The Violet Lightning Empress Dons Golden Armor and Dotes on Her Sole Servant - The Fall of a Hero

……Where am I? She awoke in a musty darkness. Her vision was blurred, the taste of blood spreading through her mouth. The cold stone floor bit mercilessly into her bare back. Every time she moved, countless bruises and cuts screamed in protest. Where is this? Why am I in a place like this? Her memories lay sunken at the bottom of murky water. They seemed within reach if she stretched out her hand, yet slipped through her fingers the moment she tried to grasp them. The only certainty was the cold, black mass lodged deep within her chest. ——Betrayed. That emotion alone was sharp and clear as a blade. In the corner of the ceiling, a single spider busily wove its web. Old beams, shattered window glass, a thick layer of dust that seemed to reject even the moonlight. (An abandoned building... on the outskirts of the royal capital, perhaps?) Victoria slowly raised her upper body. A sharp throb pulsed in her temple. When she touched it with her fingers, a lukewarm liquid clung to them. Blood. Had someone thrown a stone at her—no, that wasn't it. "I remember now." A hoarse voice leaked from the depths of her throat. Yesterday—no, how many days ago was it—I was supposed to become the head of House Valentine. As the hero who had brought an end to the Beastman War, the Tulak Campaign, an investiture ceremony was to be held at the Selvan Palace in the royal capital of Granseid. Eight years of war. One hundred and twenty thousand dead. What had put a stop to it all was the lightning magic passed down through House Valentine. I had slain the beastman general and concluded the peace treaty. The kingdom was in a frenzy of jubilation. The territory of the Ardarv Kingdom expanded, and the beastmen were subjugated. The Luga tribe of the Tulak grasslands were now second-class citizens. And I was to inherit the ducal title and stand alongside the Four Great Ducal Houses— "...That's how it was supposed to be." What resurfaced in her mind was that cold voice. "Victoria Valentine, head of House Valentine. I hereby detain you on charges of collusion with the beastmen." Leonhart Ardarv. The kingdom's First Prince. Behind him stood all the heads of the Four Great Ducal Houses. Orcott, Grenfield, Razwell, Estrelene. Four of the five most powerful houses in the kingdom had arranged the stage to judge me as a traitor. The charge was high treason. Under the Rebellion Collective Punishment Law, the entire Valentine family was subject to punishment. Total confiscation of assets, stripping of peerage. And then— "—Young mistress." That voice came from beyond the darkness. Quiet, low, a familiar voice. At the entrance of the abandoned building stood a young man. With the moonlight at his back, his expression was unreadable. But his silhouette alone was enough. "Kuro." Kuro approached in silence. His black hair was neatly arranged as always, but a stray lock of his bangs was disheveled, falling over his sharp eyes. His narrow, dark eyes held a quiet light within the gloom. His small frame, standing at around 160 centimeters, was nonetheless lean and exuded a supple strength. The silver earring swaying on his left ear sparkled, reflecting a sliver of moonlight. "Water." He opened the mouth of the leather pouch he offered. Victoria took it in both hands and drank it down in one go. The cold water ran down her parched throat, clearing her head just a little. "Report." Kuro hesitated for a moment. His dark eyes wavered slightly. "The charges announced by Prince Leonhart are that you colluded with the beastman general and attempted to betray the kingdom. As evidence, secret letters allegedly exchanged between you and the beastmen were made public." "Fabricated." "Yes. And then." Kuro's voice dropped even lower. "The Master and Madam went to the royal castle to plead their case." Victoria's fingertips trembled faintly. "...And?" Kuro remained silent as he pulled a single scrap of paper from his breast pocket. It was an official public notice issued by the royal castle. The kingdom's crest was stamped at the top, and a red seal was pressed at the bottom. A Certificate of Execution. "A public execution, yesterday, in the Royal Capital Central Plaza." Victoria did not scream. She simply collapsed to her knees. Her long golden hair, which should have reached her waist, spread in disarray across the floor. The rich hair, once styled in vertical ringlets, was now matted with mud, sweat, and blood, a pitiful sight. Her purple gothic lolita dress was also torn to shreds and covered in filth. The light vanished from her amethyst eyes. Kuro silently held her shoulders. His hands trembled slightly, but he never let go. The silver earring on his left ear swayed again. "...I'm sorry, Kuro." Her voice was not wet with tears. Dry, cracked, yet she spoke with a trembling voice. "If I... if I had only realized sooner." "No." Kuro's voice was quiet and gentle. He was a man of few words, one who did not show his emotions. Even when Victoria commanded thousands of soldiers on the battlefield, he simply stood silently beside her. Gathering information, analyzing enemy movements, reporting only when necessary with brief words. That was the kind of man Kuro was. "The Master's final words were these." Kuro paused once. His narrow, dark eyes gazed straight into Victoria's wavering amethyst eyes. "'My daughter is a hero. Do not trust the king.'" For the first time, tears spilled from her eyes. Father—had he seen through everything? That Prince Leonhart was not pleased with the end of the Beastman War. That the wartime concessions his faction was supposed to gain had vanished because of the peace treaty. And that he feared House Valentine's military achievements would threaten the royal family's authority. "...Do you remember ten years ago?" Without even trying to wipe her tears, she stared into the distance. "When I found you at the orphanage." "There's no