Irene was terrified. She instinctively wanted to scream, but as soon as she opened her mouth, a handkerchief was shoved in.

“Irene, if you dare scream, I'll slit your lover's—oh, no, your beloved husband's—throat right now.”

Irene dared not scream. She stared at the girl's face with pleading eyes.

This commotion woke Irene's husband. The moment he opened his eyes, his heart nearly stopped. Standing before him was a devilishly beautiful girl with red eyes. In her hand, she held a gleaming silver knife, the tip pointed at his vitals. A slight movement and it would pierce his throat.

This guy was much calmer than Irene. The scream stuck in his throat; he didn't dare utter a single sound.

"You two are really so loving, haha~"

Liang Lin gently patted Irene's face.

"I must say, my dear cousin, your skin has become so smooth since you became a duchess~"

The duke's voice trembled. He asked in a very soft voice, "You, who are you? I don't think I've ever seen you before. We have no grudge against each other, why would you..."

Then, he suddenly realized something, and raised his voice a little, "I know! Someone must have paid you to assassinate me! I have money, I have even more money! I have plenty of money! How much did they pay you? I'll pay double! Let me go, and I'll give you five times the money. Go and kill the person who asked you to kill me!"

"Haa~"

Liang Lin was amused.

"Oh, foolish... You're the Duke now, do you really think money is everything?"

Liang Lin held the tip of her knife against the Duke's cheek; with just a little pressure, she could slice his jaw clean.

"Blind fool, you can't even recognize me? That's truly disappointing."

Liang Lin tightened her grip on the knife, drawing a gash on the Duke's face.

 “I’ll give you a hint, Your Grace. I was killed by you on the battlefield—no, to be precise, I was poisoned by your wife.”

Liang Lin leaned closer to the Duke’s face, her eyes wide and frightening.

“You… do you remember who I am?”

“E-Eli?” The Duke’s eyes showed disbelief. He shook his head frantically in terror.

“Impossible, absolutely impossible! I killed him! And… and you’re clearly a woman…”

“I’m just living in a different body, Your Grace. What? You’re already terrified? When you killed me… didn’t you think this day would come?”

Her gaze was cold and deep, like a terrifying power from the abyss, irresistible. The Duke couldn’t look away; his whole body felt cold, as if he were in an ice cellar.

“Didn’t expect this day to come, did you?”

Beside her, Irene, with a handkerchief stuffed in her mouth, was also dumbfounded. Her body began to tremble violently. She had witnessed Liang Lin's methods of torture firsthand. The first time she saw it, she was so terrified that she lay in bed with a high fever for days. The man's heart-wrenching screams still lingered in her mind.

"Eli... Eli," the duke stammered, forcing a fawning smile, "Eli, I'm a duke now. I can give you anything you want. You... you want as much money as you want, I can give you anything."

"Oh?"

Liang Lin raised an eyebrow, finding his words laughable.

"You think I'm short of your measly gold coins? Or have you been living a life of luxury as a duke for too long, and your brain has gone dulled, allowing you to utter such mindless words?"

The duke immediately continued to fawn over her, "I understand, I understand, General Eli, how could you possibly be short of my measly two stinking coins? What you want is territory, isn't it? No problem, no problem. In a few days, I'll have my men deliberately lose to you on the battlefield, returning all the borders of your Soteland Empire to you. How does that sound?"

Seeing that Liang Lin's expression remained unchanged, the duke gritted his teeth and raised his bargaining chip, "Then, how about this: I'll cede a portion of Sassoon City to you, as long as you don't kill me, everything is negotiable!"

"Oh~" Liang Lin nodded thoughtfully, then revealed a sinister smile, "Hmm... that suggestion sounds quite good~"

A glimmer of hope immediately shone in the Duke's eyes as he enthusiastically echoed the other's words, "Yes, yes! General Eli, this is good for both of us! Besides, your cousin is now my wife, so we're related by blood. If there are any future business dealings, we can..."

"You think that even without resorting to underhanded tactics, I still can't beat a piece of trash like you on the battlefield?"

Liang Lin's expression changed swiftly, her face instantly turning grim, and the knife in her hand moved to the Duke's neck.

"If you hadn't taken advantage of my extreme kindness towards my family, do you think you could have killed me?"

The Duke's fawning smile froze instantly. Liang Lin relished this look of terror on his face.

