Her figure is so delicate it seems like she might break if you hug her, yet she possesses full breasts, a slender waist, strong thighs, and beautiful leg lines.
A man stands there, absent-mindedly staring at Judit Mundersturm’s flawless beauty.
Yuren StarDust, a top predator in the relationship food chain, is wealthy and handsome.
He has the appearance of a silver-haired, crimson-eyed youth, with skin whiter than most women, resembling a pure crystal.
Yuren StarDust is undoubtedly a kind and considerate man, but the drawbacks related to his virtues are not few.
He is indecisive and easily swayed. He’s someone who even fears killing ants.
That’s why the StarDust family was eager to find Yuren a spouse as soon as possible.
“Please make yourselves comfortable and let us know if you need anything.”
A total of six people gathered at the StarDust mansion. They were sharing lighthearted conversation in the grand dining hall.
On the left side of the table sat the head of the household, Raharte StarDust, followed by Adela StarDust and Yuren StarDust.
On the right side sat the head of the Mundersturm family, Crypt Mundersturm, followed by Elena Mundersturm and Judit Mundersturm.
Yuren was splendidly dressed in a pure white suit, and Judit was also elegantly adorned in a dress the color of a night sky, purple like the stars.
“Looks like we’re finally having this engagement dinner.”
Yuren’s older lookalike, Raharte StarDust, spoke.
“That’s right. It’s because our unworthy daughter keeps throwing tantrums about not wanting to get married.”
Judit, the living proof of her resemblance to her mother, Crypt Mundersturm.
In reality, it was only the parents doing all the talking. Yuren and Judit hadn’t exchanged a single word during this dinner.
“Judit, doesn’t the food taste good?”
After Elena’s last comment, an icy silence enveloped the dining room.
Crypto, looking as if this was all too familiar, sighed, while Raharte and Adela observed Judit’s discomfort.
Unlike Yuren, who was slowly chewing his food, Judit hadn’t touched her utensils even once—her fork, knife, or spoon remained as clean as if no dishes needed washing.
“Judit, are you alright? Are you feeling unwell?”
Judit’s unusually darkened complexion prompted even Adela, Yuren’s mother, to worry about her.
Even though the chefs were all top-class employees, the food tasted bad? It wasn’t possible.
Adela always prioritized treating guests well. She ensured only the finest meals were served and made every effort to keep them comfortable. After all, the StarDust household cultivated by her husband had to remain flawless.
This was the first time someone hadn’t even touched the tableware.
Even Raharte, who knew Judit’s haughty and sharp personality, could only help but tilt his head in confusion at such a situation.
“Perhaps you don’t like sitting here? If you’d like, you and Yuren can eat separately.”
“What… is… this?”
The first word Judit had spoken since sitting rigid like a statue.
Already furious to the point of seeing red, Crypto exploded without regard for appearances.
“Judit! What disgraceful behavior in such an important setting?”
“Does no one remember anything? Am I the one who’s acting strange?”
“Judit!!”
How could anyone forget the cataclysmic event?
The stars and the full moon had fallen to the earth, a pillar of light paused the world, and the night sky shattered like a broken windowpane.
“This… is this a dream, right? It doesn’t make sense. Time is being rewound? Is that even possible? And I’m the only one who remembers?”
Finally, Elena bowed her head in apology for her daughter’s obvious misconduct.
“I apologize. It seems Judit isn’t feeling well today. We should leave early.”
“Elena! Who gave you permission to apologize for her? That crazy girl, I’ll—”
“Yuren! You were with me, weren’t you? Don’t you remember?”
Caught off guard by being suddenly called out, Yuren couldn’t hide his confusion.
“What do you mean by ‘with me’? Don’t you remember? What exactly?”
“…”
In that instant, Yuren realized something.
He had noticed the deep hollow of Judit’s chest leaning towards him.
It was a scene that made him feel like his nose would gush blood, and he couldn’t tear his eyes away for what felt like a long time.
Even Judit, amidst her mental turmoil, noticed.
“This is insane…”
As Judit pressed her brows and Crypto shouted in anger at her disgraceful behavior, an unexpected sound came from outside the dining room.
-Kraaaah!!!
Squeak—
Finally, the door to the dining room opened, and everyone inside wore expressions of astonishment.
Except for one person—Judit Mundersturm.
Raharte, sensing an unfavorable vibe, drew his sword from his waist.
“That girl seems to have taken down all of our guards.”
“Fortunately, she just knocked them out. She’s not ordinary.”
Under the hood, twin tails swayed softly. Judit would never forget this face.
“…Xyah Stella?”
“Hi.”
A girl with silver hair and green eyes draped in a black robe greeted with a warm smile.
