Chapter 1
Winter has come to the Kingdom of Aerthenya, and I, a mere commoner, was summoned to the palace after my village was set ablaze — a mistake of fate.
To go back there only to die again.
In my first life, I was beheaded for treason, accused of trying to poison the queen — but I wasn’t the one who did it!
And now, here I am again.
Inside, among columns of ice and eyes cold as blades, I saw the throne.
And I saw him.
The Emperor.
KAI SERPENSGLÓRIA
The man who orders death with a wave of his hand.
The man who has taken many lives… including mine.
Yes, I remember.
I remember the blade cutting through the air.
I remember the pain.
I remember screaming, “I didn’t do it!” before everything went dark.
And now… I’m here again. In the same room. In front of the same man.
“Stop right there,” commanded a firm voice.
Two guards blocked my path with crossed spears.
I felt his gaze on me — a crushing weight, as if his judgment could tear me apart without uttering a single word.
That gaze… I never forgot it.
“Is this the girl from the burned village?” The emperor’s voice cut through the silence like a blade.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” replied a guard. “The last survivor.”
Last?
Was I the only one spared… just to die again?
Kai stood up. Tall, imposing, with his dark cloak brushing the stone steps.
His eyes were like winter itself — cold, relentless, and… empty.
They pierced me as if searching for something inside. A memory. A ghost.
“You…” he said slowly. “What is your name?”
Panic. I couldn’t say my old name.
But the new one wouldn’t help either. He wouldn’t remember. To him, I was just another peasant.
“Ayla, Your Majesty,” I answered, bowing with a contained, steady reverence. My heart pounded like a wild drum.
He narrowed his eyes. Slowly lowered his head, as if inspecting an exotic creature, deciding whether to crush it or not.
“A common name,” he finally said. “You seem common to me.”
Silence. The kind that chokes the breath in your chest.
“And yet, you live where so many have died,” he continued in a low voice. “Why?”
I swallowed hard. There were so many answers I couldn’t give.
I couldn’t say I had been here before.
Couldn’t shout, “I am the same one!”
Not now. Not like this.
“I was lucky, Your Majesty,” I answered cautiously. “When the village was attacked by fire, I was at the well. I came back too late.”
His expression seemed satisfied… or at least not annoyed.
“Luck,” he repeated, as if tasting the word on his tongue. “We’ll see how long it lasts.”
He stepped forward. My instinct told me to retreat, but my legs stood firm, frozen to the ground.
“Any useful skills?” he asked.
“I know how to sew and clean well. I learned to take care of the sick — my grandmother was a healer…”
He raised his hand, cutting me off.
“A rat from the village who can sew. Hmm.
You’ll serve in the servants’ quarters. Maybe the kitchens. Or laundry.”
The guards nodded.
But then, something unexpected happened.
Kai Serpensglória stopped. Looked at me once more — this time… lingeringly.
As if a memory was surfacing in his mind. Something uncomfortable.
“You… look like someone I’ve seen before,” he muttered, almost to himself. “But I don’t know where.”
My back froze. My fingers clenched the worn fabric of my clothes.
Don’t say anything. Don’t provoke fate. Not yet.
“Maybe passing through the central square, Your Majesty,” I answered softly. “Or the Valthoria market.”
He didn’t reply.
Turned away coldly. His black cloak trailing behind him like a living shadow.
“Take her away. Keep an eye on her. If she causes trouble, cut out her tongue before her head.”
The guard at my side grabbed my arm, but not harshly.
I was dragged through stone corridors. The cold of the walls seemed to follow me like a curse.
But I didn’t resist.
Because I had made it inside.
This time, for real.
Not as the accused.
Not as a traitor.
But as a servant.
And servants see. Listen. Discover.
And wait.
If fate gave me this second chance… then let it endure what comes next.
But I know one thing —
I want to LIVE
