When Remesis saw this girl — everything inside her trembled. This meeting was impossible to predict. Like snow falling in the middle of July, the appearance of this person was just as unexpected. Remesis froze, unable to tear her gaze away, and having no idea what to do now.

  The unexpected visitor to the Temple turned out to be a noble lady who, despite her youth, already seemed quite adult. She had chestnut hair and a pair of green eyes. Thin lips and a small mole at the corner of her right eye. The uniform of a senior servant of the Astrological Order fit perfectly on her slender figure, emphasizing her proud posture.

  Iliana Alseid.

  The elder sister of Gardenia.

  For some reason, looking at her, Remesis had no doubt that it was her. Perhaps a sixth sense? Or did those green eyes, like emeralds, seem too familiar to her?

  In any case, they now stood face to face. A pair of blue and green eyes inevitably met.

  After the initial confusion, irony crept into the depths of the girl's thoughts. "What a meeting... Indeed. Life itself arranges far more incredible twists than all the world's best playwrights."

  Although they had never met in her past life, Remesis certainly knew her. Or rather, her family. After all, the heiress of one of the four pillars of the empire, whom Katrina was supposed to marry in the future, was Iliana Alseid. The eldest daughter of the head of the Astrological Order.

  Simply put, the girl was now talking with her future "sister-in-law."

  Remesis frowned slightly. Remembering her hatred for her older sister, she certainly wanted nothing to do with her family. But, as it happened, they were connected not only by that. Besides the direct familial tie, Remesis had come to know this family for another reason.

  The person who had caused quite a stir in the North in her past life was Iliana's younger sister.

  Once, in Remesis's eyes, the cursed princess was merely a soulless monster, incapable of sincere emotions. However, everything changed when she appeared in her life.

  Gardenia Alseid, the youngest daughter of the head of the Astrological Order. Their unexpected acquaintance occurred about a year before Remesis's death. As everyone around said, it was love at first sight.

  In an incomprehensible way, the precious daughter of the greatest cult found herself in the North without protection. There, she almost fell victim to monsters, if not for the incredible coincidence that Asil happened to be nearby and saved her. Thus, their chance encounter blossomed into a passionate affair.

  Rumors of this spread through the North like wildfire. And Remesis, living in the very epicenter of these rumors, Fortress Nord, of course learned of it firsthand. And at first, she couldn't believe her ears.

  That a woman known as a murder-obsessed maniac had saved someone? Remesis thought these rumors might refer to a different Asil, but certainly not the one she knew. Because it was more in her nature to throw the unfortunate person into the clutches of demonic creatures herself, to watch it as an amusing spectacle.

  Besides... Love? Could that word even apply to someone like her?

  Thus Remesis thought for a long time. Until the talk about her wife's affair continued to blaze like fire, engulfing everything around. The Northerners were as bewildered by what was happening as she was. "The Northern Devil, who holds the entire empire in fear, fell in love?! Is that even possible?"

  Many people wondered just how incredible this lady was, who had managed to tame the most dangerous wolf in all the North. And those who managed to see her were left stunned.

  They said the youngest daughter of the head was more beautiful than any flower. Those who saw her just once immediately understood — how exactly she had managed to captivate their heartless princess at first sight.

  Reasoning about beauty as a possible pretext for Asil's love threw Remesis into even greater confusion. Because as far as she knew, the princess had never paid attention to others' appearance. She was interested neither in works of art, nor poetry, nor anything else people were accustomed to admiring. Simply put, the princess was far from the concept of "the beautiful." Before her eyes, Asil had killed many beautiful girls and youths. To her, they were nothing more than bags of flesh and bone.

  So all this was very strange.

  Moreover, the very possibility of their love was even more dubious.

  Never mind Asil, whose motives Remesis still couldn't fathom no matter how hard she tried. But what about Gardenia? How could the daughter of such a respectable family take notice of a bloodthirsty killer? Especially when there should be no shortage of worthy candidates around.

  Halias Alseid, the head of the Astrological Order, had two daughters. The elder, Iliana, was his heiress and was being prepared to become the next head. She was known as an intelligent and perceptive girl, easily absorbing any knowledge. In other words, an exemplary daughter who had to mature early and upon whom all the family's hopes rested.

