Since I woke up, everything has started to reset.
First—I'm still in the same place, meaning I haven't been reincarnated elsewhere. Second—I've gone back in time to before I entered the royal palace, but after I made the decision to take my sister's place. In other words, I will go, no matter what. There's no escape for me.
I died before this regression—as the king's concubine. But when I try to remember it… it feels like a fever dream. Because third—it was all so clear, yet I was too blind, too stupid to see it then. Did I really fall for the king? A man whose very nature could enchant anyone, but not enough to make me overlook that whore Velwine. I remember waking up three days ago—screaming, sobbing, breaking down, seething. They played me like a fool. I didn't understand… but now? Now I want to stab myself more than that bastard king or that bitch Velwine What the hell happened to me there? I'm smart about these things! And yet I walked right into their trap—two sadists who love to toy with people.
From what I gathered from that whore, every concubine who enters gets played like this. But I was the first high-born woman to enter in years, so they were… harsher with me. Again, tears form like a hazy veil—that same damned veil that blinded me!
I studied myself in the mirror. My body has returned—my body that withered over the year and a half I spent in that cursed cage, my mind so broken I forgot even the most basic instincts. I'm reclaiming them now, through writing. So, once more—
I was born into a family that believed in educating women, so I was lucky. I studied history from childhood, and any history lesson includes this: the spirit of Aurean reignited hope in humanity, and so the new Empress rose, bearing her first child with the Brave General—the first Emperor. Their child was blessed. The General and the Empress ruled the empire while the Four Silver Guardians oversaw the four subordinate kingdoms—Invara, Ling'ai, Earthion, and Talsera.
I was the daughter of a high-ranking noble in Ling'ai—the middle child of five. Three sons, two daughters: me and Mirai. I was supposed to enter an arranged marriage, live a decent life. Honestly, compared to my past life as an overworked office worker desperate for a vacation, this was paradise.
At least, it was—before the royal palace.
I lived comfortably in my family's estate. My father wasn't affectionate, but he wasn't cruel—just the type to prioritize duty and reward hard work with gifts. My mother? I barely remember her face outside of tea parties, where she'd occasionally ask about my studies with a serene expression. She was stunning, with a gaze so captivating it lingered in my lashes—I inherited her dark kohl-rimmed eyes but my father's piercing amber irises, pale yet vibrant.
My siblings? Too many to count. Or maybe I just avoided them all—except Mirai. I remember our first meeting: I was barely two months old when she returned from the temple -which doubled as an academy for noblewomen-. She cradled me gently and whispered, "Little sister… welcome. Leonara." Her voice dripped with warmth, her emerald eyes darker than our mother's but far more alive.
Mirai was my sanctuary. I don't regret my choice—I refuse to let my sister get tangled with those psychopaths in the royal palace.
"Sister…"
Speaking of Mirai—she steps into my garden chambers now, sunlight gilding her platinum hair. She approaches me, her silk chiton draped over her shoulders, layered with a hanfu embroidered with mythical symbols. Wide belts adorned with dragons and olive leaves cinch her waist, golden phoenix clasps gleaming at her shoulders. Her sleeves flutter like celestial wings, a translucent sash mapping the stars like a fateful constellation. Emeralds crown her head, matching her eyes, while gemstone earrings sway like falling stars.
"Mirai." I smile faintly. Since my breakdown three days ago—since waking up in this life again—she's been unable to bear my silence. Maybe guilt weighs on her, thinking she triggered my panic.
We couldn't oppose our father. To him, everything serves the family's interests. My eldest brother would inherit the lordship, the second joined the military, the third became a royal official. And me? At barely seventeen, I was lucky. Most noble families would've married me off to some withered old man by now. But my father's status demanded a worthy match—one that would elevate our house.
And yet, I fell into the biggest trap of all. One I still deny. When I think of the king—everything—I want to claw my own skin off.
I was naive.
"So… are you better?" Mirai hands me a cup of green tea.
I nod lightly. "Mirai, don't worry so much. Like I said, what happened has nothing to do with the palace."
My voice drops as I stare at my stomach—my swollen stomach that once carried my child. My child, who they killed.
That's why I must return to the palace. This time, I feel my muscles tightening, my eyes darkening.
I'll take revenge.
Over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over
Mirai's emerald eyes gleam with concern. "Leonara, you're still pale as a ghost. Are you still feverish?"
I shake my head, clenching my fists to hide their trembling. "Don't worry… It's just a recurring nightmare."
A nightmare I'll turn into their reality.
That was their fatal mistake. If they'd let my child live, I might have resigned myself to fate. But his death—and Velwine's icy confession—ignited something in me that cannot be extinguished.
I'll make them swallow poison, over and over—force them to choke it back up, then swallow it again until their insides rot. Until—until—
"Mirai… How many days until we leave?"
Her body stiffens before she answers, "Three days. They'll come for us in three days."
As always, her tone is soft, almost mocking in its gentleness.
I rest my chin on my knees, gripping my ankle. The tattoo coiled around my left leg is dark—not like the silver serpent whose venom killed me slowly.
Three days are enough. Enough to finalize my plans. This time, when I return to the palace, I won't let pride blind me. Not after losing everything to that haze—that fog I still struggle to understand. First, I'll enter as a girl dazzled by His Majesty's charm. Velwine? I'll wield her own weapons against her. I'll uncover the truth—who is Velwine really? That damned royal harem…
I'll play my cards right. No more naivety. If it ever was naivety at all.
"...Leonara. Your hand." Mirai's voice sharpens as she watches me.
Blood wells where my nails dig into my palm. Why has the light vanished from her little sister's eyes? For the first time, she feels fear—not for me, but of me.