While falling from the building, there was only one thought in her head.
'If rebirth is real, I hope I'm not born ever again. Life is too horrid to live again'Her head hit the ground, splitting into a million pieces. The perfect way to die for someone who wanted to be unrecognized and forgotten. Like a painful dream, she opens her eyes and she's back again, 10 years in the past. She was back to the day she was being married off to the duke who was destined to abandon her and love another, to a prince who was obsessed with other people's possessions, and a witch who pretended to be a saint. 'One of you gods up there must be messing with me, right?! I said I didn't want to live again! What is the meaning of this?!'Brought to the past, Natalia has two choices, flight or fight. ---------------------What would've become a wasteful life in the slums was reversed when he had a hand stretched out to him. The prince was charming and kind and he would've given his life for him. However, betrayal was a bucket of cold water and a priced dagger in the back. He would never accept an outstretched hand but he couldn't deny a sharpened sword to the neck. She's not a knight in shining armor but she's the salvation he needed and whether he liked it or not, he would give his life for her.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"Father, is it possible that I don't marry the duke?"PAH!The slap was expected, honestly. How could the daughter of a Marquess fight against the decree of the king or her father? In the end, she was just a pawn for the men in her life, every one of them. While the king was doing it to solidify the position of crown prince for his favorite son, her father was doing it to save his neck. Giving a daughter wasn't too much to ask if it meant receiving the crown prince's favor. And Natalia, well, wasn't impressed. She touched her face, the stinging pain on her cheek intensifying upon contact. She tapped it lightly with glowing fingers and the mark and pain were gone. If there was anything she was grateful for, it was the convenience of magic. "Do you, Natalia Adamantine, take Fredrich Kristen to be your lawfully wedded husband? To love and to serve for the rest of your life?"For a split second, she was tempted to refuse. Death glares from all around the room focused on her, especially from beside and in front of her. She couldn't refuse, she wouldn't walk out alive. But her death was of no consequence. It was that she feared reliving the day and dying over and over. "I do" she smiled brightly. "Then on this day, under god, you two are proclaimed husband and wife"'Husband and wife, my foot. We are not even riding the same carriage home'The Dukedom of Kristen, home to the Kristens for several generations. It was ruled by egregious men who thought themselves mightier than god himself. They could defy the command of the king and do whatever they wanted in the kingdom because they held the most powerful military. To get their support, the king had to offer the most suitable sacrifice, the shining star of the capital, Lady Natalia Adamantine. The Kingdom of Ducroft was one built on magic. Magic was used for virtually everything and thus became a religion. The god worshiped by most of the kingdom was the very first mage, someone who surpassed mortality. Because of his influence, the people of Ducroft were able to use magic easier than others, especially since the kingdom was so close to the Forest of Damnation. The territory closest to the forest, in charge of handling whatever crawled out from that hell, was the Dukedom of Kristen. It was immensely far from the capital and would take too long to travel by carriage, so a teleportation magic circle was used. There was just a slight change in scenery and the next second, they were in the dukedom. To the old Natalia, it was a frightening place of nightmares. The same was the case for the reborn Natalia. It had a frighteningly dreadful atmosphere, dark clouds hanging all year round. The huge towers of the castle just made it worse, spinning many rumors about the 'Castle on the Edge'. If there was anything she hated more than the castle itself, it was that it was the nest of monsters. Dragons perched on the towers, fae flitted in and out, tormenting anyone who dared look their way. Every day she spent in the castle was absolute hell. But, there was one good thing there. "I call on the mother of fairies, the bearer of light, Madaline"Her hands glowed with a faint green light. She watched with anticipation and faint excitement as a small fairy dressed entirely in white appeared on her hand. She was as tall as a pen, more accurately described as a pixie. She had long green hair, hollow eyes, a small pointy chin, and two long ears.She yawned, standing from her sleeping position. She rubbed her eyes, staring up to look at Natalia after her eyes were cleared. {You must be the one who woke me from slumber. What is it you desire?}"A companion"{How can you speak the language of the fae? What are you?}"I am.......""My lady, it is time for us to enter the house. I'm opening the carriage now"Natalie whispered a spell and the fairy in her hands disappeared. She adjusted her gown and the carriage door was opened. A long red carpet was extended in front of her and at the bottom of the stairs stood her husband. His dark red eyes urged her to hurry with a hint of disgust. He looked handsome, too handsome to be real. He had long blonde hair with red eyes and pale skin, as opposed to her darkened skin and dark red hair. She was often insulted by him and many others for her features, demeaned to lesser than a human. She knew just what kind of beast lay behind his red eyes. She disembarked the carriage, walking up beside him. She wasn't the shining star of the capital for nothing. Her manners and etiquette were perfect with intelligence and wisdom surpassing the other ladies of the capital. Her husband only hated her because she was forced on him and he loved another. She walked up to where he stood, staying two steps behind him as a wife did. He walked up the stairs, ignoring the fact that she was still in the cumbersome wedding gown. She sighed, walking after him, keeping up with his pace. Having to relive such a day, god really hated her. "Welcome to the Dukedom of Kristen, my lady. I am the grand butler, Corren. I am in charge of the household so if you need anything my lady, please don't hesitate to meet me. A butler has already been assigned to you and I promise they will provide exemplary service. They will explain the rules of the dukedom to you and help with your everyday needs""Thank you, Butler Corren" she smiled at the bowing man. Her husband had already disappeared into the dukedom, most likely going to work. He needed time to abandon his feelings and commit to his marriage. Pfft! Like that's true!Meanwhile, trouble was arising as they spoke. Butler Corren looked like a sensible, kind old man. He was a capable grand butler, working for the dukedom ever since he was a young man. In the past, Natalia thought he'd at least be cordial to her but he dropped her in a heartbeat. It was sad. "This is your butler, Wilbur. He will lead you to your room"Wilbur, her butler, and personal bully. He was someone who grew up with the duke and despised the fact that he was not happy in his marriage. He intentionally left out many rules about the house, letting Natalia get in trouble knowing no one would blame him for it. In the first place, no one liked her, so it didn't matter if she was innocent or not. "I'll be in your care, Butler Wilbur" she smiled, extending her hand. He took it and kissed it. He was also handsome, taking advantage of that to sleep with many maids, bullying them into silence. He never got retribution as far as Natalia knew. He was scum like the rest of them. 