Angelica stopped dead in her tracks. Slowly, she turned around and faced the owner of the voice, her expression reminiscent of that of a thief caught in the act.

"Hi?"

Angelica grinned awkwardly with half-raised hands and waved.

At the other end of Angelica's gaze stood a woman with bright red curly hair who stared at her wide-eyed; her face paled white like she had just seen a ghost.

"How have you been, Addie?" Angelica lowered her hands as her lips curved into a bittersweet smile.

"!"

Adelaide's eyes began to waver. Her lips quivered as if trying to speak but unable to form the words. She clenched her hands into fists and shook her head gently.

Then, in the blink of an eye, Adelaide marched toward Angelica with her ducked head down, making it hard to determine her expression.

"Addie?"

Angelica called in confusion when Adelaide stopped in front of her, only to feel a sharp sting on her right cheek the next moment.

*slap*

"Is that how you greet people now, Addie?"

When Angelica spoke, Adelaide struck her on the other cheek, this time harder.

*slap*

"In my defense, I was left unsupervised."

In response to Angelica's brazen words, Adelaide raised her hands in the air as if to slap her again the anger apparent on her face.

"!"

Angelica winced and closed her eyes, anticipating another blow. However, even after a few seconds had passed, she didn't feel the impact.

Feeling curious, Angelica peeked open one eye to find Adelaide glaring at her with pursed lips, her trembling hand still raised in the air.

"Alright alright! I understand. I totally deserved that. I am so sorry-"

Flinching back under Adelaide's intense gaze, Angelica tried to apologize. But before she could finish, she was pulled into a tight hug by Adelaide, whom she had not seen and missed dearly for the past three years.

"Where were you all this time?" Adelaide choked a cry.

From the day, Adelaide learned of the news of Angelica's marriage to Edward Frost, she had feared for her friend's well-being.

At the height of the conflict between the Esdel and Frost households, Angelica's decision to marry Edward, who was believed to be cursed, amidst the ongoing territorial war, intensified her fear and concern for the implications of Angelica's choice.

No matter how much she contemplated, it seemed uncharacteristic of Angelica to take such an important decision abruptly, especially since she had not shown any interest in marriage even before the late Countess's death.

It puzzled her even more because Angelica had only visited the capital once as a child and had been absent from the social scene, the latter partly due to the former Countess's influence. For her to step into the role of a high-ranking duchess and become the center of attention in the social world was highly unlikely.

In the weeks that followed, Adelaide grew more anxious about her inability to get in touch with Angelica when suddenly it was announced that Angelica had been slain by a group of rogue bandits while traveling to the Temple of Eir after she was thrown into the raging ocean.

With the testimony of the knights and maids that accompanied Angelica on the day, she was declared dead even though her body was yet to be found.

While the entire capital mourned the death of the cursed bride, Adelaide persisted. She implored the Imperial officers in charge of the investigation to continue the search for Angelica despite the Imperial decree ruling otherwise.

Even after Angelica's funeral had concluded, Adelaide continuously urged the officers to look into the incident closely rather than what meets the eye until they found substantial evidence of Angelica's demise.

Unfortunately, most people did not believe her pleas, dismissing it as a grieving friend's struggle with acceptance. It was only after Adelaide had received a letter from Clive, Angelica's brother, that she halted her efforts.

Nevertheless, she never once believed that Angelica had passed away, even after years had gone by.

All of a sudden, rumors started to spread all across the empire of Angelica's resurrection and subsequent return to the Frost estate in the capital. Yet, when Adelaide attempted to see her, she was denied visitations by the people of the estate.

Just as Adelaide had predicted, Angelica had inadvertently become the center of attention in the social world, albeit years later. With no other means to reach her, all Adelaide could do was wait until the foundation ball, where Angelica was expected to make her official appearance.

To see such a notorious person carelessly waltz past her in the empty halls of the Ivory Palace, mumbling to herself, Adelaide wondered whether her eyes were deceiving her.

Before she knew it, Adelaide had already called out to Angelica.

"Everyone said you were dead. But I never believed it. I refused to believe you died, Angelica. I refuse to believe."

"I'm alright"

Angelica patted Adelaide's back as she broke into tears in her arms.

