Rebirth

"Why? What wrong did I do to you?" A woman's voice, hoarse and strained, echoed softly, revealing the effort it took for her to utter a single word. She asked the beautiful woman in a flowy yellow dress, exuding elegance, looking like a fairy, and having a mocking smile on her face; it added a touch of evilness to her enchanting demeanor.

Standing beside her was a handsome man dressed in luxurious robes who also looked at the woman, scrunched up on the floor with an empty bowl showing remnants of a black liquid lying haphazardly by her side with no emotion in his eyes. 

The woman's hair was messy, and her bloodshot eyes stared intently at the captivating woman with her fists clenched so that her knuckles, which were already pale, had become white due to the strength she was using. 

"Even if you hated me, the little Prince Author was your son; must you kill your own son just to frame me?" She asked again in difficulty, her body twisting in pain due to the poison that had been administered to her.

She had been sentenced to death by drinking poison after all evidence pointed to her that she killed little Prince Arthur, the only male heir of the crown prince, her husband. 

The little prince was only 4 years old, and after she was sent into the cold palace, she had said she was innocent, imploring the Crown Prince to investigate and give her justice, but apparently, she had unknowingly fallen into her enemy's trap. Everything pointed to her as the culprit. 

The poison caused one's internal organs to melt, and its effects were more excruciating than being tortured with a hot iron pole. 

Crown Princess Luciana felt like screaming; the pain was so intense, but she didn't want to give these filthy people in front of her the satisfaction of seeing her in pain, so she bore with it. They will only feel happier. 

The woman smiled evilly. 'This was the happiest day of her life.'

"Since the poison is taking effect, maybe I can tell you how stupid you are. The Little Prince was never my son; he was your son. Who asked you to covet what is mine? Since we both gave birth together on the same day, I switched my daughter with your son, who knew that even after Prince Nicholas found out you gave birth to a princess, he would still love you so much and still do everything to win your love, but because of your stupid revenge and filial piety, you never gave him a chance, causing him to be so obsessed with you," she spat angrily. 

Crown Princess Luciana's eyes were bloodshot the more she listened. She wanted to jump on Noble Consort Evelyn and scratch off her fake face. 'No wonder there were rumors of Lady Evelyn's child being born premature whiles she who had gotten pregnant later had a perfectly healthy child.'

"You wouldn't get away with this; the gods have eyes. You will face retribution," Luciana growled fiercely, looking like a vengeful spirit. But Lady Evelyn just laughed. 

"I have already gotten away with it; why don't you ask yourself why the blood test between little Princess Diana and General Dominic here came out positive? He is the father of my daughter; the crown prince had never touched me, but the both of you were so stuck up in your little world that you didn't even realize that. How do you feel about losing everything?" She paused and gave her a hateful glare and continued, 

"You didn't only cuckold Prince Nicholas but also killed his only heir. But he only sent you to the cold palace; if not for my father riling up the ministers in court, even sentencing you to death by drinking poison was something difficult for him to do. But since you didn't realize it, don't blame me for your foolishness." 

Princess Luciana opened her mouth to curse the wicked woman and man in front of her, but a mouthful of blood poured out of her mouth. She coughed out more blood as the poison continued to do its work.

Dominic was supposed to be her trusted guard, but she didn't know when rumors began to fly that they were entangled with each other. 

When people had begun to point fingers at her daughter that she wasn't the prince's seed, she was the one who opted for the blood testing, not even knowing that the child she had nurtured and loved for 4 years was not even hers. 

Luciana's body twisted in unbearable pain, letting out a loud howl before falling limply on the floor. She strained her heavy eyelids, keeping them open so that she could imprint this adulterous pair into her memory. 

Because she promised herself that even if she became a ghost, she would never forgive this pair in front of her. 

"I'm coming for you!" She yelled, staring at the smiling face of Lady Evelyn as she let out her final breath, her eyes still bloodshot and refusing to close.

~~~

Luciana felt a tightness around her neck and opened her eyes, only to see Prince Nicholas choking her neck in a tight grip and with a deathly aura surrounding him. 

"Who sent you? Who gave you the courage?" Luciana was too confused to understand the dire situation she was in. Wasn't she dead? Why was she here with Prince Nicholas? Her eyes scanned the room, taking in the decorations in the room, the wedding attire, the wine on the table, and Prince Nicholas' dark face, and everything clicked.

Did she go back in time? Has she been reborn? This was the night she had disguised herself as the princess of Florendel, the prince's bride, and had tried to kill Prince Nicholas on their wedding night to avenge her parents. 

She realized she couldn't breathe properly, and she felt her neck would break in an instant. 

Prince Nicholas realized she felt familiar and dragged her to the lone candle in the almost dark room, and his eyes narrowed in surprise. It was her! He slowly released his grip on her.

"You?"

Luciana felt relief, coughing violently and taking in huge chunks of air, and raised her gaze to look at the prince. The person she had hated most in her previous life. 'This was a miracle! She was alive.' 

This was also the night she found out that Nick, the soldier she had met outside the palace on her usual escapades in Serenevale and had fallen in love with, and Prince Nicholas, the man who killed her parents, were one and the same. She realized she needed to act surprised about seeing him here. If not, their previous misunderstanding from their previous life would repeat itself. 

"Nick?!" She yelled in a high-pitched voice, trying to act surprised.