### Chapter: 329
Flames of white like stars soared into the royal palace.
In the midst of that overwhelming scene, Sigrid, charred nearly to a crisp, sat there in shambles.
The light was fading from her eyes.
At long last, she realized one painful truth.
‘…That Abella b*tch brainwashed me using the Black Witch.’
Though Sigrid was already mentally crushed,
Even she wouldn’t act so irrationally without thorough preparation.
Yet her fragile mind had become overly susceptible to the brainwash.
The whispers had burrowed deep within her, rousing long-held grudge and fury, leading her to this very moment.
“Ha, haha, that wretched b*tch…”
Thinking of Abella made Sigrid mutter curses.
In retrospect, the only reason they had been together was due to Arthur.
Sigrid wasn’t particularly close to Abella; if anything, they were rivals.
Abella had an obsession with Arthur that was absolutely over the top.
She didn’t want Arthur looking at any other woman.
If it weren’t for Arthur’s persuasion, Sigrid would have had to fight tooth and nail for him.
‘So, she’s decided to erase me, huh?’
Sigrid knew Abella’s invasion of the Empire had motives beyond its downfall.
Her own death? Just a bonus.
She could possibly even take the Emperor down with her if luck was on her side.
Realizing this brought a hollow laugh from Sigrid’s lips.
To think her life would end like this, used until the last minute.
How utterly meaningless it was.
Tap—
At that moment, she heard footsteps approaching.
As Sigrid weakly opened her eyes, she saw dark blue hair.
Kraush dragged the blade of Rain Thunder Prime along the ground, white smoke trailing from his mouth.
He looked just like the Grim Reaper itself.
That was when Sigrid finally acknowledged her death was near.
She, who had survived until the very end through destruction,
And now, she was going to die here?
No.
That couldn’t be.
She didn’t want to die yet.
How could Sigrid Ephania die like this?
Tap—
“Hik, eek!”
Sigrid screamed and struggled, seeing the murderous intent in Kraush’s eyes.
With her charred arms and legs, she pushed against the sandy ground to escape.
But Kraush simply continued to stalk her with deliberate steps.
Sigrid dragged herself along the ground, desperate to flee.
However, her limbs had already reached their limit.
Crackle—
With a shattering sound, her burnt arm broke as Sigrid’s face met the ground.
Dust-covered and breathless, as she struggled to raise her head…
Tap—
Kraush’s footsteps halted.
Slowly lifting her head, there stood Kraush, casting a shadow with a grim expression.
She was terrified.
He looked ready to end her life at any moment.
So Sigrid laid herself low, abandoning her pride and bowing before him.
“I’m s-sorry. I-I was wrong. I-I’m just scared, that’s all…”
Kraush listened in silence as Sigrid babbled.
Minutes felt like hours.
“What did you say back then, Sigrid?”
Kraush lightly tapped his head as if recalling something.
Sigrid flinched, her heart racing in fear of what he would say.
“Oh, right. ‘You’re nothing but a trash who only knows how to steal!’ was that it? How true.”
Kraush reminded her, as if the memory had just resurfaced.
Sigrid’s face paled.
She had suspected he might remember, but now his certainty made her even more terrified.
Because she had done countless awful things to him in the past.
This time around, things were a bit better.
Though intertwined, they had little animosity toward each other.
But in the last reincarnation, Sigrid had tormented Kraush so mercilessly that even she felt her head go blank just thinking about it.
“W-What did I do back then? Ah, right! It was all because of stress! I had to become Emperor, so I had to do anything! I-I really didn’t mean it!”
“Pfft, ha, ha ha.”
Suddenly, Kraush burst into laughter.
Seeing this, Sigrid tried to force a submissive grin in response.
“Ha, no, no. Sigrid, that’s not what I’m trying to say.”
Kraush gradually stopped laughing and spoke to her earnestly.
“I’m just a trash who only knows how to steal as you said. I wanted to say that’s entirely true.”
Sigrid stared at him blankly, not quite understanding.
Why was he admitting that now, of all times?
Anxiety crept back into her mind, making her heart race.
“Because I’ve decided to steal everything from you like the trash you said.”
“What, what?”
Sigrid’s mouth dropped open in shock.
Her eyes filled with confusion.
“Beginning with your secret sword light.”
Sigrid froze in her tracks.
“I will take your sword light.”
Kraush lifted his hand.
With that, the light emanating from the Black Hood dazzled and spun before her eyes.
Sigrid felt something drain out of her body.
