Letting Go

The banquet was lively, filled with the soft hum of conversation, the clinking of glasses, and the rich laughter of nobility.

At the center of attention were the Emperor and Queen.

Liliana smiled gently, her brown hair cascading down her back in soft waves. Her blue eyes, warm and full of affection, never strayed from Cassian's face. The Emperor held her arm, his expression unreadable but composed.

Then the music started.

Cassian led Liliana to the dance floor, and the two moved effortlessly together, gliding across the polished marble. Their movements were graceful, their synchronization flawless.

The nobles sighed in admiration.

"They are such a perfect match," someone whispered.

"So in love," another murmured.

Diana listened to the whispers but did not react.

She still remembered this very banquet in her past life.

She had been a fool back then.

She had slapped Liliana across the face, screaming that she was a dirty commoner who had seduced the Emperor. In return, Cassian had slapped her back, his eyes filled with disgust.

And in her rage and humiliation…

She had poured her anger onto her innocent child.

Lucien, barely old enough to understand anything, had flinched at her touch, his small body trembling.

Diana exhaled quietly.

She regretted that old self.

But now, she no longer cared about their dance.

She was about to turn away when a pale, slender hand suddenly appeared in front of her.

Diana blinked.

A woman stood before her, dressed in an elegant, navy-blue gown with gold embroidery. Her blonde hair was tied loosely, strands falling over her striking face. But it was her eyes—a piercing sea-green, filled with a mischievous glint—that caught Diana's attention.

Reina Callis.

The second princess of Callis.

A princess who preferred the sea over the court.

The illegitimate daughter of the Tyrant King.

In her past life, Callis had invaded Verdeca under her father's orders, and Reina—rather than following him—had led a civil war instead. She had overthrown her father and become the first queen in the continent to rule without a king.

Diana knew her well.

And now, this same woman was standing before her, a playful smile curling at her lips.

"Your Majesty," Reina said smoothly. "Would you do me the honor of a dance?"

The banquet fell silent.

Diana's brows lifted slightly. "A dance?"

Reina's smile widened. "Yes."

Diana glanced down at Reina's flowing gown and then at her own tailored uniform-style attire.

"…I suppose I'll be taking the male role, then."

A ripple of shock spread through the hall.

A woman taking the lead?

Elise, one of Diana's ladies-in-waiting, gasped in horror. "Your Majesty, you can't—!"

But Diana was already standing.

She offered her hand in return, her golden eyes cool and unwavering.

Reina grinned.

The nobles short-circuited.

Even Cassian, mid-step with Liliana, stumbled slightly.

Diana led Reina to the center of the dance floor.

The music swelled again, and the moment they began moving—

Everything else faded.

Diana's steps were calm, controlled, and effortless.

Unlike Liliana, who moved like a delicate flower in Cassian's arms, Diana danced with unshakable grace and precision.

Her silver hair, tied in a high ponytail, shifted with each movement.

Her golden eyes were sharp, steady.

Her uniform hugged her tall, slender frame, emphasizing her commanding presence.

And despite the masculine role, her elegance remained undeniable.

Reina, twirling under Diana's guidance, let out a soft chuckle. "You dance like a knight, Your Majesty."

Diana's lips curled faintly. "How observant."

Reina's gaze flickered downward—to Diana's hands.

Her left hand was gloved.

But then Reina saw her right hand, too.

Both gloved.

And that's when realization struck.

"…Ah."

Her smile deepened, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"You're hiding your circle, aren't you?"

Diana did not answer, but that silence was enough.

Reina exhaled a quiet laugh. "To think I'd be dancing with a master."

The music swelled, and Diana spun her one last time before the dance came to an end.

They bowed.

The hall was deathly silent.

Then—

A noblewoman hesitantly stepped forward.

She looked nervous, her cheeks flushed, but she curtsied deeply.

"…Y-Your Majesty," she stammered. "May I—may I have the next dance?"

The silence shattered.

Gasps echoed across the room.

The nobles were bewildered.

This was the Empress—the woman they had mocked and gossiped about, the woman who had chased after the Emperor pathetically in the past.

But this woman before them was someone else entirely.

Tall. Strong. Graceful.

Regal.

They could not look away.

Lucien, watching from his seat, was utterly flabbergasted.

His tiny hands clutched his cup of juice. "M-Mother is popular?"

Lucius, seated beside him, sipped his wine and smirked. "Obviously."

Zephyr, completely unfazed, tilted his head. "…Why is everyone so surprised?"

Lucius chuckled. "Because people are blind."

Zephyr nodded as if that made perfect sense.

Meanwhile, Cassian's expression darkened.

His hand clenched slightly against Liliana's waist.

Liliana, though maintaining her gentle smile, was visibly tense.

Diana, however, remained utterly indifferent.

She took the noblewoman's hand and led her to the dance floor.

With each dance, with each step, with each bow—

The perception of the Empress shifted.

*****

The banquet had ended.

