The air was damp and chilling, wrapping the surroundings in an icy embrace. In this desolate place, where only the most humble souls sought refuge, there lingered an incongruity—a queen in the midst of paupers. She possessed the noble blood of a nation, yet she was ensnared, ignorant of when she would bask in the warmth of freedom once more.
The flame of escape had long flickered and extinguished within her, along with any hope of survival. The moment her unborn child perished and her husband deserted her, her inner spirit faded away.
Squeeek…
The prison door creaked open, revealing a woman adorned in baroque attire. Her countenance bore the marks of time, etched upon her visage, while resplendent jewels and ornaments accentuated her regal essence. Near the iron bars, a chair rested, inviting the noble-like woman to perch upon it.
“Greetings, dear sister,” she spoke, her voice filled with an enigmatic longing.
Rihannan raised her gaze, meeting the noblewoman’s fiery eyes, brimming with unspoken desires.
“Poor, beloved sister,” the words fell from the noblewoman’s lips, yet her countenance betrayed a tone of mockery and reproach, rather than compassion. “I warned you, sister… You should have yielded and made way for me. None of this would have transpired had you heeded my advice.”
Rihannan, her countenance an unyielding mask, responded with a pained smile. Yes, there was truth in those words. If only she had retreated swiftly, tragedy might have been averted, and her fall from grace prevented.
But it was all his doing.
She had loved him.
And that, too, was her own doing.
“Sister, tomorrow your throat shall be slit. He no longer cares. You shall meet a woeful demise, witnessed by the gathering crowd. Your head shall be severed, plummeting to the ground, rolling upon the soil. Your blood shall stain the earth beneath you. As your devoted sister, I cannot bear to witness such a fate.” Leticia, Rihannan’s half-sister, lifted a small glass bottle and extended it to her. Her lips moistened in anticipation as she continued, “You do not wish for others to witness your decapitation, do you? Yield. This is the final recourse to salvage my sister’s honor—the last shred of consideration I can offer.”
The noblewoman relished the imminent eradication of Rihannan, having prepared meticulously for her sister’s descent into darkness.
Yet, what purpose would it serve if Leticia did not receive the reaction she had expected? It was all in vain, as Rihannan had been stripped of everything, save for…
“Yes, I am grateful,” Rihannan uttered, reaching for the glass bottle in Leticia’s grasp. Her fingers entwined around its fragile form. This would be her end. Whatever Leticia’s intentions were, it seemed a rather fitting end to die in solitude like this, Rihannan mused. In fact, she yearned for the swift embrace of death.
A bitter smile graced Rihannan’s lips.
“Thanks to you, this final path I tread shall be undeniably tranquil. I shall savor this elixir.”
“…Why do you persist in pretending to be noble until the very end?” Leticia seethed through clenched teeth, her eyes, which should have danced with triumphant glee, now brimming with a smoldering anger. “Why? Why aren’t you consumed by madness? Why don’t you cry out for help? Why do you feign such composure when you’re anything but?”
“Is that truly how it appears? Why? What purpose would it serve?”
“Because… because I cannot bear witness to your hypocrisy!”
“You have already taken everything from me. My father, my husband, and now, my humble station. Is that not enough?”
“Do not speak nonsense. You took it from me? No, it was rightfully mine from the very start. Mine! If not for you, it would have been mine long ago. Can’t you see that?”
Absurdity laced Leticia’s words. One fateful day, when Rihannan was a mere twelve years old, her half-sister emerged out of the blue and laid claim to everything she held dear, leaving her with naught but emptiness. Her family, the man she cherished, and the child she could never bear… all snatched away.
Rihannan sealed her lips, her exhaustion eclipsing any desire to argue. She yearned for nothing more than to bring it all to an end. That was her sole wish.
“I pray you’ll grant me respite even in death.”
“…And still, you maintain this facade until the bitter end.” Leticia rose from her seat, a cruel smile dancing upon her flawless countenance. “This is where you shall draw your final breath. It is a fitting conclusion for you.”
Once Leticia departed the confines of the prison, darkness and silence reclaimed the chamber.
Rihannan uncorked the glass bottle and consumed its contents without a moment’s hesitation.
The medicine coursed through her veins with swiftness. Her insides convulsed, as if being torn asunder, and she spewed crimson blood ceaselessly. Gradually, the tingling in her limbs faded, and her heartbeat waned.
Rihannan lay upon the cold, unyielding floor, awaiting the arrival of tranquility and peace.
In the last fleeting moment of her existence, the visage of someone she once loved materialized before her mind’s eye, tears tracing a path down her cheeks.
“What a wretched demise, Rihannan… You were the last person I expected to betray me… You foolish creature…”
Her eyes closed slowly, and she exhaled her final breath.
