Not long after Audrey settled in Hellen, rumors of Emperor Michaelis I’s death reached her ears. Although the successor of the Zionitte Empire was said to be promising and wise, Audrey doubted that this would be the case. She clenched her fists, recalling the wicked smile planted on Debbie’s lips as August pulled an arrow and pierced a pregnant woman.
The memory of Debbie’s smile was engraved in mind, and Audrey’s mind had clicked just then. Debbie was the root of August’s cruel change in demeanor, and was most likely the cause of Zayden’s memory loss too.
On a moral standpoint, it was logical for Audrey to plan her return and save the princes. However, Audrey was a coward with many fears. She simply never wanted to return for revenge. This life wasn’t a fairy tale, and each human had their limits. There were too many risks, and Audrey refused to risk Caleb’s life when she was living well in Hellen. She was also wary of Red, who could easily burn her and Caleb to ashes if Zayden refused to side with her. Anyways, Zayden would live well without Audrey, especially since he didn’t remember her anyways.
Audrey didn’t want to be blinded by hate and revenge either, so she decided to move on. Irene wouldn’t have wanted Audrey to harbor such grudges and ruin her own life. Therefore, she wanted to live well for Irene. She hoped that Sir Vigos would do the same.
However, Caleb always informed Audrey with details of the Second Prince. She couldn’t help but keep tabs on him. That’s how she heard about the infamous love triangle between Debbie, August, and Zayden. After the Crown Prince had saved Debbie from the slums, the Second Prince had foolishly fallen for Debbie’s charm. He often frequented her residence, peering at the doors of her chambers with eyes filled with longing. Audrey attentively listened to this story, wondering if Debbie’s residence was Audrey’s chambers.
She often wondered if the original story was similar to this timeline. Perhaps the original Audrey had been close to the Second Prince and visited him on that fateful day. Perhaps she was persistent and refused to leave, which led to her own demise.
His loss of memory could only benefit Debbie, who Zayden was destined to love. This was why Audrey believed that the concubine was the reason for the past, strange occurrences. She was the only character who Audrey was wary of!
How did Debbie erase his memories? Is Debbie a witch? If she’s a witch, can the spell be reversible?
She was filled with many pointless questions, ones where she would probably never receive answers to. Audrey also wasn’t sure if Debbie had truly brainwashed the princes; it was only a speculation. Therefore, she tried not to contemplate this thought often.
On the other hand, if Audrey’s speculations were supposedly true; then Debbie wasn’t completely successful with whatever spell or brainwashing method she had used.
Now that she looked back, Audrey always assumed August was bipolar after the war. The Crown Prince’s emotions had often seeped through his actions too, revealing mood swings and rampant emotions. When August had returned from war, he had treated her coldly and seemed to love the concubine. However, he often surprised Audrey with his goodwill and mixed signals.
The more she thought about it, she would be more convinced that his last speech was a confession of his honest feelings mixed in with Debbie’s brainwashing thoughts.
He said he loved me unconditionally with tears in his eyes, yet he had completely contradicted those words by calling Debbie his one and only.
Audrey wouldn’t have given a second thought about this transition, especially since one can move on from their past love and still be sentimental. However, August’s tone had been off when praising Debbie. He sounded as if he was forcing the words out, resembling a robotic voice. When August looked at Audrey, he looked as if he was still in pain.
In fact, Audrey was definitely sure that August was void of emotion the day of her departure. She knew that the real Crown Prince would’ve been ridden with guilt after killing an innocent noblewoman. However, he continued to shoot arrows with indifferent eyes. This was all suspicious to her since August was often an emotional man and driven to be a great emperor.
Meanwhile, whatever purpose Debbie had in store for the Second Prince was unsuccessful, for he ran away.
Soon after the Emperor’s death, the Second Prince fled the country and seized Hellen’s throne. He had changed his name to Kohtaro and rebelled against the Zionitte Empire. Because of his powerful familiar and cunning military strategies, Hellen had won. The Zionittes weren’t at a complete loss since their lands stretched farther than any empire. However, this opposing side retreated for the time being.
Through Kohtaro’s victory, he earned the support of Hellen. Audrey vividly remembered the country celebrating for months on end for their newfound freedom. The country was not wary of the new emperor at all since Kohtaro possessed the royal blood of Hellen from his mother. The villagers even acknowledged and deeply respected the new emperor since the land began to stabilize and prosper under him .
Caleb also earned the respect of this country because he provided resources for the emperor. Through Caleb, Audrey improved Hellen’s economy and vegetation. Because of her, the country was rich with crops and clean water. Emperor Kohtaro acknowledged their work and gave him an official title. This was not a bad thing for Audrey, especially since onlookers wouldn’t dare disturb their mansion anymore due to their prestigious title.
Audrey smiled as she thought of Kohtaro again. Although their memories only existed within her, she still felt proud of the boy. Kohtaro’s dragon had become a symbol of hope and sovereignty for the people. The people felt secure and proud of their emperor as dragons were considered to be sacred. He was truly loved by all and coined as the pride of the country.
Kohtaro was often nicknamed as the sun, which was fairly ironic since he had been labeled as the opposite in Nour.
Recently, Kohtaro had become a source of gossip since he was still a handsome bachelor. Many women attempted to aim for the empty seat beside him and failed. These bitter women lamented Debbie, who was believed to be their emperor’s unrequited first love .
“Debbie is a lucky bitch.” Ichika would recite the words of the women she heard in the markets.
Audrey sighed heavily, somewhat feeling injustice. Her name was pitied by people and often ridiculed while Debbie had become infamous for her charm.
She stood in front of the pavilion for a longer time than necessary, thinking about this and that until Caleb eventually found her again. He nuzzled her and she held him close.
“You can’t leave me, Caleb. Others may enter and leave my life as they please, but not you,” Audrey whispered.
Life had been fairly difficult for Audrey. Besides the tragedy in her previous life, Irene and Zayden were both ripped away from her in the blink of an eye. There were many sleepless nights as she recalled Irene’s lifeless body and Zayden’s cold gaze.
However, Audrey lived peacefully now. The new chapter in her life had been filled with fortunes and warm memories from the household. She wished she could continue to live this way and not lose anyone else.