Noble ladies blushed as they hurried toward their carriages, casting one last glance at the Empress before disappearing into the night. The once lively hall now felt hollow, the lingering scent of wine and perfume fading into the cold air.

Diana watched from the balcony, the stem of a delicate wine glass resting between her fingers. She had left Lucien in the capable, if eccentric, hands of Zephyr and Lucius.

Zephyr was practically buzzing with excitement, eager to introduce his new student to the magic tower elders. Lucius, despite his usual laziness, had reluctantly agreed to look after the boy.

Now, she stood alone.

The sky stretched before her—a vast, empty void. No stars. Only the cold, dark abyss above.

And yet, she found herself staring at it without feeling anything.

Then—

A presence behind her.

Diana did not turn.

She already knew who it was.

Cassian.

The Emperor stood just behind her, his towering frame casting a shadow across the stone floor. His gray eyes, identical to Lucien's, bore into her back with a cold, calculating sharpness.

"…Enough."

His voice was quiet, controlled, but there was tension beneath it.

"If this is about getting my attention—"

Diana ignored him.

She tilted the wine glass slightly, watching the dark red liquid swirl under the moonlight.

"…Why did I like you?"

The words were soft, more of a monologue to herself than a question for him.

Cassian did not answer. He merely stood there, waiting.

Diana exhaled, her golden eyes still fixed on the sky.

"Why did I cling so desperately to the childhood we shared? Why did I fight my brother, believing you would always stand by my side?"

Her voice did not waver, but something about it felt empty.

She took a slow sip of wine.

"I regret it."

A pause.

Cassian's fingers curled slightly at his sides.

Diana finally turned her head, meeting his gaze with an almost tranquil indifference.

"I regret ever meeting you," she murmured. "I regret marrying you."

A flicker of emotion passed through Cassian's expression. Annoyance? Anger? Guilt?

She wasn't sure.

But she knew this—

She wasn't saying it to hurt him.

She was saying it because it was true.

Diana let out a soft laugh, shaking her head. "But then again… if I hadn't married you, I wouldn't have had Lucien."

She swirled the wine in her glass before looking at him again.

"That night," she mused, her voice almost mockingly casual, "when we conceived Lucien… you know, don't you? That the former Empress drugged your wine."

Cassian's entire body stiffened.

Diana's golden eyes gleamed in the dim light.

He hadn't known.

Not truly.

He had always suspected, of course, but he had convinced himself that Diana was behind it. That she had been desperate to trap him.

But now—

She knew the truth.

And she wasn't even angry about it.

She just smiled.

"Technically, I suppose that means I should be grateful to her," Diana said lightly. "If not for that, I wouldn't have had Lucien."

Cassian remained silent.

There was something unsettling about the way Diana was speaking. Calm. Detached. Final.

As if she was severing something.

She turned fully to face him, tilting her head slightly.

"Tell me, Cassian," she murmured. "Why didn't you tell me about Liliana?"

His jaw tensed.

"You met her two years before our wedding," Diana continued, her voice soft but cutting. "You had children with her. And yet, you married me first. The Emperor's Empress, and the Emperor's Queen."

She smiled then—

That same innocent, adoring smile she used to give him.

The one that once held genuine affection.

"Isn't she pretty?" she asked quietly. "If you had just told me that you already had a woman you loved, I would have given up on you."

A heavy silence settled between them.

Cassian said nothing.

And Diana…

Diana's smile faded.

Her golden eyes grew distant, as if staring past him—past everything—into something much darker.

She was remembering.

Her past life.

Her foolishness.

Her begging.

Her desperate sacrifices.

Her brother's death.

Her exile.

Her master.

The war.

The calamity.

Lucien's death.

Her death.

And the contract to turn back time.

She had wanted revenge.

She had wanted to make Cassian suffer.

To take everything from him, just as he had taken everything from her.

But then—

She had seen Lucien.

She had held him in her arms again, felt his tiny hands clutching her sleeve, heard his sleepy voice calling, "Mother…"

And suddenly, revenge wasn't worth it anymore.

Not when she had him.

Lucien.

Her atonement.

Her beloved son.

That was all that mattered.

Diana inhaled deeply, shaking herself from the memories.

She looked at Cassian once more, her golden gaze clear and unwavering.

"…Thank you," she finally said.

Cassian's brows furrowed. "For what?"

"For teaching me."

She set down the wine glass on the balcony railing, the faint sound of glass meeting stone echoing in the night.

"Thank you for teaching me what a cruel world we live in."

Her voice was soft but unshakable.

"Thank you for showing me that I was a lucky woman, growing up under my parents' love and my brother's protection… like a fragile flower in a glasshouse."

Cassian remained silent.

For the first time, he had nothing to say.

Diana turned away.

She walked past him, her steps slow but steady, her head held high.

This time—

She wasn't walking away in defeat.

She was walking away free.

Cassian stood alone on the balcony, his expression hidden in the dim light.

He loved Liliana.

He loved their children.

So why…

Why did he feel this way?

He clenched his fists.

That wench—

She had always wanted the title.

…Right?