CHAPTER 1: REBIRTH IN THE HOUSE OF LIORA

Seraphina gasped, her lungs burning as though she had been drowning. Air rushed into her chest in ragged, desperate breaths. A sharp pain lanced through her skull, a dull ache spreading through every limb.

Her body felt… different. Smaller. Softer. Younger.

She bolted upright, fingers clawing at the sheets beneath her. This was not the cold stone floor of the palace dungeons, where she had drawn her last breath. This was a bed—plush and unfamiliar.

Slowly, her trembling hands rose to her face, trailing over delicate features that felt wrong. Her fingers tangled in thick, wavy strands of hair—hair that was not silver, but golden.

Something was terribly wrong.

A mirror. She needed a mirror.

Her frantic gaze darted around the dimly lit room. The air smelled of lavender and old parchment, a sharp contrast to the metallic scent of blood that still clung to her memories. Heavy wooden furniture lined the walls, their edges softened by years of use. A fireplace crackled gently in the corner, casting flickering shadows across a large, oval mirror standing against the far wall.

Heart pounding, Seraphina swung her legs over the edge of the bed, but the moment her feet touched the floor, her body wavered. Her limbs felt unfamiliar, like a marionette controlled by invisible strings. She staggered, catching herself against the nightstand.

Her breath came faster. This body is not mine.

Forcing herself forward, she reached the mirror.

A stranger stared back.

Golden hair framed a delicate face, falling in loose waves over her shoulders. Her skin was fair, untouched by the sun, and her eyes—large and bright—were an unusual shade of gold, deep as molten amber. The face was beautiful, ethereal even, but it was not hers.

Seraphina Aurelian, Empress of the Solaris Empire, had silver hair and storm-gray eyes. This girl… was someone else entirely.

Panic coiled in her chest, but then—

Memories surged forward.

They struck like a flood, overwhelming and unrelenting. Fractured pieces of a new life layered themselves over her old one.

She was no longer Empress Seraphina Aurelian. She was Seraphina Liora, the only daughter of the once-noble House of Liora. A quiet, sickly girl who had lived a sheltered life in the northern regions of the Kingdom of Eldoria.

Her mind reeled as the memories intertwined—two lifetimes crashing into one another. The execution. The betrayal. The voice in the darkness.

"Do you seek revenge… or redemption?"

Seraphina clutched her head as pain lanced through her skull.

Why? Why had she been reborn?

A sudden knock at the door startled her.

"Lady Seraphina?" A soft, hesitant voice called. "Are you awake?"

Seraphina barely had time to compose herself before the door creaked open. A young maid stepped inside, carrying a tray of tea and bread. She had short, chestnut-brown hair and warm brown eyes that were filled with concern.

"Milady, are you feeling better?" the maid asked, setting the tray down. "You've been unwell for days."

Seraphina struggled to respond, her throat dry. "I…" Her voice came out hoarse and unfamiliar. "I'm fine."

The maid's eyes widened in relief. "Oh, thank the stars! Lady Eleanor will be so happy to hear this!"

Eleanor. Her mother.

More memories clicked into place.

Eleanor Liora was a kind but frail woman, often bedridden due to an illness that no healer could cure. Seraphina's father, Lord Cedric Liora, was rarely home, traveling frequently in a desperate attempt to restore their family's dwindling fortunes. Their once-grand house had long fallen from grace, and they now lived in quiet obscurity.

The maid, whom Seraphina now recognized as Lina, hovered uncertainly. "Would you like me to call for the physician? Or perhaps a warm bath?"

Seraphina shook her head. "No. Just… leave me for now."

Lina hesitated but eventually curtsied and exited, closing the door softly behind her.

The moment she was alone, Seraphina exhaled slowly.

She needed time to think.

Why had she been reborn here, of all places? And why now?

She had died in her past life at twenty-three, betrayed and executed by the man she had once trusted most—Emperor Kael.

Kael.

The name sent a sharp pang through her chest.

Did he still exist in this world? Had he been reborn as well? If so, what role would he play in this new life?

And most importantly—

Was this her second chance?

Seraphina turned back to the mirror, staring into those golden eyes that were now her own.

"I won't be foolish this time," she murmured.

In her past life, she had been blind. She had trusted too easily, loved too deeply.

But now?

Now, she would uncover the truth before fate repeated itself.

And if Emperor Kael still lived in this world…

She would find him.

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