"How should I address you at this time? Is it Your Highness?"
"You can call me whatever you want, no formalities required—Especially in a place like this."
Milia thinks Albert and Ariana are married. Ariana may have come to share the good news with him. Milia didn't expect Ariana to come to apologize to her or anything. They weren't best friends and that didn't mean they had to be enemies either.
Milia had reasons to hate Ariana but if there was someone she had to hate it had to be Albert.
"Just so you know, today... Albert was confirmed as the Crown Prince and we are officially engaged."
Should Milia congratulate them both? Oh, wait!
Milia didn't have much energy to express her surprise at Albert's confirmation but it was shocking news. Shouldn't Arthur be the Crown Prince? Did Albert do something to Arthur?
"Are you worried about Arthur? Huh… he's fine. Albert didn't do anything bad to him."
Milia could hear Ariana holding back her laughter as if she was mocking her or maybe mocking Arthur. No, it must be the first.
"Milia, if you can worry about Arthur, why did you reject the Emperor's offer? If you are betrothed to Arthur, it is certain that he will be crowned today's Crown Prince."
[Is that so? ]
Milia wasn't sure it turned out like Ariana said. Because she knew, if Albert really wanted the position of Crown Prince, he would certainly strive for it diligently. Yeah, like how he got Ariana in the end. Albert will do anything to get what he wants.
It flashed through Milia's mind, Albert must have put a lot of effort into making Ariana the crown princess.
"Milia, this is all unfair isn't it… for you and for me," said Ariana.
Milia barely heard it. She doesn't know which part feels unfair to Ariana? She was Albert's fiancé now, the Crown Princess, the woman who would become Queen.
"Milia… I know your father is innocent."
Oh? Milia was touched at the thought that Ariana trusted her father. But what use is that now? Duke Blois, his father, is gone.
"So you can tell me the truth, how did you manage to escape the royal investigators?"
"What… you mean?"
"Like I said, Duke Blois is innocent but you are Milia. You should be the one sentenced to death for trying to poison me. How did you get away?"
"I don't understand. I never tried to poison you, I never even thought anything bad about you, Ariana."
"Is that so? How nice of you, Milia. I don't think we were ever friends before." Ariana's voice turned stiff, she suddenly sounded cold and distant. "You should hate me, shouldn't you? Albert broke off your engagement because of me? Aren't you mad at me?"
"That… that was Albert's choice. So I will direct all my anger at him."
Milia had a bit of faith in her heart. On the night that Albert mentioned Ariana's name in front of the Emperor, somehow Ariana's face turned pale. The face that Ariana showed that night was not the face of a girl waiting for a declaration of love from Albert. Milia was sure that that night Ariana was just as surprised as she was.
Maybe… Albert developed a one-sided feeling for Ariana. In that case then it wasn't Ariana's fault but Albert's. Right?
"Hah! Are you stupid? No wonder Albert left you." Now Milia was sure Ariana was laughing to mock her. But why?
Did Milia see wrong that night? Was it just her imagination?
"Milia, I really want you to die tonight."
The atmosphere around Ariana changed drastically. Milia has been in prison for quite a while but this is the first time she has felt such a terrifying atmosphere. The knife that Arianna took out from her fold of her dress glistened in the light of the lantern.
"Ariana you..." Milia tried to plead when she saw Ariana walking over.
Die tonight by my hand, Milia. That way I can become the Queen of Rocetta at ease."
There was no way out for Milia, the prison walls were pressed against her back. Her legs and arms were chained, even if they weren't, Milia had lost the feeling to move them because of all the poison she had eaten.
"Just die Milia!" The knife that Ariana plunged slightly into Milia's heart.
The knife in Ariana's hand was now covered in blood, but Ariana was not satisfied yet. Her eyes filled with malice seeing Milia still breathing.
"How many times do I have to try to kill you, hah!"
Ariana stabbed the knife in her hand into Milia's body again while admitting her sin, that she had drunk poison and tried to frame Milia. But somehow the evidence he had prepared pointed at Duke Blois instead. Milia should be the one who sentenced to death.
"This is all your fault, Milia! You should have held onto Albert tighter, you should have accepted Arthur but you live on and piss me off. Now die!"
Again and again... Ariana stabbed Milia's brutally. All he wanted was to see Milia stop breathing.
Don't know how many times Ariana stabbed until Milia breathed her last. Milia felt almost no pain, but Ariana's confession was more piercing than anything else.
Yes, it's really unfair. Milia didn't understand why Ariana hated her or why she had to die at Ariana's hands like this. After that day Milia fell into a long sleep with endless nightmares where Albert and Ariana continued to torment her. Maybe that's what is called hell.
Until one day Milia thought someone woke her from sleep.
Milia wakes up with a tiny body in the arms of a strange woman who looks strangely familiar. The woman calls herself her mother. The woman gave her baby a new name… Diana Evans.
"Isn't that a nice name? Your name sounds like that of Her Majesty Ariana the Empress… I hope you grow up to be a great woman like her."
Instantly Milia remembered who this strange woman was. Yona Whiterloom—she was a maidservant who was always by Ariana's side and followed Ariana wherever she went.
There are a lot of names in this world, Milia didn't expect her to be living her second life with a name that sounded like Ariana's. If possible, Milia hopes that she will be given another name. But as a helpless tiny baby she could only cry incessantly after being given a name. The mother certainly could not understand the crying of her little daughter.
Milia's soul was powerless to do anything even after Diana grew up. She could only watch as the lives of the two rolled on day by day until tragedy struck at the Princess Palace.
If it wasn't for Lucas pushing her off the balcony, Milia would never have been able to control her new body as Diana. She would have to thank Lucas later.
Ah, before that there are other more interesting things to do…
What must she do to make Ariana pay the debt?
That woman… Ariana became the Empress of Rocetta and even held complete power over the kingdom after Albert died. Ariana has been living too comfortably above all her sins. She even had two handsome sons.
Unfortunately… Albert leaves her with such a stain named Liam which later became Willaim Deutrich Laurence, the third prince of Rocetta. And what a coincidence Albert's illegitimate son was Diana's half-brother. What a tragedy!