So I Was the Persecuted Grand Duchess Destined to Die? Chapter 101

Chapter 101

Ignoring the roar of collapsing earth behind him, Raphael Blanche ran without hesitation.

The scene from moments ago replayed vividly in his mind.

Why didn’t my dark magic work?

That was why he had been forced to use a scroll—an external magical artifact.

Now that he thought about it, from the very moment the Grand Ducal party arrived at the Grand Temple… the mana flowing from the heart connected to him had begun to fluctuate violently.

Is it nearing depletion?

Raphael swallowed.

The heart he carried like a priceless treasure still pulsed steadily in his arms.

It no longer poured mana like a waterfall, but the total volume hadn’t drastically decreased.

He flexed his hand.

Fwoosh—

Blue flames flared briefly from his palm before fading.

It’s not unusable yet…

But further direct confrontation would be dangerous.

More than anything, that existence he had encountered earlier—

That had been his greatest miscalculation.

If that being had truly stepped into the Temple, he could no longer preserve the monster fetuses hidden below.

Boom—

The earthquake chasing him like a gaping beast shook both ground and vision.

A chunk of brick struck his head.

Blood streamed down his forehead.

And yet—

“Ha… hahaha!”

Even as crimson blurred his sight, Raphael wiped the blood away and laughed.

The completion is near.

He was certain.

In the end—

He would be the victor.

“Perhaps I’ll even gain a new heart. Zenos… how kind of you. You always bring me such joy…”

CRASH!

The tunnel behind him collapsed completely, sealing shut.

At the same time, a cold voice echoed in his mind—

“The Second Prince… his eyes aren’t gold. They’re a lovely green.
Just like someone else’s.”

Raphael stopped.

He now stood before a massive iron door.

“Yes… I suppose I’ll have to kill them all.”

Blood-soaked, he smiled beautifully.

Warm.

Benevolent.

And utterly devoid of warmth.

Creeeak—

He opened the door.

A woman’s sharp scream followed.

“What in the world happened to you, Raphael?! And what state are you in?!”

He ignored her entirely.

“Hello, my love… I have one good news and one bad news. Which would you like first?”

* *

I dreamed.

At first, it felt too vivid to be a dream.

A cemetery.

Marble gravestones stood in neat rows under silver moonlight.

At the very end—

A freshly polished grave gleamed beneath the night sky.

Before I could read the name—

“Are you sure it’s here?”

“Of course, my love. The heart never lies.”

“Hah. Must we sneak around graves like rats at this hour?”

Two cloaked figures entered.

A man and a woman.

Their voices carried the weight of middle age.

“There… ah. Found it.”

The man clapped softly.

The woman, holding a pry bar and shovel, approached with visible reluctance.

Creak—

The stone slab was lifted.

They began digging.

Under the moonlight, only the dull thuds of soil echoed.

Eventually—

Thunk.

The shovel struck wood.

“There you are…”

The man threw off his cloak.

Silver hair shimmered beneath the moon.

That color—

“Raphael, did you find it?”

“Yes… finally.”

It was him.

Raphael Blanche.

But older.

Truly middle-aged.

“Isabella… our era begins now.”

The woman removed her hood.

Platinum hair spilled down her back.

Empress Isabella Rembrandt.

Her smile twisted.

“The Grand Duke of Celeste is dead. The Crown Prince faction has collapsed. He’s a rat in a cage now. Only the Emperor remains. If we convince him Felix is truly his son…”

“Yes, my love. I’ll make it so. With my own hands.”

Raphael tossed aside the shovel and began digging with his bare hands.

A polished mahogany coffin emerged.

At its center—

The crest of House Celeste.

The coffin creaked open.

Inside—

Me.

Renée Celeste.

Dry.

Pale.

Lifeless.

Yet—

A strange blue light flickered faintly at my chest.

“Finally…”

Raphael tore open his shirt.

On his left chest was a grafted heart.

Not his own.

A pale blue organ pulsing violently—etched with crimson magic circles.

“Raphael! Finish the heart!”

Isabella cried out in ecstasy.

“Of course. I would never betray you.”

Raphael began chanting in an incomprehensible tongue.

With each word—

The blue heart beat faster.

“Such a nuisance… this covenant.”

He brushed aside the corpse’s folded hands.

Embedded in my left chest—

A pale blue shard gleamed clearly.

And it pulsed.

In time.

With his.