Chapter 01
1. The Demon Tells a Story, the Lady Seeks Revenge
Iana gazed at the moon shining through the prison bars.
It was the night of the new moon. With no proper light source inside the dungeon, only the slender crescent, like a closed eyelid, illuminated her.
Clink. Iana looked down at her wrists. The handcuffs and chains wrapped around them made a heavy, cold sound.
Her elegant face was covered in dust, and her golden hair, which once drew admiration from those around her, was a mess. It was chopped short, as if a clumsy hairdresser had been let loose on it — and even then, one side was longer than the other.
Just as Iana stared dry-eyed at the shackles, she heard the sound of stone flooring being struck. The thud of heavy military boots.
The corridor brightened, and a human silhouette flickered. The man who appeared holding a lamp had silver hair.
He was probably in his late twenties. Though handsome, a cold aura lingered on his face, making him unappealing.
“You’re not eating,” the man said quietly.
A tray sat in front of the cell. On it were a piece of black bread and a waterskin.
There was no sign that she had touched them. Iana’s lips were parched and rough. The man spoke again.
“I suppose you intend to starve yourself to death.”
His low voice betrayed no emotion. It was clear he wasn’t worried about her.
Instead of answering, Iana lifted her head.
Her blue eyes, which had been vacant just moments ago, now held a sharp gleam. She glared at the man as if she wanted to kill him.
“You want me dead, don’t you? Erez Rosell.”
The man showed no reaction. Iana lashed out.
“Did you come to mock me? Or were you expecting me to kneel before you and beg for mercy?”
Iana was a prisoner. Tattered, coarse clothes, haphazardly cut hair. A pitiful sight.
She knew her life depended on the man before her. Yet she did not hide her hostility. That was her last shred of pride. Even if everything was taken from her, her dignity could not be stolen.
“I’ve never forgotten you, even in my dreams. I’ve spent thirteen years thinking only of how to kill you, the bastard who framed my family as traitors and wiped them out. And you think I would touch food given by you?”
Iana sneered, her mouth twisting. Beyond her pupils, blue flames blazed fiercely.
In contrast, Erez’s gaze was merely cool. He said impassively,
“Thirteen years. A long time indeed.”
His voice was like a cold, lifeless lump of iron. Erez looked down at her quietly.
“Once your head is severed on the guillotine tomorrow, this tiresome ill-fated connection will finally end.”
Guillotine. At that word, Iana’s expression hardened slightly. Erez continued silently,
“Are you afraid now? Did you think you would walk out of here alive?”
“……”
Iana lowered her head. Then her shoulders began to tremble. But not from crying.
“Ahaha… Ahahaha!”
She raised her head. There was no fear in Iana. She was gritting her teeth and laughing.
“Afraid? Me? Don’t delude yourself. If I were afraid of death, I wouldn’t have even begun my revenge.”
That was no bluff. Resentment seeped through her clenched teeth as she spoke.
“I only regret that I couldn’t kill you.”
Erez opened his mouth as if to say something. But his lips only moved for a moment, no words coming out. He stared at Iana with cold eyes, then turned his back.
Dry footsteps echoed. Just as Erez was about to leave the prison, Iana spoke.
“Let me ask you one thing.”
At that, his steps halted. Erez’s shadow stretched long across the floor.
“What happened to my sworn knight? The man named Diabel.”
“…You mean that dark-haired man?”
“Yes.”
“You’ll find out when you stand before the guillotine tomorrow.”
With that, Erez left the prison. As the lamp disappeared, the surroundings plunged into darkness.
The silence and darkness were heavy. Iana stood there vacantly. Her expression was completely different from when she had faced Erez moments ago.
…What has become of Diabel now?
Thirteen years since her family was slaughtered. The reason she hadn’t collapsed during those thirteen years was because of two names.
One was Rosell. The House of Rosell, which had destroyed her family. Whenever she felt like giving up and collapsing, anger lifted her back up.
And the other name that kept her going. That name was Diabel.
Diabel was the knight who had served her for thirteen years. On the night of the tragedy when her family was massacred, it was thanks to Diabel that she had been able to escape.
It was the same when she was dragged here. When the battle turned against her in-laws, they sold Iana to Rosell.
Iana’s soldiers pretended not to know her. The only one who remained by her side was Diabel.
Diabel fought like a demon against dozens of soldiers. Even though it was a hopeless fight, he did not retreat. He was slashed and stabbed all over, and it was a wonder he didn’t fall, drenched in blood.
Iana surrendered of her own accord, fearing that Diabel would actually die at this rate.
“I surrender. So do not touch my knight any longer.”
Bound, Diabel had bellowed like a beast, crying out his master’s name. Without looking back, she had followed Rosell’s soldiers.
Now, facing death. The face that rose in Iana’s mind was Diabel’s. More than the fear of death or the bitterness of defeat, longing and worry were greater.
If only I could see him, even just once, before I die…
Thinking of Diabel, she squeezed her eyes shut. She missed him. That was all.
Would Diabel be safe?
Was he not dead?
Was he looking for her now?
Please, please be safe, Diabel.
How much time had passed? Slowly, she opened her eyes. Footsteps were approaching again.
From the faint light around her, she could tell it was dawn. The ones who would drag her to the guillotine were likely coming.
The footsteps drew nearer, and a man appeared in the corridor.
Soft black hair and purple eyes. He was a man of handsome appearance. Seeing him, Iana was startled and pressed herself against the iron bars.