'Even if I don't ruin anyone, I won't let you go scot-free. But first, Madaline'Once she was alone in the huge and oppressive room, she called Madaline out again. If she wanted to survive long enough in the dukedom, she needed the fairy mother and a concrete plan.{You know the language of fae because you learned it?}“If you can use magic, it’s a simple language to learn. The god made it possible for us to use magic that easily”{I see. That is why I sense foul magic on you}“It might be the curse that brought me back to the past. Do you know, fairy mother, that I have lived this life already? It’s a hellish life”{
“I greet you, my lord” she bowed.“Just sit and let us start lunch”Apparently, he also adhered to the tradition and didn’t eat before going to his wedding ceremony. She sat gracefully, waiting for the first course. She could feel his stare burn a hole in her side but she refused to look at him. If she looked at him, he would regard her with disgust. If she didn’t look at him, he would think she was being disrespectful. He was aggravating, if not anything.The first course soon arrived. While the aroma steaming from the duke’s food was tempting, the course served to the duke’s new wife was subpar. There was evidence of the meat rotting and the sauce barely had any taste. The smell of the duke’s food covered the smell so nobody noticed anything was wro
For the wedding night, Natalia had to go to the duke’s room. As she walked through the dark corridors, the fear of past and present merged, making her steps falter. She held fast to the object inside her sleeve, trying to calm herself. It was bad enough she was dizzy and still had to use magic in that state.She reached the door and it was opened for her by the duke’s guards. They stared at her with dark eyes, like they could devour her at any moment. She knew they weren’t human. They were beastkin, the reason why dragons hoovered on the roofs of the castle.Her heart beat faster as she entered the familiar room. It was just like her room, huge and depressing. He wasn’t there so she had time to set up. She took the object out of her sleeve and set it on the bedside table. She waved her glowing fingers over it and it lit with
It had been a week since she got married and got contracted to Madaline. The effects were immediate. She felt lighter and could use magic with so much ease, it was ridiculous. With power like that, it would be easy to get away with poisoning herself and escaping.The situation in the dukedom was as she expected. Even Wilbur forgot about her existence. No one came to assign the duties of the duchess to her and she was left alone, save for mealtimes. They were as dreadful as ever but it brought her closer to her goal. If they treated her nicely, it would be difficult to implicate them when the time came.“I slept well again today”The duke was convinced they spent the first night together and no longer called her to his room. In her past, he only did it once every three months to avoid the eyes
{You want a poison that will make you seem like you are dead?} “I want to slowly escape this place after all. I want to go somewhere without the reach of my family or this kingdom. The best place to go is the Empire of Illumine. This is the reason for my contract” {You changed your mind about dying?} “If I die, it will change nothing. I want to get rid of this regret first” {You know
Since she spent the better half of her first married year looking up and down for the elusive man, she could recognize him and his route even in her sleep. No one was assigned to help her so she bent her back to find and persecute Cage. Even the lowly guards of Traisen mocked her, the duchess who chased after another man. There were rumors that he was her secret lover. The descent of her reputation started from there. “I wish I were his lover. He is a better man than Fredrich would ever be”When she finally met Cage, he eluded her grasp more than one. He said his hobby was messing up noble ladies, seeing them descend into depravity, giving them the pleasure their uptight husbands couldn’t give. Because she was so intent on finding him, it made her his next target. Natalia fell for his sweet words and started to look forward to seeing him more. She had her dignity as a noble so she didn’t fall for him but the pleasure that Fredrich couldn’t give her tempted her. It was
The stuffy air of the carriage was hard to endure when the breeze was fresh outside in the city. Everything the man in front of her harped entered one ear and came out of the next. It was okay to ignore him, especially as she searched the crowd for familiar faces. Even after 10 years, her memories were still fresh, making her mission easier.“Milady, we would alight here. Please hold on to this”“Thank you” she smiled, taking the tablet. It had traces of fae magic which in the past, burnt her fingers when she took it. It was one of Wilbur’s many pranks. In the past, she flinched whenever she touched it but when she took it, even after a burn appeared on her hand, she didn’t flinch. The carriage door opened and she got down, leaving the stunned butler inside.It was the
“Who are you and what do you want from me?”“KNEEL”He fell to his knees, the dagger dropping from his grasp. Her heels rested on his head, pushing it into the ground. He felt her cold eyes rake over his body and the chill that accompanied it. “This is the last time I would tolerate such behavior from you. I am your master and you serve me. I don’t need to answer your questions”“I do NOT have a master,” he grunted, struggling under the hold. “If you defy me one more time, you will be granted the chance to lose an arm. I’m sure that would be quite unfortunate going through the forest of damnation” she quipped. He was immediately calm, clenching his teeth. “Good. Let's try this again. I am Natalia Adamantine. Just a few days ago, I was married to the Duke of Kristen. I have enslaved you for one purpose only, to get out of this hell hole. You have two options, get me out and I free you from your hold or die right now and I take over your little squad. I can