"She's drunk again… I regret even coming here," a feminine voice muttered.
"Miss, why must you pretend? Even if she weren't a drunkard, she still wouldn't be worthy of someone like you," an older voice replied respectfully.
"Sigh… Nathan, don't speak so rudely. Even if she is nothing more than the puppet queen of this kingdom, she is still the daughter of the emperor," the first voice said helplessly.
"But miss, it's her incompetence that allows those nobles to run wild, doing whatever they please…"
"Enough. Don't speak of it anymore. I'm tired....let's go."
Footsteps echoed, then slowly faded away.
On the bed, her lashes trembled. After countless failed attempts, her blood-red eyes finally snapped open.
'Where am I…?' She weakly raised her hand and rubbed her forehead. 'And who were those people…?'
Slowly, she sat up, her gaze sweeping across the dark room. Cobwebs clung to the corners, and empty bottles of alcohol lay scattered across the floor.
"Huh…" She pushed herself to her feet, blinking as her eyes fell on the golden strands of hair resting against her shoulder. Her eyes widened. Stumbling forward, she approached the dust-covered mirror.
"Who is this…?" she whispered, her fingers brushing the mirror. Dust clung to her palm as the glass shivered beneath her touch.
Then, like a dam breaking, memories flooded her mind, her final breath against a tide of enemies, the searing pain of torn flesh, beasts circling her broken, half-eaten body as her vision faded into darkness.
"Aggh…" She clenched her fists, pain surging through her body. Her blood-red eyes narrowed as another torrent of memories forced itself into her mind.
This body's past…
A girl blessed with immense potential, yet unable to wield it. Her siblings, sons, and daughters of the emperor, feared another rival for the throne. With false accusations, they stripped her of her power.
Without political strength, the princess could not rise. One by one, the cold-blooded emperor carved away her rights, until finally he cast her off and forced the king of a third-rate kingdom to adopt her.
After one year, the king died, and then the princess came into power.
The nobles there saw their new queen as nothing more than a pitiful figure. Her sorrow drowned her, and she slowly fell into drink.
From that moment on, plots against her started, each one tearing away what little power remained. She did nothing to resist.
Servants abandoned the palace when their wages went unpaid. Knights deserted one after another, until only a hundred slave-knights remained, along with a single butler and maid, who stayed despite her incompetence.
"What is this…? D–Did I get another life?" she whispered, staring down at her hands.
"This body… it can't handle my aura. I'll need to train it."
Growl.
"Ah…" A faint blush touched her cheeks as her stomach protested. She placed a hand over it, sighing softly. "I suppose before that, I should eat something."
She crossed the room and pulled open an old cabinet. Her brows furrowed; the shelves held nothing but a set of pajamas and a single formal military-style suit, embroidered with faded gold.
"Sigh…" She took the uniform in hand and stepped into the bathroom. Stripping off her wine-stained pajamas, she let the cool water of a quick shower wash over her tired body.
When she emerged, she was dressed in the suit, its sharp lines restoring a trace of dignity to her form.
She fastened the cuff buttons and turned to the mirror once more. A striking beauty stared back at her...golden hair cascading over her shoulders, crimson eyes glowing with an almost ethereal light.
'What has this body turned itself into…? She's so beautiful… unlike me.'
An image flashed in her mind: a cold woman with silver hair and piercing blue eyes, her face marred by scars, her body drenched in the blood of countless enemies.
---
"Nathan, go and ask Nyx to come eat dinner."
Nathan, sitting across from her, glanced at the lonely loaf of bread on the table and sighed.
"Miss Emily, she'll probably reject it, like she always does. Has she even shared a single meal with us?"
Emily rubbed her temples. "Nathan, I came here as a maid. She doesn't know my true identity, so just go and...."
Her words froze. Her mouth remained half open as her eyes widened.
Nyx had stepped into the dining room. She paused at the doorway, crimson eyes scanning the table. For the first time, she was dressed in proper clothes, her posture straight.
"Thanks for dinner," Nyx said softly as she took her seat.
Nathan froze at the sound of her voice. He blinked, then stared at her, his eyes widening in shock. "A–Are you real?"
Nyx tilted her head, puzzled. "What do you mean by that?"
Emily snapped out of her daze and lightly slapped Nathan's shoulder. "Ahem… don't mind him. He's just shocked by your sudden change of attire."
"Really… I suppose that's understandable," Nyx said, glancing at Nathan. "So, Nathan, how many knights are still in the palace?"
Nathan exhaled, finally pulling himself from his shock. "We only have the slave-knights… their strength is crippled."
Nyx's crimson eyes narrowed.'If their strength is crippled, doesn't that mean the palace is practically defenseless?'
She looked at Nathan again. "Prepare a sword for me to train with. Make sure it's a heavy one."
Emily's brows shot up at the request. Her fingers clenched tightly.'Don't tell me… she's only putting on an act again. Pretending to be fine, just so she can ask for money to buy more alcohol.'