Chapter 1.1

Shwaaahhh! 

On a dusky night, rain poured down as if the heavens were crying.  

“Ha, ha, ha.”  

Hildeltrud ran frantically through the reeds.  

Her breath was caught in her throat, but she couldn’t stop running.  

How did things come to this?  

Her family had been falsely accused of treason.  

Her beloved father and elder brother died protecting her, and all the household servants met their end.  

Though tears blurred her vision, Hildeltrud couldn’t even afford to cry.  

She had to honor her father and brother’s dying wish: that she must survive, no matter what.  

Fortunately, the heavy rain washed away her traces, slowing down the pursuers chasing her.  

Hildeltrud dashed through the reeds and into the grasslands, hiding herself amid the crevices of rocks to catch her breath.  

Tears mingled with the rainwater, streaming down her cheeks.  

‘Father, Brother…’  

So many people had died to save her.  

It was betrayal.  

The man she believed loved her—her husband—had turned his back on her family.  

The friend she trusted without a doubt turned out to be her husband’s mistress.  

All of this was the result of their collaboration.  

‘Why on earth…’

She had done nothing wrong. She had simply trusted him and loved him.  

Hildeltrud pulled her legs close and buried her face in them.  

She swallowed her sobs and suppressed her hatred.  

“You were hiding here all along.”  

Suddenly, a dark shadow loomed over her head.  

Startled, Hildeltrud raised her trembling face.  

A rough-looking man wearing a black hood glared down at her fiercely.  

Her entire body trembled.  

“Did you really think I wouldn’t find you, hiding like a rat?”  

A well-honed blade gleamed in the moonlight.  

Hildeltrud was terrified, but her hatred burned just as fiercely.  

She had only loved him, yet everything had been taken from her.  

It was betrayal.  

And now, they were trying to take her very life.  

“Enough is enough!”  

Hildeltrud’s eyes glinted with venom.  

The man flinched at her chilling gaze.  

Her tightly shut lips parted.  

“Do you think killing me here will be the end of it? Even if I die, I will haunt you as a vengeful spirit! And not just that—I will tear apart and destroy everything you love!”  

The man’s expression hardened. He muttered a curse under his breath.  

“Damn it, what bad luck!”  

The man swung his blade at Hildeltrud.  

The blade slashed deep from her neck to her chest.  

As if that wasn’t enough, he raised the blade and plunged it into Hildeltrud’s abdomen.  

“Cough.”  

Even as Hildeltrud coughed up a mouthful of blood, her bloodshot eyes glared at the man.  

“E-even in death… I w-will… never… forgive… y-you…”  

With those final words, Hildeltrud collapsed.  

Only the pouring rain mourned her death, crying for her.  

***

“Gasp!”  

Startled, Hildeltrud bolted upright.  

She blinked her eyes, trying to grasp the situation.  

But instead of grasslands, it was a familiar place.  

“W-what… Where is this…”  

It was her bedroom.  

“How is this even possible…”  

She had definitely died.  

On a rainy night, she had been stabbed with a blade.  

The vivid sensation of the blade piercing her abdomen still lingered.  

Hildeltrud rubbed her eyes.  

“Could it be that I’ve come to heaven after dying?”  

She murmured quietly to herself when the bedroom door opened and someone entered.  

“Milady! You’re awake!”  

At the sound of a familiar voice, Hildeltrud’s head whipped toward the door.  

The person who entered with a smile was someone Hildeltrud knew well.  

“Jenny?”  

“Yes?”  

“Is it really you, Jenny?”  

Hildeltrud jumped out of bed and hugged Jenny tightly.  

“M-Milady?”  

“I’m so glad to see you again, even if it’s in heaven, Jenny.”  

“Heaven? What are you talking about? Please don’t say such frightening things.”  

Hildeltrud couldn’t understand.  

“Jenny, isn’t this heaven?”  

“Milady, why do you keep saying it’s heaven? Are you feeling unwell?”  

Jenny reached out and placed her hand on Hildeltrud’s forehead.  

“That’s strange; you don’t have a fever. Just in case, I’ll call the physician. Please wait for a moment.”  

Hildeltrud quickly grabbed Jenny, stopping her from leaving.  

“Jenny, aren’t you dead?”  

At those words, Jenny’s eyes widened in shock.  

“Milady! Why would I be dead?”  

Hildeltrud took a step back.  

‘What on earth is this…’  

She was confused.  

Jenny had died while trying to help Hildeltrud escape from the Imperial Palace.  

Jenny had swapped clothes with her and disguised herself, buying Hildeltrud time to flee.  

But now, Jenny stood alive before her, looking at her with a worried expression.  

“Milady, are you alright?”  

“Huh?”  

“Are you really feeling unwell?”  

Seeing Jenny’s vibrant face, Hildeltrud suddenly thought this might not be heaven after all.  

