The Villain Knows the End

Ah Zing returned the next evening, her expression grim as she laid a stack of documents on my desk.

"Master," she said, bowing slightly. "I've gathered all the information you requested about the people closest to the Legendary Wine God in his final days."

I leaned back in my chair, steepling my fingers as I watched her with interest. "Go on."

Ah Zing took a deep breath and began listing the key figures:

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GOD OF WINE'S FAMILY

Leonis Valtoria (Legendary Wine God)

- Age: 56 (Deceased)

- Gender: Male

- Status: Legendary Wine God

- Title: Creator of the Forgotten Vintage

- Workplace: Valtoria Estate

- Personality: Charismatic, mysterious, and feared

- Abilities:

- Wine Creation – Can craft wines that enhance strength, perception, and even heal fatal wounds.

- Vintage Curse – His wines carry hidden magical properties, including mind control and memory alteration.

- God's Fermentation – Can refine any drink into a legendary brew, increasing its magical potency.

- Requiem of the Vine – Can seal a person's fate with a single sip of his wine.

- Background: The most powerful wine craftsman in history. His death has left behind the mystery of the Forgotten Vintage — a wine said to hold power beyond mortal comprehension.

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Victor Valtoria (MC of the Drama, Heir to the Wine God's Legacy)

- Age: 26

- Gender: Male

- Status: Heir of the Wine God

- Title: Young Master of the Valtoria Estate

- Workplace: Valtoria Estate

- Personality: Calm, calculating, and ambitious

- Abilities:

- Blood of the Vine – Enhances his physical and magical strength when drinking wine.

- Palate of the Gods – Able to detect even the slightest magical trace in any wine.

- Soul Infusion – Can merge his own magic into any liquid, altering its properties.

- Vinous Awakening – Activates hidden potential in magical wines upon consumption.

- Background: Sent away from the estate as a child after his mother's mysterious death. His return marks the beginning of a dangerous power struggle over his father's legacy.

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Eliza Valtoria (First Sister)

- Age: 23

- Gender: Female

- Status: Adopted Sister

- Title: Advisor of the Valtoria Estate

- Workplace: Valtoria Estate

- Personality: Cold, reserved, and fiercely protective of Victor

- Abilities:

- Ice Bloom – Freezes liquids and controls their shape.

- Wine's Reflection – Can reflect magic attacks through any liquid surface.

- Frozen Domain – Creates an area of freezing mist, slowing down enemies.

- Winter Bloom – Allows her to reshape ice into weapons or shields.

- Background: Adopted at the age of 8. Knows more about the Forgotten Vintage's history than anyone else.

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Sophia Valtoria (Second Sister)

- Age: 21

- Gender: Female

- Status: Adopted Sister

- Title: Strategist of the Valtoria Estate

- Workplace: Valtoria Estate

- Personality: Playful, clever, and manipulative

- Abilities:

- Charming Lure – Her voice can influence emotions and weaken resolve.

- Venom Kiss – Her lips secrete a paralyzing toxin that works through skin contact.

- Wine Web – Forms a network of magical threads through any liquid, detecting movement and magical traces.

- Glamour's Veil – Can disguise her appearance or the appearance of others.

- Background: Adopted at the age of 6. Rumored to have destroyed a rival vineyard through sabotage.

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Lily Valtoria (Third Sister)

- Age: 18

- Gender: Female

- Status: Adopted Sister

- Title: Keeper of the Wine Vault

- Workplace: Valtoria Estate

- Personality: Quiet, observant, and ruthless when threatened

- Abilities:

- Silent Vintage – Can erase her presence and become undetectable.

- Blood Fermentation – Can alter the composition of a drink by adding a drop of her blood.

- Final Offering – If she sacrifices part of her life force, she can strengthen the effects of any magic-infused wine.

- Shadeborn – Allows her to pass through shadows undetected.

- Background: Abandoned as an infant and raised within the estate. Rumored to be the most dangerous of the three sisters.