  The younger Gardenia, in turn, was her complete opposite. From childhood, the girl had known no refusals. The charming little one was loved not only by her family but also by those around her. In addition, Gardenia was a late child, born when Halias was already old. For this reason, he loved and protected her even more.

  Gardenia was forbidden to leave the central tower or go anywhere without an escort.

  She grew up like an indoor flower, with a strict daily routine and every step monitored. Therefore, her meeting with Asil was probably like a breath of fresh air for her.

  Because for the Devil of the North, no rules existed.

  A girl who had lived her whole life under guardianship and excessive control finally managed to break free. One could say it was teenage rebellion and first love rolled into one. Gardenia fell recklessly in love with Asil. And she reciprocated her feelings.

  This affair undoubtedly shook the entire empire.

  The daughter of the Supreme Astrologer and the girl cursed by the star of death. Is there a more insane romance in the world? They were as different as earth and sky. If Gardenia was blessed and showered with love from birth, then Asil, in turn, was persecuted and despised. Two people from different worlds, who were never meant to meet.

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  A special role in this story was played by the fact that it was Halias, Gardenia's father, who had made that fateful prediction for Asil... Usually, the Supreme Astrologer did not concern himself with such things and was only busy managing the organization. However, the imperial family was an exceptional case. For members of the royal dynasty, the head of the order always personally selected horoscopes.

  And the girl whom he had christened "devil" with his own hands at birth subsequently began dating his daughter... Wasn't that the irony of fate? Of course, learning of this, Halias was resolutely against it. He repeatedly locked up his daughter, sent people to bring her back, but the stubborn girl kept escaping...

  Remesis found it hard to understand what Gardenia saw in Asil that she even dared to defy her father's will. After all, until then, the girl was known for her good reputation. No matter how you looked at it, they were not of the same ilk. In the end, after much thought, Remesis arrived at only one conclusion.

  There existed a special type of personality in the world, who fell in love with serial killers, rapists, and other "dark underbellies" of society. Such people were usually called possessors of the savior syndrome. They sincerely believed that the person everyone called a soulless monster wasn't like that at all, and only they knew what they were really like...

  Many rumors said that Asil was so often absent from the castle not only because of the war, but also because she spent time with her beloved. Many witnesses became witnesses to their "secret" rendezvous. One could say they didn't even hide. For any person, such open infidelity by a spouse would be a real humiliation. However, Remesis perceived Asil's infidelity without hysterics and even felt something like relief.

  No, she was overjoyed.

  Maybe now she would finally be able to get a divorce? Remesis had no objection to ceding her place as Princess of the North to Gardenia and being the first to sign the divorce papers. Even if Asil threw her out of the castle without leaving her a single shilling, she would have no complaints. The main thing — was to escape from this monstrous place.

  The servants of the northern castle shared the same opinion. Compared to the sweet and noble Gardenia, who also held high status, Remesis in their eyes was merely a pathetic wretch. An insignificant girl who hid in her room all day and did nothing. Why, one might ask, did they need such a Princess Consort?

  The mistress of the northern castle, who didn't even know how many people worked in her domain. An idiotic nonentity. Such was Remesis in the eyes of everyone around. People didn't understand why the princess continued to keep such a useless consort and hadn't thrown her out yet.

  Therefore, the rumors of Asil's affair with the daughter of the cult head instilled hope in everyone. Living day by day in a place where everyone unanimously hated her, Remesis fell more and more into apathy. In fact, she suffered from depression for several years. And how could one not lose their mind under such circumstances?

  The only person who treated Remesis kindly was the old master, and he too had died of natural causes six months ago. Thus, the girl lost her last reason to remain in this castle. She placed all her hopes on her wife's affair with this girl.

  However, a year had passed since rumors of the relationship between Asil and Gardenia appeared, and there was still no talk of divorce...

  "Is she even planning to divorce me?" This thought made the girl seriously nervous.

  In the end, tired of waiting, Remesis decided to clarify all the omissions herself. Never before had she dared to mention Gardenia's name in the princess's presence. So one might have gotten the impression that she was unaware of either the existence of these rumors or the affair itself.

  But, the moment Remesis merely uttered the name of her wife's beloved aloud, she flew into a rage. At that moment, the girl really thought she was about to bid farewell to life. "Probably, she considers me so insignificant that I'm not even allowed to utter such an important name to her?"

