Ah!”

Patrizia woke up with a yell.

Before her was a dark mahogany desk and the white pages of a book before her. And sitting in the chair…was herself. She stared dazedly in front of her, then suddenly blinked into awareness.I…for sure was…”

Dead. She was definitely dead.

“I was dead.”She could still vividly recall the cold touch of steel on her slender neck. It was a horrifying, dark memory, and she subconsciously shuddered. What she found more surprising was that she felt fear. That was an emotion that was exclusive to the living.But how?” she said disbelievingly.

The sound of her voice pierced her ears like a stake. That was another thing—dead people could not hear. So how was she alive now? She slowly flipped a page on the book. The page number printed on the paper increased by one.

However, she couldn’t rely on a single test, so she tried the next most obvious one. She lifted her hand and slapped herself on the face.

Jjag! A sharp pain stung her cheek.

“Hurts…” Patrizia mumbled, cupping the smarting flesh.

She was alive, she was sure of it. But…how? She looked down to inspect her body, when someone burst through the door.

“Patrizia!”

That voice calling her…

“Nil…”

“Rizi, you were reading again!”

Petronilla approached her younger twin sister, and Patrizia’s eyes widened and she shuddered like she had seen a ghost.

“Nil, are you really…Nilla, are you alright?” she said in stunned shock.

“Rizi?” Petronillia tilted her head, wondering why her sister was behaving strangely. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

Patrizia did not wait to give her an answer, and instead rushed forward to embrace her sister. Dear heavens. Her sister was really in front of her. Nilla, her precious family, was still alive.

“God, my God….” she murmured.

“Rizi? What on earth is wrong with you?” Petronilla was embarrassed by Patrizia’s strange behavior, and Patrizia finally pulled away from her sister with a tearful expression.

Patrizia was certain—she was alive, and her sister Nilla was alive. But if that was the case, what was she doing here…? The answer to her question came to her like a shock.

“You’re hopeless, Rizi. You’ll never be a queen!” Petronillia pouted.

Patrizia felt as if someone had struck her on the back of her head. “Qu-Queen?” she stammered.

“Yes, Queen. We have to inform them by tomorrow.”

“Impossible….”

“It’s not impossible. You spoke about with me until yesterday,” Petronilla pointed out, smiling brightly. “So Rizi, I’ve been thinking….”

“….”

“Let’s decide which of us it will be by drawing a lot. What do you think?”

Despite Petronilla’s question, Patrizia remained silent. There was a pregnant pause, and when Petronillia opened her mouth again, Patrizia finally spoke.

“Sister.”

“Yes, Rizi. What is it?”

“Now…you and I…” Patrizia’s lips were trembling, but she managed to finish her question. “Are we nineteen?”

“Yes. How could a smart girl like you forget our age?” Petronilla said in a gently scolding voice. “We even had our birthday recently. What’s wrong with you today? Is it because you read too many books?” She gave a joking smile, but Patrizia didn’t care about the teasing. It was when they were nineteen years old that her sister was selected to be a queen candidate. Then that meant…

“I came back to when I was nineteen….” Patrizia murmured.

“What?” Petronilla asked, but Patrizia continued to speak to herself.

“Repeat…did time turn back? But how did it happen…”

“Rizi, wake up!” Petronilla snapped. “You’re acting strange today. Are you sure you’re feeling alright?”

“Ah…”

Only then did Patrizia accept reality. She had returned to the time when she was nineteen—to the time of the queen selection days.

Patrizia couldn’t explain it with any knowledge she had, but this was reality. She had returned to the time when she was nineteen. Her sister was standing undeniably before her, very much alive and breathing. Petronilla’s eyes were as clear as a lake and filled with worry.

Patrizia was momentarily reminded of the last memory of her previous life. Her dear sister Nilla, dying in both misery and love. If this really was a new life…then God had pitied the sisters and given them another chance…

Then she would…

“Elder sister,” Patrizia said.

Hmm? What is it, Rizi?”

“We don’t have to draw lots.” Patrizia would not allow the tragedy of the past to repeat.

“Why?” Petronilla said innocently, but Patrizia only gave a bitter smile.

“It will be me.”She would be queen instead of her sister.

“I will be the queen candidate.”