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## VILLAINESSES

Seraphina Valtoria (Illegitimate Daughter of the Wine God)

- Age: 27

- Gender: Female

- Status: Banished Noble

- Title: Bloodline Outcast

- Workplace: None (Exiled)

- Personality: Bitter, cunning, and ruthless

- Abilities:

- Crimson Curse – Her blood carries a deadly poison that corrupts magic.

- Dark Vintage – Can control the effects of any cursed wine.

- Wine's Requiem – Amplifies negative emotions and weakens magical resistance through her aura.

- Eclipse of the Vine – Temporarily seals the powers of any wine user within her presence.

- Background: Born from an affair between the Wine God and a rival noblewoman. Seeks revenge on Victor and the estate.

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Astoria Elysium (Rival Estate Owner)

- Age: 30

- Gender: Female

- Status: Head of the Elysium Vineyard

- Title: Lady of Elysium

- Workplace: Elysium Estate

- Personality: Sophisticated, ambitious, and cruel

- Abilities:

- Venomous Charm – Can induce hallucinations or weaken the mind through eye contact.

- Black Vintage – Creates poisonous wines that corrupt the mind and body.

- Silent Bloom – Nullifies sound and magic in her immediate surroundings.

- Thorned Crown – Can command thorned vines to trap or attack her enemies.

- Background: Once sought to marry the Wine God. Now aims to control the wine market and the Forgotten Vintage.

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Marielle Crowley (Merchant Princess)

- Age: 24

- Gender: Female

- Status: Heir of the Crowley Trading Guild

- Title: Princess of Trade

- Workplace: Crowley Trade Guild

- Personality: Playful, deceptive, and unpredictable

- Abilities:

- Wine Mirage – Creates false illusions using the scent and taste of wine.

- Blood Ties – Can temporarily control the movements of anyone who drinks her specially crafted wine.

- Trade Pact – Strengthens her magic and influence through trade-based contracts.

- Wine's Whisper – Can eavesdrop on conversations through any liquid.

- Background: Has deep ties to the underground market. Seeking an alliance with Lucius Verade.

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SIDE CHARACTERS

Alden Farrow (Head Butler)

- Age: 40

- Gender: Male

- Status: Head of Valtoria Estate Staff

- Abilities:

- Wine's Blessing – Strengthens physical and magical defense.

- Shadow of the House – Can conceal his presence and movement.

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Evelyn Hart (Maid)

- Age: 22

- Gender: Female

- Status: Lily's Personal Attendant

- Abilities:

- Echo Whisper – Can mimic sounds and voices.

- Threadbind – Weaves magical threads into clothing to fortify protection.

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Rowan Blackwell (Mercenary Leader)

- Age: 35

- Gender: Male

- Status: Leader of the Blackwell Guild

- Abilities:

- Crushing Strike – Enhances his physical strength temporarily.

- Blade of Silence – Nullifies sound when attacking.

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Ah Zing finished speaking, her gaze steady. "These are the people who surrounded the Wine God in his final days. If anyone knows about the Forgotten Vintage, it will be one of them — or one of his heirs."

I leaned back, my gaze sharpening as I processed the names. Victor, the legitimate heir. Three adopted sisters, each with their own strengths and shadows. Two dangerous villainesses, a circle of powerful allies and rivals — all with motive.

A dark smile curled at the edges of my lips.

"Victor Valtoria stands to gain the most from his father's death."

Ah Zing hesitated. "Do you think Victor killed him?"

I shook my head. "No… but if the Forgotten Vintage exists, Victor will seek it. And that…" My gaze darkened. "…makes him my greatest obstacle."

Ah Zing's eyes narrowed. "Victor's plot armor—"

I cut her off with a cold laugh. "Plot armor? Protagonist halo?" My smile sharpened dangerously. "None of that will save him from me."

I stood and walked toward the window, my eyes cold as I gazed toward the distant vineyards.

"Heroes are protected by fate, by the invisible hands of the story itself." I glanced over my shoulder, my expression devoid of warmth. "But even fate can be rewritten."

Ah Zing's breath hitched as my aura darkened.

"Victor may be the protagonist of this story…" I said softly, my voice razor-sharp. "But in the end—"

My gaze sharpened, burning with absolute resolve.

"—I am the one who decides how this tale ends."