Chapter 1: The End Before the Beginning
The grand palace was on fire.
Screams echoed through the marble halls as embers danced like cruel fireflies, eating away at the golden curtains she once admired. The scent of smoke mixed with blood, and the air was so thick it choked the breath from her lungs. Libertia—Tia, as her mother once fondly called her—knelt in the middle of the throne room, her white dress scorched and stained crimson, her knees scraped on the once-polished floor where she used to play as a child.
She had always dreamed of this hall being filled with flowers on her wedding day. Now it was littered with ashes.
"Why...?" she whispered, her voice trembling more from heartbreak than fear. Her golden eyes, once bright with mischief and love, were now dulled with betrayal. "Why won't any of you believe me?"
The guards pointed their spears at her. The nobles whispered from behind fans, masks of sorrow painted across their faces. The queen turned her face away, eyes glistening but refusing to meet her daughter's.
"You tried to kill her," the crown prince said coldly. His voice, which once soothed her during thunderstorms, was now void of any warmth. "You pushed Lily into the fountain. You set fire to her room."
Libertia shook her head desperately. "No! I never...! I would never hurt her. I-I thought she was my friend..."
The second prince didn't speak. He simply stepped back.
Not even a word. Not even a glance.
Her father, the emperor, stood tall with sword in hand. The same hands that once lifted her onto his shoulders now carried the blade of judgment.
"You are no daughter of mine," he said. The words landed harder than any blade. And then—he turned away.
Something in her broke.
Her lips trembled, but she didn't cry.
She didn't scream. She didn't beg.
She only watched as the flames rose around her, as the girl they all loved was held gently, protectively, by her mother. Lily sobbed in the queen's arms like a wounded bird, and none of them saw how her lips curled in a victorious smile the moment Libertia was dragged away.
---
The palace burned.
And Libertia died.
But her spirit remained, long after the fire died.
She watched.
Watched as her brothers fell in battle, betrayed from within. Watched her mother poisoned by the very herbs she once grew. Watched her father beheaded in front of the same people he fought to protect.
And above their corpses stood the girl in white.
Tears in her eyes. Blood on her hands.
Lily. The Poison Lily.
The one who had taken everything.
She cried prettily as she stood before the people and promised peace. She held Lucien's hand—the knight with cold eyes who never smiled unless she asked him to kill.
Libertia's soul watched it all.
She didn't curse them. She didn't scream.
She only whispered, "If only... I had one more chance."
---
And the world answered.
Because not just her—but the ones who died with her... remembered too.
Her family.
They had loved her too late. Now, they would not waste this miracle.
Because this time—
they would protect her first.
---
Chapter 2: A Second Life, A Different Dawn
The emperor gasped awake.
The soft golden light of dawn filtered through the sheer curtains. He sat up slowly, sweat beading on his brow. His heart thundered in his chest, echoing the screams from a nightmare that felt too real. But it wasn't just a dream.
It was a memory.
He gripped his head, flashes rushing back. Libertia's broken expression. The fire. The blade he wielded against his own daughter. The blood. The empty throne.
"No... gods, no."
Outside the door, a guard announced in panic, "Your Majesty! The Crown Prince is awake and requesting to see you urgently."
Not long after, the empress entered his chambers, pale and trembling. "I remember it all," she whispered.
Then came the crown prince. "Father. She's alive. She's still a child. It's... it's before everything."
One by one, the rest of the family came to the same realization. The second prince. The queen. The emperor.
Without needing to speak, they rushed.
---
Libertia jolted awake with a cry.
Sweat clung to her forehead, and her small hands gripped the blanket like a lifeline. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as fear clung to her tiny frame. The memory of fire and betrayal still lingered in her eyes.
Her door burst open.
"Tia?! What happened?!"
The empress was the first to reach her, wrapping her arms tightly around Libertia's trembling form.
"It was just a nightmare, my love," she whispered, gently rocking her back and forth. "You're safe. Mama's here."
Libertia—Tia—buried her face in her mother's shoulder, her sobs quieting under the familiar warmth.
Behind them, the emperor entered, followed closely by the crown prince and second prince. All of them stood in stunned silence for a moment as they watched Libertia, alive and small and clinging to their mother.
The empress looked up at them over Libertia's head.
Her eyes were full of tears.
But none of them said a word.
Because they all knew.
It wasn't a nightmare.
It was real.
They had been reborn.
And this time—they would not fail her.
The empress gently laid Libertia back down on her bed, brushing back her hair and humming softly.
"It was just a dream, sweetheart," she said again, softly, kissing her forehead.
Libertia blinked up at her, eyes still watery but beginning to close.
"Stay... with me," she murmured.
"Always," the empress whispered.
And as Libertia slowly drifted back to sleep, her small fingers curled into her mother's gown.
The queen looked at her husband and sons.
And though no one spoke aloud, they all shared the same thought.
This time... we won't leave her alone.
---
Later, in the Emperor's Study
The room was heavy with silence.
"It's real," the emperor said. "We all remembered the same thing."
"The fire. The betrayals. Lily," the empress whispered, fists clenched. "We let that girl into our home and turned our backs on our daughter."
The crown prince slammed his fist onto the desk. "I called her a monster. I let her die thinking I hated her."
"We were so blind," the second prince said quietly. "She never once blamed us. Even at the end."
The emperor stood slowly. "No more. From this day, everything changes. We have been given a second chance... and this time, we will cherish it."
The empress placed a hand over her heart. "Libertia... our sweet, lonely Tia... we won't fail you again."
---
Outside the study, Libertia sat in the garden alone, unaware of the storm of resolve growing behind those closed doors.
This time, the empire would not turn its back on its light.
This time, they would fight for her first.