The prison walls were moldy and reeked of feces and urine. Inside was a thin, haggard figure crouched on the floor, a woman who was a shadow of who she once was: the former Empress Amelia.

The woman's hands scratched grime-coated symbols repeatedly against the ground, her bones protruding and fingers trembling with each scrape. She kept mumbling things incomprehensible to human ears, things even she couldn't understand.

The woman paused and tilted her head, as if admiring her scribbling, then cackled. She continued scratching, each mark drawing blood from her already bloodied fingers.

She had spent how many days in this god forsaken prison? . She couldn't remember, she couldn't remember at all. Had it been days, months...or years. She had lost count. But how could she remember, how could she count? Her father's and brothers' heads had been severed before her eyes by the one she loved the most. The one for whom she had sacrificed everything had thrown her here, with no care at all. When he cast her into this place, she had seen the utter disdain in his eyes, the irritation, the disgust.

She knew theirs was a loveless marriage, but she had hoped he would come to love her after seeing her sacrifices. Besides, he would never have been Emperor if she hadn't persuaded her father to support him, a powerless prince. Even after becoming Empress, she poured all her efforts into ensuring her duties were fulfilled. When she caught him having an affair with his first love, Countess Cecilia, though hurt and heartbroken, she turned a blind eye to it, not wanting to anger him. She even encouraged him to take Cecilia in as a concubine.

What hadn't she done because she loved him? What hadn't she sacrificed for him? And yet...

"She has really gone mad," a soft voice mocked.

That voice...

Amelia snapped her head up, and before her eyes stood a woman with long black hair and violet eyes, it was Countess Cecilia.

Amelia's crimson eyes burned with anger, and she lunged forward, her bloodied hands stretching through the bars, trying to grab Cecilia's gown, but Cecilia moved back just enough to dodge.

"How brutish," Cecilia drawled, her lips curling with contempt. "Quite unfitting for the Empress of Akea. Or should I say... the former Empress of Akea?" She let out a soft, mocking laugh. "Your father's foolish treason against Aldric ruined you all. Truly, you should have seen it coming."

"You lie!" Amelia's voice cracked as she shouted, her fingers gripping the bars. "My family has always been loyal to the crown!"

"Ah, but the evidence suggests otherwise." Cecilia shrugged.

"I want to talk to His Highness. I need to speak to him. This case needs to be re-investigated," Amelia said, her voice filled with desperation.

Countess Cecilia snorted.

"Do you think Aldric wants to speak with you? If he wanted to, he would have come here long ago. He would at least put you on trial to grant you the grace of defending your case." Cecilia leaned closer, sneering. "You understand what that means, don't you?"

Amelia's eyes widened. "No... He wouldn't... He..." she whispered, her voice trembling in pain.

"Oh, but he did," Cecilia whispered. "He wished for this to happen."

"Why... Why?" Amelia screamed, her grip on the bars tightening as tears streamed down her face. "Why did he do this?"

A smug smile appeared on Cecilia's lips. "Well, Aldric, seeing how upset I was about you wagging your arrogant face in my presence, decided to make me Empress. Besides, there can only be one Empress in Akea."

"You... bitch!" Amelia hissed, her voice filled with rage. "If he no longer wanted me, he could have just asked for a divorce!"

"So that I would be branded a homewrecker, a whore?!" Cecilia retorted.

She took a deep breath, restraining her anger.

"Well, I cannot stand Aldric still keeping the woman who once stole my position, so..." Cecilia brought out a vial filled with a black liquid from the folds of her dress.

"Poison?" Amelia asked in disbelief.

Cecilia smiled. "Wouldn't it be better if you just died? Besides, you're already living a fate worse than death."

"You want me to commit suicide? You've taken everything from me, and now you also want to take my life?"

Cecilia caught Amelia's hand and placed the vial into her palm.

"Here. Think about it."

Cecilia took one last glance at Amelia and left the dungeon.

