The Moon Without a Heart

"I'm going to kill three heartless men."

...

My story ended at the height of glory, when everything was grand and lavish.

I had a magnificent wedding, with 128 dowry carts circling Nevaeh three times.

The peach blossoms of Nevaeh fell gently in the breeze, covering the ground and creating a path that led straight to the majestic palace.

Jason Evans, the top nobleman from the Ramirez and the man every girl dreamed of, helped me onto the horse. He and Austin Bell, the world's best assassin, escorted me into the palace.

That day, I rode through the grand street in my bridal crown and robes, passing through April's bloom and crossing the nine red gates to marry Vincent Morris, the man who had once been a young lord and was now the emperor.

Tradition said a bride should ride in a carriage, accompanied by her family and the officiant. But I refused. For one, my parents died when I was young, and my only master had been gone for years. Also, I didn't want to ride in a carriage.

When I told Vincent, he frowned. In the end, he agreed.

The palace walls on both sides were dark red, tall, and oppressive. As I finally crossed the last gate, the golden one, I saw Vincent in his deep red, embroidered robes.

His brows were sharp like swords, his eyes bright as stars, standing tall at the top of 45 jade steps. Even from a distance, with all the people between us, I could still see the smile on his lips.

"Layla."

Behind me, Jason suddenly called out.

He said quietly, "I'm sorry, I can only take you this far."

Austin wanted to say something too, but he was always quiet. He opened his mouth, and after a pause, simply said, "Take care."

"Alright." I turned and smiled at both of them. Without hesitation, I jumped off the horse, grabbed my gown, and ran toward Vincent.

The music played loudly, and the sound of the horn echoed.

I thought, "This is probably the happiest day in my tumultuous life."

The 45 steps were too short to recall all the memories Vincent and I shared, whether warm, painful, sad, or touching.

"Vincent..."

I ran toward Vincent. Just as I was about to touch the hem of his robe, an arrow shot through the air and pierced my body.

Slowly, I looked down and saw a large blossom of blood spreading before my eyes.

The pain exploded in my flesh, in my bones, and deep in my soul.

Screams of shock erupted around me.

As the cold wind howled, I suddenly heard icy voices in my ears.

"What a perfect ending!"

"Vincent is definitely my top favorite male lead!"

"I love this classic novel."

"Layla, under the guise of marriage, you secretly conspired to mobilize the 72 water forces and the northern army camp, ordering your men to gather troops, intending to rebel and kill me for power. Do you admit it?"

Vincent's sharp voice cut through the air, every word like a decisive blow.

His gaze was as sharp as a blade, each glance slicing deep into my heart.

"Why..."

Trembling, I lifted my head in disbelief, looking at Vincent.

Vincent glanced coldly, his voice icy and unfamiliar. "Layla, why keep lying? Did you think I didn't know you were the lost princess of the royal family?"

I froze, then suddenly shivered all over as if my body was being hacked apart. A burning pain spread through my organs. I forced a smile, but tears fell instead.

Bitter, thick drops of blood fell, one by one, onto the jade steps.

In this moment, there was no point in denying it anymore.

"It's a happy ending, why am I crying?"

"Vincent is so amazing, he really loves her!"

"Please write a side story! I want to see Vincent and her happy after their wedding."

The cold voices slithered into my ears like snakes. My head pounded, and I bit my tongue to stop the physical and souldeep pain.

"What are they talking about? Don't they see what Vincent has done to me?

He's going to kill me! For a crime I didn't even commit!"

"Ah!"

I screamed hoarsely, clenching my teeth against the unbearable pain stabbing at my heart. I pulled the sharpest hairpin from my head.

"Vincent..."

The hairpin pierced my flesh with a dull thud. As I looked into Vincent's eyes, I saw a flash of pain that quickly turned into overwhelming cold indifference.

The next second, I was thrown down, tumbling down the fortyfive jade steps and landing heavily in front of Jason and Austin's horses.

My spine shattered.

Dark blood flowed, winding down the steps.

Barely alive, I saw Jason pull out a handkerchief, covering his nose and mouth. He stepped back, pulling the reins of his horse.

As for Austin, he remained cold and indifferent, showing no reaction.