"That's right, that's the look I should be giving you, looking down at your trembling, trashy face. Don't think that just because you killed me once with underhanded tricks, you're some kind of being beyond 'gods.'"

"My dear Duke, you are nothing but trash."

"However," Liang Lin suddenly changed her tone, looking directly at Irene, her hand still gripping her cousin's slender neck, "My Duke, actually, the one I hate the most is my cousin. So I'll give you a chance. If you kill her with your own hands, I'll spare your life, letting you go to the battlefield honorably and be defeated by me. If you manage to escape, then you're lucky."

Liang Lin looked at the Duke again, "What do you think?"

Irene's eyes widened, and she struggled in terror, making "uh-uh-uh" sounds. She looked at her husband beside her pleadingly, shaking her head desperately, tears already filling her eyes.

With great interest, Liang Lin grabbed Irene's hair and dragged her off the bed. Then, she ripped the handkerchief out of Irene's mouth.

"Shh~"

"Cousin Irene, you must have... witnessed my methods of torture. So, if you dare to scream, I'll slash your face. Scream, slash, let you die slowly, slowly, understand?" Liang Lin patted Irene's cheek.

Tears streamed down Irene's face. She nodded frantically, her hand trembling as she raised it to cover her mouth.

"So, Your Grace, have you made up your mind? To kill or not to kill?"

Irene, suppressing her fear, knelt on the ground, tightly hugging Liang Lin's leg.

"Brother, brother, I was just blinded by greed. I've just realized my mistake. You don't know how much your death hurts me! I know I was wrong! This sister, I'll treat you even better from now on, okay? Please, brother, you're a magnanimous person, you..."

Just as Irene was pleading, the Duke, sitting on the bed, suddenly moved, pulled a short knife from under his pillow, and lunged at Liang Lin.

"Pfft!"

"Ah...uhhhh!"

A knife was now in the Duke's shoulder, blood streaming down his face. Liang Lin kicked Irene away, covered the Duke's mouth, and shoved the handkerchief she had just pulled from Irene's mouth into his mouth.

Then, Liang Lin grabbed Irene's hair and yanked it back violently. Irene could hear a crisp "crack" from her own bones; for a moment, she thought her neck was about to be snapped.

“I… I was wrong, Eli, I was wrong, please let me go, please let me go…”

Liang Lin dragged her along the ground by the hair, then kicked the Duke, who lay there like a dead pig, hard.

“You still want to kill me? Aren’t you a little too confident?”

“I’m giving you one last chance,” Liang Lin grabbed the Duke’s pajamas by the collar, yanking him off the ground.

“Think carefully, both of you, either you both die, or I’ll give you both a chance to stab each other and see who’s more lucky, who can kill whom.”

On the ground, Irene, her hair being pulled, struggled in agony, kicking wildly. Her mouth wasn’t gagged, but she dared not make a sound. She knew that if she made even the slightest sound, it wouldn’t just be a quick stab to death; she would be tortured to death.

"Either you die, or she dies. Choose one. If you want to play the romantic card, then grip the hilt of the knife tightly and stab yourself to death, leaving your beautiful little lover alive. Do you understand?"

Liang Lin grabbed Irene's chin, forcing her to look at the Duke. At the same time, she pulled the dagger from the Duke's shoulder and handed it to him. "Don't even think about lunging at me again. You're far too slow for me. Next time, I'll make you wish you were dead!"

"Pfft!"

As the dagger was pulled out, blood gushed from the Duke's shoulder like a spring.

The Duke took the dagger with trembling hands. His eyes were filled with fear, and he trembled uncontrollably. He looked at his new wife. He was so terrified that his teeth chattered as he spoke, unconsciously chattering together.

“Rene, Irene, you... you love me, don't you?” The Duke forced a strained smile. “You’ve always said you love me, haven’t you?”

A bad premonition crept into Irene’s heart.

“Darling, why are you saying this? I do love you, I... I love you so much, would you really let me die?” Irene’s hair was being grabbed by Liang Lin; she couldn’t even back away.

The Duke’s forced smile deepened, the knife in his hand already pointed at Irene.

“Irene, this... wasn’t this all your idea? So, it’s all your fault, isn’t it? If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be in danger today, would I?”

Irene’s eyes widened, staring in disbelief at everything before her. The man she had loved so much before now seemed so incredibly unfamiliar.