If another life awaited her, everything would be different.
Love would never entwine her heart again, nor would she bestow her pity.
It was her last breath…
Yet, her eyes fluttered open once more.
To Rihannan’s astonishment, she found herself twelve years old once again.
She emerged from a profound slumber, lying upon the bed in the grand mansion that had been her abode until her marriage. And her body, it had regressed to that of a young child.
Rihannan rolled off the bed and gazed at her reflection in the mirror, her eyes widening in realization that she had returned to the past—the time of her mother’s passing.
“Have I truly journeyed back in time?”
Yet, she shook her head in denial, unwilling to believe. Perhaps she was dreaming, or witnessing her past before crossing the River of Death. However, as the sun rose on the horizon, Rihannan was compelled to accept her new reality.
She had returned. It was not a figment of her imagination. She was twelve once more.
An inconceivable reality settled upon her, and Rihannan sank back onto the bed, silently awaiting the opening of the door. If all were true, her maid Mary, who had cared for her since infancy, would enter. Mary had been the one to rouse her every morning, her unwavering presence unbroken until the false accusation led to her banishment from the mansion.
“Miss?”
Before long, the door swung open, and Mary stepped into the room. Surprise flashed across her face upon finding the young Rihannan wide awake and alert at such an early hour.
“Miss, have you been awake all night? Goodness gracious, you haven’t slept a wink!” Mary hurried to Rihannan’s side, her hand tenderly caressing the pale countenance. “It must be your mother’s passing weighing heavily on your heart, isn’t it? My dear, do not let sadness consume you… It will only harm your well-being.”
“Mary…”
“Yes, Miss?”
Rihannan regarded Mary, a familiar face she hadn’t seen in far too long. After her mother’s demise, her father had taken in the child of another woman, causing Rihannan’s gradual isolation. Mary had been one of the two individuals who stood by her side until the bitter end, until she, too, was cast aside on false charges of pilfering Leticia’s jewels.
“I have missed you…”
“Miss?”
“Mary, I have yearned for your presence,” Rihannan uttered, her voice husky and filled with longing.
Mary took a composed breath, her warm, chestnut eyes carefully assessing the young Rihannan. She deduced that the child, who had recently lost her mother, was still in a state of shock, uttering peculiar words.
“Oh, my dear child. Did you have a frightful dream last night?” With tender affection, Mary enfolded Rihannan in her arms, her hand gently caressing the girl’s silky silver locks. “Fear not. You have your father and me. Worry not, for all shall be well.”
Enveloped in Mary’s embrace, Rihannan bit her lip as memories from the past flooded her mind.
No, that is not true. Father will bring her here and take everything away from me…
When the waves of recollection crashed upon her, Rihannan’s heart was consumed by anguish.
“There, there. The Count shall soon return. Although I am uncertain why he hastily departed after the funeral, rest assured, all shall be well. The Count shall forever be by your side.”
Unbeknownst to Mary, Rihannan was already aware of his abrupt departure.
He had rushed off to fetch his illegitimate daughter, even before his wife’s lifeless body had been laid to rest. It seemed as though he had eagerly awaited this very moment.
“Miss, perhaps you should freshen up first…”
“Mary, before that, could you please summon a lawyer?”
Taken aback, Mary arched her eyebrows, her gaze fixed upon Rihannan’s glacial blue eyes. She inquired, “A lawyer? Do you mean Ned?”
“Yes. Please contact Lawyer Ned.”
“Why do you suddenly require legal assistance?”
“Mary, time is of the essence. There is something I must discuss with him before Father returns. I implore you, reach out to him immediately and request his presence.”
To Mary, lawyers were enigmatic figures, much like the nobility, and although Rihannan possessed a certain level of education, comprehending the intricacies of her lessons would prove challenging until she reached maturity. Furthermore, Mary could not recall any noteworthy encounters between the young Miss and the lawyer worth mentioning. Ned was always preoccupied with attending to Count Alessin, the proprietor of the mansion. Thus, why would a girl like Rihannan suddenly express the desire to speak with a lawyer? However, regardless of her reservations, Mary had no intention of denying the earnest plea of the young lady.
“Very well. I shall send someone to seek the lawyer. Please wait a moment.”
As Mary exited the room, Rihannan sorted through the jumble of thoughts clouding her mind. It was the day following her mother’s funeral, the day when her father, Count Alessin, introduced his illegitimate daughter into their lives. It was also the day her string of misfortunes commenced.
Perhaps it was an act of divine mercy that granted her a second chance at life.If that were the case, Rihannan would not squander the opportunities bestowed upon her by the higher powers.
Her lips clenched in determination, her ice-blue eyes shimmering with resolve.
