Chapter 224 This Was My Perfect Revenge

Chapter 224 This Was My Perfect Revenge

~Aveline~

The moment those words left my lips, the smile on Maribel's face slowly faded, her laughter dying with it.

"What... what is that?" she questioned, her gaze fixed warily on the vials.

"Potions from Eryndor," I said.

Her face twisted immediately.

"Eryndor Valecrest? That traitor?"

My smile simply deepened.

"Eryndor has been no traitor to me," I said calmly.

Those words had been a lie, but Maribel didn't know that, and I wasn't about to correct her. I wanted her to understand exactly how thoroughly she'd been stripped of everything—her status, her family, her allies, and now even the people she once believed were on her side.

"In fact, these potions were given to me as a thank-you for telling him about your little hideout at the brothel on the outskirts of town."

Maribel's eyes widened.

"You... you told him that?" she questioned, her voice trembling with a mixture of anger and disbelief.

"I couldn't help it," I said, then added sarcastically, keeping my expression perfectly straight, "Please accept my apologies."

Her eyes reddened almost instantly. The veins along her neck stood out as her teeth clenched so hard I could see the muscles in her jaw tighten.

"You... you rotten bitch—"

She lunged toward me, but the guards caught her before she could get anywhere near me.

"I'll kill you! I'll fucking kill you, Aveline! I'll kill you!"

She screamed and thrashed violently against their hold while I simply watched.

"What colorful language," I muttered before glancing back at the guards. "So? What are you waiting for?"

When they failed to move quickly enough, my gaze hardened.

"Would you much rather have your heads roll?"

That finally jolted them into action.

One of the guards stepped forward and took the vial from my hand, uncorking it with practiced efficiency.

"Keep that away from me!" Maribel struggled harder as he approached. "I said—"

She didn't get the chance to finish.

The guard seized her chin, his fingers digging firmly into the sides of her jaw and forcing her head back.

"No... no, stop... don't—"

The rest of her words dissolved into a wet, gurgling sound as the guard tipped the vial forward, pouring its entire contents into her mouth.

I watched with my head slightly tilted.

Eryndor had given me two potions as I'd requested, but I wasn't exactly sure which one did what.

Well... I suppose I was about to find out.

The guard released Maribel's chin, and she immediately doubled over, coughing violently as her face twisted in disgust.

"What was... in there...?"

Her voice came out hoarse and strained before another violent cough tore through her.

"Kh—cough! Cough!"

A cough ripped through her throat, and in the next instant, blood splattered across the ground.

"What..."

Her voice sounded as though it were already dying as she struggled to speak.

I glanced at the guard holding her and gave him a small signal to release her. The moment he did, her body dropped to the floor like dead weight, her hands immediately flying to her throat and clawing viciously at the skin.

"Hurt..." she strained out, barely audible. "Please... make it stop..."

I stared at her, watching the marks her fingernails left against her own skin as she writhed in agony.

The sight was familiar.

I'd curled up in that exact same way, clawing at my skin until it bled, when I'd drunk the soup they'd poisoned for me.

My gaze shifted to the empty vial in the guard's hand. He was trying his best to appear unaffected, but the tension in his face betrayed how displeasing he found the sight.

I guess that's the potion that takes the voice away.

Which left one more.

"Feed her the last one," I instructed.

The guard looked uncomfortable.

"Your Highness, Luna Aveline—"

"Don't make me repeat myself."

Whatever he had intended to say died with those words. He turned toward the other guard and gave him a sharp nod.

They immediately bent down and hauled Maribel to her feet. She was already weak, and although she looked like she wanted to struggle, the pain searing through her throat made even that impossible.

The guard seized her chin again, this time with far less resistance, and poured the second vial into her mouth.

Maribel immediately tried to spit it out, but the guard clamped her mouth shut.

"If she wastes a single drop, there will be consequences," I said coldly.

The guards exchanged a hesitant look. Then, without another second to waste, one of them drove his fist straight into Maribel's stomach.

Her body doubled over, and I saw her throat move as she involuntarily swallowed. The guard released his grip on her mouth, and she immediately crumpled to the ground.

Her lips parted, but no sound came out—not even when her body shook as though she were coughing or crying out in pain.

I watched her, and something cold yet deeply satisfying settled in my chest.

She was finally undergoing her karma.

No.

This wasn't karma.

The edges of my lips pulled upward, a manic grin slowly spreading across my face.

This was my revenge.

My carefully planned and meticulously executed revenge!

I took several careful, graceful steps forward until I stood directly in front of Maribel's trembling body. Then I lowered myself into a squat, never once taking my eyes off her.

Her eyes slowly lifted to meet mine.

Even in her miserable state, she managed to look at me with something that resembled hatred.

My grin only widened.

"This is my parting gift to you, Maribel," I said, holding her gaze as I leaned forward slightly, letting each word settle between us.

"So,” I paused, my smile never faltering. “Live with it for the rest of your life… sister."