Chapter 4
Seraphine patted my face. "Isabella, do you think it's been easy for me? I've been putting on this act for three years."
My whole body was trembling, not from fear, but from hatred.
It was a kind of hatred I'd never felt before. It made me want to rip her to shreds.
I lunged at her.
But the chains jerked me back, the runes searing into my flesh.
I let out a furious roar, just an inch away from her.
She sat in her chair, clearly enjoying the show as she watched me struggle. "Isabella, there is no need to struggle."
She reached inside her clothes and pulled out a small bottle.
Inside was a brown liquid, with white smoke rising from it.
"This is the real poison, the one you were supposed to make me drink before, the one that would have destroyed my face." She uncorked the bottle.
An acrid, sour smell instantly spread through the air.
A single drop of the liquid burned a small hole in the floor.
"Let me help you 'cleanse' that face," she said, grinning as she walked over. "Since everyone in the kingdom already thinks you're a monster, why not make you look like one?"
Seraphine gripped my chin.
I gritted my teeth.
Her fingers dug into my cheeks, trying to force my mouth open. "Open your mouth."
"Come on, Isabella." She forced the bottle against my lips.
The sour fumes burned their way down my throat.
"Seraphine?" Alaric's voice suddenly came from outside the iron gate.
She froze.
Then she quickly stuffed the brown bottle back into her sleeve.
She wiped away her tears and turned around. "Your Highness." Her voice trembled. "I was trying to convince Isabella to admit she was wrong."
Alaric pushed the door open and came in.
He noticed the finger marks on my chin, the blood smeared across my cheek, and Seraphine's eyes, red and swollen.
"Seraphine!" He hugged her tightly, worry in his voice. "Why are you so stubborn? She's already this vicious, and you still come here."
Seraphine was sobbing uncontrollably, sniffling between breaths. "I-I just wanted her to come to her senses and repent."
She peeked out from Alaric's embrace, shooting me a look from behind his arm.
She shot me a sly wink.
*****
The next morning, an execution platform was set up right outside the dungeon.
It wasn't a gallows or a guillotine, but a teleportation circle glowing with blue light.
Seraphina was weeping at our father's feet. "Father, please, spare Isabella's life!"
Duke Sterling kept his eyes closed.
Alaric stood beside the teleportation circle.
"Isabella," he said, fixing his gaze on me. "Seraphine begged for your life, and out of mercy, I will spare you from death.
"You are to be banished to the Abyss of Oblivion, the Black Forest."
The nobles watching drew a sharp breath, as no one who entered the Black Forest ever came out alive.
It was crawling with venomous beasts, poisonous fumes, treacherous swamps, and vengeful spirits left behind by forbidden curses.
It was even more terrifying than a death sentence.
Death was quick, just one slash. But if someone were thrown into the Black Forest, they would be devoured over time.
Seraphine threw herself at me, sobbing her heart out as she clung to my legs. "Isabella, you have to survive!"
Her tears splashed onto my shoes.
She looked up, got right up to my ear, and hissed under her breath. "The monsters in the Black Forest are so much kinder than I ever was.
"Oh, and as for Father ditching you so quickly? That was my doing. I had the master of forbidden spells work his magic. Now, every time he sees your face, he feels sick to his stomach."
She straightened up, her eyes full of tears again. "Take care, Isabella!"
The guards shoved me onto the teleportation circle.
I didn't resist.
I locked eyes with Seraphine.
I seared her face and every word she'd spoken into my mind.
Alaric waved his hand.
Then the teleportation circle flared to life.
With one last look, I saw Father turn his head away.
He didn't even look at me.
*****
In an instant, I was deep within the Black Forest.
I crashed hard onto the ground.
A sickening crack echoed from my bones.
My shoulder was dislocated, and my left shin snapped, the white of the bone jutting out.
The stench of rotting leaves, damp earth, and decaying flesh invaded my nostrils.
Somewhere nearby, I could hear something breathing heavily.
I forced myself to look up.
I saw a demon wolf. It stood nearly seven feet tall, its three eyes glaring at me, green drool oozing from its fangs.
It let out a low growl and began to stalk toward me.
I stayed perfectly still, because I couldn't move at all.
My mind was strangely calm.
At that moment, I thought of many things: the office where I worked overtime until two in the morning, the smell from the bakery, the red neon light that always flickered outside my rented apartment window, and the morning I died at my desk.
I had thought that in this novel I had been given a second chance at life. It turned out I had only been used as a tool.
The demon wolf pounced at me.
Its claws whistled through the air, stopping just inches from my throat.
The System's voice echoed in my mind again: [Detected intense desire for revenge from the host.
[Activation conditions met.
[Story system upgrading.]
The System's voice had changed. It was no longer that clear, feminine tone. This time, it was low and cold, like metal scraping against metal. [The "Go Home" quest line has been permanently closed.
[New quest line unlocked: Revenge.
[Revenge system activated.
[Beginner quest: Survive.
[Beginner reward: A-rank healing spell, one-time use.]
The demon wolf's claws were just inches from my throat.
I lifted my unbroken arm and let out a bitter laugh.
The thought of going home suddenly felt ridiculous to me, and I laughed until my shoulders shook.
Why was I in such a hurry to go home? What was so special about that rented room of mine? In this world, people owed me their lives.
I would find Seraphina, Alaric, and my father, who would not even look at me, and I would take my revenge.
I rasped loudly.