‘Could it be…’  

She swallowed dryly and cautiously asked.  

“Jenny, what’s today’s date?”  

“It’s April 1st, year 945 of the Solar Calendar.”  

“What?”  

It felt like someone had struck her on the back of the head with a blunt object.  

Hildeltrud looked at her hands. They were clean, without a single wound.  

She lifted the hem of her chemise and checked her feet. The injuries she had sustained while fleeing were nowhere to be seen.  

“Milady?”  

“A m-mirror…”  

Hildeltrud quickly ran to the vanity and looked into the mirror.  

Her flawless, pale skin, platinum blonde hair flowing like waves, and sapphire-blue eyes reflected back at her.  

Tears streamed down her face.  

“I’m… alive.”  

There were no scars from the blade that had slashed her chest or pierced her abdomen.  

Hildeltrud was truly alive.  

Grateful for her life, Hildeltrud sincerely thanked the heavens.  

Perhaps her family was alive too.  

With a joyful expression, she asked.  

“Jenny, I want to see my father. Where is he?”  

“The Duke is in the study.”  

“Thank you.”  

Hildeltrud hurriedly ran toward the study.  

“Milady, you can’t just leave like that! You need to dress and put on shoes!”  

Jenny followed her with clothes and slippers in hand, but Hildeltrud had already disappeared.  

Barefoot, she sprinted to the study and stopped in front of the door to catch her breath.  

“Milady?”  

The knight guarding the door looked at Hildeltrud with a puzzled expression.  

Seeing Hildeltrud’s attire, the knight turned his head away in embarrassment.  

After catching her breath, Hildeltrud didn’t even notice the knight’s flustered reaction as she flung the study door open and entered.  

At the desk sat the person she had longed for so dearly.  

“Hildeltrud? What’s the matter?”  

The Duke stood up abruptly and approached Hildeltrud.  

Hildeltrud reached out with trembling hands and hugged him tightly.  

“Father!”  

“H-Hildeltrud…”  

The Duke’s body stiffened.  

Hildeltrud’s elder brother, Patrick, who was with the Duke, looked at them in shock.  

The Duke’s warm hand stroked Hildeltrud’s head.  

Tears streamed down Hildeltrud’s face. 

To feel her father’s touch, which she had missed and yearned for so much, brought her immense joy.  

At this moment, she was utterly happy.  

“Father, I love you.”  

Hildeltrud expressed her feelings, which she hadn’t been able to convey before.  

“I love you too, always.”  

“I know.”  

Holding back her tears, Hildeltrud wiped her eyes with her sleeve and smiled brightly.  

“Brother, I love you too.”  

Patrick flinched in surprise.  

“H-Hildeltrud, are you sick? You’re giving me chills.”  

“I was sick, but now I’m fine. Truly.”  

Just being able to see them in front of her made Hildeltrud feel overwhelmingly happy.  

“This time, I’ll protect you both. Just like you protected me before.”  

She vowed to never lose this warmth again.  

“But Hildeltrud, is that how you came here?”  

At Patrick’s remark, Hildeltrud lowered her head.  

She was barefoot and wearing only a chemise.  

Embarrassment washed over her, turning her face red.  

The Duke quickly took off his coat and draped it over Hildeltrud’s shoulders.  

Seeing this, Patrick clicked his tongue.  

The Duke turned to Patrick.  

“Patrick, take Hildeltrud back to her bedroom.”

Patrick let out a deep sigh.  

“Hildeltrud, I’ll see you at lunch.”  

“Yes, Father.”  

Smiling brightly, Hildeltrud left the study with Patrick.  

On the way to escort her back to her bedroom, Patrick nagged her constantly.  

He scolded her about how a grown lady shouldn’t be wandering around dressed like that.  

Hildeltrud didn’t mind Patrick’s nagging, which she hadn’t heard in a long time.  

Just being able to hear Patrick’s voice alive and well made her happy.  

***

A week had passed.  

Hildeltrud realized that she had returned to her 20-year-old self.  

She felt genuinely joyful.  

And she was grateful for the chance to exact revenge.  

Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Hildeltrud made a vow.  

“I will have my revenge. I will repay every bit of suffering I endured with something even more devastating.”  

The image of Hildeltrud reflected in the mirror was no longer the pure and innocent woman she once was.  

Only the cold, calculating face of Hildeltrud remained.  

Her foolishness had caused her to lose everything.  

She couldn’t even forgive her own naive self.  

Hildeltrud sat at her desk and calmly devised her plans.  

The first thing she needed to do was acquire information.  

At this point in time, two years had already passed since her engagement to the Crown Prince, Edgar.  

At the age of 18, she had received Edgar’s courtship, and by that autumn, they were engaged.  

This year, she was set to begin lessons as the prospective Princess.  

She would learn etiquette and royal protocols to become someone suitable for the Imperial Family.  

But she needed to act beforehand.