Preview

The jade pendant swung side to side as the owner of it strutted along the palace halls. She wore a dignified grin on her face and imposed an air of confidence. The appearance of this woman caused everyone who laid eyes on her tremble in fear as they all held their breaths, silently waiting for the storm of a woman to pass.

But alas, she gazed to the figure of one particular female servant who trembled, her head lowered as she shook in fear. With a lazy smile on her face, the imposing woman pointed her index finger at the servant,

"Execute her." She commanded with a wide demonic grin, resulting in shivers to run at the poor kneeling woman's spine.

Everyone present knew better than to anger the woman, so they all quickly abided to her orders, not a single complaint to be found.

The kneeling woman looked up with a pale and miserable face as she met the eyes of the grim reaper, the Empress she served. Her horrid expression twisted even more when she caught the playfulness in her dark eyes.

As the other servants prepared to escort her away, the poor servant helplessly complied as she turned her head back once more to face the imposing woman.

"Why, your majesty? What did I do? I was loyal to you since you were young!" She said with a weak and helpless voice, her face pale, devoid of any color on it.

"You should know why yourself, Li Nian." With an empty expression, the Empress lazily replied, the playful grin on her face no more as it was replaced with a cold and detached smile.

Her deep protruding eyes revealed a glint of aloofness when a blade unsheathed near the servant, causing her to yet shudder before...

The halls became riddled in deep crimson that drowned in the wails and weakened expressions of the people around it.

However, the Empress merely continued to walk along the hallways, not once turning back as she only stopped upon reaching her chamber. She went in and asked the servants to undress her before she lied down on her bed and closed her eyes.

"..."

"Li Nian, if there is a next life, I will be sure to return what you, and everyone else did to me. A tooth for tooth, an eye for eye."

The woman's body then rapidly turned cold, nearly similar to that of a corpse.

"I will make you suffer, Nian Nian." She painstakingly said as her lips trembled before her eyes finally shut, letting go of the last bit of life she had whilst her body completely froze, no longer a hint of warmth lingering on it.

***

The next day, a hoarse and sorrowful sound of a man could be heard silently grieving by her bedside in regret as tears came flowing from his pained complexion.