Temple of the Demon Lord of Wishes - Chapter 23: Slow Realizations

Athena, Earth’s most glamorous lone assassin and the seal bearer of the Death Goddess, met her end on her final mission. She succeeded in eliminating the world’s most powerful Mafia leader with her bare hands, but it came at the ultimate cost, her life.Or so she thought.Instead of the eternal rest she expected, Athena’s soul transmigrated into the body of Athena Demerin, a rising celebrity in the Interstellar Era of the Andromeda Galaxy. As the cherished granddaughter of the Northern Duke on planet Asenus, the original Athena had strived to carve out her own path to stardom without leaning on her family’s immense power. But ambition came with a heavy price. She died from exhaustion… or so the official story claimed. The truth? Someone orchestrated her death.Now, the new Athena has inherited not only this body but its unresolved mysteries. Determined to unravel the secrets behind the original Athena's death and fulfill her dreams, she must also navigate a world of fame, family legacies, and interstellar intrigue.But life throws her another curveball, a marriage to Major General Mors Jericho, the galaxy’s most brilliant young warrior. Revered by millions, he is admired for his strength, intelligence, and commanding presence. Yet beneath the surface of this union lies a web of secrets that could shift the balance of power across the galaxy.As she uncovers the truth behind the forces conspiring against her, Athena must confront her own feelings about Mors.Can a marriage built on duty transform into love? Or will her husband turn out to be her greatest adversary?Will she follow her heart, carve her own destiny, or succumb to the shadows of her past?

[COMPLETE] Can a royal Romeo and Juliet find their happy ending?

Ayleth, Princess of Zenithra, is secretly trained in hand-to-hand combat, and collects swear words she doesn't know how to use. During the Festival of Peace, in which every royal son on the continent will be at the castle for a month, she is instructed by her parents to find a husband. Yet, Ayleth has never even been kissed—until the very first ball, when she meets the man in the Lion mask.

Etan is a seasoned warrior, and the Prince of Summitras. He attends the Festival hoping to find a powerful wife who will help him conquer the dark sorcery of their bloodsworn enemies, the Kingdom of Zenithra. But at the very first ball, he discovers the masked woman who captures his heart is the Heir to the evil empire.

Ayleth and Etan face an impossible battle. Will their love survive? Or will their parents' dark dealings keep them apart forever?

[Mature content. No sexual violence.]

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“You…” She stepped back. Then back again, her mouth dropped open. “You… You cannot be…”

“I am,” Etan said, and his hair raked back as he pushed his mask off his handsome face. So handsome her heart raced.

His hair was ebony black, his skin a warm brown that threatened to fade in in the winter months. He stared at her with glittering green eyes, over high cheekbones and a noble nose, his jaw tight and shadowed this late in the day. His chin was high over the pillar of his neck that she’d just touched with its hard lines and steel strength, so different to her own. And his chest... She gasped and covered her eyes. She’d humiliated herself revealing her stupid, childish curiosity.

“No, Ayleth. This changes nothing.”

“How can you say that? It changes everything!” She was horrified to realize she was crying.

“Ayleth, please.” His voice cracked on the plea and she stared at him, shoving her mask up and off, despite how it would pull her hair out of the beautiful twist the maid had managed for her.

His eyes locked on hers and she couldn’t think. She couldn’t breathe.

She had met her One. And he was the son of her bloodsworn enemy.

She stared at him as he stepped forward again, offering both hands, palm up. “Touch me,” he whispered. “Hold my hands. This is real, Ayleth. I don’t know how it happened, but this is real. Please don’t deny it.”

She couldn’t resist. She raised a trembling hand to his cheek, letting her palm catch on the scruff of his jaw. He blew out a breath and put his hand over hers, and that jolt that happened whenever they touched shivered through her again.

“Please, Ayleth.”

“I cannot deny it,” she whispered.

The pessimistic and negative daughter of a concubine living in the ancient times thought – since life is so difficult, why should one invest serious effort in struggling to live?

The life of an ancient noble woman is often determined and controlled by her family. Moreover, one’s actions often implicate one’s entire family – thus, it is fairly common to see an unexpected calamity result in suffering borne by one’s whole family. Managing to live a good and successful life while retaining one’s dignity is simply too difficult to achieve.

Ah, living in the ancient times is simply too dangerous – we should all just sleep till we die.

The world has changed into something like a game.

It resembles a survival virtual reality game where people were attacked by zombies and monsters.

And I was the last user of that game.