"Let out the criminal!"

The guards holding my chains kicked me as a cue that I should start walking outside where countless people, from noblemen to common folks, are surely present.

As soon as the sun's rays hit my face, rotten eggs and vegetables follows with a loud booings and curses.

"You deserve to die, bitch!"

"How dare you poison our king?!"

"I supported you, but how evil could you be?!"

"Die!!"

As I walk towards the center where the stage and the guillotine is, towards my death, I spotted the true bitch-devil that made me this way.

"Have a safe trip to hell, sister." Her smirk is only visible to me, her eyes glimmer with excitement as she sees how miserable and pathetic I am now.

I want to rip that smug on her face, and see if she can still smile like that if I did.

My intrusive thoughts gets to me and I thought to myself, what more harm could there be, if I pounce on her and tear her annoying face off? I'm gonna die anyway.

And so I did, but the chains and the guards prevented me from going any further. "You will never get away from this, Aynna! I swear, I will never stop hunting you even in the afterlife! May God forgive you, but I will never! I swear, in the name of the Demon King, Apollion, I will take my revenge!"

I heard the crowd gasps by the mention of the Demon King's name.

"As suspected, she is under the influence of a demon!"

"Such cruelty! May the Gods and Saints in heaven never let you pass their kingdom!"

Hah! Gods? They've forsaken me now. Even though I did nothing wrong, even though I kept my faith to them until the very end. Gods won't help me now, I know. But maybe the demon king will hear my agony, despair, vengeance, madness, and all of my hatred. If he does, will he help me, then?

"Lilliana Avory Reinngold, former crown princess of Reinngold kingdom, first daughter of King Ezbeth Agory Reinngold and Queen Diana Delavin Rosworth Reinngold. You are now being sentenced to death for the grave and severe crime of endangering the King's life. You, as evil as the demons in hell, should receive thy deserving punishment." The executioner proclaimed.

No, I do not deserve this. I did not poisoned my father! I was framed. I did not wanted it to be like this, I was just weak and naive. I can't even disobey my father's orders, yet alone do him any harm. I am a good daughter, a good princess that followed all the rules and never broke them. I even attended tea and horseback riding lessons despite having a high fever so just I wouldn't embarrassed the royal family. I studied hard for every political and industrial matters at the early age of 10 just so I can provide an outstanding opinion at the councils' conferences because they expected me to do so.

So please, at the very least, surely there is one person who can stand with me and defend me, say that I am innocent.

"Please... just one."

Tears run down my face as I search the crowds, and saw nothing but anger and disgust from the expectators' faces.

Nevertheless, I did not expected anything from the others. Afterall, they didn't know me that much. It's just that, I expected something from my own family.

I tried looking for my mother and father, whom I hope to have at least empathy for their own miserable daughter. But I wished I had not done that.

There, beside my evil younger sister and her lover, the Count's son from the East, are my so-called family. Glaring at me like some despicable criminal, like I am the most villainous and detestable person they've ever seen.

This time, I am really at a lost that I started laughing out of anger and pain. The people on the stage with me, as well as the crowds, suddenly became silent.

"Hah! Hahaha! Mother... Father... you..."

The tears stopped flowing as I felt my heart tearing apart. "You detestable shits! Never once in my life did you ever looked at me for being a good daughter! Yet now you look at me, for the first time in 17 years, like I'm some pile of crap! Like you're all waiting for this very moment of my downfall just to shun me! How does it feel?! To watch your own daughter meeting her end like this? I should've poisoned you all for real!"

The guards started to drag me and place me under the blade of the guillotine. I felt my neck touching the wooden lunette, but I couldn't care less.

I hate you. I really hate you all, especially that wicked sister of mine. I want to exact revenge, I don't want this to end just like this. I want them to die, a hundred times painfully as mine.

"I don't want to die yet."

I didn't even have the chance to feel the icy-cold mouton slashing my neck. I know I died instantly as soon as the executioner released the handle.