“I came to pick you up.”
She cheerfully waved her hand with a bright smile.
Judit couldn’t understand Xyah’s mind. She had never been able to, and in this situation, even less so.
Breaking into the duke’s mansion—this was something even an emperor wouldn’t dare attempt.
“Do you know that crazy person? Huh?”
Judit accepted the reality.
For some reason, time had been reverted, and the only person who understood her was Xyah Stella, who hadn’t forgotten their memories.
But this way, Xyah would become a wanted criminal since they had offended the House of StarDust, which was far beyond some wandering knight or minor noble.
There was only one person who could speak in Xyah’s defense.
“This is my friend.”
Judit said it plainly while walking towards Xyah.
To prevent any further casualties.
Xyah had only knocked out a dozen or so guards without dealing any severe injuries, making it relatively manageable.
Approaching Xyah, Judit gritted her teeth and cursed inwardly through her expression.
“My friend is a bit slow. I will apologize on her behalf.”
Without a trace of her previous immature behavior, Judit bowed, placing a hand on her chest to prevent her clothing from slipping.
Her current demeanor was entirely different from before, shocking Crypto, Raharte, Adela, and Elena.
“In truth, I had some prior engagement with this friend, which was why I acted immaturely. Bringing her here was also my responsibility, and I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused.”
Having finished her apology, Judit straightened up and pinched Xyah’s cheek as she moved away.
“It hurts.”
“Stand there.”
Crunch.
Without needing to turn around, she recognized the voice of her father, Crypto.
Judit remained still, sighing softly.
“Promise right here to marry Yuren, and I won’t hold your friend’s actions against her.”
“I promise.”
As much as Yuren’s earlier action of looking at her cleavage without proper inquiry annoyed her, marrying him had always been her wish.
The sky, obscured by clouds, appeared slightly dull that day.
The mansion’s wall clock pointed at two.
Though there were many guards rushing through the corridors in an emergency, they managed to leave the mansion unnoticed by anyone.
Finally, Judit let out a sigh of relief.
“You’ll regret this.”
“What?”
“I’m talking about the promise you made to your father.”
Judit didn’t understand the meaning of those words for a while. Wasn’t he talking about promising to marry Yuren?
“So what about it?”
“Never mind.”
With those words, silence began to fall.
Even after they had passed through the gates of the StarDust mansion and walked for a considerable time.
Unable to bear the silence anymore, Judit finally spoke.
“You remember it too, right?”
Xyah didn’t respond. She only hummed a tune with a carefree face.
She used to always have a sleepy, indifferent demeanor. When did she change like this?
Could she have gone mad after coming back in time?
“And where are you going? Are you even thinking as you walk?”
Somehow, it felt like fewer people were around as she followed Xyah.
The fewer people around, the lonelier the street seemed. It was almost as if Xyah was deliberately leading her to a secluded place.
They couldn’t even discuss the story of time being rewound, and yet, she was clamping her mouth shut?
She helped clean up the mess from the ruckus caused in the daylight, but there wasn’t even a thank-you, just outright ignoring her?
Thinking this, Xyah’s steps halted.
In a quiet alley with not a single person in sight.
“I hate you.”
Judit was shocked—not because Xyah said she hated her, but because when Xyah turned around, she was smiling.
She remembered this smile too. When Xyah stormed the mansion, she was smiling then as well.
“I came to retrieve you.”
“…”
She had never seen Xyah smile so brightly.
Even after a long time spent together from their academy days until their married life, it was unprecedented.
“You know something.”
Judit didn’t want to fight with Xyah.
Their past relationship, naturally casual even in business circles, hadn’t been that intense.
However, seeing Xyah’s bright smile, Judit realized—Xyah genuinely hated her with deep sincerity.
Their spark-laden stares crossed in the air.
Xyah had even lost to Shirai, who was blind, during a practical training session once.
But she was the kind of girl who got into the Lumere Academy solely because she couldn’t die.
So, Xyah thought this girl could be easily beaten if she decided to.
“You… what are you?”
The battle was decisively over in just five minutes. Lying on the ground, Judit’s body was riddled with scorched, black wounds.
She thought that defeating Xyah, who used a bow, would be effortless, particularly when she saw Xyah pull the bowstring for the first time.
Could such a small, slender body even pull the bowstring? Ridiculous.
Drawing her sword from her waist, Judit leapt swiftly. The moment Xyah skillfully aimed her arrow, a chilling sensation coursed down Judit’s spine.
Flames erupted from the arrow Xyah aimed, and before Judit could react, it struck her right shoulder.
From then on, it resembled a meaningless game of strategy.
No matter how fast or deceptively Judit approached, her paths were all blocked by the arrows.
