Regef Hill/Plot

***This page contains*** **HEAVY SPOILERS!** ***Read at your own risk!***

## **Synopsis**

Regef was conceived through the Empress' affair with the then Duke Kidrey, and thus is regarded as the Emperor's illegitimate son though he's not even his real son. The Empress passed away when he was still young, and he was treated coldly by the Emperor who took him in since Regef didn't have anyone else left. The Emperor warned him that he was an illegitimate child who could be kicked out any minute, and told him to prove himself worthy of being a Prince if he wanted the power and authority to stay in the castle.

   Thus, he was raised in a 'prove me' way, and was a poor child who starved for paternal love and affection. His only comfort in the miserable childhood he spent was his older sister Kayena. Both of them had the same mother, and Kayena often played with him and always called him as her 'only' family.

Regef really loved her since she was his only family and comfort, and they had a close brother-sister relationship even after they became adolescents. But their relationship quickly fell apart when Kayena became infatuated with Raffaello Kidrey- the biggest threat to Regef's succession to the throne.

The Kidreys opposed Regef's succession to the throne, and Kayena was no longer the loving sister he knew. She was obsessed with Raffaello and was adamant on marrying him, but this would jeopardize his position as the First Prince. Now, he saw Kayena as nothing more than a foolish and arrogant wicked woman who was swooning over his enemy Raffaello, and he already had enough nobles who opposed his succession.

Hence, he chose to use her as a pawn to become the Emperor and dispose her by marrying her off to someone other than Raffaello or his enemies. His twisted personality too contributed to his manipulation and betrayal of Kayena, but he never revealed his true colors under any circumstances. He always had his angelic and kind demeanor to deceive Kayena into believing that he was still his loving brother, but in reality he had a half-hearted attitude towards her,

## **Former Life**

In Kayena's first life, he used his foolish sister as a marionette to secure the throne and later became the next emperor by killing his father. Like Raffaello, he too fell in love with Olivia and both of them fought with each other over her. At the same time, he wanted to get rid of Kayena- his pitiful doll who also harassed his beloved Olivia without knowing that she'd be disposed soon.

But when Olivia chose Raffaello over him, he was deeply enraged, and either wanted her in his hands or have her killed. He took advantage of Kayena's hatred for Olivia and manipulated her into bullying and tormenting Olivia more, thereby making Kayena bring destruction upon herself as well as agonizing Olivia. But when it became clear that Olivia wouldn't come into his hands, he drove Kayena to kill her by poisoning so that he can dispose her easily using her countless crimes against Olivia as well as succeed in killing Olivia.

But since Olivia survived, he used his guards and caught Kayena red-handed, and he laughed at his sister's foolishness when she insisted that everything was Olivia's fault for coming between her and Raffaello and demanded that he execute Olivia. He commented that she was much more foolish than he had thought, and that she wasn't even able to grasp her current situation. He then explained how he had used her and that now he was throwing her away since she wasn't of value anymore, and proceeded to punish her by putting all the blame on her while coldly ignoring her tearful pleas to spare her.

He then sold her off in marriage to Henberton who repeatedly abused her, and never responded to her letters asking him to rescue her from her psychotic husband. Thus, he let Kayena die at her mad husband's hand, and led his life as Eldyme's Emperor without any regrets over her death. But his reign didn't last long as he was an utter tyrant because of the way he was raised, and so he was soon overthrown by his younger brother Ethel who joined forces with the Kidreys and started a rebellion. It's not known what happened to Regef after Ethel became the new emperor.

## **Current Life**

Regef poisons Kayena's wine at the banquet to create a scenario as part of his schemes, but is unaware that Kayena has been reborn. After Kayena wakes up, he visits her and asks how she's feeling to which she replies it's bearable, but Regef flinches at her unusual attitude since the original Kayena would have asked if the real culprit was caught 10 times by now. He's shocked to find her so calm with an unreadable expression, but disregards it believing that she's in an altered state after drinking the poison and that she's still the same good-for-nothing doll. He then hugs and promises her to find the culprit and make them pay for it, but is enraged when Kayena pushes him and tells him to stop looking for the culprit. Regef shouts at her saying that she nearly died, but his true motive from the beginning is to use this opportunity he created to reduce the Kidreys' influence by framing one of their vassals as the culprit.

