As the Duke reached her, Alena was rooted in place, anticipating the worst and ready to disappear into the wall if necessary.

When he lifted his hand, her eyes widened.

But then, he simply reached for a towel that was hanging on a nearby hook.

She blinked, completely catatonic for a moment before she shut her eyes closed in embarrassment and relief.

"Good lord… Of course, he can’t! There’s no way he could see me! Why am I the one panicking when it should be the other way around?!” She scolded herself, and abruptly left the room, deciding to wait outside for a moment. She did not want to act so improperly like some peeping pervert even if she was a ghost now and even if he was the man she was going to kill!

As she waited outside his chambers, Alena couldn't help but think about the Duke's reputation.

Duke Kaztiel Donovian was renowned as the greatest warrior in the entire history of the kingdom of Claveria. The Duke's strength and battle prowess were simply legendary. He had led his troops to countless victories, conquering territories that were previously thought unconquerable. His army of loyal knights was said to be unmatched in terms of skill and strategy.

But despite his fearsome reputation, the Duke was also known for his fairness and honor on the battlefield. He never engaged in underhanded tactics or committed atrocities against prisoners of war. He always gave his enemies a chance to surrender before engaging in battle. This was why the Duke had earned the respect and admiration of his troops, the people and even Alena herself. But at the same time, he had also earned the fear of both his enemies and supposed allies, like the royal family.

In fact, the royal family held him in so much dread that the king sent him to numerous battles, hoping that he would never return. Alive.

But Kaztiel Donovian returned victorious, each time with even more glory and power than before.

The Duke had long become a revered figure in the eyes of the people of Claveria. He was hailed as the greatest hero and warrior the kingdom had ever seen, with many considering him to be a god among humans. However, to the royals, he was a still growing menace. The biggest threat to the throne and its power.

But unlike everyone else in her family, Alena had always held a deep and genuine respect for Duke Donovian. It had always bothered her that her family and many of the kingdom's officials treated the Duke as a monster just because he was invincible and had become a people's hero.

Alena didn’t know why but there was something about the Duke that made her feel like he wasn't the villain that everyone painted him to be. And despite the kingdom's officials and her own family treating him as a monstrous threat, her thoughts and feelings for him never changed. She just shared the same sentiment with the people of Claveria, who saw him as a hero and a savior.

However, the way the royal family was treating him made Alena think that one day, the Duke could eventually become the ruthless villain that they feared he would become.

Alena adored Claveria and cherished the kingdom and its people above all else. She had strongly believed that her father and siblings were on a path that could lead to the destruction of the peace in this kingdom she loved so much.

And so, she made the decision to marry the Duke instead, proposing the idea to her father. She convinced him that they needed to keep their enemies closer and that marrying the Duke would be the best way to ensure peace in the kingdom. Alena made a solemn promise to her father that she would do whatever it took to prevent the Duke from carrying out his alleged plans to usurp the throne.

To her surprise, her father, the king, agreed almost too easily. Alena couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy, as she had expected him to initially resist the idea. However, she didn't think too much about it. She was determined to make this work. She would use her marriage as a way to keep a closer eye on the Duke, if that’s what it takes to prevent the destruction of the kingdom she loved.

Alena never dared to expect anything more than a political alliance from her marriage with the Duke. She knew that there was always a possibility that the Duke might never develop any feelings for her, and the same could be true for her. However, she was determined to treat him with respect and honor as the hero he was and as her husband, regardless of whether their marriage would remain loveless or not. Because there was only one thing she had wanted. If she could keep the peace in this kingdom and keep it from falling to ruin, that was more than enough for her. It was her hope that through her marriage to the Duke, she could prevent any potential future destruction and save the kingdom from tearing itself apart.

But it turned out that she was wrong—so wrong to believe that the Duke wasn't the villain and monster that her family always portrayed him to be.

A bitter smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she returned inside the Duke’s room.

Once she stood by the duke’s bed, she stared down at his sleeping, handsome face. “Tell me, Duke Donovian. Why must you kill me? If you did not wish to marry me, you should have declined the proposal of marriage or even completely ignored it as you normally do.”

She took a shaky deep breathe and then her dagger suddenly appeared in her hand. She gripped it tight as emotions flooded her eyes.

When the Duke remained motionless in his sleep, she clenched her jaws and continued, “But instead, you ordered my assassination. I thought of you as this Kingdom’s hero… respected you genuinely with all my heart…” She trailed off. Her eyes glinted with anger as she recalled all those times she had tried to reason out for the Duke, subtly defending him even. Now she realized how naive she had been.

“Answer me, Duke. Why must you kill me?”

When he remained unmoving and seemingly fast asleep, Alena smirked sardonically. “Well... You can't hear me right now, so there's no use in asking. I suppose my only option at this point is to wait until we are both ghosts before asking you again.”

She leaned in closer to the Duke's sleeping form and whispered, "I won't go down without a fight. Even as a ghost, I will make sure that justice is served and that you pay for what you've done."

Alena lifted her dagger. “You have brought this upon yourself, Your Grace. A debt must be paid, and the scales of justice demand nothing less than an eye for an eye.”

Just as she pointed her dagger towards his heart, the Duke's eyes snapped open.