["I hate you all"]

["You got it all wrong, scums!"]

I can't hear my own voice, but I sure am hearing my thoughts. Here in an endless space filled with darkness with nothing to cling on.

"I heard you, too." A deep voice of a man echoed through the vast emptiness.

["Who are you?!"] I panicked.

"How cold. You called for me like a couple of times when you were receiving your execution."

It is a voice I've never heard before, but it felt terrifyingly comfortable and warm. Maybe because even in this dreadful and dark situation, there is at least a voice I can follow.

["I don't remember calling someone. Don't fuck with me."]

"Haha! You dare curse at me, it's been a long time. I like you!" His laugh is a mixture of mock and genuineness.

"Do you like to make a contract with me?" He asked after suppressing his laugh.

["What contract, and why should I? I've already lost my trust in anyone!"]

"I don't need you to trust me, though. I just want to form something beneficial to the both of us."

The uncomfortable and blinding darkness suddenly lifted, and is now replaced with dim purple lights. I can now see a little with my eyes, although it is still not comfortable considering I had lost all my senses just a while ago.

["What is it that you want from me?"]

I tried searching for this being I am talking to, but to no avail. This place is still empty despite being lighted up a little.

"I will give you your revenge, but in return, once you accomplished what you want, you have to free me."

["Free you from where and what?"] I still have my doubts, but this revenge thing is getting my full attention.

"Hah! You still don't know am I? I am kind of disappointed and displeased. How cold of you, despite calling for me for help earlier. Though, I like how much hatred your energy have."

I heard a snap and suddenly, a man with red iris and black sclera appeared in front of me. His built is masculine, not too bulk, yet not too lean. His long black hair sways gently even though there seems to have no air in here. He has a tattoo around his neck, waist, and left arm that I can't interpret the meaning.

Ah! His appearance is that of a demon.

["You're Demon King Apollion Hellhammer."]

A reverberating laugh boomed. How is he this happy despite being locked up in the hell dungeon? Or does he get insane after being locked up for a century?

"See? You know me!" He sounded proud. How petty.

["It is still a shock to me that you appeared in front of me like this."]

"Your hatred and vengeful desire reached me even in the dungeon of hell, what is your name?"

["Avory... Liliana Avory Reinngold."] I can sense the surprise in his expression as he heard my name.

"Funny, you're a royal blood. Your kins are the ones that puts me in this situation, the Reinngold. And now, I am having a Reinngold to unseal me."

Yes, how ironic. Except that I do not care whether I am a Reinngold or not anymore.

["So you're saying, in exchange of granting me my revenge, I must release you from being locked up in the dungeon of hell?"]

"I am beyond impressed and happy that you catch up quite quickly, my dear." He slighty tilted his head upward.

["How can I do that? And what if the moment I release you, you'll then take my life?"]

He sighed before closing in towards me. His hand gently pulled some strands of my hair and played with it as he give me a smirk.

"I would never touch nor interfere with your life, as long as I can get my freedom." His words rang in my ear, I may not trust any more people, but he makes me want to trust him. Is this really a demon king? Wow, why's he so soft?

["How can I get my revenge?"]

His smirk then turned into a wide devious smile upon hearing my question. "Simple! I'll turn back the time when you were still alive. With your memories of these events still intact, of course. So that you can always have the upper hand by knowing the context of the future you experienced. Then, you can plan what kind of revenge you want to exact."

Turning back the time. Is that really possible? Maybe, if it's him, everything may become possible.

["As long as you promise me you won't harm me for the rest of my life."]

"I promise."

He extended his hand towards my forehead, and as soon as that, I made a deal with the demon king. The moment he touched my forehead, a blinding light made me close my eyes.

The moment I opened it again, I was in the royal garden, sitting in a tea party lesson of Mr. Randelle Vistra, my teacher who died five years from the future where I died.

— to be continued...