Alone, Amelia stared at the vial. Her fingers trembled in fear as the dark liquid sloshed within the glass.

Cecilia was right; the fate she was already suffering was worse than death, and she didn't know how long she would remain in this place.

It was better to die—maybe she would finally be free from it all.

Her grip tightened on the vial, and slowly, she popped it open and downed its contents.

The liquid burned its way down her throat, and her body convulsed. Soon, blood began to trickle from her lips, and she could feel her life slowly slipping away.

Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to fall.

"We put you on that throne," she whispered. "Yet you betrayed us, Your Highness. I curse the day I fell in love with you, and I curse you! May you never find..."

Thud.

Amelia's lifeless body fell on the cold floor.

...peace.

On that day, March 25th, 1539, the former Empress of Akea drew her last breath.

Tw: Suicide

Recommended Song: Bones on the beach by Paris Paloma

"I hate you all, and I pray that none of you ever find peace."

Those were Amelia Cosgrove's last words before she jumped off the bridge into the rushing river.

Amelia Cosgrove, the first daughter of one of the wealthiest families in Country A, had everything money could buy but nothing her heart truly needed. Her life had been anything but rosy.

Her parents' marriage had merely been a business transaction, a deal to build both the business and political power of the Cosgrove and Stallion families. And just like most arranged marriages, theirs was loveless. Her father, Mason Cosgrove, was constantly caught having affairs with mistresses and celebrities, while her mother, Rose Stallion, tired of being stuck in such a marriage, ran away with her lover and was never seen again, leaving Amelia and her little brother, Ray, behind.

Amelia was just 10 years old.

Ever since then, Amelia's life had been a downward spiral. At least before her mother ran away, despite knowing her parents despised each other due to their constant fights, her mother had still shown her small bits of affection. But after her mother left, her father wasted no time bringing in his first love, a commoner named Eve, the woman his parents had once forced him to break up with, deeming her unworthy of the Cosgrove name.

Her father quickly made Eve his wife and took in her little daughter, Lilac.

Amelia, feeling abandoned by both her parents, fell into depression. This depression caused her to unconsciously distance herself from Ray, who was just seven years old at the time. As a result, Ray drifted away from her, and Eve and Lilac only furthered the distance by accepting him with open arms.

Seeing the love they showed Ray, Amelia thought that maybe... just maybe...she could start a new life with them. Perhaps Eve would finally shower her with the affection she had always craved. Perhaps, just maybe, Eve would welcome her with open arms, just like other mothers welcomed their children.

So she tried. She attempted to build a relationship, to get close to them.

But what she was met with were their mocking gazes.

"She isn't the heir, so why would we bother pleasing her?" Those were Eve's words.

Somehow, whenever she was with them, something bad always seemed to happen, and it was always her fault, even when she had nothing to do with it. If Eve cried, it was Amelia's fault. If Lilac sulked, it was because of something Amelia had supposedly done.

Even her own brother, Ray, seemed to despise her because of it.

Amelia withdrew into her shell once again, becoming rebellious and wild as an outlet for her pain.

Years passed until her engagement to the favored son of the Blackwood family, Ace Blackwood, was announced. Her grandfather, driven by guilt, had arranged her marriage into the Blackwood family to ensure her protection, to provide her a soft cushion, as the Blackwoods were just as wealthy and powerful as the Cosgroves.

And once again, Amelia felt a spark of hope.

Ace was everything she had dreamed of, handsome, intelligent, and charming. She thought their marriage would be different, that it wouldn't end like her parents' loveless union. She loved him greatly and was willing to do whatever it took to make it work. In her heart, she clung to the belief that this was her chance at happiness.

But once again, everything spiraled down. Happiness, it seemed, was not meant for her.

Soon, she discovered that Ace was having a secret affair with her sister, Lilac.

The one Ace truly wanted was Lilac, not her. In fact, he hated Amelia because she always "bullied" Lilac.

Amelia felt her heart shatter into a thousand pieces.

Why was it always Lilac? Why did she and her mother always steal everything from her?