"Why didn't she choose the second lead? Jason is so gentle, I'm crying!"

"Austin, my sweet Austin, he's the one who's been protecting the heroine all along!"

"Why can't the three of them just be together?"

My soul was tearing apart.

"Have they all gone mad?

They're all trying to kill me! None of them love me!"

Hot, thick blood blurred my wide eyes. My vision was red when something gentle suddenly fell on my face. It felt like a straw hat.

"Kingston, you're still alive?!" Vincent's voice was filled with anger and shock.

No one answered, only the mournful sound of clashing swords filled the air.

It took a long time, a really long time.

For the first time, I realized that death doesn't come as quickly as I thought.

Suddenly, the hat covering my face was lifted away.

I couldn't see anything, but I could feel someone trembling as they kissed my bloodstained lips.

Cold, yet tender.

"Kingston, that villain, is so awful. I'm glad he died in the end."

Kingston, in the end, you were the only one who truly loved me.

Thud.

My head knocked against the coffin in front of the altar, making a sharp sound.

I held my head as I got up, my whole body aching as if it had been reforged. My blurry vision gradually cleared, revealing a coffin in front of me. I held a memorial tablet in my hand.

The tablet read: [Memorial Tablet of Adriel, 18th Master of the Cole Sect.]

I had carved this tablet with my own hands, and I had bought this coffin myself.

My grief over my master's death etched every detail into my mind.

Now, I had somehow been reborn on this very day.

"Master."

I carefully placed the tablet on the altar, knelt down, and solemnly bowed three times.

I remembered my master's last words. She warned me never to leave the mountain after her death. But in my previous life, I had found the solitude unbearable and chose to leave the mountain today.

My plan was to travel for just a year before returning to the sect. During that journey, I encountered Austin, Jason, and Vincent. From that moment, I never made it back to the mountain.

"Master, I'm leaving."

I stood up.

"I'm going to kill those three heartless men.

"Once they're dead, I'll come back."

I bought two jars of wine in a small town at the foot of the mountain.

Two jars of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Then, I carried the two jars of Cabernet Sauvignon into the blacksmith's shop.

The old man with graying whiskers swung his hammer, striking the redhot iron sword.

Sparks flew everywhere.

I paid double the price and gave him one jar of Cabernet Sauvignon for a sword from his shop.

"This sword, it sharpens when it meets blood," the old man said.

He said the same thing in my past life.

In my past life, I baptized this sword with Kingston's blood. I will consecrate it in this life with Vincent's blood.

Spring rain was as precious as oil.

I carried my sword and a bottle of wine, heading to the bridge to shelter from the rain, only to find someone fishing there.

The man sat there calmly, draped in a snowwhite cloak. His loose hair flowed over his shoulders, and the widebrimmed hat he wore cast a shadow over half his face, leaving only his sharply chiseled jaw exposed.

"No hook, no bait. How do you expect to catch any fish?" I asked.

The man remained silent.

Sensing the conversation was going nowhere, I stopped talking.

The rain poured down steadily. I glanced at the man, calculated the time, and pulled out a broken jade pendant from my pocket, tossing it to him.

Without looking up, he caught it effortlessly.

"Here, half a jade pendant for one of your hats."

I casually picked up one of the hats lying at his feet, put it on, and walked away with ease.

I didn't look back, but I could feel his intense gaze on my back.

Ripples spread across the river, but they weren't from the rain hitting the water.

They were from a fish taking the bait.

The night was pitch black, with clouds drifting, and lightning like silver serpents slithering across the vast sky.

It was the day of Awakening of Insects.

I stood beneath a tree, eyes closed, quietly waiting.

The roaring rain drowned out all noise. I didn't know how long I had waited, but at last, the sound of galloping hooves splashing through puddles and clashing swords was carried by the fierce wind.

"Austin, this is the price of betrayal."

A cold blade slashed down, the wind howled, and the thud of a body falling from a horse hit the ground with a resounding crash.

Just as the man was about to strike again, Austin, who had fallen after being stabbed, suddenly sprang up. His unusually thin blade slid out like a serpent, piercing the man's neck from behind, before swiftly withdrawing and slicing through the legs of the leading horse.

