Chapter 1

That day, when she was twenty.

Rea had spent the whole day in the stable, delighted by the birth of twin foals. She had happily wondered what to name them until she eventually fell asleep.

Then, deep in the night, she opened her eyes to the urgent touch of her nursemaid trying to wake her.

“Princess, you have to get up.”

The nursemaid hurriedly dressed Rea, her face pale with fear.

They ran as though fleeing for their lives and arrived at the entrance to a secret underground passage. There, Rea met her older brother, Aren, the king of Zephyros.

“This passage is known only to the king. It should buy us some time.”

Tears instantly filled Rea’s eyes.

“Brother, are you… are you not coming with me?”

The moment she finished speaking through her tears, Rea burst into sobs.

Aren looked at his pitiful little sister and said,

“I’ll… follow you later. Rea. We’ll definitely meet again. Stay safe.”

That day, as soon as Rea and her attendants escaped through the secret passage, they climbed the Red Mountain to the west.

Only the sound of their hurried footsteps echoed through the darkness. No one spoke. The silence was heavier than a scream.

The mountain was barren and made of nothing but rocks, so few people came there. They found a cave that was suitable for hiding.

The knight who had gone down to find out what was happening at the royal palace returned with a devastated expression. The moment his eyes met Rea’s, he lowered his head.

“…No.”

Rea shook her head.

She staggered toward him and grabbed his clothes.

“Tell me it isn’t true! Tell me my brother is all right!”

“Princess.”

His voice trembled.

“His Majesty… has passed away.”

Sixteen years later.

Nortia, a vassal state of the Terra Empire.

Queen Nella, the ruler of the country, clicked her tongue as she looked at the woman sitting helplessly on the bed.

Her faded blond hair was cut short like a man’s, with uneven ends that had grown out messily.

She had heard that Rea refused to let anyone touch her hair, even when they tried to tidy it.

“Do you know how much of a bounty has been placed on your head?”

“……”

“The Red Wraith, whom the Empire is so desperate to capture and kill, is in this state. I picked up a corpse after all.”

Nella grabbed Rea’s chin and lifted her face.

Her cheeks had been so sunken that her cheekbones showed clearly, but she seemed to have gained a little weight, making her face look somewhat healthier.

Yet her green eyes were still lifeless.

“I hear you don’t say a single word. Are you unable to speak, or do you simply not want to?”

When Nella let go, Rea’s head dropped helplessly again.

There was only one thought occupying Rea’s mind right now.

‘Why am I still alive?’

The sixteen years she had spent becoming the leader of the rebels fighting against the Empire after losing her kingdom, beginning as a powerless princess, flashed rapidly through her mind.

Once again, she had lost everything.

Consumed by despair and self-hatred, Rea’s consciousness wandered aimlessly.

Nella sat in the chair beside the bed and silently watched Rea for a while before suddenly speaking.

“If you could go back to the past, would you?”

Rea slowly raised her head.

Her eyes, now filled with light, stared into some distant place.

The force that brought her back to life was not the energy of life, but hatred and despair.

A strange light flashed in Nella’s eyes. The corner of her lips lifted slightly.

She knew.

The strongest motivation that kept a human being alive was anger.

“If I could go back to the past, I would even sell my soul.”

Her voice, rough from not being used for a long time, came out like a scrape.

“What would you do if you went back?”

“I only need to stop one person. Just one person. Everything fell apart that day because of that one person.”

“Who is that person?”

“Neria. My half-sister.”

“You remember when that day was.”

“How could I ever forget?”

Rea spoke coldly, her eyes burning with intensity.

Nella could see the spark buried deep beneath that coldness, ready to explode.

“Are you truly confident that you can change the past if you go back?”

“Yes. Absolutely.”

“Even if you lose something precious to you as the price?”

‘Something precious?’

Rea almost laughed bitterly. There was no way she had anything like that left.

“A spirit.”

Rea was startled and opened her eyes wide.

“How…?”

A clear focus returned to Rea’s eyes. She stared at the person before her with a bitter smile.

A middle-aged noblewoman with black and white hair mixed together smiled coldly and elegantly.

“Now you finally look useful.”

Rea could not take her eyes off Nella’s red eyes.

It felt as though she had been thrown before an overwhelmingly powerful beast, fierce and beautiful, against which resistance was meaningless.

“Let’s make a plan.”

Rea stared blankly at Nella, unable to understand what she meant.

“You don’t need to sell your soul.”

“Princess. Good morning!”

With a cheerful voice, the curtains were pulled open, and the morning sunlight poured into the room.

A woman with dark brown hair, light brown eyes, and a face covered in cute freckles smiled brightly.

Was the reason Rea’s eyes felt dazzled because of the sunlight, or because she could see that bright smile again?

“Princess. I have wonderful news that will surprise you. Can you guess what it is?”

“…Nasim gave birth during the night.”

“How did you know? Nasim gave birth, but…”

“They’re twins, right? Two of them.”

“What? You must have already heard about it somewhere!”

Rea immediately jumped out of bed and hugged Penny.

“Princess?”

“I’m happy.”

“Oh, Princess. Are you really that happy? I told you not to worry. I told you Nasim was healthy and would give birth safely.”

Still holding Penny tightly, Rea closed her eyes against the tears welling up.

The window suddenly flew open, and a strong gust of wind swept over the two of them.

Their clothes fluttered, and their hair scattered in every direction.

“Oh my! What a strange wind.”

Penny let out a short scream in surprise before bursting into laughter.

Rea gently clenched her fist as though trying to grasp the wind.

