Chapter 0: Burn In Flames

"WITCH! "

"BURN THAT WITCH! "

Planks covered the burning house, flames arose spread like a wildfire. A young girl bathed in her blood, seek on the stars covered from the sky. She remains motionless but her tears flowed from her cheeks of regret.

However even if the voices of the villagers seem to mock her outside, she can't focus on their screaming words that her ears can't reach.

The fire spread across her blood, the blood that flooded like a river while her body filled with burns, bruises, and scratches. She gasped in the thought of drying but her body was unable to move within her will as if stock in a sticky void without even moving.

'Is this how my life ends? '

She asked herself crying in the pain of her burns, bruises, and scratches. Despite that, her body wasn't made to go numb even after burning she can still feel the ache of looking aback and reminisce the time she was fooled by everyone.

-----♣️-----

"Kiana, the king acknowledged your birth! You have been chosen as one of the Queen's Candidate..." Kiana's uncle mumbled in please, however in a mind of a 17-year-old girl, being recognize and become a Perfect Queen has been her duty as a -Dukes- daughter.

The privilege that since she was born, she was expected to be chosen and become a queen. She knew better than anyone that House Byrne had been producing many queens who taken the throne 300 hundred years ago.

However due to House Byrne who stopped producing any daughters. The queen was decided through candidates to challenge the wits and the skills of the young ladies joining the challenge of rights and status.

Only two amongst the 10 ladies from every house will be chosen. Two ladies will compete amongs themselves to fairly win the game. The competition of 5 kinds, 5 challenges that needed to be won 4 times.

The winner will become the Crown Prince's wife and she will stand and sit by the King's side as the empire's mother of all, the title Queen.

Kiana looked unexpectedly wary of his uncle's word but she decided to nod. Kiana lost her mother when she was born while her father raised her yet he died years ago. Her uncle took over the dukedom since Kiana's cousin the future Duke is still at his 7 year of age but then her uncle insisted on becoming a temporary ruler.

Therefore he took over the Dukedom, however, he became arrogant and stole half of the Duke's financial taxes. He buried his sins deep withing the ground which no one will attempt to unveil.

"Uncle, I wish to speak with my nephew--- before I departed for the palace. " She asked looking down on the windows slightly gazing upon the carriage sent by the palace for her to use on her trip to the palace since House Byrne is a castle built on the border of the Rosemary Empire.

"It's not a problem but you must hurry, I've already prepared the things you'll be needing so you must go. " The stiff smile of his uncle suspects Kiana as force smile of a man hidden in a double face personality.

Although she'll be leaving, she'd ignore such crucial events that might cause her distraction in the future.

Kiana looked at the little boy who's playing along with his toys, she only watches the boy before she grips her fist toughly looking at her little nephew.

'Take care of this place, my nephew. I won't be back, I may not come back so please watch over your father for me. '

Kiana turn around living in his chambers and walked straight through the exit of her beloved castle. While tears kept her unreachable.

-----♣️-----

'I never should've trusted that bastard! I should have protected my father from that disease. I shouldn't have accepted the hands of that filthy crown! '

She cursed, however, no matter how much she curses herself for being foolish dumb, she couldn't help but to feel the pain in the darkness that slowly devouring her.

She regretted the past of her untenable choices, she regretted the love she had given and love that returned to her whole empty, and the love she gives to comfort become a love of misery.

The thoughts of leaving her nephew with a narrow-minded uncle suddenly crossed her mind. The nephew who cried in tears while sending her letters, the nephew who stood by her side until the end of her breathe.

'I owe you comfort my nephew. If only I hadn't accepted the hands of a tainted crown. If only I had focused on the challenges given, will everything change something?'

A laughing smirk suddenly purged through Kiana's pale lips gazing upon the unbelievable reality she just dream of.

'As If... '

Then she smile on the peek of her eye's, then she gaze upon the beautiful cosmos surrounded by the sky.

'Blessed to the beautiful star, glow upon the circle of life. If the gods existed all this time, this blood I carry, this soul buried with scars, I take for retribution... '

-----♣️-----

Soon Kiana lost her life while her body was nowhere to be recognized. Her face bleed and her hands and knees turn to ashes. The spectre that Kiana Byrne left shocked the people who committed her death and many screams as they have seen the end of the Perfect Queen.

At age of 22, Kiana Byrne of House Byrne takes her last breathe into retribution challenging the might of holy gods. Her actions will soon lead her to her greatest fulfill, Kiana Byrne will once return and reclaim a throne that was taken from her.

"The God's will follow the will of its child! "