The white horse neighed in agony, crashing into the horses behind it and sending men tumbling down.

At that moment, Austin had already slipped into the crowd, killing as he went.

Blood sprayed along with the rain, staining the flashes of lightning red.

When the last head rolled, only Austin remained standing in the downpour.

This was the power of the world's top assassin. The people of Blood Sacrifices returned emptyhanded, even when they sent their finest to hunt him down.

I looked at Austin, my lips moving silently.

Three.

Two.

One.

Austin collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood.

Outnumbered, even with his unmatched skills, it was impossible for him to emerge unscathed.

I pulled my hat lower and walked toward him, step by step, until I stood in front of him.

Blood pooled at my feet, forming a rapid stream. I looked down to see Austin's body covered in wounds, his clothes torn, revealing countless scars of varying depths.

His eyes were filled with the dullness of death. He muttered and reached out, trying to grab the hem of my clothes.

"Help... help me..."

I didn't move.

I stood there, indifferent, unmoved, even though I was right beside him.

In my past life, I had saved Austin without hesitation. I helped him escape from his pursuers and even helped him conquer Blood Sacrifices entire organization.

And what about him?

When I was dying, he stood by coldly, watching as I suffered and died in agony.

"Why didn't you save me?"

Austin never answered. I stood there as the rain eased and dawn approached. The blood had drained from his body and had congealed like dark red roots across the ground, but still, he didn't answer.

Austin couldn't answer my question, so I had no choice but to go find Jason.

In my previous life, I went down to Watson to find medicine to heal Austin's injuries, and I ran into Jason, who was also looking for the same medicine.

The Evans family, four generations of powerful lords, was undeniably the most prestigious family in the world, dominating Ramirez during this time of chaos.

Jason, the illegitimate son of the Evans family, was born frail and never earned the affection of his father, the head of the Evans family. His brothers bullied him. As a child, an accident caused by his older brother left him crippled.

In his quest to cure his disability and fight for the position of family head, Jason secretly sought doctors everywhere, but without success.

I first met Jason at Powell Mountain.

The herb was called Powell Grass, and it grew at the peak of Powell Mountain. In my previous life, I almost fell off a cliff trying to gather it, but Jason's people saved me.

That herb was crucial to him; it was the missing ingredient in the prescription for his leg treatment. Yet, he gave it to me, so I could save Austin.

I felt guilty towards him. After healing Austin's wounds, I willingly stayed by his side for six months as his doctor. During those six months, I combed through ancient texts, performing acupuncture and massages day and night. After much hardship, I finally cured his leg condition.

But later, I found out that he had always known the treatment for his leg was ineffective and that the herb wasn't essential. He had just used me.

In this life, without Austin dragging me down, I arrived two months earlier at Powell Mountain in Watson.

I picked the Powell Grass and opened a pharmacy at the foot of the mountain, patiently waiting for Jason to arrive.

Jason arrived in late spring.

The peach blossoms in front of my pharmacy had withered, scattered across the ground.

The Evans family's guard knocked politely on my pharmacy door. "We've heard your shop carries a medicine called Powell. My master is seriously ill and urgently needs this medicine. How much are you selling it for?"

I stepped out from the back room and opened the door. My gaze drifted past the guard, landing on the person sitting under the peach tree in the wheelchair in the distance.

The fallen petals settled on Jason's white robe, like pink blossoms staining a jade stone.

"This medicine won't cure his leg condition."

My voice wasn't too loud or too soft, just enough for Jason to hear.

He looked up at me with gentle eyes.

"I have a better method to heal your leg. Do you trust me?" I smiled softly at Jason and invited him inside.

"Master, no." The guard spoke up to stop him, but Jason waved him off.

He was so desperate to heal his legs that, even if there was a risk, he was willing to try.

The guard fell silent and wheeled Jason toward the door, but I stopped them. "Only the master can come in with me."

Jason's eyes flickered, but the gentle smile remained on his face. "Enzo, stand down."

He was too eager to heal his legs.

I smiled, closing the door behind me, shutting out the faces on the other side.

"Jason, are you ready?

This time, I will be the one to save you."