Avoid The Lead!

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True to her word, Celia convinced her father, and he sent in a proposal to cancel the engagement, and during that time, Celia refused to meet Vitav, even after her room was nearly filled with his delivered gifts.

But then King Vien visited himself, asking Lord Scarlett to reconsider.

"The people have accepted her as the perfect Queen! Do you want that other daughter of yours on the throne?!"

There was logic in his words, and Vitav added the icing on the cake by kneeling and begging.

"It was Novia Scarlett! She seduced me one night and then threatened to spread rumors about our relationship! I'm already an illegitimate Prince... I panicked and went along with her!"

"Child," King Vien took Celia's hand. "I've already accepted you as my only daughter-in-law. My son is foolish, but will you abandon this old man? Luxia needs you..."

King Vien sounded genuinely concerned, and Celia was unable to turn down such an earnest request. She relented, and remained engaged to Vitav.

As punishment, Novia and her mother were sent out of Blixia to live in one of the far-off Scarlett residences, and Celia breathed a sigh of relief.

She had sent Novia out of the capital in previous lives but had always done it herself.

This time, the King had personally sent Novia and her mother out, so...

'Perhaps things will be different!' she hoped.

After that, Vitav privately apologized to her again to the point where she truly believed Novia had indeed forced him!

It seemed logical! Twenty-five lifetimes, and Novia had been the one to kill her each time... Who else could be a bigger villain?!

Evil had lost, and Good had won, and Celia was happy as Vitav showered her with even more love and attention than before.

The seasons went by, and it came to the time when the King was to abdicate the throne.

But it was as if Celia's eyes were opened wider than before, and she could notice signs that she previously ignored...

In past lives, the move to give up the throne always seemed like something King Vien wanted to do, but now, Celia couldn't help feeling like he was being forced to do this.

And it didn't take too much investigation to prove her suspicion.

Vitav had somehow joined hands with the fairies, and they had infiltrated the court, replacing core officials and holding the strongest mages hostage, including her father!

"Your Majesty! Abdicating the throne might not be the smartest move to make!" Celia heard her father say one day after she had boldly planted one of her ice flowers in the throne room.

"There's no other way..." King Vien's grave reply bore the weight of a defeated King. "We don't know who they've replaced. For all I know, the Grand Mages aren't even themselves!

"If I remain stubborn and they destroy the pillars of Luxia, who will fight back?"

"But we can't let someone like Vitav rule!" Lord Scarlett protested, shocking Celia.

She had always believed her father liked Vitav, but understood when he said, "We were fooled... We were all fooled!"

"I wasn't completely fooled, but he was too clever. After Taze's illness passed the third year, Vitav and his mother forced my hand with the Council. And even after that, he has been slowly brainwashing the commoners in his favour, while making the nobles believe I favour him.

"After Taze's death, he became even bolder. But with his hold over the people, and the absence of another prince, it was hard to move against him, and that led us here...

"This was why I insisted on Celia so House Scarlett will be safe! At least, even if Vitav is lost, his son - Celia's son and your grandson, might regain Luxia's lost honor!"

"Your Majesty! You know he will likely kill you if you abdicate!"

"So be it, old friend... So be it."

Celia froze as she listened.

'Could Vitav really be that cruel?!'

The Vitav Celia thought she knew was kind, bright, brave, and valiant, despite having an awful childhood.

In each life, he confided in her about how King Vien never loved him as a child, and Celia would eye King Vien with displeasure for weeks afterwards.

Even the issue with Novia... It made more sense for Novia to be the guilty one, while Vitav was merely blackmailed.

But was that the case?

A few more carefully placed ice flowers around the Palace, and Celia realized the truth.

On the surface, it seemed like Lady Flora, Vitav's mother, was the mastermind, but as Celia dug deeper, she learned that Vitav wasn't simply guilty.

He had been an evil genius from childhood... The true mastermind in the shadows, and even his mother and Novia were mere Chess pieces in his plan!

Now faced with such a truth, she felt like frigid water had been splashed in her face, awakening her from her dream.

Tapping into a few connections, she sent people to try protecting King Vien on his journey away from the Capital, but none of her men returned.

After that, she decided to flee the Capital with her father and Sara, only to find the Royal Guards blocking her path, before she could find them.

"What are you doing?!" She demanded. "Who do you think you are? Where is my father?!"

"Calm down, my Love!" Vitav appeared with his perfect smile and gentle voice. "My father has.... dearly departed. Will you leave me too? I always thought we were inseparable, but you tried to end our engagement a year ago." He caressed her chin. "And since then, I've been under your scrutiny." He said, his handsome face close enough for a kiss.

"Imagine my heartbreak, when I found your ice flower in my chamber, or when I learned you sent men to protect my father..."

Celia's eyes widened and he smirked.

"You-?!" Celia tried to attack him, but couldn't cast any spell.

"Don't bother. The Grand Mages believes House Scarlett has something to do with my father's passing, and I have your men to thank for it! There's a charm surrounding this entire region... You can't use magic."

'No!' Celia thought.

"I have to ask..." Vitav was saying. "How did you know the King was in danger? How much do you know? Why couldn't you just remain the beautiful airhead I pretended to love?"

It was apparent that Vitav needed her to become King, because numerous people had deemed her the perfect Queen from her childhood.

But Vitav didn't love the tiniest shred of her existence!

And in that twenty-fifth life, he had practically forced Celia to wed him, while holding her father hostage.

The night she died, Novia had appeared, same as always, but Celia finally knew why.

Because Vitav brought her back.

All the lifetimes Celia tried to escape Novia, Vitav always ensured Novia reappeared, or ensured that Celia died another way...

Vitav always ensured the Palace guards were absent each time...

The poison on their wedding night came from their kiss during the wedding...

The attackers were granted easy access to the Palace by Vitav himself...

In those twenty-five lives, Vitav had orchestrated her death each and every time, and she would foolishly wake up and chase after him again.

And with everything she knew about him, there was no way he would spare her family...

If he could kill his own father, would he spare the Scarlett family?! Favourites of King Vien?

So Celia had died again, this time determined to avoid Vitav and Novia at all costs.

But as the present Celia opened her eyes back in the Spell Room, she had a new goal, and avoiding the so-called 'Lead' was no longer her plan!

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When Celia opened her eyes in the Spell Room, almost everything had been frozen solid, and Master Sylva sat within a protective orb.

"Wow." He calmly exclaimed, shutting a book and looking like he hadn't slept for days. "You sure had a lot to resolve. If I hadn't sealed off the room, the Academy Board would have come knocking."

"Ma-Master Sylva! I'm so sorry!"

"No, no. It's really fine. You only nearly froze me to death!"

"M- Master Sylva!" Celia knelt and bowed to him.

"Come now, it's not that serious!" Master Sylva looked a bit panicked. "You're stronger than I expected, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle!"

"Master Sylva!" She began, filled with emotion, recalling the beautiful memories of herself and Taze, spending endless time learning under him. "You won't understand, but thank you for teaching me!" 'In two lifetimes!' She mentally added!

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