When you let your guard down, death comes to you from nowhere...I am Serena Hawthorne—or at least, that's what I thought...I was born as the only daughter of the Emperor after three male heirs. To anyone else, I was a lucky princess born with a golden spoon in her mouth, but things didn't go as they should have. My mother, Empress Maria Hawthorne, died right after giving birth to me, which made the Duke treat me coldly, as if I were the reason for what happened to my mother. Despite all that, I stayed silent and said nothing. To me, it was true—I was at fault; if I hadn't been born, my mother wouldn't have died.
I decided to change my father's view of me through hard work, telling myself that one day he would finally look my way. I never thought of competing for the throne, and even if my brothers ignored me, I was ready to stand beside whoever among them became Emperor. But after turning five, I finally realized that my father would never notice me. So I decided to ignore everything and live my life as I pleased—until the catastrophe happened...
A beautiful girl appeared, with blue hair and blue eyes, resembling my father and brothers greatly, and her beauty was pure and innocent. They announced before everyone that the maid who worked in the palace had swapped the Empress's child with her own commoner daughter.I suddenly understood that I was not Serena Hawthorne. I was nothing—a person without identity.
Everyone took her side and loved her because she was the real daughter, while I became the criminal in their eyes. Whenever I remembered that I was worthless, that all the hatred toward me was baseless, I cried endlessly. And when I tried to make peace with myself and step out of my room, I found the hatred had only doubled—even from the common people.
"My sister, are you alright? It's okay, you can keep the name."With her innocent eyes and fake kindness, her words became a law pressing down on me, while mine became a crime against her.
"Brother? … Who is your brother, you lowborn girl!""You should be a slave beneath her feet.""One day you'll understand that what happened to you was a luck everyone would envy."
I finally gave up and began searching for my mother—or the maid who had switched me—only to discover she had been eaten by the guard dogs. My world completely collapsed.
Then I met Alister Clory, the owner of the Magic Tower and the strongest sorcerer in the Empire. It was a coincidence, but the best coincidence of my life. Over time, Alister began standing by my side and helping me, and as days passed, I started feeling emotions I had never known before… I think I fell in love with him—madly.
One day, Alister suddenly went on a journey, and just as suddenly, the guards burst in and imprisoned me. No one gave me a chance to speak; the judge accused me of attempting to assassinate Princess Rebecca Hawthorne, the only princess of the Empire. It was obvious that everything happening to me was because of her, and what made it worse was that my father and brothers took her side. I saw her tears and their comforting smiles, and it hurt deeply.
I climbed the execution platform, my heart trembling, hoping Alister would arrive in time. I tried to hold back my tears and hide my fear, but all I could think of was him… Alister—would he grieve if I died?
I heard a sigh near me: "I'm truly sorry."
The executioner stepped forward, his eyes hidden behind his helmet."If you execute me now, you'll regret it for a long time."I couldn't see his face, for he was wearing a helmet, but I thought he looked at me indifferently and said,"That's not my concern, my lady.""I'm innocent! I did nothing... The real culprit is Rebecca.""That's for the judge to decide. I'm just a citizen."
I frowned, for the executioner didn't waver no matter how much I tried to delay him. Finally, the execution began. I closed my eyes to hold back my tears and tried to think of something else to escape the pain—but all that appeared in my mind was Alister… How would he live after I died? Would he be sad, or would he not care?
Maybe I was imagining it, but the last thing I saw were the executioner's eyes shimmering slightly, as if they were about to shed tears...
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When I thought I had died, I opened my eyes again inside my small room. I stood up, my body aching. I changed my clothes and looked into my broken mirror.Black eyes, black hair, and an excellent ph