Only I Am A Reader - Chapter 458 Cassian

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 Emperor had issued an official decree to appoint a successor to the throne—one who would become the next ruler of the empire.But instead of a direct appointment, the successor would be determined through a formal battle among the princes and princesses.A battle that would drag in many factions, overflow with conspiracies, claim countless lives, and reshape the entire continent... was about to begin.But among the contenders, there was one prince who had no intention of fighting—Nolan.Handsome, lazy, and utterly annoying, Nolan was well-known for the many unflattering titles given to him by those around him.Nolan: “Fighting to become emperor? Please... I just want to relax and enjoy life.”Rather than compete, he convinced his twin sister to fight in his place while he supported her from behind the scenes.Nolan: “My dear sister, I leave my future in your capable hands!”And with that, the prince’s journey toward a life of leisure—relying entirely on his sister—officially began.

I had thought that my life couldn’t get worse when I walked in on my fiancé cheating on me with my best friend. But after a series of unfortunate events, I opened my eyes in a world that I had only read about in a webnovel, the Erudian Empire, ruled under the domineering, bloody reign of Emperor Helio.

The worst part?

I’m not even the main character! Reborn as Winter Royberg de la Erudian, I am the pitiful side character who is discovered to be a royal bastard princess due to a certain physical trait only the imperial bloodline possesses. But I know the end of Winter’s story and the unwanted royal punching bag is framed as a witch and killed at age 16 on the guillotine due to the scheming of the cruel empress.

An aloof, murder happy father? Check.

Psycho half-sister? Check.

Meddlesome author who wants me to follow the script? Double check!

I don’t want to die an early death again, so I’m determined not to ever be discovered as a royal again. But before I know it, I’m trapped in a palace of blood and opulence playing tricky games of power, games I have no clue how to win. How will I survive to adulthood in the imperial palace and get my happily ever after? And am I really the only person who fell into this world?

Deep Sea, the mental network connecting the Five Continents, is rapidly propelling human civilization forward, but no one knows that eternal night is coming. When the transcendence awakens, the grand buildings will collapse. When flesh and blood are bitter and weak, how can people ascend? The tale begins with an encounter and the receiving of a ruler carrying truth. Gu Shen, an ordinary young man, unveils a corner of the truth about this transcendental world and becomes the largest moth among thousands being drawn to a flame. When the bitter winter comes… I will ascend against the tide, overturn the thrones of kings, shatter the crowns of hypocrisy, and destroy the scepters of injustice. I will become humanity’s final Light Barrier.