n

n

nCurrently, after an assassin cut off the man who had the face of the emperor,

nEverything went into chaos, the citizen thought someone who was more powerful than their emperor was going to massacre all of them.

nThey all ran for their lives picking up their children who haven't yet grown up to know something like death or alive yet.

nThe knight gathered all of their forces chasing after the duo criminal, but nobody went to check the head of the emperor except...

n

"Everyone, calm down!!!!

" a woman with the blood dripping down her arm raised her voice to all the citizens spreading the roses everywhere in the empire.

nShe walked on the altar higher than those commoners picking up the head along the way and showing it to the citizen.

nThe parents closed their children's eyes hiding such cruel scenery.

nThat woman's eyes became cold as her eyes turned blue like the deep iceberg.

n

"I!! I am the princess of this empire!!! I swear to all of you, this is not his majesty.

"

n

"Princess???

" those knights changed to their dragon form raising their spears at her, but when her eyes met with them, all of those spears dropped to the ground.

n

"How can we believe you??? Our emperor never has an empress.

"

n

"Hmm...??

" everyone gasped in disbelief, the blood splattered on the knight's helmet, and yet that princess claim to be didn't show any sign of pain.

nEveryone kneeled down in front of her when seeing the fascinating proof of the bloodline of the royalty unfolding before their eyes.

n

"From now on, I'm your princess...princess Diana de Igneel.

" she took the spear raising them high in the sky with the smirk appearing on her face, she glared at the royal palace since she knew what she needed to do next.

nHer ambition didn't only want to be the princess.

n'I wonder...will I be able to cut that emperor's head...just like this...?'

nThe dimple on her cheek was the evidence of her truly evilness.

n

nMarinette's POV

n

"Where did he go??

" her ponytail hair became messed up, her hair fell down to her waist as the wind on the mountain was so strong, her body almost blew along with the wind.

n

"He was just here a moment ago...

" Marinette felt something went wrong, she took the sword from Philip's waist and drew out the blood from her arm.

nPhilip was started by her sudden move, he yelled,

"What's re you doing???

" at her, but she raised her pointy finger at her saying,

"Shh!! You can heal it later on, right??

" with the slight groan coming after it.

nShe splashed all of those blood on the prince's golden blonde hair till it turned red, she also poured some of them disguising her hair from white to light red.

n

"The emperor is somewhere around here...he notices us...

"

n

"I know...gathering magic here will be difficult for you...so take this sword.

" Prince Philip with the red hair talked to her with concern but she gave this prince's sword back and shook her head.

n

"I don't know how to wield a sword, protect me well.

"

nShe focus with a concentration in the midst of snow, there were many caves around them on the mountain, the dragon Igneel was laying on top of the mountain giving them terrifying fear but it wasn't the dragon who made them that terrified till they were trembling, it was the human emperor instead.

nThe emperor who could see through anyone's weakness.

nMarinette tore the prince's black cape a little bit and covered the prince's face with it tying it like a mask.

n

"No matter what you do, don't show your face to that bastard.

"

n

"What about you?

"

n

"It's fine if he sees me.

" the prince giggled even in that situation seeing how serious she looked.

n

"What?

"

n

"Nothing. I guess that talkative side of yours...isn't quite bad.

"

n

"I thought you were going to say something meaningful...

" she sighed and glanced at the cave.

nPrince Philp grabbed her hand as the snowstorm was approaching them blowing her hair everywhere, taking advantage of that situation, they rushed to hide behind a rock instead of standing on the open field.

n

"Your highness...your hand...

" he took back his hands.

nMarinette's heart was racing feeling something was strange.

n

"Look out!!!

" she grabbed Philip away ducking on time before the magic destroyed them alongside the rock they were hiding behind.

n

"Well...well...isn't it Marinette??

"

nMarinette stood in front of Philip hiding his face while confronting that shadow approaching them.

n

"Who is it??

" Prince Philip was shivering as his face was buried in the snow with the strong force of Marinette's hand on his thick and soft hair.

n

"It's...

