Chapter 2: 1

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Chapter 1

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“Hah!”

She didn’t even realize she’d been holding her breath. Barely managing to breathe properly, Diana let out a haggard puff of air, frantically grabbing her neck. She was in a room she’d left behind long ago. Back when Diana was still a lady in Philadelphia.

When she was still ignorant of the tragic future awaiting her.

Pulling herself together, Diana stared at her hands in a daze.

“I’ve….come back….”

She must only be around fifteen years old now. Her fourth finger from the left—her ring finger where a wedding ring once was, was still intact. Diana grabbed her hand, noting how thin and clean it was.

The memory of red blood pouring from her chest was so clear, but now even the pain felt like it was only a dream. She must’ve been shot as she tried to run away, climbing that snow covered mountain barefooted. But even as she tried to escape, Diana was still driven to death.

Driven to death at the age of thirty-five.

Diana died at an age where there were still so many things she had yet to experience. But no, that wasn’t accurate any longer. She was dead.

Rolling off the bed, Diana ran to the vanity and gasped the moment she saw her own face, reflected in the glass and shining in the moonlight.

I’ve really returned!

Diana sprang up from the vanity and darted across the room, pulling on the rope by her bedside. It was always there, ready to call on the maid sleeping in the next room. She needed to know when it was exactly, and what she could do going forward.

Looking at how dark it was, it was either late at night or early morning, but Diana couldn’t wait a minute longer. Even now, her heart was racing so fast.

But at least she was certain they were in spring.

The garden was in full bloom, but the weather still felt a little cool, so it must be spring rather than summer. More than that, Diana could see the pink curtains that her mother only ever brought out during the spring. Getting impatient, Diana pulled on the rope a couple more times.

It was during the fall that Diana married Iandrus at the age of fifteen. It happened three years after their engagement. The people prayed for the perfect union of Leonid and Philadelphia. Philadelphia was the oldest and most powerful family in the entire kingdom, and their finally joining hands with the royal family was worth praying for.

“Why isn’t she coming?” Just as Diana was murmuring to herself with bated breath, getting up to go visit the maid herself, the door opened, revealing a maid. The maid, named Jesse, only then realized she was being called by her lady, and had in fact not misheard things.

“M, Miss?”

“Jesse! What took you so long?” Diana asked with a grumble in her voice. The moment she saw Jesse, the fear and impatience she felt while left alone slowly faded away.

Jesse smiled, coming inside and closing the door behind her.

“Having trouble sleeping again, my lady?”

“It’s not like that……”

“You haven’t been able to sleep well for a while now, my lady. Are you excited?”

“Excited?” Diana questioned.

“For now, just rest your head. If you sleep badly at night and fall asleep in class, you’ll get scolded again.”

Diana’s eyelashes shook. Jesse took Diana by the hand, guiding her to the bed and urged her to lie down naturally. As she wrapped her up in her blankets like a cocoon, she patted Diana on the chest. 

It made her feel so at ease. Looking at Jesse, she really felt like she’d come back home.

Was it all just a dream?

A terrible nightmare that lasted twenty years. One so vivid, it played out like reality. Again, Diana’s eyes shook. For some reason, she needed to hold back the tears that were threatening to flow.

“I can understand why you’re excited. You’ll be married to Prince Iandrus soon. I wonder what you’ll be like when you’re all grown up as a married woman, my lady………”

Her heart sank in her chest with a dull thud. Diana pulled up the blankets, covering her face.

“I know you won’t be able to sleep well tomorrow since you’ll be seeing your wedding dress. But as the Grand Duchess said yesterday, one must get their proper sleep if they want smooth skin in the morning. So close your eyes. I’ll sing you a lullaby.”

The tip of her nose turned cold.

Diana did her best to nod off, but sleep never came. She decided just to get up tomorrow and think more on things later. There’s a chance she’d wake up and all of this was a dream. Or maybe the past twenty years have been a dream. Closing her eyes, Diana gave an earnest prayer that this was her new reality.

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And so the next morning came.

That’s when Diana realized that everything was real.

There was a scar on her chest, right on the lower left side. Even the maids who helped Diana bathe didn’t know where the scar came from. Only Diana knew its true meaning.

‘Remember what you’ll become in the next twenty years.’

The wound seemed to whisper towards Diana.

