"I guess now the kid has finally grown up a bit" Aristia turned around to the familiar voice. "Oh, greetings to the moon of the Empire"
Her eyes met with the young man with remarkable red hair, round blue eyes and a well built physique. He was one of the people who had stood by her side faithfully.
"Sein" She called out to him gently. Carsein le Rass. The second son of Duke Rass.
She felt a bit awkward seeing him on her wedding day after she had recently learnt of his feelings for her which ended up being unrequited.
"I'll be going away for some time, Your Majesty" Carsein said as he approached her side near the balcony.
"Please call me 'Tia' like you use to."
"Very well"
"But where are you going?" Aristia asked.
"I don't know. Wherever the wind takes me" Carsein looked up at the moon, with some sort of sadness in his eyes. Maybe it wasn't sadness, but was instead heartbreak.
Aristia became a bit sad hearing his words.
"Don't worry, I won't be like Allendis. I promise to live"
Talking about the young man with green hair, stung her heart.
"Don't have that kind of expression. Today was your crowning" Carsein said.
That was the last she heard from him until he sent her a letter eight months after.
Dear Tia,
I don't think I'll ever come back to the Castina Empire. My plan was to come back when my feelings of love for you finally disappeared, but I don't think they can ever leave.
Every night I always dream of you. I dream of our wedding that I had always wished for.
I'm not trying to make you feel guilty. I'm just sending you this letter so that you can forget about me.
From Carsein,
Who will always love you.
After reading the letter, Aristia could no longer hold back her tears.
"Hyuk...Sein..."
During her childhood in this her second life, Carsein had grown up with her and been a very good friend. They both had trained their swordsmanship skills together. Their likes had been very similar.
Everyone has thought that she would fall in love with Carsein, however her heart which had yearned for Emperor's Ruvelius love in her first life, still existed in this one.
It seemed foolish to still continue to love the man who had practically brought death upon her before, but she couldn't help it.
'Besides, he loves me now'
Aristia clenched Carsein's letter in her hand. After rereading it a few more couple of times, she kept it safely in a drawer.
'I'm sorry Sein. But I can't help it'
She couldn't let go of the love Ruvelius finally had for her. To her, it was okay if she continued to enjoy her happily ever after with the man she loves. Right?
***
"Disappear and never come back to the Castina Empire" Ruvelius said as he looked at Jieun, whilst holding Aristia protectively.
It was the opposite of all the situations in her past life where Ruvelius would only love Jieun while scorning Aristia.
Aristia's eyes looked at Jieun's hand clutching her skirt. They were holding the dress tight and were shaking seriously. She covered her head with a black hood.
With Ruvelius' words, he walked out. But not before giving Aristia one look which said 'Are you sure?'
Aristia simply nodded then waved him off. She was sure. She wanted to speak to Jieun privately, one last time.
As Ruvelius walked out and closed the door, she turned to Jieun who was sitting down, wearing a cynical smile on her face.
"You must be happy, Aristia. You have Ruvelius' love. You are the Empress. You have so many men who love you, at your beck and call. While, I....I have nothing"
Jieun's tone was full of bitterness. Tears seemed to threaten to fall from her eyes, but she seemed to be holding them back quite well.
At that moment, the hood that Jieun wore slipped, revealing white hair. Aristia couldn't help but gasp in shock.
Her black hair was now white.
Jieun adjusted her cloak in order to hide her white hair.
Some weeks ago, Aristia had been poisoned. So many healers had tried, but to no avail where they able to cure Aristia. People had given up hope in waking her up. That was when Jieun stepped in.
She was able to heal Aristia, but at a heavy cost. She had given up her powers of healing, which was a supposed blessing from Vita.
Her newly appeared white hair, was a sign of Jieun abandoning her blessing.
Aristia moved her line of sight from Jieun's hair, instead looking into her purple eyes.
"I don't hate you, Jieun"
"Oh really?"
"But I don't like you either"
It was the truth. The resentment and bitterness Aristia felt for Jieun in her first life, was still there. It was hard to let go of it.
She had blamed Jieun as a cause of her death. Showing up and snatching her title as Empress.
Wasn't Aristia selfish? Only hating on Jieun while completely loving Ruvelius who was also an accomplice of her death.
"Ha. It's the same with me. In out first life together, I had admired you, Empress Aristia. But in the second one, I hated you.
Because after you died in our first life, I was always compared to you. Always dulling in comparison with the great Empress Aristia. Constantly told that I could never measure up to you"
Aristia listened silently to Jieun's speech. She felt sympathetic towards Jieun, but she wasn't willing to revoke the banishment that Ruvelius had placed on Jieun.
She wanted Jieun to leave her life. To never come back. So that she could enjoy her happy ending with Ruvelius, knowing that there was nobody preventing their joyous moments.
Jieun continued speaking. "But now the hate I had for you, has lessened. Now all I want to do, is get out if your life. You truly are the one blessed by God. You have everything while I'm thrown into this strange world with absolutely nothing"
Aristia ear's ached as she listened to Jieun. She stood up and bid farewell.
"Goodbye, Jieun"
"Bye, Aristia"
Aristia walked out on Jieun, never to see her again. She didn't want to listen to Jieun's heart wrenching tone. To her words filled with grief.
She didn't want to see another person be a victim of her happy ending. She wanted to be happy, free of guilt.
With Ruvelius.
***
Aristia's daughter, Diana, came over to her mother and tugged on her gown.
"Mum!" The five year old child raised up a book which had the words 'diary' written on it. "Who's Allendis?"
Aristia bent down and collected the book from the child. A sigh escaped her lips, as she massaged her forehead.
"Diana, don't go around reading my documents"
"But, it's says it's a diary"
"A diary is also a document"
Diana was a rather mischievous child. And would often take every ounce of Aristia's energy in dealing with the girl
Her maid Leah, came over and took away the child, leaving Aristia to be alone in her grand bedroom.
'Allendis'
For the past nine years, Allendis, had been away from the Castina Empire. Leaving his family, without an heir to succeed it.
Allendis de Verita. A young man that was a praised genius. That was currently the only son of a Duke. A man with bright green hair, which was a stark contrast to his personality.
A man that had a twisted nature and was helplessly in love with Aristia.
Some time before her wedding, just like Carsein, he told her that he was leaving the Castina Empire for sometime.
He left nine years ago. Without ever hearing anything from him again.
Before he left, he had said, his eyes looking at Aristia with sadness. "I need to leave. I'm afraid my love for you might grow to the extent that I'd kill you in order to prevent anybody else from looking at you"
She had tried to hold him back but was determined to leave.
Allendis had been hopelessly in love with Aristia. His love slowly became dark and twisted, as he began to obsess over her. That was why he left. He wanted Aristia to be safe from his dark feelings.
Ever since then, no one knew his whereabouts. His family, the Verita Duchy were worried about it's only successor.
Whenever Aristia remembered Allendis, she couldn't help but shed some tears. He was among the people, whose heart's had been broken by her.
***
It was a rather normal day. Empress Aristia, Emperor Ruvelius and their three children sat at their breakfast table.
The Empress, with locks of white hair, dabbed her mouth with a napkin. Gesturing for the messenger to continue with his report.
"Um. Well. Marquis Keiran La Monique, i-is dead!"