  That day, after the failed conversation, Remesis was deeply depressed. She was about to return to her room and lock herself away as usual, if she hadn't accidentally noticed something suspicious in the courtyard. Foreign carriages were extremely rare in the territory of the northern residence. But she had definitely never seen this carriage before. Curious, Remesis wanted to see it with her own eyes.

  She went down to the street alone, although due to the northern climate she hated walking on foot. But this time, curiosity proved stronger. Remesis reached the very gates until, finally, she saw that very vehicle. The Alseid family crest. It was the first time Remesis had occasion to see Gardenia in person, at least from afar. After all, Asil never brought her beloved into her own domain.

  They always met somewhere on the side, but no one had ever managed to catch

  Gardenia on the territory of Fortress Nord. So, she was lucky to come out today. For Remesis, this was a rare chance to behold the one about whom she had only heard so many rumors.

  When Remesis saw Gardenia, she was involuntarily struck. This girl... Was very cute. She seemed so pure and innocent. A clear voice, like the singing of a nightingale, chestnut hair falling in waves onto her shoulders and back, and green, emerald-like eyes. This girl was dazzlingly beautiful, like nameless flowers blooming in a flowerbed.

  Beauty came in different types.

  If Remesis's appearance was refined and reminiscent of a cold sculpture, then Gardenia could be called cute. However, it was her youthful spontaneity that made people fall in love with her and become enchanted by her. Remesis honestly couldn't understand how such a lovely creature, seemingly from another world, could fall in love with Asil...

  No matter how you looked at it, this beauty was clearly worthy of better.

  More precisely, Remesis found it utterly wild how anyone in their right mind and sound memory could become interested in a serial killer who did nothing but genocide other people... It's true what they say: the thoughts of other people are a mystery.

  Meanwhile, Remesis hid unnoticed under the canopy of the stable and even stopped breathing. She only listened to the conversation.

  "...What are you doing here?" Asil carefully took Gardenia by the shoulders.

  The daughter of the order head looked at the princess with a gaze full of love and reverent awe.

  "Oh, Your Highness, I missed you so much!" Gardenia cooed. "It's been four days since we parted. All this time, I've been unbearably sad with longing for you."

  Asil smiled. And this smile was full of a tenderness that Remesis had never seen before. She looked at the girl as if she were the most precious creature in this world. And she touched her so carefully, as if she were a porcelain vase that could shatter at any second.

  Remesis was stunned, for she had never seen her like this before.

  "My little bird, I missed you terribly too," the princess said, taking a strand of her silky hair in her hand. "More than anything in the world, I want to spend every moment with you. But... How unfortunate that your father doesn't accept us. Did he lock you up again?"

  Gardenia faltered and lowered her gaze.

  "Y-yes, but I managed to escape... To see you..."

  Asil inhaled the frosty air and stared intently at her.

  "This can't go on like this," she declared firmly.

  "I... I'll talk to Father again," Gardenia muttered guiltily. "He just needs time. Sooner or later, he'll understand..."

  Asil gently touched her cheek.

  "How will he understand? The Supreme considers my existence the greatest curse. He will never allow us to be together."

  "But... What are we to do then?" the girl's eyes were wet. "More than anything in the world, Your Highness, I only want to be near you!"

  Gardenia hopefully clung to her cloak, peering into Asil's face. These were the eyes of a woman in love, ready to do anything for her chosen one.

  "Well..." Asil mused thoughtfully, continuing to caress her. "I think there's only one way out. I'll personally go and speak with the Supreme."

  "Really?" her pupils dilated.

  "Yes," Asil smiled. "I'll ask His Eminence to bless us. I promise to make you happy for the rest of your life."

  Gardenia's eyes filled with tears of happiness. She covered her mouth with one hand and tightly embraced her with the other. The princess laughed and wrapped her arms around her back.

  All this time, Remesis stood aside and couldn't tear her eyes away from this scene. It seemed to her that these feelings were truly sincere. Perhaps even a monster like Asil was capable of love. Remesis really could believe that.

  But... She didn't yet know the whole truth then.

  The day after this conversation, Asil killed Gardenia and wiped out the entire Astrological Order.