Summary
She had been a mastermind in the shadows, weaving schemes to place her brother on the throne.
“All your happiness depends on his,” they said. And so, Artisea toiled in the dark, committing unspeakable acts to crown him Emperor. Yet, her loyalty was repaid with treachery. At her lowest, standing on the brink of despair, it was not her brother who saved her, but Grand Duke Cedric—the very man she had once opposed.
“I need a plan,” he said, his voice steady but desperate.
“… A plan?” she murmured.
“I can think of no one better than you, Marquess Rosan, to change the course of this disaster. Help me.”
Artisea hesitated. The empire was crumbling, its downfall seemingly inevitable. There was no strategy grand enough to restore its former glory. Yet, there was one forbidden way—a dangerous magic that could undo everything. To turn back time.
With a heart heavy with regret, she offered her very being to ancient sorcery, enduring agony that felt like the shedding of her soul. When her eyes opened, she was 18 again, standing in the ruins of her mistakes. This time, she vowed, would be different. This time, she would not falter.
Steeling herself, Artisea sought out Grand Duke Cedric, the only man who had ever shown her true mercy.
“Marry me,” she declared, her gaze unwavering. “I will make you Emperor.”
Her voice carried no plea, only resolve. If the path to salvation required her to dirty her hands, she would do so gladly. For Cedric, the man she chose to stand beside, she would play the villain. She would become a devil willing to burn everything in her wake—if it meant securing his crown and protecting what truly mattered.