“What do you mean?”

Irene gritted her teeth.

"Wasn't I trying to help you? You only became Duke because I helped you kill Eli!"

Liang Lin watched this dog-eat-dog scene with glee, her heart pounding with satisfaction.

However, these two were being too slow.

Liang Lin took out her pocket watch, glanced at it, and saw it was already 3 AM.

She needed to leave the Duke's mansion before 4 AM. So, she coldly snapped at them, "Can you two stop dawdling? What's your choice? Tell me quickly!"

The Duke made up his mind.

"Irene, since you love me, you can die for me, right?"

He crawled on his knees, rushing towards his lover, raising his knife high, ready to stab her.

Irene panicked, trying to grab him, but Liang Lin covered her mouth. But at the last moment, Liang Lin kicked the Duke to the ground.

Thud!

One punch.

Thud!

Two punches.

Thud!

Three punches.

Every punch landed with a vengeance, each blow creating several bloody holes in the Duke's face.

Yes, Liang Lin was wearing hand hooks, and with each punch, she put all her strength into it, delivering heavy blows with tremendous force.

In less than half a minute, the Duke's face was a bloody mess, resembling a pile of mud.

If Liang Lin hadn't checked his breath, she would have thought he was dead, lying there so straight.

The man had simply fainted from the pain.

Liang Lin turned to look at Irene, who was huddled in the corner, speechless. Her eyes were wide open, her mouth slightly agape, and she was hugging her knees.

Seeing Liang Lin looking at her, Irene shuddered, desperately shrinking back, muttering incessantly.

"No, don't kill me! Don't treat me like this! Please, please, please…"

Liang Lin stood up and slowly walked towards Irene, step by step.

 “Cousin, I killed your husband for you! He was about to kill you! I'm your savior, aren't I?”

“He… he’s dead?”

Irene’s face showed disbelief.

Then, she started sobbing and crying.

Liang Lin was taken aback, frowning. “Why are you crying? Shouldn’t you be happy? I killed the man who was going to kill you, my dear cousin!”

But Irene continued to cry.

Liang Lin understood.

This girl, she and that duke were truly in love. Even though she had just realized the duke wanted to kill her, she still cried silently, heartbroken, because of his death.

However, the fear of death compelled Irene to continue begging for mercy. She even knelt on the ground, kowtowing to Liang Lin.

"Please, Eli, for the sake of our past sibling relationship, spare my life! I... I'll serve you like a slave from now on, making it up to you tenfold!"

Suddenly, an interesting idea came to Liang Lin's mind.

She took Irene's shoulder, raised her hand, and gently wiped away the tears on her cousin's cheeks, her voice soft, "Sister, you're my dear cousin, how could I bear to kill you? I was just trying to scare you."

Irene was stunned.

Liang Lin's transformation was too sudden; Irene hadn't even had time to process it, wondering what Liang Lin was up to, how she had suddenly become such a different person, all smiles and kindness.

"Really? Really?" Irene asked incredulously.

Liang Lin nodded sincerely, seemingly genuine, and gently hugged Irene's shoulders.

"Cousin, you're family. How could I bear to kill my own family? I've just been so angry with you all this time, so I was just trying to scare you, it was all an act, a punishment for you."

Liang Lin's eyes were filled with laughter as she gripped Irene's shoulders.

A glimmer of hope returned to Irene's eyes. 

"Ah, ah, I knew it, Eli, you value family the most… We're family! Yes, cousin knows she was wrong. I won't do it aga–"

"You believe it?"

Liang Lin interrupted her, her smile growing increasingly eerie, a half-smile playing on her lips, the smile not reaching her eyes.  A chill ran through Irene's body, and she stiffened again.

"Sister, you're so naive, just like when I accepted the poisoned wine you offered me."

The knife was pressed against Irene's neck.

"Don't worry, cousin, for the sake of our past family, I'll let you die a quick death."

She pressed harder with the knife.

"Wait!"

Irene cried out, making Liang Lin frown. She looked warily towards the door and covered Irene's mouth.

About a minute passed, and when there was no movement from the doorway, Liang Lin breathed a sigh of relief.

Irene pried at the other's hand, her expression pitiful.

"Eli, I... I need to tell you something... I'm pregnant, over four months along. Look, look, my belly's already showing a little. I... I may be guilty, but my child is innocent! You... you're a girl now, you should understand how I feel, right?"

