Chapter 1

I am secretly pregnant with the child of my worst enemy—my ruthless stepbrother.

A masquerade mistake left me ruined, and I desperately tried to hide my condition. But Kyle, the Empire's most feared Chief Mage and my lifelong tormentor, cornered me and found my medical crystal.

"Who is the bastard?!" he roared, slamming me against the wall, his ice-blue eyes blazing with murderous jealousy. "I will crush his bones and burn his soul in hellfire!"

I trembled in his shadow. How could I tell this possessive tyrant that the "bastard" he wants to brutally murder is... himself? Now, trapped in a magical chamber that forces us to reveal our darkest secrets or die, my time is running out.

——

“Get your filthy hands off my high-grade potion cauldron, Kyle.” I stared coldly at the man in the Imperial Army’s black-and-gold uniform.

“What? Afraid one touch from me will make that vat of second-rate explosives blow the entire East Tower sky-high?” Kyle arched one eyebrow and leaned lazily against the doorframe, his long fingers toying with a fire rune.

This was my stepbrother—the youngest Chief Battle Mage in the Empire and my sworn enemy since childhood.

“Get out.” I rolled my eyes and pointed at the door.

“And if I don’t?” He scoffed and suddenly leaned forward, his imposing frame erasing the distance between us.

Just as his fingertips were about to touch the ancient piece of metal on my workbench, something changed.

The relic we had excavated from the ruins erupted in a blinding white light.

A violent sensation of weightlessness seized me the next second.

When I opened my eyes again, the potion laboratory was gone.

In its place stood a sealed, pure-white chamber without a single door or window.

Ancient, mysterious golden runes flowed across the walls.

My scalp prickled. I instinctively reached for the wand at my waist, only to find it missing.

“Don’t bother. Our magic has been sealed.”

Kyle’s deep voice came from behind me. He was frowning as he wiped a streak of blood from his jaw with the back of his hand, an injury left by the spatial rupture.

Even disheveled, his god-sculpted face still carried that infuriating composure.

【Beep—life-forms detected. Welcome to the Cube of Truth.】

An emotionless mechanical voice echoed throughout the white chamber.

I froze. The Cube of Truth? Wasn’t that the absolute domain used to judge heretics during the Age of Myth?

【Spatial rules have been locked.】

【To leave this chamber, both challengers must reveal a secret about themselves that the other person could not possibly know.】

【If the secret fails to provoke an emotional response from the other challenger, the attempt will be deemed unsuccessful.】

【Alternatively—】 The mechanical voice paused ominously. 【The two challengers may engage in intimate physical contact for three full minutes. This will also unlock the chamber.】

“What the hell is this?” I let out a cold laugh.

【If you refuse to comply, the chamber will drain half of each challenger’s life force in ten minutes. Countdown initiated.】

A massive golden hourglass materialized on the wall.

I drew a deep breath and forced myself to stay calm. Intimate physical contact with Kyle? I would sooner kiss a fully grown venom-swamp dragon.

“We’ve been fighting since we were kids. What secret could you possibly have that I don’t already know?” I turned to Kyle, trying to hide the sweat gathering in my palms behind a mocking smile.

Kyle said nothing.

His piercing ice-blue eyes remained fixed on me.

Here, in this white chamber with nothing else to distract us, his gaze seemed capable of stripping away every one of my defenses.

“Vesper,” he said suddenly, his voice unbearably hoarse. “You look nervous. What are you afraid of?”

“I’m afraid of dying in this godforsaken place with you,” I shot back through clenched teeth.

“Is that so?” Kyle strode toward me.

His military boots struck the white floor with a dull thud, each step landing directly on my nerves.

I retreated instinctively until my back hit the cold wall.

He planted one hand beside my ear, trapping me completely beneath his shadow.

His familiar scent—gunpowder and cedarwood—filled my nose.

“If you don’t want to die, then let’s choose the fastest option.” He lowered his head until his lips nearly brushed the shell of my ear, his voice edged with a wicked smile. “Intimate physical contact. What do you say, little sister?”

My entire body went rigid. My heart began pounding beyond my control.

“Have you lost your mind?” I shoved hard against his chest, but it was like pushing against a solid wall. He didn’t move an inch.

“I haven’t.” Kyle lowered his gaze to my lips, his voice dropping to a murmur. “It wouldn’t exactly be our first time.”

My mind exploded.

What did he mean?

A month ago, someone had drugged me with a lust potion at the royal masquerade. In a darkened lounge, I had slept with a man whose face I couldn’t see.

When I fled, the only thing I remembered was the vicious dragon-claw scar across his chest.

Could Kyle know something?

“You…” My voice trembled.

【Five minutes remaining. Please make your choice immediately.】

The merciless mechanical voice cut us off.

I shoved him away and gasped for breath. “I choose the secret!”