Petronilla could not understand her sister. Yesterday, Patrizia had clearly stated that she did not want it. Now it was as if she had changed into a completely different person! It was a reversal that Petronilla did not understand, but she was glad that she wouldn’t have to be queen herself. She didn’t know how to pivot her words, however, so she tried to make certain.

“Really?” Petronilla asked.

“Yes.”

You won’t change your mind?”

“I won’t.” Patrizia’s voiced firmed. “I won’t change it. Ever.”

“Yay!” Petronilla looked on eagerly at her sister. “Let’s go to the study and talk to Father.”

*

Marquis Grochester was a man of forty-two years of age, and presently, he was in deep thought over which of his two daughters should be sent for the queen selection process. Petronilla’s lively personality was not likely to fit in with the royal family, while Patrizia was better suited with her quiet composure.

As he continued to deliberate endlessly on the issue, a knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

“Who is it?” he asked.It’s Nilla, Father.”

“Ah, come in.”

He welcomed his two daughters into his study. He wondered why they came to visit him so late, but he prepared some tea first without prying. After he set down a pot of warm Assam tea, he finally spoke.

“Why are you up so late?” he inquired.

“We have something to tell you.” Petronilla’s face was lit with excitement, and the marquis guessed that something good must have happened.

Petronilla took a couple sips of her tea first before speaking. “Rizi wants to do it. Be the queen candidate.”

“…Is that true?”

“Yes, Father,” Patrizia replied quietly, setting down her own cup on the glass table with a calm expression. “It will be me.”

“Well…”

That was good news. Although the marquis had long agonized over his decision, in truth, Nilla’s character was unsuited for the strict and authoritative life of the Imperial Palace. He kept his face smooth when Rizi said she would be queen instead, but inwardly he was pleased the decision had worked out.

“Are you volunteering?” he said gently to Patrizia.

“Yes.”

Upon hearing Patrizia’s answer, Marquis Grochester looked at away for a moment, then turned back to her. “That’s great. Nilla, it’s late, so you should go to bed now. Rizi, you stay for a while.”

Petronilla nodded. “Yes, Father. Good night, Rizi. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She then left the study with a lightness in her step, leaving only Marquis Grochester and Patrizia in the room. The marquis finished his hot tea and removed his lips from the cup.

“Are you really volunteering, Rizi?”

“Yes, Father,” Patrizia replied in a level voice.

“I’m wondering why you changed your mind so quickly,” he said, his gaze fixed on his daughter’s black eyes. “Is there a special reason?”

“…None at all. I just thought that if either of us were to be queen, I would be better suited.”

Imperial law stated that the queen must come from a family from at least the rank of marquis and be between 18 and 20 years of age. Because Marquis Grochester’s children were eligible, he was required to produce a candidate.

Patrizia was suddenly struck by anxiety. “Or did you want it to be my sister?” she asked, but fortunately the reply was not unfavorable.

“No,” Marquis Grochester said, shaking his head, “Actually, I was hoping it would be you.”

“…I see.” Patrizia understood why without asking. From her father’s perspective, he may have felt more reassured sending the quiet daughter. She would not have any complaints or sadness of the situation.

“Then a week from now, I will go to the palace,” Patrizia said resolutely.

Five queen candidates would gather at the Imperial Palace for a week-long series of tests. After that, only one of them would be chosen as queen.

The marquis nodded, then spoke in a quavering voice. “You seem quite calm, Rizi. I know you usually keep a cool head, but somehow…you act like you’re already used to this.”

Patrizia smiled at her father’s words. It was a painful memory that she desperately wanted to change. However, she could not tell the truth.

“I had a dream,” she lied.

“I see.” He gave a small chuckle.

“‘I’ll come back, Father.”

There would be five queen candidates, but there would only be one queen. The other four candidates go back to their original lives and be free to marry another noble, just as Patrizia’s mother did.

Even in the past, Patrizia held no dreams of holding such a lofty position as queen, but she was even more determined not to in this lifetime. Even if it was just a memory, she did not want to marry the man who was her brother-in-law either. That wasn’t morally right.

She tried to give her father a bright smile. “Do you dislike it?”

“No, please return safely.” He kissed his precious daughter lightly on the forehead and whispered, “I don’t want to give up my princess to anyone else just yet.”