First her father. Then her brother. Now her fiancé.

She was tired. Tired of fighting for scraps of love. Tired of being the one left behind. Tired of pretending to be okay. She was tired of it all.

As she stood on the edge of the bridge, the cold wind whipping through her hair, she thought of them all.

Her father, who had ignored her.

Her mother, who had abandoned her.

Her brother, who had turned his back on her.

Lilac, who had taken everything she held dear.

And Ace, the man she had loved with all her heart, but who had given his to someone else.

"I hate you all," she whispered, tears dripping slowly down her cheeks. "And I pray that none of you ever find peace."

Then...

She jumped.

Beep. Beep.

The heart monitor hummed steadily, its rhythmic beeping the only sound in the quiet hospital room.

Amelia lay unconscious on the hospital bed, her face pale, almost lifeless, as if she were a porcelain doll. This was to be expected, as she had been pulled from the brink of death. No, that was an understatement. She had died, but somehow, she came back to life.

It had been a week since her admission, and she showed no signs of recovering, at least that's what it seemed like until her eyes fluttered open slowly.

Everything was blurry. It felt like a hazy dream of white lights.

"Where… Where am I?" she managed to whisper weakly, her voice raspy from days of disuse.

The nurse, who had been adjusting the IV drip in her hand, froze. She snapped her head toward Amelia, her eyes widening in surprise.

She quickly stepped closer to the bed to confirm that Amelia had truly regained consciousness.

Her eyes quickly caught Amelia's unfocused crimson gaze, and she shouted, "Doctor! The patient has regained consciousness!" Her voice was filled with urgency.

---

"You seem to be recovering well," the doctor remarked as he took down the state of her vitals in a notepad. "With enough rest and proper nutrition, you'll be discharged in no time."

Amelia managed a faint smile. "Thank you, Doctor," she murmured, her voice still weak.

Once the doctor left, the nurse placed a bowl of steaming congee on the tray in front of her. "Here, eat. It'll help you regain your strength," she said kindly, adjusting the tray for Amelia's convenience.

"Thank you," Amelia replied softly, taking the spoon into her trembling hand. She stirred the congee absentmindedly, staring into its pale surface as her thoughts churned.

She was not the real Amelia.

She was Amelia Volemont, the discarded empress of Akea. She had drunk the poison Cecilia had given her, and she could vividly remember the bitter liquid burning her throat, the cold embrace of death overtaking her.

Yet, against all logic, she now found herself here, in a strange world, occupying a body that wasn't hers.

Why? she thought, staring blankly at her reflection in the spoon. Why am I here? Why did I take over this body?

Everything was so strange. And despite the fact that she had the memories of the original owner of this body, the world still felt unfamiliar. It was as though she were an intruder in someone else's life.

Her thoughts were soon interrupted by the nurse's gentle voice. "Miss, could you kindly give me the contact of your family so that I can inform them of your condition?"

Amelia blinked, momentarily startled, then lowered her gaze to the untouched congee. After a pause, she looked up and forced a faint smile. It didn't reach her eyes.

"I don't have a family," she said softly. "There's no need to worry. I'll leave on my own once I'm discharged."

"Oh… I see," the nurse murmured, her eyes filled with pity for Amelia.

She felt that Amelia was quite pitiful. She had been brought to the hospital by a man who claimed she had jumped off the bridge and that he had saved her. The man paid a huge amount of money and then left. Ever since that day, no one had called her phone, and no one had come looking for her.

Amelia saw the pity in the nurse's eyes, knowing that the woman probably thought she was an orphan.

And it wasn't far from the truth.

The original Amelia, despite having a family in name, was alone in reality. No one cared about her. In fact, she was seen as a nuisance by those she called family. And just like her, she had been pitifully blinded by love, a one-sided love.

"Well," Amelia muttered under her breath as she gazed out the window, "since I've taken over your body, I will make sure not to repeat the mistakes we both made."

This was her new beginning.

Her second chance.