The crowd chanted my name—not in praise, but in hatred.
"Burn the witch!"
"Down with the villainess!"
I stood on the execution platform in the middle of Evermere's Royal Square, my wrists bound by enchanted iron. Cold wind whipped through my bloodstained gown. My once-luxurious silver hair clung to my face, matted with ash and humiliation.
My crime?
Loving the wrong prince.
Or rather, daring to stand in the way of the Empire's favorite little dove—Lady Seraphina Dawn. She played the heroine perfectly, fluttering her lashes while planting daggers in my back.
And the man I once adored—Crown Prince Caelan—handed me over to the flames himself.
"I hereby sentence Evelyn Nightshade, former Duchess of Raventhorn, to execution by holy fire," Caelan declared, his voice like ice.
My heart had already died long before the flames reached me.
As the fire crackled and the pain tore through me, I laughed.
Let them burn my body.
Let them celebrate their victory.
They had no idea what they had just awakened.
---
[ ✦ Rebirth Initiated ✦ ]
[ Host: Evelyn Nightshade ]
[ World Timeline Reset: 3 Years Prior to Execution ]
[ Objective: Survive. Rewrite Fate. Destroy the ones who betrayed you. ]
---
I opened my eyes, gasping.
Silk sheets. Golden canopy. Familiar moonlight pouring through crystal windows.
My chambers. The day after Caelan proposed.
The day everything began to fall apart.
I touched my unscarred hands. My heart pounded.
"I'm… back?"
[ ✦ Welcome back, Duchess. Let's ruin them—beautifully this time. ✦ ]
---
To be continued…