"

n

"Marinette!!! I was so worried about you.

" pink hair and blue eyes, the similar smile of a woman running and hugging her made her really relieved it wasn't the emperor.

n

"Aurora?? How--how--are you here???

" Marinette was taken aback by Aurora's sudden appearance on the mountain, she even tried to confirm if it was the real Aurora or not.

n

"I'm the real Aurora, drop that look.

" Aurora mumbled to Marinette in a joking way and then bowed to the prince.

nShe wasn't kinda surprised any longer by how the characters gathered in one place.

n

"You...look different...

"

n

"Of course...I'm stronger now.

" she said with so much confidence but then had a serious look.

n

"Your highness, this is my friend Aurora.

"

n

"...we have no time, we need to move.

"

n

"Don't worry, there is nobody around here. Anyone dangerous that is.

" Aurora talked to them as they stood up together from the cold snow.

n

"What do you mean?

"

n

"There is a guard guarding the entrance of a cave, and a person with long white hair entered that cave.

"

n

"How do you know it?

" Philip didn't fully trust Aurora and Aurora didn't mind about that but she pointed at the cave swearing over her life what she said was the truth.

n

"The cave was in some sort of barrier, you would mistake the entrance of it if we didn't look closely at it.

"

n

"How many guards guarding the entrance?

" Marinette asked her.

n

"Two, but it won't be easy defeating them.

"

n

"How about you two fighting those guards? I'll enter the cave alone.

" Prince Philip made a suggestion but more like an order instead of as he already walked to that cave by himself.

nBut Aurora didn't let anyone take her opportunity to fulfill her mission of discovering the secret of the empire from her, she grabbed the prince's cape.

n

"I'll be the one who enters.

"

n

"What??

"

n

"I meant it!!! I was the one who found the cave first!

" they both argued of who entered the cave, and while they were wasting their time like that, Marinette was already gone.

n

"Where--where is Marinette??!!

" Aurora was panicked running to search for her behind a small rock even under the snow.

nPrince Philip kept his calm and made a whistle even in that situation, suddenly a phoenix soared through the sky and landed on his shoulder.

n

"Where is Marinette, Mary?

"

n

"That way.

"

n

"Okay.

" somehow Aurora felt dumb when seeing that arrogant prince just did that.

nShe got up from the snow and quickly caught up with the prince and the talking phoenix.

n

"Let's go.

" Aurora's jaw dropped seeing Marinette take out both of the guards without any weapon, when they arrived at the direction the phoenix pointed, Marinette stood on the corpse with the spear in her hand and it was the spear of one of them.

n

"How did you defeat them?

"

n

"No time to explain, let's go in.

" Marinette dropped the spear on those knights pushing them aside from the entrance before entering.

nPrince Philip who walked passing those knights noticed that those knights only got knocked out.

nThe interior of the cave was massive but every route led to one thing only. A giant orb holding the glowing chain attaching to a young woman in the complete red dress.

nThe three of them hid behind a pillar looking down below at the lowest floor watching a man whipping that weaponless woman.

n

"You bastard!!!! Release me!!!!

" she bit her lip enduring her pain till it bleed cursing at the emperor of the northern empire.

n

"How many times did I tell you to behave???? Your job is only to protect this empire from the snow and yet you destroyed the barrier????!!! Just stay put like a dog, you evil dragon!!

" the emperor tighten the chain around the woman's neck till she ran out of air to breathe, she even put her hands together to beg him to spare her life.

n

"Behave!! One more mistake, and I won't even feed you any food...

"

n

"...Regna...one day...one day...I will wait for that day I escape from here...I'll tear this empire to ruin!!!

"

n

"Well, keep hallucinating about that 'day', if you use your thousand years of time to think about how to escape of hallucinating, you wouldn't be trapped in here by my ancestors...mighty dragon Igneel.

