“Do you know why I have called you here today?” The Emperor asked.

“No, I do not, Your Imperial Majesty.” Abella replied, her smile still on her face.

“Dietrich, come forth and meet your future wife.” The Emperor said in a commanding voice that demanded ultimate obedience. Dietrich Axias – a young killing machine; a devil on the battlefield; a person not to be crossed. That was the gossip that followed him, along with whispers of his good looks and elegant yet powerful demeanour. Though many ladies were attracted to him, very few of them actually approached him because of the other rumours that trailed him. Despite his good looks, he was known to be infamously cold to women, and there were even the slightest ashes of rumours that suggested he was interested in men. Abella had laughed at that rumour – he certainly hadn’t been interested in men. He hadn’t been interested in women either, she knew. Because a person needs a heart to love, and he didn’t have one.

Abella watched as he came into the room. Unlike the Imperial Family, the Crown Prince had been born with black hair and red eyes – a bad omen, or so said by the gossip-loving nobles. The Imperial Family was known and recognized for having blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, so there was great opposition about the Crown Prince becoming Emperor. But the Emperor had announced the Crown Prince as the most eligible heir anyways, paying no mind to the opposition from the nobles, thus the Crown Prince had no supporters, at least none from the ranks of nobility. That was one of the reasons why Duke Silverstein had decided to support the Second Prince, amongst the promise of wealth, land, and power.

“Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince.” Abella bowed to the Crown Prince, and as expected, he ignored her. The Crown Prince stood behind the Emperor’s throne but close enough at his side to hear his every word loud and clear.

“You two are to be wed eventually – it would do you both some good to be on friendly terms,” the Emperor said with a stony expression – a threat, rather than a suggestion. Abella found it humorous how alike the two looked. Like father, like son.

“Of course, Father.” There was a certain rigidness to the Crown Prince’s tone as he spoke the word ‘Father’, as though he was not accustomed to it. Appearances really do matter quite a bit to the Imperial Family, even though they disregarded the nobles’ concerns. Abella thought to herself. But she knew one thing – the Crown Prince was a terrible actor.

“Now why don’t you two go and have tea together? The Imperial Gardens sound nice, do they not?” The Emperor said, his tone meant to be pressurizing. Abella looked at him with a slight tilt of her head. She glanced at the Crown Prince – his irritation and dissatisfaction was rather obvious.

“I apologize, Your Imperial Majesty, but I am quite fatigued after such a long carriage ride here and wish to rest. May I postpone this arrangement between me and the Crown Prince for some other day?” Abella asked politely, making sure the Emperor knew her intentions but still sounding respectful.

“As you wish.” The Emperor replied, and Abella didn’t fail to notice the cold glare in his eyes when she refused his request.

“Thank you for your generosity and understanding, Your Imperial Majesty.” Abella curtsied and left the throne room. The maids led Abella to a room on the third floor. The room was the same room she had been given in all her lives – a well-decorated room but with nothing particularly valuable. Probably to assure that there is nothing for Abella to steal. Do they consider me a thief? Abella though, watching as a maid set down her bag.

“Would you like me to unpack your things for you, Lady Abella?” the maid asked.

“No,” Abella replied flatly. “I would like to unpack them myself.” That would surely raise their suspicions. Abella smiled as one of the maids snuck a glance at her bag. They will report it to whoever they serve… and I will see who makes a move. That will tell me who these maids serve. And that will give me one more candidate to who will be the one to kill me this time. Abella brushed her fingertips along a table. It was not a matter of preventing someone from spying on her, rather, a matter of figuring out which person is likely to kill her and perhaps get on their good side to make them give her a quick, painless death. That was her only wish – she knew a feeling as foreign as happiness would never be hers.

“Of course,” the maid bowed.

“Now leave me. I wish to rest,” Abella said. They will surely suspect that too. The maids bowed again and left the room. Now was merely a game of waiting.

~~~

It had been three days since Abella had arrived at the Imperial Palace. Nothing much ever went on, and tutors were hired to help Abella study everything she needed to know to run a country. In every life, the same tutors, the same things they taught, everything was repeated to her to the point that Abella could recite every one of their lectures from heart.

Though the lectures were boringly repetitive, Abella still had to sit through them and be quizzed on them. Even though Abella was only fourteen, she knew what the tutors who had been hired were really paid to do – pressure Abella with so many different complex subjects and tests far beyond what a fourteen-year-old could do to break her. It had been the same for all her past lives too.

Bored, Abella decided to finally go to see the Crown Prince. But not in a normal setting – no, in a setting where she had once died.

Abella closed her eyes briefly as she remembered short life number eighteen. She had been going on a walk three days after she arrived at the palace because the weather was pleasant when she spotted the Crown Prince training with a sword in the forest. She had approached him from behind, thinking that it would be fine, but as soon as she opened her mouth to speak, the Crown Prince turned around fiercely and slashed her throat with his sword. She knew for a fact that the Crown Prince had assumed she was an assassin, and in her last few moments alive, she watched as the Crown Prince looked shocked for a short while before becoming cold again and returning to sword training.

But that was all in the past. Or was it? Perhaps it would be quite simple to die at the hands of the Crown Prince again. But she would just return to when she was fourteen, and then have to repeat hell. Perhaps she shouldn’t die there. Not quite yet. She told herself.

“Mary, help me get ready.” Abella said to one of the maids. Her ladies-in-waiting had not been picked out just yet, and Abella didn’t plan on getting one at all.

“Of course, Lady Abella. May I ask where you are going?” Mary asked as she came over to Abella with a dress.

“It does not concern you,” Abella replied flatly, and Mary’s face twitched slightly.

“Of course. How dare I, a mere maid, try to involve myself with a noble lady’s personal life? I apologize, Lady Abella.” Mary said, bowing, but a slight hint of irritation showing in her voice.

“It is fine.” Abella said, and Mary returned to helping Abella get dressed. Truthfully, Abella could get dressed herself, but other maids would have seen it as strange that a noble lady, who usually hates doing things on their own, dressing herself. Once she was dressed, Abella said to Mary, “remain here. I will be back after I deal with some business of mine within the Imperial Palace.”

Abella turned to walk away, but Mary quickly stumbled after her and said, “b-but Lady Abella, it is dangerous for a noble lady such as yourself to go out alone, much less a soon-to-be Crown Princess! There would be many out for your head, Lady Abella. I shall accompany you.”

“Did I give you permission?” Abella asked, her tone dangerous.

“W-What?” Mary stammered.

“I asked, did I give you permission to accompany me?” Abella repeated.

“N-No, Lady Abella, you did not.” Mary lowered her head. She suddenly sprang up and put a hand over her chest as she said, “b-but I am merely suggesting this all out of concern for you, Lady Abella!”

“My safety?” Abella asked. Mary nodded. Suddenly, Abella whipped around and faced Mary, her expression stony in contrast to her usual smile. “Are you suggesting that the Imperial Palace is not guarded well enough to even keep a single lady within their walls safe?”

“N-n-no! O-o-of course not! H-how dare I suggest such a thing about the Imperial Palace!” Mary stumbled over her words, panic clear in her tone.

“Good. Then stay out of my business and remember your place.” Abella’s usual smile returned to her face as she turned around and left.