The wind howled through the darkened night, its icy tendrils slipping beneath the heavy curtains of the royal chambers. The grand castle stood ominously under the pale moonlight, its stone walls silent witnesses to the whispered secrets and unseen treachery within. Serina Elowen stood before the tall window, staring out at the sprawling kingdom below, her heart heavy with the weight of impending doom.
Her reflection stared back at her in the glass—an image of grace, of a woman who had everything yet nothing at all. Daughter of a Duke, beloved by many, yet cursed by the very title she had inherited. She had known love once, in the arms of Prince Lucian, a love so pure, so consuming, it had blinded her to the dangers lurking beneath his charming facade.
The night before their wedding, she had been too young to understand the shadows that lingered in his heart, too innocent to see that love alone could never bind two people together.
Now, as she stood alone in the silence of the royal chambers, she could almost feel the whispers of betrayal in the air, each one a reminder of the life she had once lived. The life where she had believed in love, in promises, and in the noble values of the kingdom.
But those beliefs had shattered, as swiftly as glass breaking under a heavy blow.
She had been murdered.
The prince—her husband, her one true love—had cast her aside, his heart overtaken by greed, ambition, and a thirst for power. He had killed her with no hesitation, no remorse, and in the end, her death had been nothing more than a stepping stone on his way to the throne.
Serina had died in that cold, unforgiving palace, the weight of betrayal too much to bear. She had been nothing more than a pawn in his game.
But fate, it seemed, had another plan for her.
In this life, she had been reborn.
Serina had no memory of how or why, but she had returned to a time before everything had gone wrong. Before her wedding day. Before her death. And this time, she would not make the same mistakes. This time, she would be different. Stronger. Wiser.
She would never be that naive girl who trusted the prince again. She would not fall for his charms, his lies, or his empty promises. She had learned the hard way that love, when not returned, could turn into a poison that would slowly eat away at one's soul.
But even as she vowed to protect herself, her heart betrayed her, just as it had in her past life. In this new life, she was not alone in the royal court. There was someone who could see beyond the walls she had built around herself.
Princess Seraphina Lyselle.
Seraphina—the bright, fiery princess who had always been kind, always full of life, but too sheltered by her royal duties to understand the world that existed beyond the palace walls. She had always been a beacon of light, a source of hope for the kingdom. But in Serina's heart, Seraphina was something more. She was a promise—a promise of something pure, something that could not be tainted by the darkness that had claimed Serina's life once before.
As Serina stared out into the moonlit night, she knew that her journey had only just begun. She would protect herself. She would protect the princess. And, most importantly, she would never allow herself to be blind to the truth again.
The world had wronged her once, and now it was her turn to take control. But the path ahead would not be easy. She could already feel the weight of the prince's gaze upon her, the silent threat that loomed over them all. The love she had once given him had long since turned to ash, but she would need more than just her heart to survive this time.
She would need to be strong. Stronger than ever before.
And she would do it for herself. For Seraphina. And for the future they could have together.
Serina took one last look at the kingdom below. The world would never be the same. Not for her. Not for the princess. Not for anyone.
But that was alright. Because in this life, she was not going to be a victim anymore.
She was going to rewrite her fate.
And this time, she would be the one to hold the pen.