The air was damp and chilling, wrapping the surroundings in an icy embrace. In this desolate place, where only the most humble souls sought refuge, there lingered an incongruity—a queen in the midst of paupers. She possessed the noble blood of a nation, yet she was ensnared, ignorant of when she would bask in the warmth of freedom once more.
The flame of escape had long flickered and extinguished within her, along with any hope of survival. The moment her unborn child perished and her husband deserted her, her inner spirit faded away.
Squeeek…
The prison door creaked open, revealing a woman adorned in baroque attire. Her countenance bore the marks of time, etched upon her visage, while resplendent jewels and ornaments accentuated her regal essence. Near the iron bars, a chair rested, inviting the noble-like woman to perch upon it.
“Greetings, dear sister,” she spoke, her voice filled with an enigmatic longing.
Rihannan raised her gaze, meeting the noblewoman’s fiery eyes, brimming with unspoken desires.
“Poor, beloved sister,” the words fell from the noblewoman’s lips, yet her countenance betrayed a tone of mockery and reproach, rather than compassion. “I warned you, sister… You should have yielded and made way for me. None of this would have transpired had you heeded my advice.”
Rihannan, her countenance an unyielding mask, responded with a pained smile. Yes, there was truth in those words. If only she had retreated swiftly, tragedy might have been averted, and her fall from grace prevented.
But it was all his doing.
She had loved him.
And that, too, was her own doing.
“Sister, tomorrow your throat shall be slit. He no longer cares. You shall meet a woeful demise, witnessed by the gathering crowd. Your head shall be severed, plummeting to the ground, rolling upon the soil. Your blood shall stain the earth beneath you. As your devoted sister, I cannot bear to witness such a fate.” Leticia, Rihannan’s half-sister, lifted a small glass bottle and extended it to her. Her lips moistened in anticipation as she continued, “You do not wish for others to witness your decapitation, do you? Yield. This is the final recourse to salvage my sister’s honor—the last shred of consideration I can offer.”
The noblewoman relished the imminent eradication of Rihannan, having prepared meticulously for her sister’s descent into darkness.
Yet, what purpose would it serve if Leticia did not receive the reaction she had expected? It was all in vain, as Rihannan had been stripped of everything, save for…
“Yes, I am grateful,” Rihannan uttered, reaching for the glass bottle in Leticia’s grasp. Her fingers entwined around its fragile form. This would be her end. Whatever Leticia’s intentions were, it seemed a rather fitting end to die in solitude like this, Rihannan mused. In fact, she yearned for the swift embrace of death.
A bitter smile graced Rihannan’s lips.
“Thanks to you, this final path I tread shall be undeniably tranquil. I shall savor this elixir.”
“…Why do you persist in pretending to be noble until the very end?” Leticia seethed through clenched teeth, her eyes, which should have danced with triumphant glee, now brimming with a smoldering anger. “Why? Why aren’t you consumed by madness? Why don’t you cry out for help? Why do you feign such composure when you’re anything but?”
“Is that truly how it appears? Why? What purpose would it serve?”
“Because… because I cannot bear witness to your hypocrisy!”
“You have already taken everything from me. My father, my husband, and now, my humble station. Is that not enough?”
“Do not speak nonsense. You took it from me? No, it was rightfully mine from the very start. Mine! If not for you, it would have been mine long ago. Can’t you see that?”
Absurdity laced Leticia’s words. One fateful day, when Rihannan was a mere twelve years old, her half-sister emerged out of the blue and laid claim to everything she held dear, leaving her with naught but emptiness. Her family, the man she cherished, and the child she could never bear… all snatched away.
Rihannan sealed her lips, her exhaustion eclipsing any desire to argue. She yearned for nothing more than to bring it all to an end. That was her sole wish.
“I pray you’ll grant me respite even in death.”
“…And still, you maintain this facade until the bitter end.” Leticia rose from her seat, a cruel smile dancing upon her flawless countenance. “This is where you shall draw your final breath. It is a fitting conclusion for you.”
Once Leticia departed the confines of the prison, darkness and silence reclaimed the chamber.
Rihannan uncorked the glass bottle and consumed its contents without a moment’s hesitation.
The medicine coursed through her veins with swiftness. Her insides convulsed, as if being torn asunder, and she spewed crimson blood ceaselessly. Gradually, the tingling in her limbs faded, and her heartbeat waned.
Rihannan lay upon the cold, unyielding floor, awaiting the arrival of tranquility and peace.
In the last fleeting moment of her existence, the visage of someone she once loved materialized before her mind’s eye, tears tracing a path down her cheeks.
“What a wretched demise, Rihannan… You were the last person I expected to betray me… You foolish creature…”
Her eyes closed slowly, and she exhaled her final breath.