‘This level of mastery is too high.’
How could one defeat a monster who could calculate the jump distance, air resistance, and the opponent’s movement all at once?
Even someone like Mate, who graduated second from the Magic Department, or Yuren, who graduated second from the Swordsmanship Department, couldn’t possibly win against such an otherworldly existence.
No, she had misunderstood all along.
It wasn’t about comparing against others. Xyah Stella, who possessed the outrageous ability to revive from the place she last slept, wasn’t to be underestimated.
Thinking about it now, pouring magma into the revival location wouldn’t work. That’s simply wishful thinking.
There are no flaws in Xyah’s revival ability. If the anticipated revival spot is deemed dangerous, it automatically resets itself.
—!!
Judit closed her eyes tightly when she saw Xyah raise her leg, but Xyah’s target was her fallen sword.
“I am just like you, standing in the same place.”
“Ha! Same place? Do you even realize what you and your kind represent in this world?”
An existence that never truly dies, possessing extraordinary combat abilities, and aware that time has been rewound—the extremely rare few like them.
This was no heartless monster; this was something capable of destroying an empire if they desired. Judit had long come to understand Xyah in this new light.
“I don’t know that.”
Crack crack crack!
“Wait, just a moment.”
In the combat just now, which was essentially a one-sided beating, the tips of Xyah’s flaming arrows barely grazed Judit’s skin.
The sense of powerlessness that crept over Judit—knowing that even with Xyah holding back, she was still losing—was both hollowing and, in a way, relieving. Because had Xyah truly fought seriously, Judit would have been pricked like a hedgehog with countless arrows.
“Are you crazy?”
Xyah aimed one arrow at Judit’s head.
Try as she might, Judit struggled to rise from her battered form. Her arms and legs were scorched in too many places; she couldn’t even move a single finger.
“You’ve messed everything up.”
The hatred filled her eyes, surpassing the terror she once felt when facing Asura, the high ranker’s ultimate form.
And alas, no one could stop this completely lunatic girl. After all, how could anyone subdue Xyah Stella, who never ages and never truly dies?
“Answer the questions I’m about to ask.”
The drawn bowstring was quivering violently, ready to fire at any moment.
Judit instinctively knew. The moment the arrow was shot, her head would absolutely be penetrated. Death was certain.
“That day, tell me everything that happened at the merchant guild.”
Five minutes of combat was enough to realize that pulling back the bowstring fully wouldn’t strain Xyah’s arm in the slightest.
Yet, her shaky bow and trembling arm were indicative of something else visible in her face.
“…”
The painful grimace, even with her lips pursed tightly, clearly demonstrated her reluctance to shoot.
Despite thinking Xyah had gone mad, she still had her limits. She was guarding that final threshold: not to kill.
Thinking about it, back then, with the StarDust house guards—
Without drawing blood, she had accurately struck pressure points, knocking them unconscious.
“If you don’t want to talk, I’ll ask another question.”
Xyah lowered her bow, crouched beside the fallen Judit, and bowed her head to her knees.
“Why did you betray Mate?”
It was a straightforward question. “Why did you mess around?”
Judit remained silent, and Xyah felt her insides bubbling with agitation.
“Did he do anything wrong to you? A guy who stepped in for your complicated family issues and even canceled important commitments to celebrate your birthday?”
“Yeah, he did.”
“I liked him too.”
Judit couldn’t help but question her own ears.
Could it be possible that Xyah Stella liked someone?
The context hinted at whom.
Mate Dailight.
The man who was once her fiancé before the time rewind.
“But you silently handed him over to me. Mate clearly liked you the most.”
“…”
” Mate wanted you to live the happiest life possible.”
Even when the cycle-reversing document tore and the world crumbled, he only looked momentarily surprised before calmness returned. Presumably, he was already aware of the cycle-reversing document’s existence.
“He was with me right before time reversed.”
She hadn’t tried to stop him from using the cycle-reversing artifact. Perhaps he had felt immense doubt after losing Judit despite all his efforts.
“Trying hard to act cool, he cried in the end.”
The tears were so few they wouldn’t have been visible from a distance. But that face of sorrow was the most pitiful expression Xyah had ever seen on anyone during her life.
“There’s one reason I let you be.”
As Xyah wiped off the dust from her robe, she picked up the bow she’d placed on the ground and stood up.
“Because it’s obvious Mate would hate it if you got hurt.”
Judit could only helplessly lie there, staring as Xyah turned to leave.
Her body was in no condition due to the burns, but the continuous shocks of the conversation had left her numb.
“Congratulations.”
The girl wearing the hood turned around and whispered faintly.
“Isn’t this exactly what you’ve always wanted?”
