CH 2

Cezanne barely caught her breath. It wasn’t until she managed to breathe out properly that she thought about it.

Vivian, who was alive in front of her, hardened into a stone. Just now, it was clearly a summoner created by the forbidden power of darkness.

It was a powerful summoner of darkness who had never been summoned by anyone from the Imperial Family.

The power that governed the imperial family was light, so it could never happen, but Fletta summoned it.

A cursed child born with the energy of evil darkness.

Those crow-like black eyes were said to be evidence of that.

Everyone said so, but she really didn’t know Fletta would end up like that.

Fletta was not able to awaken, let alone a sign of power, so everyone overlooked it.

It was dark before her eyes.

Was this really how the imperial family would collapse to the ground?

Father and mother must have been at the main palace. Was Brother Luca, who stayed at the Imperial Palace, safe?

As Mel said, she didn’t know that a bad ending would already be waiting.

Many thoughts crossed her mind. As she rode on Elan’s back, Cezanne looked down at the collapsing palace.

The result was even worse than expected.

The beautiful white palace had been transformed into ruins.

The entrance to the palace had already collapsed, making her unable to enter. So, she had to find another way.

Cezanne fumbled through her memory.

When she was young, she followed her brother through a small passage.

If she went out from there, she could immediately reach the hallway of the throne room alone. Her father and mother would be there.

Thinking that she should stop Fletta, Cezanne went into the dark passage with a firm expression.

It was when she finally got out of the aisle that a large imperial hall appeared before her eyes.

She saw her father sitting on the throne. She was about to call him, but soon she noticed that he had also turned into a black stone.

“No!”

Cezanne ran and wept as she hung onto her father’s statue. If it was a dream, it would be better. It was a terrible feeling.

That was not all.

Behind the throne, not only her mother, but also her brother. Even their bodies had already been hardened.

When she couldn’t say anything at the terrible sight, she heard a cool voice.

“I was hoping you’d run away…”

“Fletta?”

Cezanne trembled as she looked at the little girl, who is also the owner of the Basilisk, in front of her.

Fletta looked at Cezanne with pitiful eyes.

“Fletta! What the hell is going on here? You, how could you?”

“It was something I must do.”

“…this can’t happen. Bring it back to normal. Please.”

“It’s too late. There’s no turning back now, sister… No, Princess Cezanne. He wants to destroy everything. I can’t stop Basilisk either.”

Fletta said, holding tightly to the scales of the basilisk.

“I’ve only been waiting for this day. To get back at you.”

“…Fletta!”

Cezanne had nothing to say at Fletta’s words. She didn’t even know that it was the imperial family who made Fletta like this.

An ominous child cursed with darkness, all pointing fingers directed at her and abusing her.

“…But I feel sorry for my sister.”

Cezanne recalled the old days. On the day of the rain, Cezanne hid Fletta in her palace when she was running away from Vivian’s maid.

But that was it.

She could not reach out properly to the hostile Fletta.

It was scary.

She was afraid she would lose everything if she stayed close to Fletta…

If she had approached Fletta a little bit, wouldn’t she have faced a different result?

Transparent tears rolled down Cezanne’s emerald eyes, stained with belated regret.

“If I had approached you a little more, would it have been different?”

“I don’t know. The important thing is that you can’t undo it now.”

Fletta shook her head slowly. A red light leaked from her darker sunken eyes.

Ssst, ssst!

Then, Basilisk tried to hold Cezanne by teasing her body to flex at once.

Whoosh!

But Elan was faster. Elan, who carried Cezanne on his back, flew high to the ceiling of the hall. Then, Basilisk lifted his head.

Snap!

Basilisk opened his mouth and tried to bite Elan, but he escaped.

“Elan!”

Towards the mouth of the basilisk, Elan exhaled a long breath.

Whoo!

The basilisk, who tasted the burning pain in his mouth, twisted his body even more.

Kyak! Sss! Kyak!

Basilisk was more agile in following Elan as he hit the scales.

One of Elan’s wings was bitten by the snake. Elan crashed onto the floor from the air.

Thud!

The falling Elan was snatched by Basilisk. At the same time, Cezanne rolled off Elan’s back.

“Gasp.”

Cezanne, who barely stood up, tried to use the magic of light, but the mark lost its light.

“…it won’t work.”

Fletta mumbled.

The dark markings on the back of her hand seemed to block other magic.

Among the stone statues were several court mages.

They were also powerless in front of Fletta, seeing that the line that protected the Imperial City was broken.

Elan, who fell to the floor, foresaw that there was no hope and said.

