Katarina replied without hesitation. “If nothing goes wrong, he’ll be released in a few days.”She paused, then added, “Father, Count Lorenz just messaged me. He has Sofina—the wife of that Alex bastard.”Otto didn’t even blink. He gave a slow, indifferent nod.“Tell him to kill the woman.”Katarina frowned slightly. “What’s your plan?”“Katarina,” Otto said coldly, “in the past, Marquis Saint-Claire and his entire family were destroyed because they offended someone far more powerful than they ever should have.”Katarina’s lips slowly curled into a knowing smile.“More powerful than a Marquis…” she said softly. “Then it has to be a Duke, right? One of the great Dukes who hates Alex Saint-Claire.”“You don’t need to know who,” Otto said coldly. “All you need to understand is thi

“Princess Sofina… are you all right?”The voice cut through the fog in her head.Sofina blinked hard. Her vision swam, then snapped into focus. An elderly man stood over her, tall and broad, his presence heavy and imposing.“I’ve already administered the antidote,” he said calmly. “You should be regaining clarity by now.”She flexed her fingers. Then her arms. The burning heat was gone. The overwhelming urge had vanished. Her body answered her again, fully under her control.Her heart slammed as she turned her head.Count Lorenz lay sprawled on the floor.Blood pooled beneath him, dark and spreading. There was no movement. No breath.He was unmistakably dead.“Who are you?” Sofina asked, her voice tight.The old man stepped back and bowed deeply. “Princess Sofina. You activated the emergency signal. I came immediately to secure your safety.”“Emergency signal?” Her eyes dropped to the bracelet on her wrist.She didn’t remember pressing anything.But fragments rushed back—panic, raw fe

When Alex heard that his enemy might be the king himself, his heart went ice-cold.“Countess Marlene,” Alex asked suddenly. “How long have I been here?”“About twenty three hours since we found you,” Marlene replied.“Listen to me,” Alex said quickly. “I guess, the only reason I’m still alive is because Sofina, as a princess, demanded my protection. The king may agree—but only for one day. Twenty-four hours.”He tried to stand, then staggered as his legs failed him.“After those twenty-four hours,” Alex continued, forcing herself upright, “he’ll send people to kill me again.”A sharp, brutal pain exploded inside his body. Alex froze. In that instant, He understood.The king had spared his life—but not his power.His inner core was gone. Destroyed. Completely erased. The force he had cultivated for years was empty, hollowed out like a burned-out star.“…Damn it.”Alex hurriedly pulled on his clothes, his movements stiff and uneven.“Marlene, I need to leave Prussia. Now. If the king un