Her Rebirth.

The prison walls were moldy and reeked of feces and urine. Inside was a thin, haggard figure crouched on the floor, a woman who was a shadow of who she once was: the former Empress Amelia.

The woman's hands scratched grime-coated symbols repeatedly against the ground, her bones protruding and fingers trembling with each scrape. She kept mumbling things incomprehensible to human ears, things even she couldn't understand.

The woman paused and tilted her head, as if admiring her scribbling, then cackled. She continued scratching, each mark drawing blood from her already bloodied fingers.

She had spent how many days in this god forsaken prison? . She couldn't remember, she couldn't remember at all. Had it been days, months...or years. She had lost count. But how could she remember, how could she count? Her father's and brothers' heads had been severed before her eyes by the one she loved the most. The one for whom she had sacrificed everything had thrown her here, with no care at all. When he cast her into this place, she had seen the utter disdain in his eyes, the irritation, the disgust.

She knew theirs was a loveless marriage, but she had hoped he would come to love her after seeing her sacrifices. Besides, he would never have been Emperor if she hadn't persuaded her father to support him, a powerless prince. Even after becoming Empress, she poured all her efforts into ensuring her duties were fulfilled. When she caught him having an affair with his first love, Countess Cecilia, though hurt and heartbroken, she turned a blind eye to it, not wanting to anger him. She even encouraged him to take Cecilia in as a concubine.

What hadn't she done because she loved him? What hadn't she sacrificed for him? And yet...

"She has really gone mad," a soft voice mocked.

That voice...

Amelia snapped her head up, and before her eyes stood a woman with long black hair and violet eyes, it was Countess Cecilia.

Amelia's crimson eyes burned with anger, and she lunged forward, her bloodied hands stretching through the bars, trying to grab Cecilia's gown, but Cecilia moved back just enough to dodge.

"How brutish," Cecilia drawled, her lips curling with contempt. "Quite unfitting for the Empress of Akea. Or should I say... the former Empress of Akea?" She let out a soft, mocking laugh. "Your father's foolish treason against Aldric ruined you all. Truly, you should have seen it coming."

"You lie!" Amelia's voice cracked as she shouted, her fingers gripping the bars. "My family has always been loyal to the crown!"

"Ah, but the evidence suggests otherwise." Cecilia shrugged.

"I want to talk to His Highness. I need to speak to him. This case needs to be re-investigated," Amelia said, her voice filled with desperation.

Countess Cecilia snorted.

"Do you think Aldric wants to speak with you? If he wanted to, he would have come here long ago. He would at least put you on trial to grant you the grace of defending your case." Cecilia leaned closer, sneering. "You understand what that means, don't you?"

Amelia's eyes widened. "No... He wouldn't... He..." she whispered, her voice trembling in pain.

"Oh, but he did," Cecilia whispered. "He wished for this to happen."

"Why... Why?" Amelia screamed, her grip on the bars tightening as tears streamed down her face. "Why did he do this?"

A smug smile appeared on Cecilia's lips. "Well, Aldric, seeing how upset I was about you wagging your arrogant face in my presence, decided to make me Empress. Besides, there can only be one Empress in Akea."

"You... bitch!" Amelia hissed, her voice filled with rage. "If he no longer wanted me, he could have just asked for a divorce!"

"So that I would be branded a homewrecker, a whore?!" Cecilia retorted.

She took a deep breath, restraining her anger.

"Well, I cannot stand Aldric still keeping the woman who once stole my position, so..." Cecilia brought out a vial filled with a black liquid from the folds of her dress.

"Poison?" Amelia asked in disbelief.

Cecilia smiled. "Wouldn't it be better if you just died? Besides, you're already living a fate worse than death."

"You want me to commit suicide? You've taken everything from me, and now you also want to take my life?"

Cecilia caught Amelia's hand and placed the vial into her palm.

"Here. Think about it."

Cecilia took one last glance at Amelia and left the dungeon.

Alone, Amelia stared at the vial. Her fingers trembled in fear as the dark liquid sloshed within the glass.

Cecilia was right; the fate she was already suffering was worse than death, and she didn't know how long she would remain in this place.

It was better to die—maybe she would finally be free from it all.

Her grip tightened on the vial, and slowly, she popped it open and downed its contents.

The liquid burned its way down her throat, and her body convulsed. Soon, blood began to trickle from her lips, and she could feel her life slowly slipping away.

Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to fall.

"We put you on that throne," she whispered. "Yet you betrayed us, Your Highness. I curse the day I fell in love with you, and I curse you! May you never find..."

Thud.

Amelia's lifeless body fell on the cold floor.

...peace.

On that day, March 25th, 1539, the former Empress of Akea drew her last breath.