“I’m sorry, Cezanne.”

Sss!

The basilisk’s red eyes petrified Elan and threw her away.

“Elan!”

Cezanne’s head was mixed with sadness and anger as she watched Elan, who broke in vain before her eyes.

However, Cezanne was unable to move her legs due to the impact she had suffered when she fell.

It’s all over now.

There was nothing she could do. It wasn’t something she could stop.

The immediate disaster was so terrible.

“…Ugh.”

Before she knew it, she felt her body being wrapped around. A thick body surrounded by scales squeezed Cezanne’s body.

At that time, Cezanne saw Fletta approaching her. Fletta’s eyes were dyed red as if they could burn right away.

“If there’s a next life, then…”

“F, Fletta?”

“Not as a cursed princess nor as a filthy bloodline.”

“W, why…”

“Can I be your real sister?”

Soon after, Fletta, on the body of Basilisk, went to Cezanne’s side.

Aaaah!

Faced with Basilisk’s ferocious red eyes in the air, Cezanne and Fletta hardened into stones together.

“Fletta! Fle…”

A piece of hardened tears fell from Cezanne’s eyes to the floor, turning into baseless dust before disappearing.

* * *

Tears streamed down and didn’t stop.

How could she keep crying when she was stone dead? Did she get punished for crying in hell? Her whole body was horribly heavy, so she seemed to have fallen to her death.

“Princess, Princess! It’s time for you to wake up.”

Someone shook Cezanne’s body lightly while talking to her. Cezanne was startled by the hands that touched her.

She was sure she had died…what happened?

Cezanne narrowed her eyebrows and wondered for a moment if it was a dream.

However, she could see a familiar face in sight.

“The doctor says you’ve recovered from the flu. Why did you sweat so much?”

Mel, her personal lady-in-waiting, wiped Cezanne’s forehead with a clean handkerchief.

It was as vivid as reality.

She couldn’t believe it easily.

Mel, who wiped the dazed Cezanne’s forehead, tried to wipe her face and hands.

“That’s enough. I’m not a child…”

When Cezanne refused, Mel smiled and wiped the sweat again.

“You’re still a child to me.”

Mel placed a hand over the princess’ forehead.

“You certainly don’t have a fever.”

Something was strange when she looked at Mel’s face.

Compared to her face that she remembered…she looked younger? But was Mel always this big?

She didn’t think that was the case…but when she lowered her body, she got smaller.

Did she lose weight?

‘I’m wearing a chemise with these childish decorations?’

Next to the bed was a rabbit doll that her brother gave to her as a gift when they were young, which she had no choice but to leave aside.

Cezanne frowned even more.

“…something’s weird, too.”

She was about to get out of bed, but she lost her balance and stumbled.

She didn’t feel as strong as before like a man who lost his energy.

“Oh, my gosh, princess. Are you okay? I need a doctor right now…!”

“I guess I’m still half asleep. I’m fine.”

Mel tried to help, but Cezanne waved her hand and walked to the mirror herself. The reflection in front of the mirror was not familiar.

Her features were hazy, but her pupils were round and her cheeks were puffy.

She became shorter than a span, and she was in a body that could never be a 23-year-old. Was she about 16 years old at most?

“What the hell is this…”

Cezanne fiddled with her face as she blinked in surprise. Suddenly, she came back from death and became young. She couldn’t believe it.

“The princess is pretty today, too.”

“……”

“Why are you doing that?”

Mel asked with a gentle smile.

“What year is the imperial power now?”

“Yes? It’s 970.”

“What? Not 976?”

She was certain she remembered it as 976, but did it go back six years? Cezanne’s eyes opened wide. She wondered what happened.

“Yes, did you have a dream?”

Was it really a dream? Cezanne pinched her cheek. She felt a stinging pain. It was not a dream.

Was she…was she back?

[If there is a next life, then… not as a cursed princess nor as a filthy bloodline. Can I really be your sister?]

Suddenly, she remembered Fletta’s sad last voice.

‘Did someone fulfill my earnest wish? That’s why I was sent back six years ago?’

It was a miracle to come back in time, not to have lived in death.

“No, nothing. Get out of here. I want to be alone.”

After saying that to Mel, she laid back in bed.

Her mother was in a terrible condition because of her chronic illness.

“Yes?”

As Mel’s eyes turned round as if it was her first time hearing it, Cezanne turned around.

“You said it’s my birthday earlier, didn’t you?”

“Yes, princess. Your 17th birthday is coming up soon.”

“Then, did I come back before my seventeenth birthday?”