If another life awaited her, everything would be different.
Love would never entwine her heart again, nor would she bestow her pity.
It was her last breath…
Yet, her eyes fluttered open once more.
To Rihannan’s astonishment, she found herself twelve years old once again.
She emerged from a profound slumber, lying upon the bed in the grand mansion that had been her abode until her marriage. And her body, it had regressed to that of a young child.
Rihannan rolled off the bed and gazed at her reflection in the mirror, her eyes widening in realization that she had returned to the past—the time of her mother’s passing.
“Have I truly journeyed back in time?”
Yet, she shook her head in denial, unwilling to believe. Perhaps she was dreaming, or witnessing her past before crossing the River of Death. However, as the sun rose on the horizon, Rihannan was compelled to accept her new reality.
She had returned. It was not a figment of her imagination. She was twelve once more.
An inconceivable reality settled upon her, and Rihannan sank back onto the bed, silently awaiting the opening of the door. If all were true, her maid Mary, who had cared for her since infancy, would enter. Mary had been the one to rouse her every morning, her unwavering presence unbroken until the false accusation led to her banishment from the mansion.
“Miss?”
Before long, the door swung open, and Mary stepped into the room. Surprise flashed across her face upon finding the young Rihannan wide awake and alert at such an early hour.
“Miss, have you been awake all night? Goodness gracious, you haven’t slept a wink!” Mary hurried to Rihannan’s side, her hand tenderly caressing the pale countenance. “It must be your mother’s passing weighing heavily on your heart, isn’t it? My dear, do not let sadness consume you… It will only harm your well-being.”
“Mary…”
“Yes, Miss?”
Rihannan regarded Mary, a familiar face she hadn’t seen in far too long. After her mother’s demise, her father had taken in the child of another woman, causing Rihannan’s gradual isolation. Mary had been one of the two individuals who stood by her side until the bitter end, until she, too, was cast aside on false charges of pilfering Leticia’s jewels.
“I have missed you…”
“Miss?”
“Mary, I have yearned for your presence,” Rihannan uttered, her voice husky and filled with longing.
Mary took a composed breath, her warm, chestnut eyes carefully assessing the young Rihannan. She deduced that the child, who had recently lost her mother, was still in a state of shock, uttering peculiar words.
“Oh, my dear child. Did you have a frightful dream last night?” With tender affection, Mary enfolded Rihannan in her arms, her hand gently caressing the girl’s silky silver locks. “Fear not. You have your father and me. Worry not, for all shall be well.”
Enveloped in Mary’s embrace, Rihannan bit her lip as memories from the past flooded her mind.
No, that is not true. Father will bring her here and take everything away from me…
When the waves of recollection crashed upon her, Rihannan’s heart was consumed by anguish.
“There, there. The Count shall soon return. Although I am uncertain why he hastily departed after the funeral, rest assured, all shall be well. The Count shall forever be by your side.”
Unbeknownst to Mary, Rihannan was already aware of his abrupt departure.
He had rushed off to fetch his illegitimate daughter, even before his wife’s lifeless body had been laid to rest. It seemed as though he had eagerly awaited this very moment.
“Miss, perhaps you should freshen up first…”
“Mary, before that, could you please summon a lawyer?”
Taken aback, Mary arched her eyebrows, her gaze fixed upon Rihannan’s glacial blue eyes. She inquired, “A lawyer? Do you mean Ned?”
“Yes. Please contact Lawyer Ned.”
“Why do you suddenly require legal assistance?”
“Mary, time is of the essence. There is something I must discuss with him before Father returns. I implore you, reach out to him immediately and request his presence.”
To Mary, lawyers were enigmatic figures, much like the nobility, and although Rihannan possessed a certain level of education, comprehending the intricacies of her lessons would prove challenging until she reached maturity. Furthermore, Mary could not recall any noteworthy encounters between the young Miss and the lawyer worth mentioning. Ned was always preoccupied with attending to Count Alessin, the proprietor of the mansion. Thus, why would a girl like Rihannan suddenly express the desire to speak with a lawyer? However, regardless of her reservations, Mary had no intention of denying the earnest plea of the young lady.
“Very well. I shall send someone to seek the lawyer. Please wait a moment.”
As Mary exited the room, Rihannan sorted through the jumble of thoughts clouding her mind. It was the day following her mother’s funeral, the day when her father, Count Alessin, introduced his illegitimate daughter into their lives. It was also the day her string of misfortunes commenced.
Perhaps it was an act of divine mercy that granted her a second chance at life.If that were the case, Rihannan would not squander the opportunities bestowed upon her by the higher powers.
Her lips clenched in determination, her ice-blue eyes shimmering with resolve.
