The Duke burst into the room before the head of the Guard could stop him.

He was a troubled man in his sixties, way past his prime, but his anger drove him forward.

He stopped when he noticed the injured woman on the bed.

The scene caught him off guard. Turning to the Guard, he demanded.

"Where is the Elder?! I must talk to her now."

"You stand before Lady Ghisella, the Saint, Your Highness."

He turned again, confused and skeptical, but the light of recognition flashed in his eyes.

The Elder he was looking for was ancient, even compared to him.

Although injured and in bad shape, this woman didn't look older than twenty.

Her hair was blonde with a pinkish hue, and her features reminded him of his mother.

And someone else.

Legends say the First Bride used to be a beautiful woman, but even when the Duke was born she was already past eighty.

He took a second look at her, and couldn't help but notice the similarities.

"W-what in the heavens happened?" His mouth agape, he took a moment to regain his composure then shook his head.

"It doesn't matter. I demand an answer now. Where is my daughter?!"

"Your Highness, you know she set out on an important mission." The Guard tried to calm him, but the Duke had none of it.

"Don't give me that crap. There were no troop movements, and she's gone for a week now. She's my only heir. Who even allowed her to leave Sanctuary?!"

"Your Highness..."

"Leave him be, Stern." The woman opened her eyes, no longer pretending to be asleep.

She took a good look at the two men. Both of them had purple hair and shared the same blood.

But one was a Duke, the ruler of Nordhaben, and the other a bastard of the Duke's brother, thus a nobody.

A nobody, until Ghisella found him, offering him a place in her plans.

"I'm sorry, Archibald, your daughter is dead." She was no stranger to lying than breathing.

Her youthful yet strained face showed the guilt and shame of a failed mission.

"T-that can't be." The Duke's legs almost gave out.

"It's true. The Demon Lord found out about her mission, and sent the Twelve Champions to kill her." She didn't say that she told Omega in the first place.

She no longer feared him. With the Seal wearing off that kept him beyond the Gates of Hell, she knew she had to confront him sooner or later. It was never meant to last.

And he sent his champions, rather than going for the Princess himself. The other Seal still worked, and the Demon Lord was weak. He was desperate enough to take her bait.

"How could this happen?" The Duke let the sorrow wash over him, presenting a pathetic sight. Ghisella had to suppress a smile, but she almost lost her cool.

"I never expected the Champions to break out of the dungeon. I'm sorry." She said with a shaky voice instead.

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"I sent the strongest knight to escort her, but it seems your Court Wizard turned against them too."

Now even if they somehow survived this ordeal, none of them will ever be able to return.

Not as long as the Duke is alive and hungry for revenge.

And without his heir, she'll inherit the throne, and won't have to worry about them anymore.

All his other children were bastards, so she didn't care about them.

"Why did you send her out with only one guard? You know she's the most important person in the entire kingdom." The old man was furious, but there was nothing he could do.

"My Banner is busy keeping your shaky kingdom together, Archibald. But I followed them with every gargoyle they could spare." She noted, forcing herself to be patient.

"Look what they have done to me."

"All I see is a young girl who's alive." The Duke spat. "And that's not something I can say about my precious Elizabeth anymore."

"I can feel your sorrow, and I vow to my name as a Saint, that I'll avenge your daughter. The Demon Lord will pay for this, and I eliminated most of his Champions."

This wasn't even a lie, and they disappointed her.

They had a decade to prepare to face her, and couldn't last a minute.

The only one who survived was lucky to have the Goddess of Luck on her side.

In truth, she didn't expect Alexandra's return, but things still went according to plan.

The heir was gone. And the only person who could threaten her once she reached Godhood disappeared with her.

Getting rid of Cath was a bonus.

That brute of a girl refused to join her banner. While she didn't join the nobles either, it was only a matter of time before she would turn against her.

This was the perfect opportunity to get rid of them all. And no matter how upset the Duke was, without his heir, he had to pass on the throne to her.

Who would protest against that? Against the savior of mankind, who's the legal heir anyway. And she no longer looked like she escaped the grave. Her loss could even make her a martyr.

It all worked out in the end.

"I can't believe it. If I knew this would happen, I never send Selena away to negotiate with the Demon Lord." The Duke was at the end of his rope, but hearing him, the Elder's eyes widened.

"Selena?" Wasn't that one of his bastard daughters? Why would he send her to negotiate? When did he do that? And how did the Duke even know that the seal broke?

This wasn't part of her plans. She almost gave the order to Stern to send in the knights to kill her before the Duke left her room. Could Omega use her blood too?

No, she was a bastard after all. But what were they negotiating about? And how dare the Duke send someone behind her back?

This was terrible news. She strained herself so much by making plans, that she didn't have to pretend to be beat up and tired.