CHAPTER 244: A PACT BORN OF VENGEANCE [1]

In the quiet corner of the library.

Elizabeth sat at a polished wooden desk. Her black eyes were fixed on the open book before her, but her gaze wasn’t really reading the words.

She had come here like she always did, after classes, to study. As a second-year student ranked first, it was expected that she maintain her place.

Falling behind in theory would only give others a chance to catch up.

She wasn’t bad at studying. If she hadn’t put much effort into it, she would still be above average.

But she knew she had to work harder if she wanted to stay at the top. Even so, today wasn’t about studying.

She wasn’t here for formulas or historical texts. She was here because she needed to distract herself from her own restless thoughts.

The library’s stillness was soothing, the soft hum of pages turning and the occasional shuffle of footsteps giving it life.

But Elizabeth’s mind was nowhere near the books. Her eyes remained locked on the same page for what felt like hours.

Her fingers hovered over the text, unmoving. Words blurred into meaningless patterns as her thoughts spiraled elsewhere.

A week ago.

The conversation came back to her as clearly as if it had happened moments ago.

His voice.

"I want to destroy Marquess Rylan Veyl."

The words had hit her like a blade. She remembered freezing where she stood, her heart skipping, disbelief and shock flooding her senses.

Why would he say that?

Why would he want to destroy her adoptive father?

Her adoptive father.

Marquess Rylan Veyl.

A man she despised but also feared. He was clever and dangerous, wrapped in power and manipulation. He wore charm like armor and deceit like silk.

He was someone who would smile at you while planning your downfall. Someone who saw others only as tools to use, pawns to discard when they no longer served his purpose.

Elizabeth knew all this, better than anyone else. She had seen his darker side, the cold calculation behind the smiles.

She knew he would stab someone in the back if it meant gaining more influence. He never hesitated. He never cared about loyalty or morality. If someone was in his way, they were merely obstacles to remove.

But hearing that Kyle wanted to destroy him... it unsettled her.

What drove such hatred? Did he have reason? Or was it blind rage?

There had been something more troubling than the words themselves, the way Kyle’s eyes burned when he spoke.

The hatred wasn’t surface-level anger. It wasn’t general resentment or childish frustration. It was deep... personal. So personal that it chilled her.

It was the same hatred she carried toward the man responsible for her parents’ death. The same fury that burned in her chest whenever she remembered the blood-stained night that had ended her childhood.

Could it be... the same kind of wound?

Was someone dear to Kyle destroyed by her adoptive father? Had Rylan’s cruelty reached further than she ever imagined?

Her heart clenched at the thought.

A deep breath escaped her lips.

"Haa..."

For a moment, she let herself feel the weight of it, the coldness in her chest.

But then, another voice in her mind whispered reason.

’No. It was better this way.’

If they could help each other, they both had something to gain.

Elizabeth didn’t care about her adoptive father’s schemes. She knew he saw her as nothing more than a tool, a pawn to trade when it suited him.

Without her achievements and position at the academy, she would likely have been sold off to a minor noble’s son long ago. Her status was all that protected her from being discarded.

She didn’t want to waste her life trapped under his control, nor did she want to be at the mercy of his ambitions.

If Kyle truly sought Rylan’s downfall, then that was an opportunity she couldn’t ignore. Helping him destroy her adoptive father might open doors she never thought possible.

And he wasn’t asking for charity.

In exchange, he had promised to help her uncover the truth. He had vowed to stand by her, to aid her in tracking down those responsible for her parents’ deaths.

His promise sounded reckless, even impossible, but there was one thing that made it binding.

The soul contract.

Not just any contract, but one of the highest order. It wasn’t something that could be broken without grave consequences. Its terms were clear.

Elizabeth Veyl/Duvain, would assist Kyle Valemont in achieving his goal: destroying Marquess Rylan Veyl. In return, Kyle Valemont would reveal the truth about the killers of her family and assist in exacting revenge. Neither party would betray the other.

It wasn’t love. It wasn’t trust in the usual sense. It was a pact born out of necessity.

Still, the contract’s weight gave her some peace of mind.

But it wasn’t the pact that gnawed at her thoughts.

It was how Kyle would carry it out.

How did he plan to destroy someone as powerful as Rylan? What if his plan failed? What if his attempt backfired and she lost her chance at vengeance forever?

Her eyes flicked back to the page, but the letters swam before her.

He had said he would contact her.

He hadn’t yet.

What if he never had a real plan? What if everything was talk, fueled by passion but lacking direction?

A chill ran down her spine.

"Stop thinking."

Her lips barely moved as she whispered it to herself.

But the thought wouldn’t leave.

The library’s silence stretched on until a calm voice finally broke through.

"You’ve been staring at the same page for an hour now."

The words pulled her from the spiral of her thoughts.

Her eyes twitched.

She blinked, disoriented. She hadn’t realized how long she had sat there, frozen.

...It had been closer to half an hour, but it didn’t matter.

She slowly lifted her gaze.

A soft smile greeted her from the desk opposite.

There sat Zahra Sterling, her friend. Her closest companion within the academy.

With soft purple hair that fell in gentle waves and violet eyes that sparkled with warmth, Zahra always had an air of calm composure.

She came from a noble family like Elizabeth, but she didn’t carry the pride or pretension common among other nobles. She was kind-hearted, easygoing, and fiercely loyal, a friend she trusted.

"What are you thinking so deep about?"

Zahra’s tone was casual, but her eyes searched Elizabeth’s face with quiet concern.

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