The Villainous Family Loves Me Too Much!

The battle between Lucian the Archduke of Felosite and Liam ended in the Archduke’s victory.

All witnessed the gruesome sight of the Great Demon Beast’s body being shattered into pieces.

Even those who had previously fled in terror from the demon devouring people couldn’t help but feel pity witnessing its pitiful defeat by the Archduke.

Using his mana, the Archduke relentlessly battered the demon’s body, pulverizing its organs and bones dozens of times, each time regenerating before the final blow.

He levitated the demon high with his mana only to drop it at tremendous speed, filling the banquet hall with sickening cracks of shattering vertebrae and joints.

Though a demon, even the Emperor seemed disturbed witnessing his own son tortured so brutally by the Archduke, hiding with eyes tightly shut behind some chairs.

At one point the demon did try lunging at the Archduke, but stood no chance.

With just a finger’s motion, the Archduke could have dispersed it to dust.

Finally escaping with his life, the terror-stricken Liam fled the imperial palace, his demonic body in shredded tatters.

Lucian watched intently as the demon scampered over the high walls and away.

“He likely can’t go far. I incapacitated his mobility as much as possible.”

“You speak of such horrors so nonchalantly, Your Highness.”

While the Archduke battled the demon, Jonathan had been thoroughly examining Karena.

“How is Karena?”

“I’ve healed her, but she lost far too much blood. And…”

As Jonathan illuminated Karena’s stabbed abdomen for closer inspection, he discovered something amiss.

“It seems some foreign substance has been absorbed into Sister’s body.”

* * *

Beatrice and Liam’s wedding ceremony failed to properly conclude in any sense.

It diverged from the couple’s original plans, as well as Karena and Lucian’s schemes.

Their plans hadn’t accounted for the mass slaughter of continental dignitaries, after all.

With over a hundred guests falling victim to the demonic Liam, covering up this incident like the previous wormhole crisis was impossible.

Some nations whose overseas dignitaries perished in this event refused to recognize Liam’s status as Crown Prince, demanding the Empire immediately eliminate him on sight.

Prince Liam Leblanc has been identified as a threat to human society, a malicious non-human beast, and is hereby exiled from the continent’s lands.

Furthermore, the Castien Empire must promptly declare its stance on accountability and reparations for this wedding catastrophe.

All neighboring nations, shrines, and power factions unanimously demanded the Castien Empire provide an explanation and take responsibility for this ludicrous tragedy.

Yet the most bewildered and distraught of all was Emperor Motias himself.

Ignorant of the incident’s causes, the Emperor could offer no official response.

His second son, the former Crown Prince, had transformed into a massive demon devouring guests at his own wedding, while his daughter-in-law had vanished even before the chaos erupted.

And his supposedly deceased firstborn appeared arm-in-arm with the very daughter he had believed killed that son, in an affectionate reunion.

Moreover, it was the second son who had stabbed that same daughter.

In this confounding situation, only Gabriel and Archduke Lucian Felosite could provide the Emperor with answers.

‘Is this punishment for my laziness, constantly shifting responsibility onto others?’

The continental nations could potentially band together to demand astronomical reparations from the Empire.

“Bring me the Crown Prince and the Archduke of Felosite.”

Summoned before the Emperor, the two recounted virtually everything within their knowledge.

The true culprits behind this entire affair were ultimately Beatrice and Liam.

How their illicit relationship stemmed from Beatrice’s prior engagement to Gabriel.

That their cohorts included the Ancient Witch Colin Piaget, who had long served as Karena’s close attendant.

“Nor can the grievous crime of the late Queen Yuliana, Liam’s mother who schemed to assassinate the Empress and usurp her position by supplying the poison, be overlooked.”

“It can be reasonably concluded Liam plotted to seize the Crown Prince title through premeditated criminal acts.”

Yet despite dispatching the knights to search, Liam and the fugitive Beatrice’s whereabouts remained unknown.

* * *

Every afternoon, Gabriel visited Karena’s chamber to gaze upon her sleeping face.

The Empress, having awoken from her coma, accompanied him.

“How is Rena doing?”

“No significant changes yet, Mother.”

The Empress, once in a vegetative state, had essentially allowed the poison to spread throughout her body over an extended period.

Fortunately, having ingested only small doses enabled Jonathan’s detoxification to fully purify her, allowing her to awaken swiftly.

Karena’s case, however, differed.

“It’s strange. Sister… No, Her Highness the Princess shows no issues in examinations.”

“Then why does she not awaken?”

Despite overcoming her ordeal and recovering her health, Karena remained unconscious.

Moreover, she suffered a feverish state akin to illness.

“It may be due to that foreign substance absorbed into Her Highness’s body.”

Yet the substance’s nature remained unknown to them.

Hence, they dared not resort to risky measures to revive Karena.

The one who silently kept vigil by her side was Lucian.

* * *

If asked to recount the final scenes I witnessed-

Liam’s crazed, muttering face before lunging with a steak knife.

That was the last I saw before falling into a deep slumber.

‘Am I dead, perhaps?’

In this space of unending white, I aimlessly wandered.

[No, Karena. You’re simply sleeping right now.]

“Sena? Is that you, Sena?”

[You recognized me. How have you been, Rena?]

In this silent, empty place, it was Sena’s voice addressing me.

“Where is this? How are you here? Everyone must be so worried.”

Yet only her voice reached my ears, her form nowhere visible.

[This is your dream. As you know, I’m trapped in the wormhole with Colin, so I can’t manifest physically. But I can commune through your dreams.]

Her tone was surprisingly bright.

Since wandering seemed futile in this endlessness, I simply sat down upon hearing it was a dream.

“Ah, what’s so tiring about dreams…? How are things over there? Not too difficult with Colin, I hope?”

[I’m doing well. Colin grumbles occasionally, but we manage living together. After all, we’re essentially the same person.]

Yes, the same person.

The Sena who aided me, and the Colin who tried killing me, were one and the same.

Truly an unfathomable, unbelievable notion when considered.

‘Though I suppose my own reincarnation into this very novel is just as unfathomable.’

From the prolonged tension of preparing the wedding and surprise, my limbs felt numb.

“Ah… I should rest a bit here.”

I lay down on the ground as I was.

Contrary to my expectation of hardness, the surface felt soft and cozy like cotton candy.

“This isn’t heaven, right? You’re not tricking me into thinking this is a dream, are you?”

[Always the victim of trickery, aren’t you? Yes, this is a dream.]

“Sena, can I ask you something?”

[Ask me anything. Time is no issue for us.]