The roles have been reversed.

Chapter 8: "Innocence" - Part Two

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Beneath a gray sky covered in heavy clouds, the night breathed rain. Drops of water mixed with the blood that soaked the ground, seeping between the dismembered bodies that no longer had voices or movement. Inside the nightclub, everything was silent; the dancing that had been alive just moments before was now just a torn memory under the weight of Vileria, who stood amidst the chaos, her clothes stained with blood. There was no regret in her eyes, nor any sense of loss. She was merely a passing destructive storm.

The man who had promised her love and marriage lay among those bodies, no longer distinguished from them. A single moment of betrayal, when she saw him exchanging kisses with another woman at midnight, was enough to ignite an unquenchable brutality. Vileria didn’t just kill; she destroyed everyone in the place, as if punishing the entire world for that betrayal.

Fortunately for those who survived outside the crumbling walls, William was present. He stood by the car, watching the event from a distance before intervening at the last moment, just before she blew the entire place up. With a gentle touch on her arm, he led her to the car, silent and numb, while he sent his men to clean up the slaughter behind them.

Inside the car, the rain played a mournful tune against the glass, and the atmosphere was thick, charged with silence. Vileria's face was still smeared with blood, not yet washed away by the rain, but she made no move to clean it. Her eyes remained fixed on the window, as if looking at something far beyond this world.

She broke the silence with a tightly controlled voice: "I returned alone again."

William, aware of the weight of her words, responded in a calm tone tinged with curiosity: "I didn’t know you were the jealous type."

Without looking at him, she replied in an even colder tone than the outside weather: "I wasn’t jealous… I didn’t love him in the first place. But he should have respected me… respected our engagement. What I did was just punishment… nothing more."

William smiled, but that smile was sad, steeped in a deep understanding of Vileria's dark nature. "Will you stay like this forever?" he asked her in a more serious tone, as if trying to push her to think beyond her anger.

Vileria didn’t respond immediately. For a moment, she seemed to sink into distant, profound thoughts. Her eyes gazed into the void, as if seeing something William couldn’t grasp. Finally, she replied in a voice laced with deep sadness, "There’s nothing I can do… every suitor that has approached me has coveted my position… and my status. I cannot trust anyone. I’m twenty-six… but I’ve realized that the idea of finding someone who suits me… seems futile."

William looked at her cautiously, knowing this topic haunted her, even if she didn’t openly admit it. "But Vileria… who will take your position after you? The leader… there must be an heir, right? Also… that position… has been vacant since..."

The sounds of the rain became akin to the tones of death wrapping around the conversation. Vileria didn’t respond right away, her eyes wandering again through the rain-soaked window. She sighed softly, as if carrying the weight of an entire world on her shoulders, "I will find a solution… somehow."

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"What?" Time returns from Vileria’s memories to Leo, who whispered with a hoarse voice, his body frozen like a statue, his eyes fixed on Vileria. He wasn’t sure if what he heard was real, or perhaps just a dream.

"It’s not a matter," Vileria said, her voice calm yet heavy. This was the first time she spoke in a tone that carried something akin to… a request? Leo wasn’t used to this from her. He felt a wave of confusion and embarrassment creep into his body, but it quickly faded.

"I… don’t understand. Marriage? Me? I’m seventeen! And you…?" Leo stammered with broken words, while Vileria stared at him with her piercing eyes.

"If you refuse, my men will return you to the streets you came from. Simply put… you hold no value here."

Her words were like a sword piercing his chest. Leo felt his mind was about to explode. "Wait! Everything is happening too fast! I-I can’t handle everything in one night!?"

Vileria looked at him coldly, as if his question were pointless, "I know."

Confusion deepened in Leo’s eyes, "But… why me?"

She looked at him with her piercing gaze, as if she could read his thoughts. "Your innocent appearance… cannot betray me. You don’t seek power, do you?"

"What?" Leo whispered, trying to comprehend the meaning of her words.

"That’s enough for me." She said this coldly before adding in a tone that brooked no argument, "Will you marry me or not?"

Leo fell silent, his heart pounding violently in his chest. "Do you want to marry a boy of seventeen?"

He didn’t expect any response, freezing in place, terrified that his question was an insult. But the surprise came when she answered with a deadly calm, "I don’t care."

"I… don’t know." Leo mumbled, as if searching for a way out of this nightmare.

Vileria sighed and slowly rose from her seat. Her steps were heavy and confident as she approached him. Leo trembled, taking a step back, but her eyes never left him.

"You have one month to decide." She said in a grim voice, "You will not leave this place until you announce your decision."

Then she turned and exited, leaving the door open behind her. Before disappearing completely, she looked back at him one last time, "Come."

Leo stared at the open door in shock, his heart filled with confusion and fear. He immediately followed her, his steps heavy and hesitant, but he had no choice.

...

-To be continued-