Prologue
“Theseus… how could you do this to me…?”
“I won’t say I’m sorry. Elinia, you’re going to die anyway.”
“What about everything I did for you…!”
A gush of blood surged to my throat, preventing me from continuing. My body lost its strength and began to slump toward the ground.
Through my gradually fading consciousness, I saw him wiping the bloodstained sword on his cloak without the slightest care.
Moonlight streamed through the open window, clearly illuminating his face.
His silver hair, which I had always considered beautiful, was now completely stained red.
Blood splattered across his pristine white attire, and the floor beneath his feet was flooded with it.
“Tch—”
He clicked his tongue in annoyance, shaking the blood droplets off his hand as if they were repulsive insects.
But what made me feel more despair than the blood covering his body was his cold eyes, which looked at me without a trace of emotion, as if nothing had happened.
That gaze, devoid of even the slightest hint of remorse, severed the last thread of hope I had been clinging to.
Is this man truly the one I loved?
Theseus von Carloyan, second in line to the throne. Duke of the Empire, the man who rose to the imperial throne. And also… my husband, whom I loved.
Tomorrow was supposed to be his long-awaited coronation, and at the same time, my coronation as Empress.
Just a few days ago, before the royal guards suddenly stormed in and dragged me here without warning.
At first, I thought there must be some mistake. None of it made sense.
Could unrest have suddenly broken out? Were there still noble factions opposing his ascension? But even if that were true, why now?
Despite those troubling thoughts, I was less worried about myself and more concerned for him.
“Is Theseus alright? Has something happened to him…?”
But it didn’t take long for me to realize that it was all a delusion of my own making.
And now, here I am, in this wretched state.
Amid the thoughts flooding my mind, I could only utter one sentence:
“Why…?”
“It’s unfortunate things turned out this way. I don’t have any ill feelings toward you. But…”
“But?”
Our eyes met for a moment, then Theseus smirked mockingly with the corner of his mouth.
“…This is your fate.”
My fate? Is this my fate?
To end up like this? To have my family, knights, and servants falsely accused of treason and slaughtered in the blink of an eye?
All in the name of the fate you speak of?
My chest burned with rage. If I could, I would have spat in his shameless face.
Did I do all of this just to make this wretch an emperor?
If this were just a dream, I wish someone would wake me now. But despite my desperate plea, the sensation of warm blood flowing from my abdomen only confirmed that this was reality.
“Oh, how tragic. What a state… even though you were the expected Empress. Or rather, Her Grace the Duchess. ‘Expected’ means you have no real power. Waiting doesn’t create reality. Watch for yourself who will become the true Empress of this country. As for you, just observe from the heavens, hahaha.”
I heard a woman’s ominous laugh.
By the window appeared a woman with luxurious brown hair. Though her bright red dress was exceedingly lavish, it only accentuated her bold allure.
Her full chest, framed by ornate lace, and her slender waist made her look like a flower blooming at night.
“How dare you…!”
“Oh, you’re still able to talk?”
Her eyes widened in feigned innocence, but she quickly smirked lightly and closed them gently.
Raisy Daleria. Until recently, she was merely the daughter of a baron on the outskirts of the capital. But with Theseus’s support, she gained a noble title and entered the palace.
And now, she was preparing to take my place as Empress.
“…How long have you two been together?”
“Why ask that now? But if you must know, we’ve been together for a long time. Even before you married him, hahaha.”
She said this while placing an imaginary hand above her head, as if wearing a crown, and stepped on the bloodstained carpet with her foot.
“Enough, come here, Raisy. I don’t want your dress stained with blood.”
“Don’t worry, Theseus. I wouldn’t let this filth ruin the dress you gave me.”
She replied in a voice dripping with charm.
Raisy lifted the hem of her crimson dress, matching the color of her lips, and began to sway coyly.
“Anyway, it’s time to end this. Thank you for making me Emperor. Elinia, your role here is done.”
Theseus approached me, his footsteps echoing on the bloodstained floor, and bent down to stare into my eyes.
Clinging to the last of my consciousness, I mustered the final shred of my fading strength.
