Love—a word often heralded as the ultimate salvation, embodying the deepest of human emotions.


    However, love is like a coin, with two distinct faces, each representing a different interpretation of its meaning.


    The true essence of love can be divided into two categories, each shaped by individual perspectives.


    The first type of love is selfless and nurturing. It''s about sacrificing personal happiness for the well-being of a partner, finding joy in mutualpromises, and striving for shared happiness. This love is rooted in care and empathy but bes destructive when not reciprocated, leading to self-harm and unfulfilled desires.


    In this form, love is a delicate bnce that thrives on mutual respect and understanding.


    The second type of love, however, is more possessive and intense. It stems from a desire to monopolize a partner''s attention and affection, regardless of their own feelings or wishes. This kind of love prioritizes one''s own emotions above all else, gradually evolving into obsession and possessiveness.


    It''s a love that seeks control, often blurring the line between affection and dominance, where the idea of sharing orpromising bes intolerable.


    Both forms of love are powerful in their own right, but they reveal the duality of human rtionships—one driven by care and sacrifice, the other by possession and control.


    Although the second type might appear detrimental in the long term, especially if the partner is unwilling to reciprocate those feelings, for Avendial, who was focused on Rivia—who disyed simr possessiveness toward him—it was evident that if left unchecked, this situation could soon escte but.....


    He knew how much easier it was for those with this type of love to manipte.


    He definitely did not see Rivia as a tool, since he had known her since childhood. There were definitely feelings between them. But it was true that he did not love her, while she did.


    The end result of this would definitely not be beneficial for both of them.


    He needed her support, and considering her potential to harm either him or herself could be a significant loss.


    So he decided to follow both types of love, where he wouldpromise his own interests and show her the light she wanted, providing her love while using her obsession and possessiveness in the way he wanted.


    After all, there was a saying he always heard while venturing in the tower: If you want someone to die in your ce, then simply make them fall in love with you.


    "I—I WILL DO ANYTHING...sob... Please, Master, forgive me," Rivia, whose voice was muffled due to her cries, suddenly snapping her eyes towards him as she felt that it was her chance to be forgiven and not abandoned.


    "Stop crying, Rivia, I feel hurt seeing you like this," Avendial said, hugging her tightly to prepare the metal for hammering now that he had warmed it up.


    More precisely, the moment he became aware of Rivia''s obsession with him and her part in the Aphrodisiac incident, he had to find a way to secure his influence over her. He was acutely aware that, considering her capabilities ahead, she could turn dangerous if her obsession obstructed his goals.


    And to do that, he intentionally made her reflect on herself by leaving the night before, and today he ordered her to apany him to the princess''s pce. By doing so, he was able to use this fact to make her control her emotions.


    Naturally, it may appear that the human mind is very strong and could easily pass through any hurdle. Humans are meant to adapt things much more swiftly than others. But this is only true until one doesn''t know how human psychology works.


    Humans indeed have a remarkable ability to adapt, but when faced with swift changes in their surroundings, this strength can be eclipsed. And given that the human mind is strong, one just needs to use the heart against it, which in scientific terms is simply the mind''s subspace where emotions are intense, causing the mind to be overwhelmed.


    In a systematic way, he had pushed Rivia to suppress her emotions until the end, causing all the piled-up pain and regret to gather together.


    And then he offered her an escape by opening his arms, making all her emotions burst in a single sweep, causing her to cry like a child in his embrace.


    After all, after he created the pain and left no choice for the mind, he needed to ensure she did not feel cornered.


    A cornered mind is very vulnerable. Given Rivia''s present state, it would not be surprising if she began to think about killing herself. So, with this hug and proposal he provided her, it was an opportunity which she wanted at all costs.


    "Rivia, the condition is very simple: you need to kill a few noblemen when I order you, using the Royal family''s sword style," Avendial leaned slightly and neared her head, whispering once again, causing her body to flinch as she looked towards him with trembling eyes.


    Looking at her facial expression, which was shocked, Avendial knew that it would be a tough task to make her use the sword style of the Arinphiam Empire''s Royal family, given that the use of heart would never allow her to do this.


    After all, the title attached after her name, ''Dominic Aurelia'', was evidence of her loyalty towards the Empire.


    This so-called loyalty was simply an assurance from the Empire to all the swordmasters with two rules:


    1. No swordmaster will ever use the sword techniques of the Royal Family.


    2. Their actions shouldn''t harm the foundation of the Empire.


    To put it simply, it wasn''t some curse or ve mark, but simply a line taught every day by mentors and teachers, brainwashing them into making all the swordmasters never use the royal family''s sword techniques, which were considered the strongest in the empire. Instead, they were allowed to develop their own techniques based on it.


    After developing their own techniques, they received their surnames.


    It may not appear to be a big thing, considering that there wasn''t any contract, seal, or curse attached to force a swordmaster into following those rules. But it was far more potent than any curse.


    This method was a simple brainwashing where every hour of the day, until a child of age 4 or 5 was trained under their mentor, they were told the same rules all the time until they turned 20.


    It was as if making their mind remember this and their body infused with these words into their very cells, causing them to never betray.


    "W-What?" Rivia''s voice trembled as she heard those conditions from Avendial. If it was about killing the noblemen, she could easily do it, not caring about her life, but he also wanted her to break embedded rules, causing her lips to part as she inquired while trembling.


    "I see..." Avendial pulled his hand away from her head and body as he turned his eyes towards the window of the car as it moved toward the mansion, causing Rivia to feel his hand slip away from her skin and instantly tighten her grip.


    "No! No! Please, Master, I will do it, don''t abandon me!" While she felt that the opportunity she had gotten was slipping away, Rivia cried out as she tightened her grip before hugging him tightly as if he was going to separate from her soon, leaving her alone. This caused her mind to recall the days of her orphanage when, as a little girl, she needed to fend for herself, "Uwaaah....! Please...!"