“Accused for something you didn’t do? Betrayed? But I cannot let you go yet. Well, time to live again, Abella.” The familiar voice said, and Abella was sucked back to when she was in front of Duke Silverstein’s study door.

“Come in,” his stoic stone voice. Again. Abella sighed and reached her hands out to open the door, but paused. Why did she have to visit her Father? She already knew what he was going to do. She already knew what he was going to make her do. So why did she have to stay?

Turning around, Abella ran straight to her room. She made a hasty decision to leave. What was tying her down to this anyways? Quickly packing a few belongings and the simplest dresses she had, Abella closed her suitcase. On her way out, she paused. To survive outside… I’m going to need money. Glancing down the hallway at the guest bedroom, Abella smiled to herself. Bursting into the guest bedroom, she plucked the room dry of everything that would be worth a couple francs – jewels, silks, crystals, even the pillow cover made of the finest fabrics. As an unfavoured child, she had never had any of these things. No jewellery, no fancy dresses, no high-quality fabrics – just the basic necessities to sustain her.

She smiled bitterly to herself. I always thought… perhaps if I worked harder, was the best in everything, I would finally be loved and treated like the rest of my siblings. But it seems as though no matter what I do, I’m never loved. Why? What did I do so wrong to be sold off like this? Why… why can’t I be loved? She already knew the answer. She didn’t deserve love. She was an illegitimate child; a bastard child that no one wanted. Her mother was long gone, and even the late Duchess, the only person who had ever supported her, died of illness. Perhaps she was bad luck. Perhaps she brought death and pain to everyone around her. Perhaps… she should have died instead of her mother.

But now wasn’t the time to think those thoughts. Abella had to escape before anyone noticed that something was wrong. She had to run; run far away and escape from her hell of a life.

Abella lugged her suitcase behind her as she slowly made her way to the gates of the Silverstein estate, where two guards were.

“I was given permission from the Duke to leave,” Abella informed them, and one nodded briskly while the other went to open the gate for her. “Thank you.”

As soon as Abella took a step outside the mansion, she breathed in a deep breath of happiness. Was all it took to finally leave the Duchy a simple lie? It had been far too easy… but that didn’t mean Abella wouldn’t seize the chance.

She called over a carriage and got in. The carriage driver asked, “where to, Miss?”

“Stonewell,” Abella replied, and the carriage driver set off. The sky slowly turned a beautiful shade of red and orange and yellow, but as breathtaking as it was, it made Abella shudder. The red… was as red as the blood she spilled in her second life. Blood red.

Abella whisked the curtain closed and looked at her hands in her lap. Taking a deep breath, Abella had to take a moment to remind herself that her execution hadn’t happened. At least not in that timeline. Once the carriage arrived at Stonewell, Abella got off and paid the carriage driver a large ruby since she had no real money as she said, “this is for two things – driving me here, and keeping your mouth shut. Don’t tell anyone that you saw me.”

She knew for sure that Duke Silverstein would come looking for her once he realised that she had escaped. He didn’t love her, but he did love his precious plans and the idea of power. Despite it all, Abella still wanted to run back to the Duchy. She wanted to be embraced by her Father; she wanted to be loved. But she was going to be sold off. So staying wasn’t an option.

The carriage driver nodded greedily and took the ruby, getting into his carriage again and calling out, “thank you, Miss!”

As Abella entered the town, she smiled to herself. She was free. Free of the mocking gazes. Free of the painful insults. Free of the vile Imperial Palace. She walked down the street, a skip in her step and a smile on her face. She could hardly believe how happy simply being free made her. She was always stuck in the Imperial Palace – she hadn’t been outside in ages.

The cooling breeze made her long blonde hair flutter in the wind, its light colour  contrasting against the dark sky under the dim light of the streetlight.

Quickly focusing on her objective, she went straight the closest inn and went inside. It was noisy there, and many large men, presumably thugs and soldiers, all drinking heartily and drunkenly slurring out their secrets. Abella walked straight up to the counter and asked, “can I get a room here for one night?”

“Aren’t you a little young to be staying in an inn alone, little girl? Whatever, as long as you can pay for it. It’ll cost ten francs.” The man behind the counter said. Abella had forgotten for a while that she was still fourteen.

“Will this cover it?” Abella handed the man a small diamond and the man’s eyes widened as he nodded.

“Absolutely, that’ll be more than enough for three months,” he replied. Abella had no idea something so small could be worth that much. Abella had never adorned herself in luxurious items or jewellery, and never really liked such heavy, flashy items either. But in the end, they were worth so much more than Abella thought.

“Then… I shall stay for three months. This is the payment in advance,” Abella said with a slight smile.

“Excellent choice! Here’s the key to your room – it’s down that hallway; the third door on the right, room twelve. Please enjoy your night,” the man had changed his tune. He was suddenly incredibly optimistic and his eyes practically shone with greed. Abella couldn’t help but scowl, but she still thanked him and took the keys.

She walked down the lamp-lit hallway and followed the man’s directions until she arrived at her room. Collapsing onto her bed straight away, she was suddenly aware of how tired she was. Without bothering to change, Abella fell into a deep sleep.

Abella was standing amongst a crowd. Everyone was jeering at someone on a stage, and Abella’s heart dropped when she saw who was on that stage. It was her. Being executed. She watched, frozen, as her head was forced into the guillotine and the rope was cut. She watched, unable to move, as the blade fell, and then her head was on the floor. The crowd let out a loud cheer as they yelled, “down with the criminal!”

The sky was all red. Dark clouds were dotted about and the sun was nowhere in sight. The world faded away and Abella’s skin suddenly began to burn. She couldn’t breath – it was as though someone was choking her. Black smoke floated around her like a snake, willing for her to die. It was hot. Blazing hot. The whole place was black, as though there was no end nor any start to the place. Then pain set in. Unbearable pain, as though someone was burning her alive.

Abella awoke with a scream to find that the pain and the black smoke were real. The inn was on fire. Large, threatening flames rose up all around her, and she ran for the exit to the room, but the ceiling had collapsed there and barricaded her. She ran to the window, hoping to call for help since she couldn’t fit through, and she desperately fumbled with the lock, only to find that it wouldn’t open. The metal latch wouldn’t move, and it was blazing hot – so hot that it burned Abella’s hand as soon as she tried to open it.

Grabbing the nearest object – a lantern – Abella smashed it into the window, shattering the glass. Glass shards were everywhere, and one cut into Abella’s shin, but she didn’t flinch. The pain was nothing compared to what she had felt in her past lives. Rushing to the window, she yelled out, “help! Help, please!”

“Look! There’s a person still in there!” Abella felt relieved as she heard someone yell.

“What do you think you’re doing, idiot? No damn way am I letting you go in there to save that girl! She should’ve got out as soon as the fire started! I’m not going to risk your life to save that damsel in distress,” Abella’s heart dropped as she heard someone else say in a scolding voice. They continued to argue and Abella felt a terrible, dreading feeling of forbode.

And then the flaming ceiling fell down on her, and as the fire burned into her skin, she stayed silent. The pain was terrible and antagonizing – so badly so that there are no words to describe it. She knew she was going to die there. Even if she managed to get out from under the burning ceiling beam, she had a horrible feeling that she was going to die anyways.

Abella was burned to badly to cry out loud. Her throat was scorched and still burning, and she couldn’t move any part of her face. Life number four: gone, with a silent tear slipping down her ashy face just as she went limp.