Chapter 1 Mistake

POV: Angela Ashford

Should i kill them all.

I'm tempted to do so.

"Angela Ashford" my fiancé's voice tore through my musings.

I looked up to see him—Rudolf Goldstein, the crown prince of this kingdom. His golden hair shimmered under the light, and his sharp blue eyes glared at me, full of disapproval.

Beside him stood a woman—Lucy Windmere—with soft brown hair and doe-like blue eyes, her expression a mixture of fear and concern.

Behind them loomed the prince's entourage, the sons of this kingdom's most influential figures, each one posturing with a self-importance that made me scoff inwardly.

'Pathetic useless shit. A gaggle of pampered parasites clinging to their fathers' power, pretending it makes them important' I thought, my gaze sweeping over them with disdain.

"Do you have anything to say about what you did to my dear Lucy?" Rudolf's voice was cold, laced with anger and righteous indignation as he stepped closer, shielding the trembling Lucy behind him.

I raised an eyebrow, unfazed by his theatrics. "What I did to her?" I asked, my voice dripping with mock innocence. I tilted my head, feigning confusion. "You'll have to remind me, Rudolf. Did I bruise her fragile ego, or is this about the truth I told her that her pretty little head couldn't handle?"

Lucy flinched, clutching Rudolf's arm like a lifeline. Her doe-like eyes watered, a perfect picture of helplessness. The sight was almost amusing.

"And what's this?" I continued, my lips curling into a faint smile. "You called her 'my dear Lucy.' How touching. Tell me, Rudolf, have you conveniently forgotten that you already have a fiancée? Or is fidelity simply too pedestrian for royalty?"

A soft murmur rippled through the crowd that had gathered to watch this drama unfold. The ballroom—a grand, open hall with towering arches and crystal chandeliers—was alive with whispers. It was the night of the annual Masquerade Ball, a lavish event hosted by the kingdom's most prestigious academy, and the most talked-about affair in the capital. Students from every noble family were in attendance.

But despite the festive atmosphere, all eyes were on us, the drama unfolding at the center of the room.

"Enough of your games, Angela!" Another voice broke through the tense silence. It was Tristan Varkos, one of Rudolf's closest allies and another noble son. His sharp features were twisted with disgust. "You have no idea what you've done to her!"

I scoffed at his outburst. "Done to her? I didn't do anything, Tristan. If she's so fragile that she can't even handle a few words, then maybe she should go back to her little glass tower and play pretend, like the rest of you."

"You humiliated her!" shouted another voice, one of the nobles from the prince's entourage, whose name I didn't even bother remembering. "You've harassed and tormented Lucy for weeks! She's barely able to show her face at school anymore!"

"Harassed her?" I said, my lips curling into a sneer. "Please, I'm not the one who needs a bodyguard to make it through the halls."

The accusations flew faster than I could respond, each one more ridiculous than the last. "You hurt her!" someone else added, his voice trembling with righteous anger. "You drove her to tears!"

"Oh, I drove her to tears?" I laughed, the sound cutting through the air like a blade. "What a joke. What's next, Rudolf? Are you going to tell me I made her cry over nothing?"

Rudolf's jaw clenched, his blue eyes dark with fury. "You didn't just hurt her, Angela," he said, voice dangerously low. "You've been tormenting her for weeks. Playing mind games. Stripping her of her dignity in front of everyone. You've made her an outcast."

I smirked, barely containing the murderous intent that bubbled within me.

I barely know her.

I've been too busy cultivating my magic and skills in secret, too busy becoming more powerful, to pay any real attention to Lucy. But it wasn't hard to see through the act.

'Well, they're doing it for a reason' I thought. A lot of students here hate me. They envy me for my beauty, my academic excellence—everything they can never have. And now, they've framed me for hurting Lucy and have painted me as the villain.

And the one who orchestrated this whole mess?

Lucy Windmere.

Playing the innocent victim, pretending to be sweet and helpless, knowing no one will question her. How pathetic. She thinks no one can see through her manipulation, her need to make others love her by playing the victim.

And i already know some of Rudolf's cronies were in on it too. It wouldn't surprise me if he was with them either. He never was the brightest, but I was sure he didn't mind using me as a scapegoat for his little puppet show.

It's not difficult for me to figure out. I have a sharp, calculating mind. I know exactly who's pulling the strings behind this charade. Hehehe.

But in the end, I don't care about any of that.

Because, in the end, they're all going to die.

Rudolf's eyes flashed with something else—something I hadn't anticipated. Without a word, he reached into his jacket and pulled out a thick, official-looking parchment. It was sealed with a royal insignia.

He unrolled it slowly, his eyes never leaving mine. The silence that hung in the air felt heavy as he began to speak, his words deliberate and cold.

"Angela Ashford," he said, his voice barely above a whisper, "this is the engagement contract between us. I, Rudolf Goldstein, hereby nullify it." 

The shockwave of his words rippled through the crowd. Gasps echoed around the ballroom, and I felt the eyes of every student in the room settle on me with glee.

And I just stared blankly at him.

I continued to stare at him, unblinking, as his words seemed to hang in the air. He might as well have been speaking to someone else.

The truth was, I didn't care.

I never was interested in him in the first place. Our engagement was a mere political arrangement—nothing more, nothing less.

I never saw him as a person.

But now? Now he was just an annoyance.

I stared at Rudolf, my expression a mask of cold indifference, the shock I should have felt failing to materialize. His eyes narrowed, and seeing my lack of reaction, he began to speak, his voice dripping with condescension.

"Do you understand the situation now, Angela?" he asked, a sigh escaping his lips, as if he were dealing with a child.

Annoying little pest, I thought, my gaze never leaving him.

Without a single word, I reached within, my focus shifting inward as I called upon the mana I had honed for years. A strand of mana, nearly invisible to the untrained eye, wove through the air with silent precision. I had mastered the art of concealing my mana signature, and even those closest to me would be none the wiser if I wished it.

The thread of magic moved, curling around the space like a serpent stalking its prey, and I directed it toward Lucy, who still clung to Rudolf's arm, her expression one of false innocence.

With a subtle tug of my will, the mana thread sliced through the air like a razor-sharp wire, aiming for Lucy's legs.

The soundless strike was precise, efficient, and deadly.

In the next instant, Lucy let out a shrill scream that echoed through the grand ballroom, the sound piercing the air as she collapsed to the floor, clutching her legs in agony. Her once flawless facade of innocence shattered as she writhed, her face contorting in pain.

"Ahhh! My legs!" she screamed, her voice trembling with panic and fear.

"LUCY!" Rudolf cried, his voice cracking with a mix of horror and concern, 

But I remained unmoved, my gaze still locked on him, indifferent to the scene unfolding before me. The crowd had fallen into a stunned silence, everyone's attention now focused solely on the writhing, helpless figure of Lucy Windmere, completely unaware of the true nature of the attack.