" the emperor laughed mocking that woman who he called Igneel and left the cave.

nMission complete, level up! Reward:---

nAurora gasped discovering the ugly truth of the empire, that little sound of her made her weakness shown to a certain someone.

nBoom

n

"Auro--

" the ground the stood on collapse as the chain came out of the ground suddenly, Marinette's hand couldn't reach Aurora's as her neck was strangled by the chain, her body was pulled down to the bottom.

nDeath Roses--

nHer magic was disabled by that chain. Blood came out of her lip and the wound on her stomach was opened even bigger.

n

"Get up!!! Run...run away before he--

"

n

"Ohoho...so you really swap your bodies back.

" the emperor lurked out of the pitch-black shadow and pulled Aurora down to the floor.

nPrince Philip hid behind the pillar hiding all of his presence waiting for the chance to save them.

n

"I know you have one more person, come out!!!! Or else, I'll kill these women.

"

n

"You bastard!!!!!! Stop!!!! Don't kill people!!!!!

"

n

"Is that something a dragon would say??? Did you forget who froze this empire in the first place??? And who killed millions of people with its single ice breath??? So...shut up...you dog.

"

n

"...

"

nMarinette groaned in agony, even moving an inch was torture to her.

nThe emperor stepped slowly to Marinette and pulled her chin, his eyes were trembling when a scent drift to his nose.

n

"You...you killed Oliver?? How dare...you...

" his fingernail became sharp as a sword struck deep on Marinette's face.

n

"Just kidding...he's a useless pawn anyway...he's just a psycho who roamed around killing people...such a weakling should die a long time ago.

"

nMust protect...his majesty...

n

"How could...you...

"

n

"Could what??? He's a loyal dog...and that's all.

" the emperor giggled and threw Marinette to the feet of the woman in the red dress.

nMarinette's eyes were getting tired, opening her eyes was so difficult for her, her mind and consciousness were drifting away but that didn't stop her heart from feeling the pain of seeing the pitiful soul who stood behind the emperor.

nSo...I'm just...a pawn... Oliver's soul turned to ashes at that moment with the last look of his sad face with the disappointment and betrayal.

n

"Heuk...euk...

"

n'Philip...run...'

nShe glanced at where Philip was hiding, she kept signaling to him to run, and yet he kept shaking his head and continued to stay unsheathing his sword.

n'No...no...don't...you stupid prince...don't...'

n

"Hmm?? This is a new face...

" the emperor walked to Aurora with his back against Marinette, with that chance, Marinette turned over to the woman in the red dress.

nShe bit the chain with her bloody teeth hoping it would break.

n

"...his eyes are his weakness...strike for his eyes...

" that woman told Marinette in a very low voice, Marinette did her best trying to listen to her words with the blood rolling down from her head across her ears.

nHer mind became fuzzy, she turned back to Philip and pointed him at her eyes.

nThe prince nodded and stepped walking into the position.

n

"Au...ro...ra...

"

n

"I kinda want to kill someone...hm??? Oh well...

"

n

"Aurora!!!

"

nWeather Magic: Lightning

n'You scumbag...I really don't want to show this magic to anyone.'

n

"Run!!!! Take Marinette and run!!!

" Marinette crawled to Aurora to check on her condition seeing the powerful lightning come out of nowhere but hearing Aurora's voice like that, she was somewhat scared and relieved.

nPrince Philip jumped down from the top floor picking up Marinette running to the emperor while carrying her like a princess.

nThe emperor was furious after getting struck by the lightning, his body couldn't move and Aurora stepped the pointy ice inside his stomach.

nMarinette started regaining consciousness because of prince Philip's light magic, she took the sword from Philip and slashed one of the emperor's eyes.

n

"Arghhhhhh...

"

nHis scream was so loud echoing in the entire cave making the ice hanging on the ceiling fall down.

nAurora turned her body to wind, she hesitate at that moment between saving the woman in the middle of the cave or escaping from there.

nSeeing that the woman nodded to Aurora. Aurora understood what she meant and rushed out immediately but....

n