Cordelia Stormcrest – that is my name.
I am the sinner who caused the downfall of my dukedom, the heir who razed the Stormcrest dukedom's legacy to the ground. The woman named the biggest villainess of the century in the kingdom of Silverpeak.
Imprisoned in the royal jail, the last thing I saw before I woke up was the dimly lit room crumbling to bits, engulfing me in a bottomless pit of darkness.
How is it possible that, after believing myself to be dead, I wake up in this childish yet clean room? I thought it was a dream until I stood in front of the mirror and stared at the 'me' reflected there.
The white and gently laid curls reached to the waist, showing no signs of its previously matted and dirty form. The signs of whips were gone, leaving only the glow of youth that had faded away with time. Even my previously blurred vision became much clearer!
Knock knock. "May I come in, Lady Cordelia?"
Without any hesitation, I run towards the door and stare at the handle. Now, I hesitate to move the handle. What if this is just a dream?
"My lady?" The slightly tired voice calls out again.
I turn the handle and push. Looking up, I see a familiar face - the face of someone I thought I would never see again.
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"Aveline!" I sobbed as I throw myself into her arms.
Shocked, she breaks her usual cold facade and exclaims, "Lady Cordelia, what's wrong?"
My tears continue to fall as I hold her tightly, fearing I wouldn't be able to feel this sensation once I wake from this heavenly dream.
"Lia?" After getting no responses from me, I feel her hands patting my back, something I haven't felt since my graduation from the academy.
That day, at my graduation ball, I stayed to attend the last dance and had Aveline leave early so she could attend her brother's knighthood the day after. With my knight and temporarily hired maid, I was able to experience the last of my academic life fully while she suffered on the journey home, eventually tortured to her death.
It was supposed to be me in that carriage, suffering the pain, but instead, she had been subjected to it. Our striking resemblance, stemming from shared blood relations and matching eye colors, had only one distinction - my white hair against her light blonde hair. Yet, in the darkness of the night, they mistakenly identified her as Cordelia Stormcrest, the heiress to the Stormcrest dukedom.
When I had arrived back, my family was shocked because they had received the news of my death, which would eventually be revealed to be about Aveline.
"Lia... Did you have a nightmare?" Maybe she was taken aback by the unusual overflow of emotions despite usually being composed; she kept rubbing my back despite being confused.
Still clinging to my childhood friend, and hearing her call me affectionately with my nickname, I croak out, "I don't understand. I was in the royal jail, and then everything was falling apart! You, father, mother, and Lizzy died! Then Lieon fell into a coma and wouldn't wake up... Is this real or just another cruel dream to remind me of what could have been if I..."
Unable to continue with Aveline's hug, she takes me to my bed and sits me down, saying, "My lady, I know you are nervous for your debutante ball, but there is no need to fear us dying! There are only three more days before you turn sixteen, so how could we die without seeing you at your debut party, hm?"
Shocked, I ask, "Wh..what? My debutante ball?"
Aveline's comforting words continue, but I have long been lost in my confusion. My debutante ball? It feels like a lifetime ago. The pain, the loss—it can't just be erased; it all felt too real to be false. As Aveline speaks, I try to make sense of the pieces, but they refuse to fit together.
With a hesitant smile, I nod at Aveline's assurances, though doubts still linger in my mind. The world before me seems like an illusion, ready to crumble at the slightest touch. Is this a second chance or a cruel prank from the goddess herself?