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Chapter 7 - Ariadne

"The stupidity of men always invites the cunning of women."

— Napoleon Bonaparte

Ariadne belonged to the House Easton. Their sole daughter, conceived for the sole purpose of becoming the empress of the future; got unlucky when Victor eventually married Lunette, a damn witch no less.

But they say the darkest hour is just before the dawn. Eventually seated beside the one with throne upon his head, mother of the soon to be crown prince, She—The Ariadne Easton Drakonhart, 

Fell pray to none other than…Love.

And quite an obsessive one at that.

It wouldn't pose a problem had the one she grew obsessed with been her husband, unfortunately for her, him and everybody else. That person was Lucian. 

As far as I remember writing. 

"Your majesty, may I-'' as I slid the door open, my sentence stopped mid way. 

Her extravagant long puffy skirt swept across the ground, as she ran towards me with both her arms open.

Her forced, tight hug remained unchanged across each of my life—one that put me in thought. 

This belonged to Lucian, not me.

How tragic that in the original story, I had written Lucian believing this hug did not belong to even him. 

But rather—to Victor.

"You…" she looked into my eyes, "I have questions, but recalling those would waste this moment with you" Voice held no malice, unlike before. She was quite a dual personality.

"Your majesty…" I let out a sigh, "you-'' before I could, she interrupted "I am nobody's majesty. Call me as you do, Aria…! I understand I was at fault, but were you so upset that each letter I wrote to you, felt unworthy to answer?"

Right before I possessed Lucian, they perhaps had a lover's quarrel. I witnessed this in each of my life.

"I'm sorr-'' she interrupted yet again, "I forgive you!! I love you." She pressed her lips against mine without warning.

There was nothing I could do, but play along. Sorry Lucian, and Victor and Magnus and even Ariadne. 

She always put me in the spot. 

"Enough Aria!" I exclaimed, "I have a lot on my head." I sat down.

"I know… perhaps I could help it" she ran her fingers across my hair.

"We could have eyes around us Aria, this is not the temple." I held her hands, made them stop touching my hair.

"I understand." She pulled away, laying beside me on the bed. "Once Magnus is crowned I suppose only then we would attain the liberty to love freely in this prison cell."

She was beyond wrong. In the original story, Lucian killed Magnus after getting caught being intimate with his mother.

Ariadne was a hurdle, hurdle in enthronement of Theron, and a catalyst of my death.

Perhaps I could tell her, for Lucian I believe she could do anything, even if it meant helping Theron above her son.

"And I observe it, you have been proactive assisting Magnus. Today my maid informed me of your meeting with Theron. Did you make sure to put him in his place? That dog sure barks a lot."

…perhaps not.

"Yeah, enough of this, I would be leaving by dawn. I shall get going, I require rest" I kissed her hand.

"Stay a bit longer"

I somehow managed to get away, she was beyond clingy.

It was time I met Magnus, and Celia. During my visit to the empire, Magnus visited the temple and brought Celia along to the imperial palace, to show her the fireworks.

Because tonight was The New Year. A new beginning.

New year here, began with the first snow. It always came as a surprise. For me who had lived many lives, it began exactly three days after my rebirth here. 

And as for Magnus, It wasn't his first life either. Why he knew tonight began the new year.

"Disgusting." Theron said, as he walked up to me behind my back, "you really aren't holy, your holiness." He grinned. "That was surely something." He chuckled.

"Eavesdropping like a jealous maiden would upon her husband, doesn't suite you your highness"

"I was only passing by, a rather signaling wave of wind blew my papers away. Who would've known the last one would fly all the way here." He gripped the paper in his hand.

It didn't seem like he lied, "are the servants mere decoration your highness, its difficult to imagine a prince picking up papers from the floor."

"You…! I didn't them want them to look through these, never mind why am I explaining it to you?" He clenched his fists.

"Might they be love letters? It's fine you can tell me."

"Love? Hahaha! I wouldn't hide them if they were, just as how I wouldn't fuck a married lady." His words sharp yet his tone made it look like what he witnessed made no significance to him.

"You seem particularly unoffended, or rather you look delighted. May I ask what entertains you so much about her majesty's affection towards me?"

"Its cute" he laughed in my face. "What?" 

"Its cute, imagining the betrayal my father and my brother-in-name are getting. From their most trusted and loved"

He walked away without a greeting, laughing on his comments. 

As my luck had me, he missed one of his papers.

I picked it up, just a couple lines written on it. 

"A son… a son!" I cried, my heart alight with joy. "This is the happiest day of my life."

But as I turned to her, her smile began to fade. The brightness in her eyes dimmed, and I could scarcely guess what thoughts lingered behind her silence. "You've given me the greatest gift, my love," I told her gently, hoping to mend the wall I now felt between us. She returned a small, fragile smile, one I knew was not wholly sincere.

I could not summon the courage to ask her about the pain she carried—not then. Perhaps she had tried to tell me something, to show me what I failed to see. It was only much later that I began to understand.

It looked like a paragraph of some novel. Thats right, how could I forget. Theron liked writing too, which remained the secret throughout his life he was too embarrassed to admit.

Before I could find Magnus, the snow began.

I walked towards the balcony, the streets filled with commoners within seconds. Kids tried to catch the snow as slowly each balcony in the palace filled with people. 

From somebody as mighty as the emperor to the homeless on the street, each looked upon the sky as many lit the fireworks. 

I could see Magnus with Celia, on a different balcony. This is when Celia would fall in love with Magnus as the night sky began to radiate with multi colored lights. 

With each firework, the hugs were shared among strangers. Wishing each other the happiest new year.

The sound of fireworks felt dimmer to the cheers of people, soon my name was heard from the crowds.

"Bless us Your holiness"

I closed my eyes and felt the cold breeze, chanted the prayer. 

Soon a yellow radiant light surrounded my body, brighter than the fireworks. Everybody prayed to my light.

"HAIL HIS HOLINESS! GODDESS HAS BLESSED US"

Each of these characters I wrote, had their own dreams. Along with the ones I did not write, possessed a soul. 

They wished for the new beginning upon my prayer. 

But unfortunately for them, I only prayed for an end.