Forgetting her manners, as soon as Diana finished her bath, she ran off towards the Grand Duchess’ bedroom with fear in her heart.

“My lady! My lady!” Jesse called out to her, but she was no match for Diana, who ran scared like a frightened squirrel. A single phrase was pounding in her head.

‘Mother….run….’

As Diana cried, the door to the Grand Duchess’ bedroom started opening. Even the maids, who had tried desperately to stop her, stepped back the moment they noticed it. The Grand Duchess’ eyes widened the moment she noticed Diana, who had just gotten out of the bath.

“Diana?”

“Mother…….!”

Diana rushed into the Grand Duchess’ embrace. Ever since she started sleeping alone, never once had she cried like this. The Grand Duchess swept a hand across Diana’s back with a worried expression on her face. Holding Diana in her arms, she called out to the maids.

“Boil some water and mix honey with it. And you, go light a scented candle. My daughter seems a little frightened, so please call a doctor.”

“Yes, madam.”

After having chased down Diana, the maids quickly went their separate ways with their new orders. The Grand Duchess soothed Diana, who was still crying and sniffling.

Diana was so sick and tired of this. If she married Iandrus like she did before, then she’d certainly die again. And it wasn’t just her, but all of Philadelphia would perish too, along with Prince Iandrus and her child.

Diana could not allow such a terrible future to repeat itself.

Her heart was pounding with intense fear. She didn’t know what she could say to convince the Grand Duchess of the impending danger in order to end the engagement with the royal family. Thinking about it, Diana’s tears only became stronger.

“Mother…….”

“Did you have a nightmare?” The Grand Duchess asked with a sweet voice.

If only the future Diana endured could be dismissed as a mere nightmare. But unfortunately it was the future—a fate that was fast approaching her. The thing that made it all the more frightening was that now she was aware of it.

Diana hid herself deeper in the Grand Duchess’ embrace. The woman held Diana, who was shaking her head intensely.

“I don’t want to get married,” Diana spat out. “I can’t get married, Mother. Not to Prince Iandrus!” Diana was shaking so badly, even her voice was teary.

The Grand Duchess pulled back from Diana, the worry in her face deepening. She was a bit flustered hearing this. Just yesterday, Diana had gone to bed with an excited face and now she was suddenly saying this. Before now, she always accepted the engagement with the royal family with an adult expression.

But now, Diana was shivering so much she was turning blue. She wasn’t the kind of girl who acted out like this just for fun or to act like a child. Something was wrong. The Grand Duchess set Diana down on her bed, sitting on her knees in front of her.

“Did something happen, Diana? Has Prince Iandrus done something to you?”

“……..It’s not like that,” Diana stuttered. Right now, Prince Iandrus is only fifteen years old. He didn’t have the temperament to harm Diana. In fact, he was a kind and loving child. Still, Diana burst out in a crying voice, “I’m afraid, Mother. I’m afraid of the royal family.”

“Diana…….” The Grand Duchess held her hand with a sad look on her face. “Of course, you’re scared. That’s simply the nature of entering the royal family. One must change their mindset and living environment. But you’ve been working so hard, Diana. I believe my dear Diana will do very well.”

Hearing that only made Diana feel like an insect, stuck in the web of a spider named fate. Left to be caught in this loop, led by an unavoidable future.

I’m suffocating.

It was like the very idea of destiny was strangling her. She had to walk into the crossfire willingly, driving all her loved ones and everyone in Philadelphia to their certain deaths.

It was the same as before, when she was forced to share in Iandrus’ misfortune. That was something she had to stop. Diana shook her head violently, shouting out in a shrill and loud voice.

“I know the future! The future, Mother! I can’t ever get married!”

She wanted someone to hear her. To hear how desperate she was.

“Diana……..” The Grand Duchess murmured, the exhaustion clear in her voice. There had to be a reason why her child was acting like this, but she was simply too tired to listen to this childish claim so early in the morning. “Diana, your mother promises to always be there for you, no matter what happens.”

At the end of the Grand Duchess’ sentiment, the small tears gathering at the sides of Diana’s eyes fell, unable to bear their weight anymore. Yes, this was a promise she carried through till the very end.

And because she kept her promise—because she held onto Diana’s hand, everyone in Philadelphia died.

Diana’s eyes turned red.

“I’ve seen the future, Mother. The wound on my chest is proof of that. I’ve come back from the future.”

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