Published at 24th of January 2026 7:05 am

Chapter 1444: Let The Show Begin

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

As usual, Count Ward guided the Prince inside the two-story, lavish manor.

After making sure that Marlow had entered the private chamber, he retreated to the end of the corridor, where he waited patiently with his back resting against the wall.

The only difference this time was that Adam was present inside the manor as well.

Wearing Nilrem’s face, he stood quietly within the manor, not far from where all the action was about to take place. To ensure the deception remained flawless, he had to stay close to the illusion of Burne Ward.

In addition, he had also cast Invisibility on himself. Judging by how Osbert, who remained stationed in the basement of the manor, hadn’t discovered him, Adam was now completely certain that no one could see through his illusion magic — not even a Mana Core Magus.

And when the final act began, and the cavalry arrived, he would cast a fleeting illusion on Osbert, distorting his senses for the briefest moment, just enough for his allies to catch him off guard and strike.

From beginning to end, his role was going to be that of a bystander.

Seeing Marlow enter the private chamber, Adam’s lips curled into an expectant smile.

"Let the show begin," he murmured.

***

Marlow stepped inside the private chamber, the door closing softly behind him.

Leila was already there, waiting. She was unclothed, her posture was unguarded, and her eyes were brimming with longing the moment they met his.

"My Prince!"

As soon as she saw him, she hurried forward and wrapped her hands around him, pressing herself close. She kissed his cheeks, then his jaw, then his forehead, and finally his lips, her affection completely unrestrained, as if afraid it might slip away if she let go for even a moment.

Marlow played the part perfectly, reciprocating the untamed affection. He kissed her lips passionately for a long time. At last, when they separated, he looked into her blue eyes and said with a smile, "Leila, I’m going to do it!"

"...Do what?" The Enchantress was slightly taken aback.

"The thing we talked about. What else?" Marlow said in an eager voice, his hands sliding across Leila’s naked flesh.

The woman appeared puzzled for a moment, then her eyes went wide as saucers. "You mean—"

"Yes! Yes!" Marlow laughed out loud as he removed her necklace and her bracelets and casually threw them to the floor.

He kissed her on the neck and continued in a heavy voice, "My Father... that senile fool! He won’t live past tonight. I’ve poisoned him in small dosages. I’ll take the throne tonight!"

Leila’s eyes glinted with a cold light, but she quickly replaced them with fear. "My Prince, I know we talked about this, but isn’t this a little too..."

"I don’t care!" Marlow seemed like he was overcome by lust at the moment.

He swept her up in his arms and carried her to the wall. He then pressed her back against the wall, grabbed her hands, and pinned them above her head as his breath became uneven.

"I don’t care anymore. I just... I just want the throne and... you."

Leila’s blue eyes blazed with love, lust, and warmth. But she quickly grew nervous. "But... what about Hazel? And your mother?"

Marlow froze, his ruby eyes flashing with hesitation for a brief moment. But in the next instant, he scoffed. "Fuck them. I want you. I want all of you!"

"Oh, My Prince!" Leila’s eyes turned teary, and she couldn’t help but plant a deep kiss on Marlow’s lips.

"Yes!" she nodded. "I’ll give my all to you. I belong to you and you alone. Nothing and no one can ever come between us!"

Marlow’s heated expression gradually crumbled, and his grip around Leila’s wrists tightened.

The air around him changed. His lips parted as he coldly stated, "I must admit... you are quite skilled at theatrics."

Leila couldn’t help but frown, a foreboding feeling suddenly gripping her heart.

"...My Prince, what do you—"

But her words got caught in her throat when she saw Marlow swing his hand. Following that, hot blood sprayed across his face, yet he remained cold and unmoving.

Thud! Thud!

Leila’s pupils constricted as she glanced at the Prince’s blood-splattered face, shock dulling her thoughts. That blood... it was hers.

Slowly, her gaze drifted downward.

On the floor lay a pair of hands, cleanly cut at the wrists.

Her hands.

"Ah... AAAAHHH!!!" All color drained from Leila’s face as she screamed at the top of her lungs.

She collapsed to her knees, staring at her severed wrists with wide eyes. She just couldn’t understand what was going on. Everything was going according to plan. She had almost succeeded in turning the Prince into her puppet, so then why... why had things suddenly taken such a drastic turn?

As she gazed at her hands, all she could think of was that she would not be able to cast spells anymore! And when her attention shifted to her necklace and bracelets lying on the floor not far from her, her heart was gripped by terror.

Those were artifacts that she always had on her person. Yet, because she had let her guard down, she had allowed the Prince to take them off of her. And now she was completely defenseless!

Marlow slowly weaved a set of hand seals as he looked down upon Leila.

"Did you really think you could turn me against my family?" he asked coldly.

"Ah... no... please..." Fear clung to the Enchantress’s skin as she crawled away from him, leaving a trail of blood.

"Osbert!!" She called out desperately. "Lord Osbert!!!"

A thin strand of fire materialized between Marlow’s hands, coiling around his fingers like a living thing.

He walked up to Leila, who tried her best to escape the chambers. He caught her easily, then slowly looped the blazing cord around her neck. As he pressed his knee against her bare back, the fiery string tightened around her neck, strangling her mercilessly as her flesh was slowly burned away.

Marlow leaned forward, a murderous look in his ruby eyes.

"I knew from the very beginning what you were trying to do," he whispered in her ears as tears streaked down her face.

"Die knowing you never once held the reins."

With that said, Marlow clenched his hands and tightened the blazing cord, the fire viciously biting through flesh and bones.

***

Standing in the corridor outside, Adam’s lips curled into a faint, mischievous smirk.

"The game is afoot."

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