12 O'Clock Marionette - Chapter 32

In this latest work by Lord of the Mysteries author, Cuttlefish That Loves Diving, be prepared for a well-thought out and detailed apocalyptic, cyberpunk world with a setting superseding Lord of the Mysteries!

In the land of the Xia Kingdom, every human being is born with what is known as a ‘resonance’, either to a specific element or a powerful, mythical beast. Unfortunately, Li Luo was born with an incredibly rare condition known as a blank resonance – as the name suggests, he doesn’t have one! Normally, this would be utterly crippling, but at least he has the advantage of being the young master of the mighty House Loulan, one of the five Great Houses of Xia. Unfortunately, his parents, the powerful masters of House Loulan, have gone missing for many years, and the other Great Houses are beginning to eye their holdings quite hungrily. For that matter, plenty are also eyeing his talented, beautiful childhood friend and fiancee Jiang Qing’e, who has been leading House Loulan in his parents’ stead! Li Luo would much rather keep a low profile and wants to call off the engagement – but Jiang Qing’e has flatly refused. What’s a ‘useless young master’ to do?

The jeers followed her like a persistent shadow. “Murderer!” the crowd screamed, their faces contorted in a grotesque parody of the adoration she once commanded.Just months ago, they had screamed her name, their voices a deafening roar as she shimmied across the stage, a beacon of light and pop perfection. Now, their cheers had morphed into venomous hisses, their eyes burning with a hatred that chilled her to the bone.Noelle clutched her lawyer's arm, his face a mask of grim determination. The cameras flashed, capturing her every move, every tremor of fear. The headlines screamed: “Pop Princess Plummets: Noelle Accused of Murder.” The irony wasn't lost on her. Her life, once a carefully constructed fairytale of fame and fortune, had become a grotesque tragedy.The trial was a circus. The whispers, the sneers, the relentless scrutiny – it was a constant assault on her senses. Her once loyal fans, the ones who'd plastered her face on their bedroom walls, now reveled in her downfall. They devoured every salacious detail, every whispered accusation, every tear she dared to shed.The verdict was a foregone conclusion. Guilty.Noelle watched the judge pronounce the sentence, her mind a whirlwind of disbelief and despair. Death by lethal injection.‘At least they did not give me the electric chair’ she thought to herself in a poor attempt at humor.Months later, a solitary figure knelt at her grave, the wind whipping at his hair. Rain lashed down, mirroring the tears that streamed down his face.“I'm sorry, Areum,” he sobbed, his voice hoarse with grief. “I'm so sorry I was too late.” He clutched a single, wilted rose, its petals stained crimson, a poignant reminder of the life that had been brutally extinguished.Noelle is a bright star who has the world at her feet, she feels no guilt about being the other woman coming between a husband and his wife. After all, Evan had been in love with her since they were teenagers. The only reason he married Ma-Ri was because his family demanded it, if he had a choice he would surely have picked her…When she gets wrongfully accused of murdering Ma-Ri, she loses everything and is sentenced to death, everyone including Evan turn against her and she is left to die a miserable death.She is reborn and this time she faces the humiliation of being the woman who is being cheated on. She is determined to end the cycle and not let the future she had seen come to pass, she decides to step out of the picture and focus on her career.In doing so, everything changes, Evan clings to her and refuses to let her go, a mysterious stranger who has been studying her also steps in and decides to fight for a chance to be with her.

“I will let you be on top from tonight, please don’t divorce me, darling!”-----Evelyn’s fairytale life shattered when a stranger stormed in, claiming to be the real daughter of the Wright family with proof. Her enviable privileges? Stripped away. Her spotless reputation? Tarnished. Her four-year engagement? Abruptly annulled.But the worst betrayal came from her once-loving father, all set to marry her off to settle a business score—with a man twice her age!Everyone in the circle attended this scandalous wedding, eager to witness the downfall of the supposed fake heiress. Yet, the climax was not what even Evelyn had anticipated!Zevian Reign, the nation’s richest tycoon, known for being every woman’s fantasy and the nightmare of all his rivals, made a dramatic entrance. His arrival stunned the guests, but his brazen wish was even more startling! He casually demanded to replace the groom and marry the beautiful bride.No one dared to challenge, nor did anyone have the guts to disobey him. They were left with no choice but to watch the wedding unfold.And it was Evelyn’s time to smirk, for she was now the devil’s wife. And all those who had ruined her, they would pay back in tenfold!++++[Excerpt]“Why would I ditch my husband for a loser?” Evelyn chuckled, crossing her arms defiantly. “He is better than him in all the aspects.” Her gaze drifted to her ex-fiancé nearby, and she continued with a smirk, “Actually, a lot better in bed.”As Annabelle’s face flushed with disdain, Evelyn patted her back and leaned in to deliver another slap. “So, good luck with licking my leftovers, dear step-sister. He's a perfect match for you.”