Liang Lin's hand holding the knife paused, as if hesitating.

"You're pregnant?" she asked.

Seeing the softening in the other's eyes, Irene nodded frantically, like a chick pecking at rice.

"I'm pregnant! I'm really pregnant! Eli, wait until I give birth, then kill me. That way I can die without regrets! I only have this one request, please grant it, for the sake of me being your cousin, okay?"

Liang Lin looked at her with pity, her lips slightly parted.

"Okay,..."

Irene's hope returned.

"As if, bitch!"

Thud!

The knife plunged directly into Irene's heart.

Irene's eyes widened as she slowly collapsed to the ground. Before dying, she saw Liang Lin's cold face.

"You're pregnant? What does that have to do with me? Ha~"

Liang Lin shrugged indifferently, spreading her hands and tilting her head.

"It's not like I'm the one who is pregnant. What does your pregnancy have to do with me?"

"Besides, whatever you give birth to will basically be a bastard, right? Haha~ Even if it's not a bastard, even if it's a good child, with a mother like you, it's better if it wasn't born at all. I'm doing a good deed by letting it reincarnate early, isn't I?"

"E-Eli..."

Irene used her last breath to curse the girl in front of her, "You, you're such a cold-blooded person. You, you'll never receive love in this life."

"Sorry, your curses have no effect on me."

Liang Lin kicked the woman on the ground in the face.

Then, seeing that Irene had completely stopped breathing, she walked back to the Duke and knelt down.

"Your Grace, you're not quite dead yet, are you? Why aren't you saying a word? Are you playing dead?"

The Duke's face was covered in rotting flesh, practically lifeless. Even the slightest movement caused the flesh on his face to sag.

"Devil, you truly are a devil!"

The Duke lacked the strength to curse. Even with all his might, his voice was barely audible. Each word brought excruciating pain to his face, a pain that nearly suffocated him.

"Oh."

He received only a cold, curt reply.

"You're right. To deal with a villain like you, I must be the devil."

Liang Lin smiled maliciously.

"Evil people have their own evil people to deal with~ I'm willing to be that evil person."

"Alright, dear Duke, I should send you on your way. How wonderful, you and my cousin, isn't this a kind of double suicide?"

Liang Lin didn't kill him outright. Instead, she gently cut a gash on his wrist, then used her fingernails to dig into the wound, forcefully pulling out a vein.

Thud~

"Goodnight, my dear cousin~ my dear cousin-in-law~"

Liang Lin disgustedly wiped the blood off her hands, stood on the windowsill, winked at the mess inside, then flipped over, grabbed the rope, and nimbly slid down, disappearing into the boundless darkness, leaving only the blood-stained pale yellow curtain blown out of the third-floor window by the wind.

Inside the room were the Duke's mangled body and the Duchess's unseeing eyes. The scene in the room was comparable to a horror movie.

Having dealt with the adulterous couple, Liang Lin was in high spirits, but she dared not delay. She had to leave Sassoon City tonight and hide in a city in the neighboring Lancelot Empire. She estimated that someone would discover the Duke and Duchess's assassination early tomorrow morning, and then leaving would be quite troublesome.

Liang Lin returned to the inn, slung her small bag over her shoulder, and, taking advantage of the bright moonlight, left with the little one inside her clothes.

On the way, she kept chattering to the child, "Sigh, it's a pity I forgot to take you out and show you the scene of your mother killing someone. This kind of talent should be cultivated from a young age. My bad, my bad. I'll definitely take you next time, so you won't be afraid when you grow up."

"Hmm, but I still have to praise you. You were so good then, you didn't move at all. That's great, you really are a good child." Liang Lin patted the little one's head.

Yes, I am a very competent mother.

That night, there were soldiers guarding the city gate, but they weren't very strict. Most of them were drowsy. Liang Lin simply took out a bag of silver coins and successfully dismissed the soldiers. During the day, with so many eyes watching, the soldiers didn't dare to accept them, but at night, with no one supervising, they readily accepted them.

Having left Sassoon City, Liang Lin finally felt completely at ease. At the crack of dawn, she checked into an inn within the Lancelot Empire.

Afternoon.

"Ah!!!"

Liang Lin, just awakened, looked at the little one beside her and let out her first scream of the day.