In an instant, my face darkened like the deepness of the night. The princess spoke amicably as we entered, but her words never managed to invade my mind fully occupied with hostile thoughts.

The sight of his silver hair and golden eyes, which used to leave me breathless in the past, stole my breath for a completely different reason this time.

I inhaled sharply. "What are you doing here?"

I stood breathless in front of Alistair Kirsten de Averill, this time out of disbelief and resentment.

His eyes narrowed into slits. "We meet again."

"Oh, you already know each other?" Princess Odette inquired innocently, seemingly pleased.

"Yes. Let's just say that we share a history." My eyes twitched. "And that history includes him betraying me, Your Highness." I said bitterly.

To everybody's surprise, I lunged towards Alistair and pushed him against the corner. He spared no effort to resist against my rough touch, and Grand Duke Averill quietly stared at me with rueful eyes.

"I'll ask again." I grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall. "What are you doing here, you traitor? You must be insane."

"Kallen!" The princess shouted in panic. "What are you doing? Let go of the grand duke this instant!"

"I refuse." I said through gritted teeth.

"I command it, executioner!" she growled.

"Princess," I threw her a scorching glare. "You're sorely mistaken if you think I'd be an obsequious servant that you could order around like a dog."

The moment I talked back to Princess Odette, Ellis unsheathed her sword and raised it towards me.

As if on cue, Haniel also stepped in front of me, shielding me from the knight. Every soul in that room stopped breathing, and only the ticking clock could be heard in that tense situation.

Princess Odette turned to the mage. "Haniel!"

"I made myself clear from the start." Haniel stated in a dangerously calm voice. "Raise your sword against my girl, and you make an enemy of me."

The imperial princess took a deep breath in a successful attempt to calm herself down. She glanced over her knight. "Ellis, put it down."

"But, Your Highness..." The knight argued back.

"Put the sword down!" Princess Odette fumed.

Ellis begrudgingly lowered the blade at her master's order. The transmigrator princess glanced over me with a hint of displeasure.

"I do not know the reason behind your hostility towards that man," She clicked her tongue. "But Grand Duke Averill is one of my people, Kallen."

Alistair and I stared eye to eye with each other.

"You cannot lay your hands on him." she added.

"I'm afraid you will have to choose between us, then." I muttered grimly. "I simply can't coexist with this man. One of us has to leave, princess."

Her lips parted. "What?"

Alistair, who has been completely silent the whole time, lowered his gaze in shame. One look at him and the penitence was evident all over his face.

"I beseech you." His voice trembled as he spoke. "Please do not put Her Highness in a tough spot."

Grand Duke Averill gave me a pleading look.

"I know you despise my existence," He sounded so hurt. "But I beg you to set aside that hate for now."

My jaw clenched. "Why should I?"

"Because I swore my allegiance to the princess."

"And you swore your love to me, but what did you do?" I asked indignantly. "You stabbed me in the back and killed my ally for your selfish desires!"

Anger curled hot and blazing in my gut, like a ball of inferno threatening to implode my heart. His golden orbs were like a window to the past, bringing back unpleasant memories we shared.

The only thing that assuaged my rage was Haniel's hand that patted the small of my back. He sighed.

"This is partly my fault for not telling you sooner." His face softened. "Can you let me explain first?"

I tightly shut my mouth, angry and confused.

"Please?" Haniel whispered delicately to me.

In the end, I gave in to his entreaty. I carelessly tossed the grand duke aside and marched out of the house. Haniel followed me outside soon after.

Since there were some people around, we settled right beside the house, where it was dark and full of ration boxes. Haniel and I stood face to face.

"How could you work with him? He killed you!" I pointed out, my eyes ablaze. "Haniel, I don't know if you're too kind or just plain stupid at this point!"

"I love you and I understand why you're enraged," He blew a long sigh. "However, the plot requires his cooperation with us. We need him, Kallen."

I firmly shook my head. "We don't need him."

"Yes, we do." The mage insisted. "He's a double agent. The grand duke works for Prince Dion on the surface, but he secretly aids Her Highness."

"All the more reason not to trust him!" I exclaimed hysterically. "That man is fickle! He switches sides like it's nothing, and you expect me to trust him?!"

"Don't trust him, then." His hands gently cupped my face. "Trust my judgment. You know that my choices are always for your best interests, right?"

I pursed my lips. I felt defeated from his soulful gaze and warm touch. It was unfair how Haniel could easily win me over with just a few words.