"They held a funeral for you. I told them they were mistaken, but... but nobody believed me."

Adelaide pushed out of Angelica's arms and held her by the shoulders.

"What happened to you? You got married out of the blue and you didn't tell me?"

"It's kind of a long story. Trust me, we're going to need an entire day to catch up"

Angelica checked their surroundings and pulled Adelaide behind a nearby pillar. This way, even if anyone were to pass through, they would not be spotted unless they were to specifically check their location.

After making sure, they were safe from prying eyes, Angelica changed the topic.

"Why are you at the palace, Addie?"

It was only after Angelica had voiced her question that she realized that, unlike herself, the presence of a socialite like Adelaide at the Imperial Palace was nothing out of the ordinary.

Not to mention, her father Count Norton, was the famed Commander of the Silver Knights. She could have visited the Imperial Palace to meet with her father or attend a social gathering.

"I came to attend Countess Hawthorne's tea party and stayed back to meet my fi-. No! That's not important right now"

Adelaide thwacked Angelica's hand, which was holding hers, and wiped off the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"Ow!"

"When I learned you were back, I came to see you. But the butler said you were receiving some treatment. Then all that stuff in the newspaper about you..."

"Of course. There is stuff in the newspaper" Angelica croaked with an exhausted expression.

"Yes. About you losing your memory from the fall. Did you lose your memory? Is that why you did not contact us for so long?"

"That's a load of shi- ...crap. I didn't hit my head"

'He did'

Angelica chewed on the inside of her cheeks to keep herself from screaming as deep veins popped on her forehead.

"What about you, Angelica? Why are you in the Ivory Palace at this hour?"

"I just had the world's most bizarre meeting with the Emperor. Now I know why Serpents are running rampant on the streets"

"Serpents?"

Adelaide cocked her head in confusion.

She immediately recalled the first time they met as children at a tea party organized by their mothers. Angelica had brought a snake she had picked up from the garden, which in turn lunged at her brother Adam, as soon as it laid eyes on him.

Pandemonium ensued for the rest of the day, thanks to Adam losing consciousness and developing a fear of snakes in general. It was also the day Angelica and Adelaide developed a friendship that would last for their entire lifetimes.

"Is there a snake infestation in the streets" Adelaide questioned out of concern for her brother's well-being.

"Kind of..."

Angelica averted her gaze. However, under Adelaide's fierce gaze, she caved and explained.

"Do you remember the fireworks a few weeks ago?"

"The terrorist attack in Parthellam?"

After decades of peace on the continent of Elan, the day came when night turned to day for the second time. The dark sky lit up for thousands of miles when a group of terrorists attacked the city of Parthellam. It was an incident that shook the entire continent.

"Yeah. That's the Serpents and me... Mostly me"

"You!?"

Adelaide gasped and covered her mouth with her hand, shocked by the revelation. She repeated her question,

"What do you mean, that's you?"

"Ooooh... there was a lot more than that. I'll tell you on the way. But we need to leave this place right now"

Angelica glanced ahead and saw the shadow of people approaching their location.

"Oh! I have a carriage waiting for me at the entrance. We can go to my home and talk there. Mother and Father would be happy to have you over"

"Great. Let's go"

Instead of leaving by the main entrance, Adelaide suggested they take the service exit used by the servants to avoid being seen understanding her friend's delicate situation.

Although Angelica was considerably taller than Adelaide, she tucked behind her friend as they walked and pretended to look at the decorations each time a servant passed by.

Fortunately, none tried to stop them or question them on their way. Adelaide's naturally intimidating looks helped in that regard.

Since the Ivory Palace was located far south of the main palace, it made it easy for nobles and visitors to reach the Ivory Palace through the rear gates without having to go through the main entrance which was a far ride.

It had lesser foot traffic compared to the Main Palace where people were moving in and out in huge waves. For those nobles looking for a serene yet discreet environment to host gatherings, it was the perfect site.

It took the duo about ten minutes to reach the service door and from there it would be only a short walk through the enclosed hallways where they could board the carriage Adelaide had come in. Followed by a few minutes of carriage ride and they would be out of the palace grounds.

As they walked, Angelica asked Adelaide's opinion something that had popped into her mind.