way I could forget." Kuro's voice seemed on the verge of fading away. "You were ten years old, and you wouldn't speak to anyone." "...Yes." "I was twelve. Before I was sent off to war, still a child." Her voice trembled, but her eyes were drying. "The moment I saw your eyes, I understood. This child has no one to protect him. So I will—" The continuation of her words was cut off as Kuro's fingers touched her hand. "...I will not leave your side, young mistress." "I won't allow you to leave." She stood up. A height of 170 centimeters. Her body was toned with lean muscle forged in war, yet it had not lost its feminine curves. Her perfect proportions—90-58-90—seemed to faintly gleam beneath her torn dress. The upper part of her left breast—the place where House Valentine's lightning crest was engraved—felt hot. "You, at least, I will protect." Those words were a vow. The same vow from ten years ago. Kuro said nothing. He simply gazed at Victoria with his narrow, dark eyes. The sharpness he showed when she spoke to others was absent now. In its place was a light like a quiet flame burning in deep darkness. He could die for her. But more than that—he feared living in a world without her more than anything else. Outside the abandoned building, a cold wind was blowing. Victoria and Kuro went out into the city to search for food. Brigant Street, in the outer ward of the royal capital Granseid. The main thoroughfare where Victoria once rode proudly in her carriage was now sunk in a gray landscape. Street vendors hawked what looked like stolen ornaments at the top of their lungs. The sound of hammering metal echoed from the weapon shop "Iron Hammer's Doran," and in front of the inn "Moon Canopy Pavilion," the well-informed landlady Lina stood chatting with a traveler. Unlike the noble district of the inner ward, the rules in this city were lax. In the commoner district of the outer ward, not only humans but also beastmen could be seen here and there. After the war, about two thousand of the Luga tribe had settled in the royal capital. They lived quietly, cowering under discrimination. "—Hey, look at that." Someone's voice rang out. "It's the Valentine girl." "Traitor." "Beastman's bitch." The voices gradually grew louder, and a crowd began to gather. These were the people Victoria had once protected and cherished. They had gathered in the royal capital from Filnage—the former Valentine territory—after hearing the king's proclamation. "Ingrate!" "Give me back my son who died in the war!" "You slept with a beastman, didn't you!" The first stone came flying. It struck Victoria's forehead, drawing blood. A second, a third. She offered no rebuttal. The hero who once commanded thousands of soldiers on the battlefield was now nothing but a traitor. In this country, under the Civil Death Declaration system, those stripped of their peerage were legally dead. No one would lend an ear to the words of a dead person. A fourth stone struck her shoulder. "—Stop it." Kuro stood in front of Victoria. His small, 160-centimeter frame spread out as if to shield her. The silver earring on his left ear gleamed as if trembling with rage. His narrow, dark eyes intimidated the crowd with an unprecedented sharpness. The fifth stone hit Kuro's back. "Kuro, that's enough." "No." Without turning around, he continued to glare at the crowd with his sharp gaze. Back at the abandoned building, Victoria silently cleaned the mud and blood from her clothes. The torn dress was no longer wearable. As she wrapped old cloth around her body, she gazed at a small wooden box placed in the corner of the room. The heirloom treasure chest, entrusted to her by her parents at the very end. "Are you going to open it?" In response to Kuro's question, Victoria nodded wordlessly. Her amethyst eyes took on a faint golden light. In response to the surge of her emotions and magical power, a lightning-like brilliance flashed for just an instant. "Father said to open it only when a crisis befell House Valentine." She opened the box. What overflowed from within was a dazzling golden radiance. Folded cloth—no, a garment made of metal—when spread out, it was a single golden bikini. An outfit consisting of a bra and panties, far too revealing. But it was no mere bikini. Its surface was engraved with ancient characters, emitting a faint, pulsating light. "...What in the world is this?" "It's a bikini." She stared at the golden radiance in silence for a while, then picked up the parchment left at the bottom of the box. 'Put this on.' That was the only note left behind. It wasn't her father's handwriting. It was likely placed there by one of her ancestors. "...Why did Father leave this?" She pondered. The treasure chest of House Valentine. Passed down through generations of family heads, but no one knew its contents. No one had ever opened it, nor was there ever a need to. They were simply told to open it only when the house faced a crisis—that was all. And now, that time had come. "I'll wear it." Kuro looked up in surprise. "...Young mistress." "There's no other way." She cast off all her clothes. The shreds of her torn dress fell to the floor. The old cloth fluttered down around her feet. Only the moonlight illuminated her naked body. A 170-centimeter frame. Toned, lean muscle forged through training. And yet, her feminine curves were by no means lost. On the upper part of her left breast, the lightning crest of House Valentine—a birthmark resembling a bolt of lightning—faintly glowed. Kuro averted his eyes. His cheeks flushed slightly. Victoria picked up the golden bikini. A cool, metallic sensation. But the moment it touched her skin, it began to heat up as if alive. She placed the bra against her chest and fitted the panties onto her hips. ——In t

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Name: The Violet Lightning Empress Dons Golden Armor and Dotes on Her Sole Servant
Author: Novelia

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