Regef asks if it's because of her fear of retaliation, and assures that he'll protect her and never let that happen again. But Kayena shakes her head, and asks him who he wants to frame. She tells him that even though it's easy to cover up poison acquired from the black market, flimsy evidence wouldn't be enough, but he again assures her saying that the evidence is clear and everything will be over once it's revealed to the public, and asks if she's saying all this because of Raffaello- her unrequited love. Kayena again says no and warns him that if he chooses to frame and execute young Lord Gillian whose House is a vassal of the Kidreys, the Kidreys would never stay still and watch their vassal get dragged down. She explains that since her maternal grandfather Count Hamel is involved in the black market, the Kidreys would discover House Hamel siphoning off the Emperor's assets into the black market if Regef interferes with the Kidreys' vassals, and this in turn would lead to the declination of House Hamel and give Regef a hard time under accusations of fabrication.

She then suggests the idea of winning the Kidreys to his side instead of making them fall, which makes Regef gape at her new grown-up attitude. Meanwhile, Kayena asks if she could bring Olivia Grace as her new lady-in-waiting, and he ponders what she's thinking since she hated the fact that Duchess Kidrey was sponsoring her. He asks if she's sure about her decision, and Kayena replies she can't do what suits her forever, but it makes him suspicious of her. He asks with a frown what she's really thinking, but to his shock she kneels down and kisses his hand saying he's her Emperor and the only one left for her. Regef blushes and pushes her away while trembling with confusion and anger, recalling that she always used to say that he's her only little brother and the only family left for her, and wonders if she's deranged because of the poison's impact. He clenches his fist asks what she's got up her sleeve, and is again shocked when Kayena asks him back if he trusts her and truly thinks of her as his sister. He listens to her reasons and explanations, and she tells him that she's aware of her circumstances and dwindling position.

Regef asks what exactly she wants and starts laughing when she says she wants freedom, and asks if she'll give up all this wealth and honor to which she replies that the freedom she desires is to marry any man she wishes to marry. When he asks if she's referring to Raffaello, she says no, and he quickly brushes it off asks what he'll get in return with an amused look. Kayena says she'll make him the Emperor, and explains that though he can become the Emperor without her help, he'll need to give shares of what's his to others, especially to the Evans family who're concocting schemes for him. He mockingly asks if 'she' can scheme for him, but Kayena faints right after assuring that he can take time to trust her. He quickly catches her and feels her body burning up, and immediately shouts for a physician. She opens her eyes for a moment and caresses his cheek saying he's a sweet child, and quickly passes out again while Regef who's touched by her words looks at her with genuine concern.

He's then shown to be ordering his aid Jannon Evans to reinvestigate Kayena's poisoning, and asks him to find out who among the ruined nobles are in line for the guillotine, especially the ones who need money and have a family. He also orders him to place more guards around Kayena and report her every activity to him, and finally asks him to find out more about Olivia Grace. After Jannon leaves, Regef ponders about Kayena's new attitude and wonders if she's still his poor marionette or if he has been her marionette all this time, but quickly brushes it off thinking she isn't that smart, and asks himself if someone had given her some sort of advice to make her behave like that. He suspects the Hamels, but brushes it off too since they have no reason to do so. He then recalls how Archduke Easter Heinrich turned the tables in the fight for the throne, and sighs that he wouldn't have to use Kayena to keep Easter in check if only he had military. He then kisses the same spot on his hand where Kayena had kissed him, and asks himself what he should do with his poor marionette.

Two weeks after his conversation with Kayena, he heeds to her advice by executing a suitable nobleman through his investigations via Jannon, and rumors quickly spread that he has swiftly caught and executed the culprit. Thus, many nobles agree that he should quickly ascend the throne because of his outstanding performance, and this put Archduke Easter Heinrich in a precarious position. Hence, Regef successfully gained many supporters and reduced the influence of Easter.

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Chapter 2
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Chapter 1
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Chapter 0
4. ↑ Chapter 41
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Chapter 3