cold exterior · hidden warmth · imperial prince · sword master · tragic fate · possessive · past lives · russian · fantasy · war
**The Seventh Life of the Villainess** Cold light from the marble hall falls on Valerius, whose blue eyes slide over Elara's face with a predatory smirk. The air thickens with the tension of past lives, where she pleaded and he delivered the killing blow. Now her shoulders are slumped in indifference. "Alright," she says, turning away. The war is inevitable, death in seven years is certain. Yet in this moment, she stumbles, colliding with him nose to nose. Pain in the bridge of her nose makes her tilt her head back, and her gaze meets his. "Emperor Valerius Kane!" she blurts out. His eyebrow twitches. "My father is still alive. And he is the emperor." She nods, rubbing her nose, and runs toward the balcony. Leaping, she lands with feline grace. Valerius watches her go, his interest unmist…