*

Patrizia returned to her bedroom and collapsed on her bed. It had been less than two hours after she had returned to the past, and she had already massively shifted her future. Originally, Nilla had drawn the lot and told their father that she would be the queen candidate. Patrizia bit her lip.

Neither of them had wanted to be queen. Patrizia had read in history books what a double-edged sword queenship was, and what terrible dangers the position held. The terrible tragedy of the past only further cemented that line of thinking.

And, well, Nilla was always a dreamer. She longed for a fairy tale life and wanted prince charming on a white horse. The position of queen, realistically, was closer to a life of political maneuverings and backstabbing, and was hardly attractive to a young woman like Nilla.

So in the past, the two sisters decided to draw lots, and the ultimate result was in Nilla’s death. As Patrizia recounted this information, her lips started to bleed from how hard she was biting them.

She had returned to the past and already changed the future by choosing to be the queen candidate instead of Nilla. Perhaps then the tragic past where she and her family were killed would not be repeated.

Just because she was the queen candidate, it didn’t mean that she would become queen. And even if she did, she could still live a different life. Anything would be a hundred thousand times better than the nightmare of her last one.

“That was three years from now.”

The future was malleable, and she would change it for sure. It was difficult to imagine what the future would be like, but at least she could avoid past tragedies. She would try her damnedest to stop it from happening. Her sister could have the happy ending she deserved.

“I will make it that way,” Patrizia vowed. She would be the queen candidate, and possibly even queen, and wipe out the scars from her memory.

*

A week later, the five queen candidates were all finalized. They were—Lady Raphaela of the Marquis Bringstone, Lady Greta of the Countess Arjeldo, Lady Barbara of Marquis D’ival, and Lady Tricia of Duke Vasi. And finally, Patrizia herself. In her last life, it was expected for Lady Tricia to become queen, but somehow Petronilla had surpassed her in the last life. Meanwhile, Patrizia wanted to avoid becoming queen as much as possible.

When it finally came the day when Patrizia would leave for the Imperial Palace, Petronilla tightly grasped Patrizia’s hands.

“Rizi, I don’t ask for anything else, but just be careful, alright?” Petronilla said with tears in her eyes.

Patrizia’s gaze softened as she looked at her sister. Three years ago, she had done the exact same thing. She had held Petronilla’s hands tightly before she left for the Imperial Palace, and told her to take care of herself. Petronilla had come back safe, thankfully, but this time she was queen.

Patrizia offered her sister a gentle smile. “I will miss you, Nil.”

“As will I, Rizi. We’ve never been this far apart this long before…”

It had been nineteen years since they shared the same womb, and they had been inseparable ever since. Other people might tut and say, “It’s only a week,” but this was a first for the two sisters. Patrizia took Petronilla in her arms and held her like a baby.

“…You cannot come to the palace, understand?” Patrizia said.

It was a warning based on previous knowledge. In the last life, Petronilla had insisted that she didn’t want to be queen, but fell in love with the Emperor at first sight. She had made every effort to be his wife ever since. Of course, Petronilla was not a candidate now, but it paid to be cautious.

Petronilla gave a small chuckle. “Do you think me stupid? I have no intention of disgracing you or the family name, so don’t worry.”

“…Yes.”

Patrizia gave Petronilla one finally pat on the back, then turned towards her parents.

“I’ll return.”

“Yes, Rizi. Just be careful, as your sister says.”

“I know you’ll behave well, my daughter.”

Patrizia almost wanted to cry at the concern in her parents’ voice, but fortunately she was saved by a maid that appeared at her elbow. She gave a brief hug to her parents, then finally boarded the carriage to the palace.

It was the beginning of a changed past.

Lady Raphaella of Marquis Bringstone. Lady Greta of Count Arjeldo. Lady Barbara of Marquis d’Avar. Lady Patrijia of Marquis Grochester. And lastly, Lady Tricia of Duke Vasi. But why do you want me to tell you that?” a man said in a disapproving voice, and the woman who was listening to him returned an enchanting smile.

“Why? Can’t I not know?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“Why not?” the woman said languidly. “Shouldn’t your mistress know the name of the queen candidates?”