"I'm not as altruistic as you make me seem to be." He whispered to my ear. "You think I like seeing him around you? Imagine my fear and jealousy."

My heart pounded from his words.

"When I came back into life, I saw him desperately clinging onto your corpse like a madman." Haniel recounted. "My heart also burned with fury, and I beat him so badly he could barely open his eyes."

I blinked many times. He really did that?

"What I'm saying is that we already settled it man to man." He caressed my head. "I know you hate him for what he did, but now it's all water under the bridge. His ways may have been twisted but-"

"But he did it for me?" I interrupted. "So you've forgiven the man who stabbed you in the back, because you think he did it for me? Is that it?"

We stared at each other, not breaking our gaze.

"So all is well, because you're alive?" I took a deep breath. "What if you weren't resurrected, Haniel?"

He leaned closer to me. "Callie, listen..."

"No, you listen to me." I said, visibly upset. "If you didn't come back to life, I would've spent the rest of my days mourning endlessly for your death."

"And you wouldn't have learned to love me had the grand duke kept me alive." He smiled sadly.

I inhaled sharply. "What?"

"If he didn't kill me, you wouldn't have hated him. And if you didn't hate him, you would have kept loving him with no place for me in your heart."

My face softened. "Haniel..."

"It's fine. I do not mind." He placed his forehead on mine. "I know that you loved him first, and it matters not. I'll just love you more than he did."

The mage slowly slid his face on my shoulder, his warm and prolonged breath blowing on my neck.

"I shall teach you love so intense that you won't be able to live without me." His lips brushed against my skin. "So do not bother with him and worry about yourself, because I'll drive you insane."

I whimpered when his lips claimed a fraction of my skin, hungrily yearning for the taste of my neck. I stood rooted to my position, my hands squeezing his shoulders as he left me a mark.

By the time he was done, we were both short of breath. The black-haired mage place his thumb on my neck, his purple eyes gleaming in satisfaction.

"Heh," He smiled. "My lips look good on you."

My cheeks reddened in embarrassment. "Haniel!"

"Yes, yes." He chuckled softly. "In any case, don't pay him any mind. I am the protagonist of this novel now, and he's no longer the second lead."

He took my hand and intertwined our fingers.

"The princess assured me that Alistair Kirsten de Averill will be our ally till the end of the story." He explained. "He certainly learned his lesson, and he won't betray our side for the second time around."

I frowned. "How can you be so sure?"

"Well, he wants you back." He answered smugly, grinning. "And in order to win you back, he needs to get in your good graces. So he won't betray us."

When I glanced over him, my eyebrows lifted in surprise. There was a little pout on Haniel's face.

"Hmph," He was sulking. "How annoying."

"Jealous?" I held back my smile.

"A bit." Haniel admitted casually.

He eyed me. A little smile grew on his face.

"But you're mine now, so it's pointless."

With that, we went back inside the quarters hand in hand. Ellis looked especially guarded when we returned, while Princess Odette and Grand Duke Averill both seemed nervous of how I would act.

"Fret not." Haniel gave them a small smile while patting my head. "Our dear executioner said that she's willing to cooperate with our double agent."

"You managed to convince her?" The imperial princess blurted out in amazement. "How?"

"How?" Haniel reiterated. Smiling, his eyes darted on my face down to my neck. "I used my mouth."

I smacked his arm, blushing. Why did I even think that Haniel was so endearing and innocent? In the end, he's a man, and a man has his own fantasies.

"Shut up." I said in a warning tone.

"Roger." Haniel playfully zipped his mouth.

Princess Odette grinned intently like a friend who's dying to tease you, while Ellis seemed mortified by our exchange. What a contrast.

When my eyes darted on Grand Duke Averill, his face was tense while staring at my neck. I looked away before covering the mark with my hand.

Anyway, all of us gathered on the long table, with the imperial princess at the center and farthest side. Including her, there were six people in the room: Alistair, Ellis, Garet, Haniel, and myself.

Looks like all of us are the key figures in Princess Odette's faction as per the novel. The protagonist, the executioner, the double agent, the knight, and the managing substitute. We all have our roles.

I sat beside Haniel, while the grand duke was seated across me with Ellis beside him. On the knight's right was the middle-aged man whom Haniel had introduced to me earlier tonight.

"Well, then. Shall we get started, everyone?"

The imperial princess happily ran an eye over us.

"First and foremost," Princess Odette smiled. "For this arc to end, one of us must die. Who will it be?"

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