"By the way, Addie. What are your thoughts on kidnapping a priest?"

Given the chance that she left the palace and escaped into the city, she needed a priest to continue with her mana outbreak treatment. Obviously, it would be harder to kidnap High Priest Thesser due to him being a high-ranking member of the temple, but a priest of lower ranking would be another story entirely.

Between risking another episode in the most populated city of the empire and adding another deed to her list of crimes, Angelica chose to ask for forgiveness after the crime. Still, as the last sign of virtue, she wanted to know Adelaide's opinion on the matter.

But before Angelica could hear Adelaide's response, someone forcefully pulled her by the arm.

"!"

Instinctively, Angelica tried to strike her assailant, only for a shield of magic to block her path.

Normally, she would have noticed if anyone were to sneak up on her with malicious intentions. However, she did not detect a thing when her attacker appeared. It was almost as if her attacker had materialized out of nowhere.

When the barrier subsided, she was faced by a pair of deep purple eyes.

"!"

All at once, the events on the night at the top of Mount Zion flashed before Angelica's emerald eyes.

The sight of the bodies of knights sprawled on the dirt floor, the metallic scent of blood in the air, the screams of the maids in the carriage, the distant roar of thunders, and the voice of a beautiful man who spoke tales of death. Everything came back pouring in like a flood.

Angelica's heart started to pound overwhelming her senses with rage. The last thing she had seen before being pushed off the cliff was a similar pair of purple eyes.

Meanwhile, having not noticed that Angelica was no longer following her, Adelaide continued walking away.

"I'm not even going to ask why you would need a priest. The very thought of-"

By the time, she realized Angelica was not behind her, Adelaide had already reached the exit.

"Angelica?"

Panicking she searched for Angelica who was nowhere to be seen. She ran back through the halls she had passed by when she found Angelica at the other end of the hallway with an unexpected man.

"Lord Stein! What do you think you are doing!?" Adelaide exclaimed, rushing forward toward Richard, her face red from running.

"Unhand her this instant!"

"!"

Angelica snapped out of the trance at Adelaide's loud voice. She was no longer on Mount Zion. Rather, she was in the Imperial Palace of Orion, being forcefully detained by an unfamiliar man who appeared out of thin air.

The man in front of her may have the same purple eyes, but this was an entirely different person.

Somehow, she seemed to have crossed paths with two people with similar features boring the same hostility toward her in her lifetime.

"You... what are you?" Richard growled, tightening his grip on Angelica's arm.

"Stein?" Angelica's brows creased, recognizing the name as one of the novel's protagonists.

Richard Stein, the sole Archmage of the Orion Empire, whose talents were among the most legendary mages of history was one of the four male leads of the novel 'The Hero of Orion'.

In fact, he was the one supposed to have a mana outbreak halfway through the novel, which instead passed over to Angelica in an unexpected turn of events.

The mana outbreak scene was a major event in the novel that would have earned the heroine Richard's undying affection and loyalty. Now, there was no knowing what would happen in the future.

Richard's temper and childish sense of outrage at the smallest of things had landed him at the top of the list of least-likable characters when Eunseo had read the book.

He was the clingy kind with a persistent need for affirmation of his love. It had annoyed her every time he appeared on a scene, and even more when he spoke.

Hence, unlike Edward, she had not identified him at first glance.

"Lord Stein! I said, unhand her this instant!"

Adelaide's voice rang in her head.

Angelica blinked her eyes as she looked at Adelaide. She had never seen Adelaide so agitated, as Adelaide had always been one to maintain a state of calmness even in the face of anger. Right now, Adelaide was screaming at the top of her lungs at Richard demanding he release Angelica.

At that moment, Richard flicked his fingers. In the next instant, Adelaide vanished from the spot.

"Silence!"

"Addie!" Angelica stared at the spot Adelaide had been standing a second ago.

She may have been taken aback by surprise at first, but now that she had regained herself, Angelica glared daggers at Richard.

"What did you do to her!?"

"I sent away the noisy thing from shrieking like a bat"

Richard attempted to pull Angelica's arm again. However, when Angelica did not budge an inch, he snarled instead,

"You are not supposed to exist"