Revenge,The Duke's Romantic Journey

Tick tock. The sound of tiny drops of blood echoed through the silent temple. A man in a tuxedo walked down the long, narrow corridor and stopped by a pool at the end. A crucifix stood in the pool, with a woman nailed to it. Tick tock. The man bowed respectfully, "Duke Castilla, you should go to the stake now." Tick tock. The man's face was hidden in the shadows, "Or, if you're not willing..." The woman lifted her head. To the man's surprise, her uniquely beast-like red eyes were still bright and fierce. This was a dangerous woman. Almost the entire empire knew this - her cruelty, her power, her iron will. People had forgotten her original name, which was too feminine and too ordinary. They only spoke her name with fear in their voices - "The Duke." "That Duke." In fact, the empire had only one Duke. But after all, she was still a woman. In order to marry her beloved prince, she had given up her power and willingly ceded her territory... the man thought, with a sarcastic smile on his lips. He extended his hand, as if offering an invisible olive branch of fate, "Come, if you're not satisfied..." "You seem to be thinking of something disgusting," the Duke interrupted, her voice much lower than that of an ordinary woman due to dehydration. "No matter what you're thinking..." the man's smile grew wider, "I know you're not satisfied with your pride..." Noble, beautiful, and the only female Duke in the empire, the Duke cleanly interrupted him, "Get lost." The man's smile disappeared from his face. The Duke pursed her lips and spat out a mouthful of blood. The b****y spittle drew a beautiful parabola in the air, flew over the pool, reached the edge of the pool, and landed on the man's polished shoes. "Smack." The man looked at the spittle on his shoes, trembled for a moment, and suppressed his sudden anger. "You see, I'm just here to offer you a chance... You are such a great Duke, but you have been brought to such a point by a beloved man... Don't you feel unwilling?" "Oh, of course I'm unwilling," the Duke spoke with a kind of rough and tough aura, "But I want to break the p***s of that pansy prince. What does that have to do with you?" The man was stunned. Because of her vulgar and shocking words. "Isabella!" he shouted, "I'm here to give you a chance, don't..." "Oh?" the Duke was a little surprised to be called by her real name, but then she sneered, "So you're not an ordinary guy? You're the head of that large-scale pyramid scheme organization?" "It's a temple!" The man couldn't maintain his elegance anymore, "I'm here to save you in the name of the gods!" Isabella tilted her head. Although her hands and feet were nailed to the cross, she looked relaxed when she made this gesture, "The gods?" "Yes, Isabella, I am a god, and the gods are willing to give you a chance to start over..." The man adjusted his black bow tie, trying to regain his elegance with this gesture, "Aren't you unwilling? Do you want revenge? But your body has passed the best time to accumulate strength, it's full of holes, you're locked up here, and you're about to be sent to the stake..." A man who claimed to be a god glanced over Isabella's b****y legs and said, "I can give you a new life. You will have a young and healthy body, a wealthy and complete family, and a beautiful and lovely appearance... In short, I can give you a rebirth that any woman has ever dreamed of. And you will stand at the pinnacle again and take revenge on those who have ever mistreated you..." Isabella didn't say anything. "The so-called price is just a small promise. When you reach the top, you must help me accomplish one thing..." The man finally cleared his throat. His face still buried in the shadow, the mocking smile returned to his mouth. "Dear Isabella, you should make a decision now. Come on, reach out to me." Rebirth? If she had to use someone else's body to show off and be arrogant, the Castilian Duke might as well go to hell. Of course, revenge had to be taken personally, even if she had to drag her broken body back from hell... The stake, so what? She promised that she could still curse those bastards until the last moment before she was burned to death. So the Duke sneered at the god and said, "f**k you." He spat another mouthful of blood accurately, which happened to fall into the man's outstretched palm. - "You don't know what's good for you!" Before Isabella fell into a coma due to excessive blood loss, the last thing she saw was the twisted face filled with anger. She used her last strength to make a provocative laugh, "What do you care, you damn god?" [Empire, capital city, Pencest Market Square, 12:00 noon] A huge altar had been erected in the center of the square, made of frame wood and iron pipes. The Duke's tin crucifix, which would melt along with the stake, was surrounded in the middle-the liquid tin would block the Duke's mouth and nose, ensuring that after her complete death, the remaining bones would be coated with a beautiful silver-white color-which was requested by the imperial princess. It was said that the criminal was "unpleasant to the eye" when she was alive, and the kind princess allowed her to dress herself up after her death. The common people had never seen the true face of "that Duke," but that didn't prevent them from describing her as a terrifying figure with a cleft lip and blind eyes in rumors. After hearing about this decision, everyone praised the princess for her nobility and kindness. An odd iron device, shaped like a rooster's beak, was linked to the outside of the altar-this was the charging port for coal and other fuels, which would promote sufficient combustion during the execution process. To this, the Crown Prince fondled his golden cloak and said, "The empire is now one of the top steam powers on the continent. We can't afford to waste our precious kerosene on a mere criminal... She should be grateful for the king's mercy. Accelerating the burning process won't be too painful." The common people gave sympathetic glances in agreement. Everyone knew that the Crown Prince had almost been bewitched by that vicious Duke and almost entered the holy wedding hall with her-oh my god, she was such a terrible person, and yet the Crown Prince could still have such kindness towards her? But those in power knew the truth. Their opponents knew the truth too. They whispered and sneered, hiding behind their jewel rings and embroidered fans-"They are afraid." "They must be very afraid." "Haha, using liquid tin and accelerating combustion... they are doing their utmost to ensure that she will die completely." "No need for that. Can that woman really climb out of hell?" "Shh! Do you want her to come back?" "...Hiss." In short, ignorant commoners, power-hungry rulers, and executioners with lingering fears-all gathered here with an urgent desire to kill the same person. "Has she not arrived yet?" On the high platform, the Crown Prince paced back and forth, anxiously asking his attendant, "Didn't you send someone to bring her here more than ten minutes ago?" The attendant advised helplessly, "Your Highness, please be patient. That is the deep and tortuous underground temple with dozens of mechanical locks sealing the only exit and imperial guards stationed there... she won't be able to escape." The Crown Prince twisted his thumb anxiously. He now looked like an irritable mouse. "I know, I know-I'm just asking!" He shouted, "Of course, I know that she’s unlikely to escape! That-what you said...you're sure, right? Nothing will go wrong, right?" "Shut up." A soft, tender voice sounded, causing the Crown Prince to freeze in his tracks. The imperial princess, hidden behind the veil on the high platform, sweetly spoke, "Brother, you're such an unreliable waste. That woman isn't a demon, she can't escape. Now, put on your perfect demeanor, sit stably on the chair and wait - don't act like an anxious mouse." The Crown Prince hesitated for a moment before sitting back down on the chair steadily. His attendant let out a sigh of relief and hurried down the stage to prepare tea for his now-calm master. The prince spoke in a low voice, "You don't understand. I have truly been with her... That woman, she can do anything, you can't imagine what I've been through!" The princess's voice remained light and sweet, "Oh, I don't understand, brother. After the mission ended, you always described her as a monster with fangs and a tail, not an ordinary woman." The prince's face twisted for a moment. He clenched his fists and struggled for a while before finally speaking like he was swallowing feces, "Actually, in terms of appearance alone, she's not considered ugly..." At this moment, there was a shocking commotion among the commoners in the square - "Hey! Look! Look at the sky!"