Ryuu Kusari no Ori -Kokoro no Uchi no “Kokoro”- - Chapter 5.23

CONTENT WARNING:/This novel contains mature themes, explicit sexual content, strong language, and adult situations. Reader discretion is advised./---She ran from the devil who raised her…And married the one who wore a crown.After her parents’ tragic death, Lydia Andreyevna’s life became a nightmare. Stripped of her name, inheritance, and freedom by her uncle—Lord Alexander—she was treated like property and promised to a Count four times her age.Desperate to escape, she fled into the cold night… and straight into blood.A stranger. Wounded. Beautiful. Terrifying.She should’ve left him.But she didn’t.She touched him once—and fate branded her forever.Her uncle caught her the next morning. Her escape failed. But when she begged Queen Olga for protection, the Queen offered her a deadly bargain:Marry the masked Grand Duke of Zolotaria.The king’s hunting dog. The butcher of the East. The devil in a crown.The man feared by kings.The heir to the throne.The same man she once saved.Ivan Romanov.They say he bathes in blood. That he kills without blinking. That he conquered kingdoms with a smile behind a mask. That no one sees his face—and lives.Some call him the devil. Others call him Death’s favorite son.But behind the mask is the same man she found dying in the dark.The same voice that haunted her dreams.The same hands she once held.Now, he’s her husband.Her jailer.Her obsession.She doesn’t know if she’s his prisoner, or his weakness.Cold and untouchable, Ivan doesn’t share his bed. Doesn’t share his secrets. But she sees it—the hunger in his eyes. The pain in his silence. The way he looks at her like she’s the only thing keeping his demons at bay.She should fear him.She should hate him.But the moment she dares to take off his mask… it’s already too late.Because Ivan wants her—her fire, her body, her heart.And in his world, what he wants, he keeps.Even if it means burning down the kingdom.She thought she was running from hell.She ended up in his bed.And the most dangerous thing of all?She doesn’t want to leave.

The Synders and Thornes had always been the closest of friends. So when Kyra Thorne and James Synders both lost their parents in an accident, twenty-year-old James swore to protect ten-year-old Kyra as though he were her uncle.Twelve years later, Kyra had not only blossomed into a beautiful woman, but she also could no longer ignore the feelings she’d developed for James at nineteen. After three years of struggling to suppress them, she was finally ready to confess.However, what Kyra didn’t know was that James had long discovered her feelings—and had devised the cruelest way to reject her.But, what happened when James unintentionally crossed a line?One thing was certain: Kyra Thorne always got even, even if it meant destroying them both.

Big news! Big news!

The people of Qingzhou spread the word to each other.

After 200 years of not having any daughters, the Jiang family of Xijin Ferry has finally given birth to a baby girl.

Legend has it that this baby girl was born with great good fortune.

On the day she was born, the long drought-stricken land was blessed with sweet rain.

A few days after she was born, when her elders went up the mountain to hunt, they found a huge spiritual mushroom, resolving the family’s urgent need.

Half a year after she was born, her father topped the imperial exam and was appointed as the top scholar, bringing glory to their ancestors. After becoming an official, under the blessings of little darling, he successively grew new high-yield grain varieties that yielded thousands of catties per mu, shocking the world. It was smooth sailing all the way as he rose through the ranks.

The noble lords looked at Jiang Yuqing subtly gaining favor from the Emperor on behalf of his father, and then at their own daughters who only knew how to fight for attention and be jealous. Tears of envy flowed from the corners of their mouths.

Jiang’s father weakly raised his hand: I swear I didn’t teach her that, do you believe me?

The lords: Tsk…

Seeing the little girl become more and more outstanding, drawing a frenzied swarm of admirers, a certain prince was finally enraged, his sword sweeping across and leaving blood flowing like a river: A flower raised by me, how dare you!

Has it ever crossed your mind? There are monsters from ancient mythology lurking within brightly lit metropolises.Has it ever crossed your mind? There are gods watching over us on the moon over our heads.Has it ever crossed your mind? There are transcendent humans roaming the streets in bustling cities as gods’ apostles.Within human societies, there hides countless supernatural beings lurking.The ancient gods reside in Forbidden Zones untouched by humans.Archangel Michael, the Underworld King — Hades, the God of the Sea — PoseidonBut, where did the Chinese deities go?In a mortal world, all “divinities” have to be purged.