“Diabel!”
You were alive. You were safe.
Seeing his face, she felt like bursting into tears. She wanted to embrace Diabel immediately, but the bars stood in her way.
“Diabel, you’re safe. I thought you were dead…! How did you get here?”
“I am Lady Iana’s knight, so I must come to where Lady Iana is.”
He said this with a gentle smile. Diabel, walking slowly, wore a uniform and a red cloak.
Her joy at the hope of survival was short-lived. Iana’s face hardened. Because of an intense feeling of wrongness.
Something was strange.
Diabel was simply pristine. He couldn’t have been taken nicely, so he should have had scars here and there. But not only was there not a scratch on his face, there wasn’t even a trace of fatigue. His clothes looked freshly put on, as well.
Moreover, Diabel was simply smiling from the darkness beyond the bars. If he had come to rescue her, he should have opened the door right now, or at least pretended to try.
A foreboding feeling crept over her. Desperately denying that sensation, Iana spoke.
“…Diabel. Open this door at once.”
But Diabel merely stood with his hands clasped behind his back, smiling. An impossibly kind smile.
“Do you intend to escape?”
His voice was gentle. Iana thought she must have misheard. When she opened her dry lips, a trembling voice escaped.
“You’re asking the obvious. Didn’t you… come to rescue me?”
Her voice didn’t sound like her own. She felt anxiety seeping into her chest.
“I came to make you an offer.”
“An offer?”
Iana tried to suppress her anxiety. Whether he knew how she felt or not, Diabel remained composed.
“Lady Iana, do you remember the time we went to see a play?”
A play? What nonsense was this? Diabel continued slowly, like a reciter.
“It was the story of a man and a woman born into enemy families who fell in love. Do you recall the woman taking a drug that put her into a deathlike coma?”
“……”
Iana did not answer. She had indeed seen such a play. But it was hardly the time to discuss it.
“The man, believing she had truly died, killed himself as well.”
Diabel continued, unconcerned with Iana’s reaction. He smiled pleasantly.
“If the protagonist hadn’t misunderstood at that point, how do you think the story would have unfolded?”
Iana felt the air around her grow hazy. It reminded her of a time she had dropped a vial of strong perfume — the scent had been so intense that she couldn’t use the room for a while.
“What if the protagonist had made a different choice? If the young girl who survived the tragedy alone had made a different choice… would she have succeeded in her revenge?”
The young girl who survived the tragedy alone. That girl was now trapped in a prison cell, staring at her knight who was saying strange things.
“I wanted to see it. What kind of story would unfold if Lady Iana made a different choice.”
His voice was full of curiosity. The way he looked at Iana was different from usual.
Like the expression of someone who had just acquired a new toy.
“If you wish, Lady Iana, you can start the story anew.”
Unlike the smiling Diabel, Iana’s lips were pressed tight. She spoke with difficulty.
“Anew… you say?”
“Yes. Anew.”
Diabel’s eyes looked dark red, like an aged wine. A harsh wine that would scorch the tongue and throat when drunk.
“If you make a contract with me, I will give you another chance. A chance to turn everything back and start over.”
He reached his hand through the iron bars as he spoke. Iana stared blankly at that hand.
Chance. At that word, Iana felt as if she couldn’t breathe for a moment.
Not only had she met Diabel before dying, but he was also offering her a chance to start over. Could it be that God was showing her mercy?
But Iana did not rejoice. She did not reach out. She merely glared at Diabel. Her eyes were filled with hatred, just as when she had looked at Erez earlier.
“Diabel, have you sided with Rosell?”
“……”
“Is that why you’ve come to persuade me?”
“That is not the case.”
“Stop the nonsense. If you are still my faithful knight, open this door and take me out now!”
“Lady Iana. Dawn will break soon.”
Diabel spoke in a low, firm voice. As he said, the surroundings were gradually turning a pale grey.
“There is little time left for me to speak with you. Soon the soldiers will come, and once you ascend the guillotine, I will not be able to help you even if I want to.”
Diabel’s voice was quiet but clear. Each word carried weight. Though she had not yet set foot on the guillotine, Iana felt a chill at the back of her neck.
“Death is the end of everything.”
He urged her once more. Iana bit her lip until it bled.
“Will you die? Or will you make a contract with me?”
Diabel looked at her with a smile. The light of dawn touched Iana’s golden hair, making it sparkle as if it might shatter.
There was no time.
Even if there were, she had only one choice.
The chain clinked. Gritting her teeth, Iana raised her arm. With force, she grasped Diabel’s hand.
Iana stared at Diabel as if to pierce through him. Her eyes held hatred and a sense of betrayal.
“I will make a contract. Even if you have betrayed me, if it means I can destroy the House of Rosell…!”
Diabel merely looked at Iana with apparent delight. He smiled pleasantly and said,
“Aren’t you curious about the terms of the contract?”
“It doesn’t matter. Whatever it takes, if I can start over, I will give you everything I have.”
“Understood.”
He smiled in satisfaction. Then he knelt on one knee and kissed the back of Iana’s hand.
In that instant, Iana felt intense pain and dizziness surge through her entire body. Her vision blurred.
Even as she swayed and fell, she held Diabel’s hand tightly.
As if she would never let go.
As the morning sun grew stronger, her consciousness faded. Just before she blacked out, she heard Diabel’s gentle voice.
“I sincerely hope that in the next story, you will meet the ending you desire.”