Emperor Lucio furrowed his brow in response. His Rosemand had always plied him with sweet words in his ears, and it often turned out like this. But her capriciousness was part of her charm.

Lucio smiled at her gently. “Why, are you jealous?”

“Why does it matter? I am only your nameless mistress,” Rosemond replied with a pout. She had been at Lucio’s side for nearly a year, but she was not recognized as an official concubine as the queen’s seat was vacant.

“I’ll give you the title as soon as a queen is chosen,” Lucio said in an understanding tone. “Will that satisfy you?”

“…I don’t know,” she replied. In truth, she had been satisfied with her situation for a long time, but she decided to pretend to be upset. She didn’t know how long she’d have with him.

“You know you’re the only one I want, hmm?” Lucio purred.

“I don’t know. You have to express it more,” Rosemont continued petulantly. “Your Majesty, Lucio. I have no title, and even the maids ignore me. You don’t intend to leave me alone like this, do you?”

Lucio’s expression turned stormy at her words. “Who is treating you this way?” he said in a scathing voice.

A smile spread across Rosemond’s lips. There was no maid who would dare be so disrespectful to the mistress who was with the Emperor for a year. Of course, the Emperor Lucio would not know that. Rosemond cleared her throat and quickly changed the subject.

“So is it a promise? It saddens me to be ignored.”

“Don’t worry, Rose,” Lucio murmured, stroking Rosemond’s pinkish hair. “You may be a baroness, but in the end you will be queen.”

“Oh, my.”

The harvest was better than Rosemond expected. She stretched her mouth into a wide smile and she let out a tinkling giggle. She never expected him to bring up the queen’s seat. “You say that too easily when you haven’t even looked at the queen candidates.”

“The candidates have no choice, and it’s I who will choose the queen. It may not be possible now, but someday, definitely—”

Lucio lowered his head to allow his lips to roam her soft body, and Rosemond gave an encouraging moan. His touch became more eager as he worked.

“—I’ll lay you on the bed of the queen.”

Oh, that was thrilling to imagine. What ecstasy they could share on the queen’s bed. Rosemond let out a coquettish laugh and enthusiastically grabbed Lucio by his firm shoulders.

*

“We have arrived, Lady Patrizia.”

Patrizia offered a kind smile to the driver outside of the carriage. “Thank you.”

Silent as a ghost, a servant appeared from the palace and approached her. “Please follow me, My Lady.” Patrizia nodded in acknowledgment. The servant would take her to her room where she would stay for a week.

She began to follow the servant without a word. The more her footsteps carried her to the palace, however, the more unease she felt.

“….”

She kept thinking about her past life. When Nilla was finally chosen to be queen, she invited Patrizia and their mother to the room where she stayed. The was the same room Patrizia was walking towards right now.

The strange discomfort of old memories made her frown, but soon her face reverted to its original expression. She couldn’t help but be obsessed with the past and current reality.

Finally, the servant‘s footsteps halted, and she stopped outside the room. A woman was waiting for her in the corridor, and when Patrizia saw her face, she nearly burst into laughter.

‘Mirya.’

“My name is Mirya. I will be serving the queen candidate Lady Patrizia.”

Mirya had been Petronilla’s lady-in-waiting. She had defended Petronilla’s innocence until the end, but the poor woman had her life ended on the gallows. A tightness clenched Patrizia’s chest that she found difficult to explain.

Now that poor woman, who used to be her sister’s lady-in-waiting, was her own. The thought of it caused Patrizia to grieve inwardly, but she did not let it show on the surface. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mirya.”

Of course, Patrizia was not her 22-year-old self anymore, but her 19-year-old self that was now a queen candidate. She couldn’t afford to behave sloppily. When Patrizia entered the room, Mirya helped her change into a dress reserved only for queen candidates. As the lady-in-waiting worked, she explained the upcoming schedule.

“The queen candidates will stay here for a week. There will be a total of three tests, and each round will be held every other day starting tomorrow. Do you have any questions?”

“None, Mirya. Thank you,” Patrizia said curtly. She had already indirectly experienced the selection process once, so she didn’t have any further inquiries.

Afterwards, Mirya commented that Patrzia must have been walking around a lot and encouraged her to take a rest, and then left with the other maids.

