1.

A few hours ago, I took my dying breath, cursing Carlos, my husband, my betrayer.

For years, I had been sick, confined to my bed as my body withered away. Carlos was always there. He'd sit by my side, wiping my fevered brow, cleaning me up when I was too weak to care for myself, and soothing me to sleep with his gentle voice. He didn't leave the care to the maids, no, he stayed, like a loyal husband should. He made me believe in hope and strive to hold on for just one more day. For him.

I wanted to live, not for me, but for Carlos. I dreamed of being the wife he deserved, of giving him children and building a family that would grow strong under our love. But now I know the truth.

 Carlos, my kind and loving husband, was a liar. The man I cherished helped destroy my country and orchestrated the deaths of my people. 

Our marriage was supposed to be a beacon of peace, a treaty binding Gorisimo and Lotisiana after decades of war. I was Aeris Senna Astoria, Princess of Gorisimo, and I chose Carlos Emery Harrington, the Grand Duke of Lotisiana, to be my husband. I didn't know him then, only rumors of his gentle nature and decent looks. I chose him because he seemed safe. I never suspected it was all a trap.

I awoke that night to the sound of chaos. Clashing swords and shouts echoed through my home. My hands trembled as I fumbled to put on my robe. Fear clawed at me, but I forced myself to move. Carlos was away, patrolling the northern borders. It was just me, the maids, and the guards. Or so I thought.

My door burst open, and Viscount Landre entered, covered in blood. He dragged a body behind him was Stella, my lady-in-waiting. Her guts spilled onto the floor, yet she was still alive, her breaths shallow and labored. 

"Madame Aeris… I'm sorry…" Her words were barely audible before she convulsed and died at my feet.

Landre said nothing as he grabbed me by my hair and dragged me toward the door. I pushed him off, summoning what little strength I had.

"I can walk." I voiced out.

He smirked but allowed me to follow him. The halls were silent, except for the sound of my footsteps and the squelch of blood underfoot. Bodies littered the floor servants, guards, people I had known for years. My home, once a place of light and love, was now an unsightly gallery of death.

"You don't seem to hate the atmosphere," Landre remarked, his voice laced with mockery.

"I'm familiar with it," I replied coldly.

"That's why we had to poison you, Crimson Queen." He stopped and turned to face me, delight glinting in his eyes. "Carlos, your loving husband, has been slowly killing you. Every pill he gave you for your 'incurable illness', poison. Small doses at first, to weaken you. Larger doses later, to ensure your death."

His laughter filled the hallway as I stared at him, the truth sinking in like a dagger to my chest. Carlos… my Carlos. How could he?

"If only you'd chosen me instead of that two-faced bastard," Landre continued, grabbing a handful of my hair and sniffing it.

"You wouldn't be in this mess."he hissed

I bit back the bile rising in my throat as he tied me to his horse and dragged me through the streets. People gathered, watching in horror as I stumbled behind him. 

"Spare the sick princess!" they cried. "Spare the sick princess!"

I clenched my jaw, refusing to let them see my pain. I would not give Carlos or Landre the satisfaction of my weakness.

The palace was worse. Blood soaked the floors, the walls, the very air. I was hauled into the throne room, and there he was,Carlos. My husband. My traitor. He sat on the throne with a black-haired woman by his side. She rested a hand on his arm as if she belonged there.

"My beautiful wife," Carlos said, a mocking smile curling his lips. "Still standing, even after all that? I must admit, I'm impressed."

I couldn't speak. Rage and betrayal clogged my throat. Two guards entered, carrying a chest, and set it down before me.

"Open it," Carlos commanded.

When the lid was lifted, I saw them, my family. Their severed heads stared back at me, their faces frozen in terror. My little brother, Leo, was among them. His cheeks were stained with dried tears. 

Something inside me snapped. 

I moved before I could think, grabbing a guard's sword and snapping his neck in one fluid motion. The other guard's blade shattered under my strike. Then I turned to Landre. 

"You're weak, Aeris," he sneered as our swords clashed.

Weak. The word fueled my fury. I drove him back, forcing him into a corner before plunging my blade into his chest.

"Come and take my head, you bastard!" I screamed, charging through the knights guarding Carlos. 

By the time I reached him, the black-haired woman was gone. It was just us now. 

We fought, the steel of Gorisimo against the man I once loved. Carlos sneered as we clashed. "You were always better than me," he spat. "Your beauty, your strength,it overshadowed everything I did!" 

I smashed his head against a glass table, but he fought back, grabbing me and kissing me roughly. I stabbed him in the stomach with a small blade, but before I could finish the job, pain exploded through my chest. 

I turned to see Landre, alive and grinning, his sword buried in me.

"Make sure to let my hair down when you put my head on the spike," I whispered, defiance burning in my eyes. In my final moments, all I could remember was the wedding, where it all began.

Then the world went dark.