Her Rebirth.

The air in the banquet hall became silent, as laughter died on lips, conversations paused mid-sentence, and all eyes turned to the grand entrance where the Crown Prince Kaiser made his entrance.

Prince Keiser de Angus walked, his every step filled with grace and regality, like he was an untouchable existence. A god looking down at the mere mortals beneath his feet. He was dressed in black with silver accents, a dark rose pinned to his lapel. The chandelier light danced across the sharp lines of his coat, but it was his presence that commanded the room. It was cold and utterly terrifying. The aura he carried was suffocating and dangerous, the breath of a killer, one devoid of any emotion or empathy.

The nobles instinctively stepped aside to give him room, with fake smiles plastered on their faces.

"So quiet," Keiser drawled with a hint of mockery. "It seems I am not welcome here." His voice was a deep baritone.

A flurry of panicked responses followed, all stumbling over each other.

"Of course not, Your Highness—"

"We are honored by your presence—"

"How could it be otherwise, Your Grace?"

The high and mighty nobles bowed and scraped, their voices trembling with poorly disguised fear. Even those who had been laughing moments ago now stood stiff, as if breathing too loudly would draw his attention.

No one wanted to draw his attention, not really, not when the chances of them getting killed as a result were high.

Amelia’s gaze was drawn to him inevitably. He was magnetic in a way that left her unsettled. He reminded her of Kai, whom she so dearly missed. Her eyes drifted to Aldric beside her. His posture had changed. Though his face remained composed, his jaw was tense, and his fist clenched at his side.

Then, Kaiser turned his head ever so slightly and their eyes met.

Just for a second.

The contact sent a chill rippling through Amelia’s spine. It was sharp and unexplainable. There was no emotion in his eyes. Nothing, like he was looking at a mere thing.

"You should come greet my brother," Aldric said suddenly, gripping her hand. His voice was sweet and gentle, but there was a tension in it, a forced cheerfulness that didn’t reach his eyes.

Amelia, watching from within, sneered as she remembered this moment clearly. How her younger self had been flattered, thrilled even, to be brought into the presence of the Crown Prince. She could feel it, the way butterflies fluttered in her stomach.

But one who was in love was most often bound to be blind. She hadn’t seen it for what it was: Aldric’s way of displaying her like a prize. A show of dominance to the one man he could never outshine.

As they approached, Aldric bowed slightly.

"Brother," he said smoothly. "What an unexpected pleasure. Lady Amelia and I were just speaking of how much we hoped you’d attend."

Keiser raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

There was no warmth in his tone, just polite disinterest, laced with mockery.

Aldric chuckled. "Indeed. I believe you’ve met Lady Amelia, daughter of Duke Valemont?"

Keiser’s gaze shifted to her briefly, impassively. "I’ve heard of her." Barely acknowledging her presence or the weight of power behind her name.

Aldric continued, undeterred. "My dear Amelia has been an invaluable ally."

Amelia caught the implication. Invaluable. Mine. Aldric was parading her status to elevate his own. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

But Keiser only hummed. "You do collect pretty things, don’t you?"

The words were calm, but Amelia’s heart skipped a beat, and she could feel her cheeks burn in shame, perhaps.

Aldric’s smile fell for a second. It was barely noticeable, but Amelia saw it. And she saw the flicker of resentment that flashed in his eyes.

As the brothers continued exchanging pleasantries, though it was Aldric doing most of the talking, Amelia found herself no longer watching Aldric. Her eyes drifted to Keiser again. His unreadable gaze, the way the others recoiled ever so slightly in his presence.

She should have been afraid. Her younger self probably was, she could feel it.

But she, Amelia... she felt something different. Fascination.

The music had resumed, albeit more cautiously, and the nobles returned to their idle chatter, though the room was no longer as lively as it had once been because of Prince Keiser’s presence. Amelia was soon swept away by the tide of noble ladies. Amelia had begun taking a strong foothold in high society, she had begun trends, was the epitome of elegance, and everything a noble girl wanted to be but couldn’t. The noble girls all surrounded her, trying to curry favour one way or another.

The body smiled, nodded, answered when necessary, but her attention was elsewhere. Something was obviously off.

Aldric was no longer by her side and so was Celine.

Amelia let out a soft, dry chuckle, though it couldn’t be heard by anyone but her, who was stuck in the eyes of her younger self. Of course. She remembered exactly where they were. They were in the garden. Beneath the flowering wisteria tree. She had caught Aldric in the embrace of Celine, and when she had confronted him, Aldric had told her they were just friends back then. That there was nothing between them. But when she’d tried to question further he had turned cold.

"You’re going too far, Amelia."

Her younger self had frozen under the harshness of his words. He had never spoken to her like that before and nonetheless because of another woman.

She should have seen the signs then.

She should have left then.

But she didn’t.

Using the excuse of being a bit exhausted, she had left the hall into the garden to search for Aldric. The garden was quiet, moonlight spilling like milk over the gravel path and the rose-draped arches.

She moved quietly, the hem of her gown brushing against trimmed grass as she glanced around occasionally and then she paused. There, beneath the wisteria tree, she saw him: Aldric with another, Celine.

They were speaking in low tones, his hand brushing her arm, his posture soft in a way Amelia had never seen him carry with her. And then he pulled her into an embrace, his hand on her waist and her hands on his neck, like they didn’t want to let go.

The girl quickly hid behind a bush, something Amelia didn’t remember doing, and her heart pounded like it wanted to leap out of her chest. She gripped the leafy branches before her, knuckles whitening. Her thoughts were complicated and turbulent, unsure of whether she should confront Aldric or pretend as if she saw nothing.

"I’m going to confront him," the girl spoke in a determined voice as she made her decision.

But before she could even step out of her hiding place, a voice spoke behind her. It sounded quite amused.

"Well, well," it was deep and cruelly laced with delight, "I just caught a snooping little butterfly."