Now alone in the room, Patrizia went to sit on the bed. She didn’t want to lie down, but as soon as she made contact with the soft mattress, she had a sudden urge to do so. She lay back and stared at the ceiling.

“Rosemond…” she murmured. That name was still taboo. Patrizia recalled the woman from her memory.

Rosemond Mary la Phelps. Although she was the Emperor’s unofficial concubine, she held the title of baroness. And in the past…it was Baroness Phelps that brought Patrizia and her family to destruction. Patrizia squeezed her eyes shut.

There was one other reason why she and Petronilla did not want to apply to become a queen candidate. Rumor had it in the social circles was that Rosemond had been the Emperor’s mistress ever since he ascended the throne one year ago. The rumor turned out to be true, as evidenced when Petronilla had become queen. That fact probably still hadn’t changed. There was no weapon that was better than having the Emperor’s divine favor. It had already been proven once by the Grochester’s deaths in the past.

If by chance, Patrizia was unlucky enough to become queen, she would preserve her life as much as she could. She would ignore the Emperor and his concubine as much as possible. Her goal was to emerge alive as the final victor.

“First…let’s see if I can fall out of the first test tomorrow.”

The best option, of course, was not to be queen. It would yield the most positive outcome, and all her troubles could go away like a popped bubble. She did not wish to be queen in any case. Living in the palace as part of the Imperial Family would only put her under tremendous stress.

*

The queen candidates all wore plain white dresses, symbolizing purity and equalizing their appearance in fairness for the screening. Even this simple garb could only be worn when bestowed by the Imperial Family. Patrizia thought it convenient. She didn’t have to put the effort of dressing herself up every day.

The queen of the Mavinous Empire was not merely a servant or companion to the Emperor, but an equal to him when it came to rule. Because of the importance of the position, the candidate selection process was held in front of the nobles, as well as the emperor himself.

“Are you nervous, My Lady?” Mirya asked.

Patrizia gave a faint smile. She wasn’t nervous. She was where she needed to be. Besides, failing would be the better option. There was no need for any anxiety, but…

‘That man.’

The Emperor. The man who was once her brother-in-law. The man who ordered the destruction of her entire family. Patrizia herself had no direct fight with the Emperor, and she held regret for him in some ways. Her sister Petronilla was put to death on the charge of causing Rosemond to miscarry, along with attempting to kill the Emperor.

From the Emperor’s point of view, the punishment was inevitable. In the former case, there was some allowance for deliberation, but in the latter, it was a felony tantamount to treason. If she looked at her family without any subjectivity, their ending was clear.

Patrizia was not exactly aware of what had happened in the last few days of her last life, other than some information she had picked up here and there. No one, not even Marquis Grochester and Petronilla, told her the whole truth. Perhaps they did not even know the whole truth.

Patrizia broke herself out of her thoughts and replied to her lady-in-waiting. “It’s all right, Mirya.” That was a thing of the past, but now she was here to change it. Already, she had altered the chain of events by becoming a queen candidate. And so…it was possible that the tragedy of that time wouldn’t happen again.

“Enter,” Duchess Ephreney said authoritatively. The five queen candidates stepped through wide the door with quiet footsteps. As they walked into court, everyone’s gaze turned to them.

It was a massively uncomfortable experience. Patrizia sighed inwardly, but outwardly she played the role of the perfect noble.

“Lady Patrizia of Duke Grochester and Lady Raphaella of Marquis Bringstone. Lady Greta of Count Arjeldo and Lady Barbara of Marquis d’Avar. Finally, Lady Tricia of Duke Vasi. A total of five queen candidates have entered.”

Patrizia loathed the feeling of being auctioned off like some animal, and she scoffed mentally.

“The first theme will be announced by Duchess Ephreney.”

Who would be chosen as queen would be determined by three tests. Two nobles and then the Emperor would announce the theme each test in order, and the evaluations would be discussed by three nobles along with the Emperor. Other nobles could challenge the decision made by the four, but that was a practice that was rarely ever put to use.

“This is the first theme,” Duchess Ephreney announced.

“….”

The air was heavy with silent expectation. Patrizia suddenly recalled the first challenge that Marquis Grochester had told her three years ago.