✧ [Elara's POV]
Cold.
That was the first thing she felt.
Not pain. Not fear.
Just… cold.
The marble floor pressed harshly against her cheek, stealing what little warmth remained in her body. Her fingers trembled as she tried to move, but the heavy chains around her wrists dragged her back down.
So this is how it ends.
Elara let out a weak breath, her lips barely parting.
She had known this day would come.
From the moment she opened her eyes in this world… from the moment she remembered everything—
This ending had always been waiting for her.
Slowly, painfully, she lifted her gaze.
At the very end of the hall, seated upon a throne carved from gold and cruelty, was the man who decided her fate.
Her father.
Emperor Kaelion Virelith.
Even from afar, his presence was suffocating. The entire court stood in silence, their heads bowed, as if even breathing too loudly would earn them death.
Elara stared at him.
And smiled.
"…So it's really you," she whispered.
—
✧ [Emperor Kaelion's POV]
She looked just like her.
That was the problem.
Kaelion's fingers tightened against the armrest of his throne, the gold creaking faintly beneath his grip. His crimson eyes—cold, unreadable—remained fixed on the girl kneeling before him.
Reddish-brown with a vibrant pink gradient hair.
Eyes that shimmered like dawn.
A face he had once loved more than anything.
A face that should not exist anymore.
His chest felt tight.
Annoying.
"…Your Majesty," a noble spoke carefully, breaking the silence. "The charges against Princess Elara Virelith have been confirmed."
Treason.
Manipulation.
Threat to the throne.
Lies.
All of it.
Kaelion knew that.
And yet—
"…Pass judgment," another voice urged.
The hall waited.
The empire waited.
His answer would decide everything.
His gaze lingered on her for a moment longer.
Why is she smiling?
—
✧ [Elara's POV]
She shouldn't be smiling.
She knew that.
A proper princess—no, a proper daughter—should be crying, begging, clinging to life with everything she had.
But Elara couldn't.
Because deep inside, she already understood something no one else did.
This wasn't a sudden tragedy.
This was a story.
And she—
…was never meant to survive it.
Her eyes softened as she looked at him.
Even now, he looked the same.
Untouchable. Distant. Beautiful in a way that felt almost inhuman.
A father who never once held her.
A man who would end her life without hesitation.
Still…
"…Father."
Her voice echoed softly through the hall.
The word felt unfamiliar on her tongue.
"…Did you ever… even once…"
Her breath faltered.
But she forced the words out anyway.
"…think of me as your daughter?"
—
✧ [Emperor Kaelion's POV]
The world went quiet.
For a moment—just a moment—Kaelion forgot where he was.
That word.
Father.
It struck something buried deep within him… something he had long since sealed away.
His gaze sharpened.
Dangerous.
Unstable.
"…Do not," he said, his voice low, "speak as though you know your place."
The air turned heavy.
The girl lowered her head slightly.
But she didn't look afraid.
That irritated him.
Why isn't she afraid?
Everyone feared him.
Everyone trembled before him.
So why—
"…Proceed with the execution," he ordered.
—
✧ [Elara's POV]
Ah.
There it is.
The ending she had been waiting for.
The guards moved.
The chains tightened.
The world slowed.
Elara closed her eyes.
No tears came.
Because somehow… this felt familiar.
Like a story she had already read.
A cruel, beautiful story where a princess dies at the hands of her own father.
Maybe… in another life…
She would have tried harder.
Lived differently.
Loved more carefully.
A soft laugh escaped her lips.
"…If I had another chance…"
Her voice faded into silence.
"…I wouldn't try to love you."
—
✧ [Emperor Kaelion's POV]
"…Stop."
The word slipped out before he could think.
The guards froze.
So did the entire court.
Kaelion's eyes narrowed.
Why did I say that?
His gaze returned to her.
She was still kneeling.
Still fragile.
Still—
"…irrelevant."
His expression hardened.
The moment passed.
"…Carry out the sentence."
—
✧ [Elara's POV]
So it really ends like this.
This time, she didn't open her eyes.
Didn't fight.
Didn't speak.
She simply let go.
Darkness swallowed everything.
—
✧ [Unknown POV]
"…What a pitiful ending."
A voice echoed in the void.
Light flickered.
Time twisted.
"And yet… how interesting."
A soft laugh followed.
"If given another chance… what would you choose?"
—
✧ [Elara's POV]
Warmth.
Soft.
Gentle.
Her fingers twitched.
Her lashes fluttered open—
And instead of a cold execution hall…
She saw silk curtains.
Golden light.
A cradle.
"…What?"
Her voice came out small.
Too small.
Her hands—
Tiny.
Her body—
Light.
A mirror was brought before her.
And in it…
A baby stared back.
Reddish-brown with a vibrant pink gradient hair.
Familiar eyes.
"…No way…"
Her breath hitched.
"…I went back?"
—
✧
Some stories are meant to end in tragedy.
But this time—
The princess would rewrite her fate.