“Stop that!”
She screamed, recoiling in horror.
Yet Kraush didn’t cease his use of the Black Hood.
Bang!
Soon, as Kraush clenched his fist, the light vanished.
Sigrid felt an emptiness within her.
It was gone.
She had truly lost her sword light.
“No! No! Nononononono!”
Sigrid clutched at Kraush’s leg with her broken arm.
“It’s mine! The sword light is mine! I’m sorry! Please give it back! Please!”
Raving and begging, she clung to him.
Kraush looked down, gently petting her head.
“Sigrid, what’s this? The story isn’t even finished yet.”
Sigrid gazed up at him, with eyes full of tears.
“I still have much more to take from you.”
“What more?”
“Your title as a princess.”
Sigrid’s body went rigid.
She looked up at him as if trying to grasp the meaning behind his words.
Kraush smiled brightly at her.
“When this is all over, you’ll go from princess to criminal. Also, I plan to take the Empire you desperately desired.”
“The, the Empire? You, what do you mean by that?”
“You know the answer. You were the one who made Arthur the Emperor.”
Sigrid stood frozen, unable to respond.
Kraush had been observing from the sidelines as she made Arthur the Emperor.
His claim that he could become Emperor himself didn’t seem entirely far-fetched.
It was possible.
Especially for Kraush, who had reincarnated alongside her.
It was not only possible but highly probable.
“Ugh, ugh…”
Tears streamed down Sigrid’s face as if her eyes were ablaze.
Knowing her entire life would be claimed by him sent her into a panic.
“No! I’m Sigrid Ephania, the third princess of the Empire! I’m a princess!”
Clank—
At that moment, iron shackles clamped around her neck.
Those shackles bore the same effects as the ones from Mary.
Kraush had received them from Sigrid and intentionally brought them with him.
She would no longer be able to disobey any orders from the royal family.
Soon she would never be mentioned again.
The fact that a royal rebelled had to be swept under the rug.
So this incident would be chalked up to Ixion’s misdoings, and Sigrid would be locked away forever in the depths of the underground prison.
Kraush would never confront Sigrid again.
With her power as the White Dragon King forcibly burned away, she would be no different from an ordinary person after today.
Not to mention, now that her sword light was taken, Sigrid had nothing left.
A profound sense of loneliness and a nightmarish hell unfolded in her mind.
“Sigrid, from deep within the underground prison, watch as I take everything you could’ve achieved in your lifetime.”
Sigrid couldn’t respond to him.
She just gaped with empty eyes, mouth agape in disbelief.
Drip, drip—
Somewhere, there was the sound of water dripping.
Kraush looked down to see Sigrid’s skirts absorbing yellow liquid.
She had become such a mess she could no longer control her own body.
What a wretched fate.
From the day they first met until now, even after fighting together, Kraush and Sigrid had never once connected on a personal level.
Neither of them had opened their hearts to the other.
Kraush briefly gazed at Sigrid, then turned away.
“I’m glad you stayed true to yourself until the very end.”
He had taken her sword light.
And with that, their wretched ties came to an end.
In the distance, he saw the White Ghost Knights rushing over.
They must be here to clean up the mess that had unfolded.
Rustle!
At that moment, Kraush heard a sound behind him. Turning back, he saw Sigrid’s head soaring through the air.
Thud—
Sigrid’s head hit the ground and rolled away.
As Kraush’s eyes widened in shock, he noticed Siran walking over in the distance.
He glanced at Kraush and spoke.
“Sigrid Ephania boldly faced the wicked Ixion’s gang and perished heroically.”
Kraush understood the meaning behind those words.
“…You’re not leaving behind any blemish on the royal family, are you?”
The fact that Sigrid had been broken was already a tale circulating among the nobles.
Such news would tarnish the royal bloodline.
Thus, they intended to kill Sigrid and make use of the situation for the royal family.
A truly royal treatment if there ever was one.
“His Majesty the Emperor will surely reward you greatly, and wishes for a strong and stable relationship with the Empire moving forward.”
That was a word from Sizzley.
Kraush let out a brief sigh.
He had no intention of becoming enemies with the Empire.
For the future’s sake, the Empire was necessary as a buffer.
After all, disasters like Ixion and other World Erosion creatures would target the most populated areas.
He could see knights gathering to retrieve Sigrid’s head from where it rolled.
Her lifeless eyes remained blank even in death.
What a pitiful end for a princess who had reincarnated just to escape doom.
It was, in fact, a death filled with complete futility.
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