The wind slipped smoothly into the palm of her hand before escaping again.

‘It’s you, isn’t it? You came back with me too, didn’t you?’

As if answering her, the wind brushed against her cheek.

On the day she learned of her brother’s death at the age of twenty, she had awakened the power of a spirit while feeling as though despair was choking the breath out of her.

⌜It is an extremely unlikely possibility.⌟

Nella had said,

⌜You are going against the laws of the world and returning to the past. The chances of success are extremely low. The chances of you awakening the power of a spirit again will be even lower.⌟

‘I succeeded, Your Majesty. And a miracle happened.’

She had returned to the past together with the spirit. She had not simply awakened its power again.

Something had happened that went beyond all predictions.

There was no other way to describe it except as a miracle.

Rea squeezed her eyes shut before opening them again. Her gaze flashed with fierce determination.

‘Neria.’

Tonight, she would stop you no matter what.

The desert kingdom of Zephyros, located at the southernmost end of the continent.

Within the kingdom’s sacred temple was a great sacred artifact called the ‘Eye of Zephyros.’

The ‘Eye of Zephyros’ was a mysterious artifact that created a sandstorm and swept away enemies if they crossed the kingdom’s borders.

Thanks to this perfect defensive artifact, the kingdom had maintained a thousand-year history.

Even in this age, when an empire had emerged on the continent and every country had bowed its head under the Empire’s influence, the Kingdom of Zephyros maintained its proud independence.

Under the protection of the sacred artifact, the kingdom was peaceful and safe.

‘Is it really?’

Rea stood atop the high tower of the royal palace, looking down at the kingdom below with a cold gaze.

‘This isn’t peace. We’re slowly sinking.’

Born as a princess of the kingdom, Rea had spent a happy childhood without a single worry.

She had loved the kingdom and believed this place was paradise.

She had thought Zephyros, protected by its mysterious sacred artifact, was truly blessed by God.

But.

At some point, the kingdom’s sacred artifact had become a poison that slowly ate away at the kingdom.

The fact that no one had noticed it was even more unfortunate.

Rea only learned the truth after losing her kingdom.

Relying on the power of the sacred artifact had made the kingdom lazy and outdated.

One day, it would eventually collapse even under something as insignificant as a sandstorm.

‘But that doesn’t mean what you did can be forgiven, Neria.’

Although the ‘Eye of Zephyros’ was the greatest treasure among the kingdom’s treasures, its security was not particularly strict.

Anyone other than members of the royal bloodline would be unable to move once they approached it, their minds crushed by its power.

It was said that only someone of Zephyros royal blood could destroy the Eye of Zephyros.

Rea had never taken that legend seriously.

How could a member of the royal family possibly destroy the sacred artifact?

The sacred artifact was the foundation of Zephyros itself.

And yet Rea’s half-sister, Princess Neria, had actually committed such a terrible act.

Tonight was the night it would happen.

“Rea.”

Rea quickly turned her head.

A handsome young man with the same blond hair and green eyes as Rea looked at her in confusion.

“Why did you suddenly call me to a place like this…?”

Rea suddenly threw herself into his arms, leaving Aren flustered.

But when he saw his little sister’s shoulders trembling, he became even more surprised.

“Rea, what’s wrong? What happened?”

This was not what Rea had planned.

But the moment she saw Aren’s face, she could not hold back her tears.

She was afraid this was all a dream and that she would wake up and lose her brother again. At the same time, she was happy because he was alive and she could touch him again.

Aren patiently waited, gently patting her back until Rea stopped crying.

Just as she remembered, her brother was truly kind.

“Your Majesty.”

Aren’s eyebrow slowly rose.

“Your Majesty?”

“Please listen to what I’m about to say. The fate of both you and me, as well as the fate of the kingdom, depends on it.”

Aren looked at Rea for a moment before nodding.

The younger sister he knew could be a little spoiled, but she was not the kind of child who would say nonsense.

“I received a divine revelation.”

Rea did not want to explain everything she had experienced in detail.

It would take too long, and it would sound ridiculous.

Someone might argue that mentioning a divine revelation was even more ridiculous, but this was the Kingdom of Zephyros, a country that actually received the protection of the gods.

“Something terrible will happen tonight. Many people will die, and the kingdom will be in danger of collapsing.”

“What?”

“I cannot tell you what will happen right now.”

If she told Aren that the sacred artifact might be destroyed, he would strengthen its defenses.

She could not let that happen.

Everything had to happen as it was supposed to.

“I can stop it. I have to stop it. So please, don’t ask me anything and just trust me for today. Even if there is nothing else you can believe, you know I would never lie when the fate of our kingdom is at stake.”

Aren silently looked at Rea before lightly tapping the tip of her nose with his finger.

“Your nose is all red. If you had a nightmare, go back to sleep for a while.”

“Your Majesty!”

“His Majesty doesn’t have time to listen to nonsense, but perhaps someone else might.”

Seeing the playful smile on Aren’s lips, Rea blinked.

“…Brother.”

Aren grinned.

“What can I do to help?”

“Tonight… please don’t go to sleep, and have the knights stand by.”

Her throat tightened on its own, and her voice came out trembling with emotion.

“That’s all I need.”

Rea hugged Aren tightly again.

“Thank you, Brother. I’ll tell you everything tomorrow.”

“All right.”

Feeling Aren’s gentle hand patting her shoulder, Rea’s anxiety and uneasiness slowly faded.

‘How did I survive after losing my brother in my previous life?’

This time, she would never lose him.