The same ceiling.
The same bed.
The same terrified maid bursting through the doors, shrieking the same line.
"Princess! You collapsed during your presentation ceremony! Thank the stars you're awake!"
I didn't scream.
Didn't cry.
Didn't panic.
I just sat there in silence, letting the truth settle into my bones like poison.
I had died.
And now, I was back again.
Exactly the same moment. Exactly the same place.
This wasn't a dream.
This was a time loop.
---
I rose slowly from the bed, ignoring the maid's fussing.
My limbs moved with more control now. My instincts—dormant since waking in this body—were fully online. Everything felt real. Too real. The softness of the carpet beneath my bare feet. The ache in my gut from the poison that had killed me moments ago.
No—yesterday. Or was it… today again?
I gritted my teeth. Time was repeating. But why?
Somewhere, beneath the surface of this sweet royal life, someone had decided I shouldn't live past this day.
Fine.
If they wanted to play a game—
I'd play back.
---
I needed answers.
But I also needed to survive until nightfall.
Step one: Avoid the poison.
When the court mage arrived to lead me to the ceremony, I smiled politely and followed. I said the same words I had last time. Watched him perform the same spell. I felt the exact same chill of magic swirl around my chest.
But this time, I didn't collapse.
The transfer was smoother. Maybe because my soul had already bonded to the body now? Or maybe… I was getting stronger.
---
Back in my room, I intercepted the handmaid who offered me my evening tea.
"Leave it," I said.
"But, Princess—"
"I said leave it."
Her hands trembled as she set the cup down. I watched her too closely.
Was it her last time? Did she poison me?
No. The wine.
It was at the banquet.
---
Night fell.
I entered the grand ballroom like a ghost walking into her own funeral.
The chandeliers blazed. The nobles danced. Music filled the air with sweetness and lies. I recognized the faces from before: the same duke with the crooked smile. The same countess with her overdone perfume.
And him again—the knight.
He stood near the king's throne once more. That same unreadable face. That same tension in his shoulders.
He was watching me.
Did he notice something?
"Princess Seris," a smooth voice called.
I turned. The noble who handed me the poisoned wine was approaching again—same goblet, same smile.
Time for a change.
I accepted the goblet, smiling sweetly.
"Would you drink with me, Lord Harven?" I asked.
His smile froze. "Excuse me?"
"Surely you wouldn't serve wine to a princess without first ensuring it's... safe?"
I held out the goblet to him.
He hesitated.
That was enough.
Without breaking eye contact, I poured the wine into a potted plant beside me. The leaves sizzled. Steam hissed from the soil.
A collective gasp echoed from the surrounding nobles.
The music stopped.
Someone screamed.
Poison. Confirmed.
I turned to Lord Harven, my smile turning colder than death.
"That's funny," I said. "I thought it was supposed to be my celebration."
Before anyone could react, Harven lunged.
---
Steel flashed.
But I was faster.
The training of a thousand kills returned to me in one fluid motion. I twisted my body, grabbed a fork from the nearby table, and drove it into his wrist.
He screamed. Guards swarmed in.
Harven shouted, "She's not the real princess! She's a demon! A witch!"
I let them drag him away.
I didn't even blink.
Because now I knew one thing for sure:
> I wasn't caught in this loop by accident.
Someone wanted Seris dead.
And someone else—
Wanted her to survive.
---