Underneath the Silhouette - Chapter 70: Close Call

We have all heard the legends of great wizards, but do we know how those stories begin? Ardan Egobar, a young man living in a remote corner of the New Monarchy Empire, does not. He doesn't realize that this story is about him. Not yet...In a world where steam locomotives chug along iron rails, where massive airships hover in the skies, where in the cities you might encounter orcs in suits involved in organized crimes, dwarves with cigars controlling major banks, or elves strutting down fashionable boulevards, where humans have built vast nations on the brink of a world war, almost anything seems possible.Maybe, in such a world, even an ordinary young man, the last of the mountain hunters, might one day become the greatest wizard in history.

“These are my conditions. You have to agree upon them before we can get married.”“Accepted. Each one of them is accepted. Any more conditions, soon to be wife?”“Yes, I want your help to destroy my jerk of an ex-boyfriend.”A sly smile appeared on the lips of the men sitting opposite her.“With pleasure.” How could he let his competitor stay unharmed? He would be having his own fun in destroying the man who had made him taste vinegar a lots of times.“Something as?”Before she could even shake her head, he stood up from his seat and held her hand. “Let's go.”“Where are we going?”“Civil affairs bureau. Any time later and it will be closed.”Xin Mei looked at the man with wide eyes, and before she could comprehend, she was sitting in civil affairs bureau with a marriage license in her hand.****Xin Mei woke up from coma after 3 weeks of long sleep. She faced a brutal reality like every other female lead; her boyfriend was cheating on her with her best friend. Feeling vengeful, she decided to have her revenge.It's payback time.“She snatched my boyfriend; I will snatch her career from her.”“He rejected me. No problem. I will find a more handsome man than him.”“His father made my father beg; now I will make him beg.”And who will help her? Su Yuchen!Su Yuchen believed that a person can fall in love only once and he had already fallen in it. His belief was broken badly when he met Xin Mei. After tasting a lot of vinegar, he could not wait for another second to make her his wife. He could not lose his second inning in love.

Alex Jin was just another overworked nobody until a truck crash sent him into the body of Valerian Nightshade—the cold-blooded villain from a popular fantasy novel. Destined to die early as the stepping stone for the “hero,” Valerian was powerful, rich, and feared… but ultimately doomed.That is, until the Villain Evolution System activated.Now, every villainous act rewards Alex with unimaginable power. Crush a rival? +100 Strength. Manipulate a noble house? Unlock a rare bloodline. Kiss the heroine meant for the hero? Well... let’s just say the rewards aren’t all measured in stats.To survive, Alex must outwit plot armor, bend fate, and ascend to the throne of power in a world that expects him to lose. But the deeper he goes, the more he realizes—being the villain might be the only way to save this twisted world.This time, the villain won’t die early. He’ll rewrite the story, one ruthless step at a time.

Princess Anastasia of Orsenia is regarded as the kingdom’s treasure. However, she carries a heavy secret— she is diagnosed with an incurable illness. She is fated to die before she turns 18.

For years, her parents desperately searched for a cure but to no avail. That is, until a mysterious letter arrives, claiming that the only way Anastasia can escape her cruel fate is to send her to a monster:

King Caspain, the ruler of Sorvando, a vampire kingdom.

The letter prophesizes that Anastasia will live, only if she makes that bloodthirsty King fall in love with her. However, Anastasia knows it’s nearly an impossible task. Sorvando is filled with dangers. And she is only but a weak human.

Yet, her will to live won over her fear. No matter how cruel the king may be, Anastasia will still try to win his heart.

Now, if only she can keep her own heart from falling for him as well.

***

[Excerpt]

“Cas-pian…”

And he looked back to see that she was biting her lower lip as though she greatly enjoyed that kiss.

He smirked again and whispered in his deeply seductive voice, “I like my name even more ever since I started hearing it from your beautiful lips. And I like it even further when you say it in that hushed tone.”

Anastasia had no idea what Caspian was hinting at yet.

So he dropped some more hints, “Wife, weren’t you asking me what the first night meant? Let me show you.”