Transmigrated as the Villainess Princess - Chapter 99

Chapter 99: The Betrayal (Special Chapter)

The Nether Fire had taken her immortality, but it had also given her what she had never known before, the chance to love, truly and completely.

And so, the goddess became human, not for the world, not for duty, but for love.

Zefania and Arthuros had once defied the heavens to be together. Their love had rewritten fate itself, and from their union, a child was born, Seleniah.

She was no ordinary child. From the moment she took her first breath, the air shimmered around her, as if recognizing her presence.

Magic ran in her veins, both divine and mortal, an inheritance of two worlds that should have never intertwined.

Her mother, once a goddess, saw in her the power of the celestial realm. Her father, once a knight, saw in her the strength of the mortal heart.

Together, they raised her with love, teaching her both wisdom and valor. But the world was never kind to those who were different.

The moment the kingdom learned of Seleniah’s extraordinary abilities, they came for her.

She was still a child when the imperial mages arrived at their doorstep, adorned in their robes of power, their eyes gleaming with reverence and greed.

They did not ask, they demanded.

“A child of such power belongs to the kingdom,” they proclaimed. “She must be trained in the Mage Tower, where she can reach her full potential.”

Zefania, once a goddess of light, had foreseen this moment. She had hoped, prayed, that they would not come so soon. But fate was not so merciful.

Arthuros was furious, ready to draw his blade and defy the empire itself, but Zefania placed a hand on his arm.

She knew the kingdom would not stop. If they resisted, they would be branded as traitors, and Seleniah would be taken by force.

So, with great reluctance, they let her go.

Seleniah was brought to the Mage Tower, the heart of the empire’s arcane knowledge. It was there that she met her mentor, Archmage Safridev.

At only thirty, Safridev was the youngest Senior Mage in the history of the tower.

He was a genius, a man who had mastered spells that even elders twice his age could not comprehend. His reputation was untouchable, a man of power, of intellect, of prestige.

And when he saw Seleniah, he recognized something no one else did.

She was not just gifted.

She was greater than all of them.

Under his guidance, Seleniah flourished. She mastered spells in weeks that others struggled with for years.

She wielded elements as if they were extensions of herself. She broke barriers that had never before been broken.

And Safridev was proud.

But as the years passed, admiration turned into something more.

She grew older, into a woman of grace and power, and while twenty-five years separated them, he was still a man in his prime.

He watched her surpass him, her magic shining brighter than he ever had.

And in his heart, something twisted.

Was it admiration? Or something darker?

He never said a word. Not when she turned sixteen and her name spread throughout the empire as the most powerful mage of her generation.

Not when she turned eighteen and noblemen lined up, eager to seek her favor. Not when she turned twenty, and the emperor himself summoned her to court, offering her titles of honor.

He watched. He waited.

Until the war came.

The kingdom was under siege. A neighboring empire, envious of their magic, launched an all-out invasion.

The imperial walls trembled under their assault. Even the mages of the tower could not hold back the tides of war.

And then, Safridev made a choice.

He went before the king, before the council, and spoke the words that would change everything.

“The kingdom needs a barrier, an unbreakable shield to withstand the war. But such a spell requires a living core. A mage of immense power.”

The council hesitated. “No such mage exists…”

But Safridev smiled.

“There is one.”

Seleniah.

She had trusted him for years. He had been her mentor, her guide, her guardian. She had worshiped him like a second father, followed his every word without question.

So when he came to her, telling her that she was the kingdom’s only hope, she did not hesitate.

She stood before the altar, her hands steady, her eyes filled with conviction. She would become the core of the greatest shield spell ever created, she would save them all.

And then, the ritual began.

She felt it immediately.

Something was wrong.

Pain, unlike anything she had ever known, ripped through her soul. Her magic, her life force, was being torn from her, siphoned into the very foundations of the spell.

She gasped, struggling to breathe, but the magic was relentless, swallowing her whole.

And then, she saw his face.

Safridev.

He was watching.

And he was smiling.

Not with pride. Not with sorrow.

With satisfaction.

Realization crashed into her like a tidal wave.

This was never about saving the kingdom.

This was about control.

She had surpassed him. She had become greater than him. And he could not allow that.

So he had devised a way to keep her trapped, to use her power, but never let her rise above him.

The betrayal shattered her.

The spell was nearly complete, but she refused to let him win.

With the last of her strength, she fought back.

Her magic, her very essence, raged against the ritual, twisting and corrupting it. The barrier still rose, powerful and unbreakable, but it would not be controlled by Safridev.

Instead of becoming the kingdom’s eternal slave, she shattered her own existence.

With a final, defiant cry, she tore herself from the spell, not as a captive, but as a legend.

Her body vanished. Her presence faded.

But her magic remained.

The barrier would protect the kingdom for centuries, but her soul was free.

And Safridev would never have her.

The moment she disappeared, the tower trembled. The elders demanded answers.

But Safridev?

He said nothing.

He watched the barrier glow with its eternal light, knowing that he had lost. She had escaped him.

And for the first time in his life, the greatest mage of the empire felt fear.

Because somewhere, somehow, he knew…

She would return.