Ryn of Avonside - 129: Seek and Sear

[Delicate Wife VS Tough Guy, Spoiling Wife + Double Virtue + Raising Kids Daily Life]The foodie livestreamer Shen Mingzhu transmigrated into the role of a wicked stepmother from a bygone era's novel, becoming a contrasting figure to the village's Shen Baolan.Shen Baolan was kind and virtuous, treating her stepson as her own, while the original character was harsh and mean, either beating or scolding the stepson.Shen Baolan enjoyed her twilight years thanks to her promising stepson, whereas the original character was burned alive by her twisted and sinister stepson.In order to change the tragic outcome, Shen Mingzhu rolled up her sleeves, prepared to sort things out properly.——Shen Baolan had a dream.The man she was about to marry would die half a year later, leaving her a widow with nothing, bound to lead a life of misery.Meanwhile, Shen Mingzhu, for having married the right man, became an enviable rich lady.Both from the same village, both becoming stepmothers to someone, why should Shen Mingzhu live a better life than her?She would marry the man Shen Mingzhu was married to, and live Shen Mingzhu's good life!——Five years passed.Shen Mingzhu had become a college student, Shen Mingzhu's man didn't die but instead became a big boss, and Shen Mingzhu's stepson turned into a child prodigy.Shen Baolan, who pined for her husband to succeed, was still bitterly waiting for the day her man would rise to greatness.

As a princess that could not wield magic, Princess Daphne’s only value to her kingdom was her arranged marriage. The task was simple, but when Daphne gets kidnapped and brought to the cold mountains of Vramid, she realizes that she’s in over her head.

She had heard of these cursed mountains before― rocky terrain, freezing temperatures, and the land was ruled by a man feared by many within the continent.

King Atticus Heinvres, the blood-thirsty ruler of the North.

Even though she had never met him before, tales were spread of King Atticus’s ruthlessness. Some said he was a monster, others claimed he was the devil himself, but whatever the story was, everyone knew of the man who had powers beyond anyone’s imagination. He could topple armies and crumble nations with just one wave of his hand, aided by what others rumored to be a cursed obsidian ring.

No one outside of Vramid had ever met the fearsome king before. Not until Daphne.

However, upon meeting the formidable man, Daphne found out that the king might not really be the monster others had claimed him to be.

In fact, what was hidden under that obsidian shield could just be a diamond in the rough.

―

[Excerpt]

“Now… where should I put you both?” he asked casually, not expecting a reply. “It’s regretful that I only have one chandelier.”

“Underneath my bed? No, no, too dirty. My dust bunnies don’t deserve this,” Atticus mused to himself. “The mantlepiece? How about the vanity table? I suppose if I lop off one of your heads I could mount it over… Wife, which head do you want to stare at while you do your hair?”

“Atticus!” Daphne screamed. “I don’t want any heads! Let them go.”

“Fair enough.” Atticus shrugged, and flicked his fingers.

There were two identical cracks as both necks snapped at once.

Daphne gasped, horrified. This man, her husband, had just killed two men with a flick of his finger, as though he was snuffing out candles.

“I told you to let them go!” Daphne cried out.

“Yes, I let them go,” Atticus said. Then, his eyes darkened. “To receive divine judgment from the heavens.”

―

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Some crowns are forged in blood. Others are drowned beneath it.In a city strangled by smoke and silence, where children are shackled to machines and shadows rule behind gilded masks, Keiran is just another forgotten soul—until the mark appears.Buried beneath the factory’s foundations lies a world long erased from history. Ancient oaths whisper through stone and water, and something older than memory begins to stir. As Keiran is drawn deeper into the abyss, he uncovers a legacy not meant for mortal hands—a crown shattered in defiance, a flood sealed by sacrifice, and a power that demands a price.Hunted by tyrants, haunted by echoes, and bound to secrets he never asked for, Keiran must choose: drown in the tide of what came before, or rise against the current and reclaim what the world was forced to forget.But the deeper he goes, the more the truth unravels…And beneath it all, something still breathes.