“Hah… Theseus… why are you doing this? I gave you everything you wanted. My family and I brought you to this throne, so why…!”
“My goodness, are you repeating that nonsense again? What’s the point of knowing now? Just accept reality. Elinia, it was your fate from the start to meet this end.”
Theseus raised the corner of his mouth in a mocking smirk.
On the face of the man deemed the most beautiful in the Empire, a vile smile appeared.
‘No, I never wanted a fate like this. I put you on that throne, even though not a single drop of imperial blood runs through your veins. Without my strength, without my family’s power, would you have reached this position so easily?’
The words I couldn’t utter due to weakness echoed in my mind, intensifying my nausea until I felt a throbbing pain within.
Where did it all go wrong? This wasn’t the ending I dreamed of.
“By the way, send my regards to your father. He must be waiting for you there.”
“Cough, you wretch…!”
Stab!
As a cold blade pierced my heart, excruciating pain tore through my lungs, as if my entire body was shattering and burning.
Amid this agony, I clenched my teeth tightly, shut my eyes, and stared steadfastly into his cold blue eyes, repeating in my mind:
‘If I’m granted another chance… I’ll never let you become Emperor. I’ll destroy everything you have, Theseus…!’
My vision began to darken little by little, with a liquid I couldn’t tell was blood or tears.
Finally, my eyes sank into complete darkness.
It was truly a cruel winter.
***
“My lady! Lady Elinia, wake up now! Oh my goodness, hurry!”
‘That voice…’
Kaya? But she died…
Oh, is this the afterlife then? But do such things exist even in the afterlife?
The scent of fragrant herbs, freshly baked bread, and clean laundry soap… the warm sensation enveloping my body—this could only come from luxurious bedding.
What’s happening here?
“…!”
My breathing quickened, and I opened my eyes suddenly.
“You’re finally awake! What made you sleep so long today? This isn’t like you, my lady.”
The maid, dressed in a crisp, neatly pressed uniform up to her neck, stood looking at me with her head tilted, while the aroma of rosemary wafted from the cup she held.
“Kaya…? You’re here? How? You died…”
I couldn’t understand anything and kept rubbing my eyes in disbelief. Kaya, who had died long ago, was standing before me, alive and well.
“What? What are you saying, my lady?”
Kaya hurriedly set the tray aside and approached me closer.
She placed her hand on my forehead with a worried expression.
“No fever…”
From up close, I saw her rosy nose and the freckles scattered across it, like sprinkled sesame seeds.
‘It’s definitely Kaya.’
Finally, I took in my surroundings. The room was familiar—my bedroom in the palace where I grew up, before my marriage.
I felt my body under my soft white nightgown. There was no trace of a stab wound; my skin was smooth and unmarred.
My white dress wasn’t stained with a single drop of blood, and my blonde hair, cascading over my shoulders, smelled of sweet perfume, not blood.
On the bedside table, a small crown studded with blue sapphires, an heirloom from my late mother and a wedding gift from my father, gleamed.
“Good heavens, I think my lady had a nightmare from all the stress. You need to be alert! Don’t you know what tomorrow is?”
“What’s happening tomorrow?”
Kaya’s eyes widened as if they might burst.
“Tomorrow is your wedding day! You’ll finally become the wife of Duke Theseus!”
“What?!”
Impossible… If I haven’t yet married Theseus…
“Kaya, what year is it?”
Kaya’s face paled, almost as if she might cry.
“It’s the year 874 by the imperial calendar. My lady… should I call the doctor?”
‘874…? Then…’
I was killed by Theseus in the year 876.
If Kaya is telling the truth, that means I’ve gone back two years into the past.
‘Impossible… Have I really returned? To the past?’
It was hard to believe, but everything was too vivid to be just a dream.
‘The heavens have answered my prayer.’
My plea, cried out from the depths of death, had been granted. My pounding heart, which had been racing, suddenly calmed as a sense of certainty washed over me.
‘…I’ll set everything right.’
I’ve been given a new chance.
And I won’t let it slip through my fingers.
Just as I swore then—I’ll take everything from my husband.
I’ll start…
with this marriage.
