Celeste jolted awake, her chest heaving as though her lungs had only just remembered how to work.

A sharp gasp tore from her dry throat, like she had just broken free from something that had been choking her for a long, long time.

Huff.... huf...

Her trembling fingers clutched the red bedsheet tightly. Her eyes darted around the room, wide and hollow with fear, while cold sweat soaked her forehead.

Out of instinct, she pressed her hands roughly against her stomach... searching for the life she thought was still there,

"My baby.... where's my baby...."

And only to find a terrifying emptiness. Her eyes began to sting. She still remembered something that had shattered her completely.

"Where am I...."

The words came out trembling from her throat. As though it had been ages since she last heard her own voice.

Across from the large bed stood a tall mirror. Her vanity mirror, the one she had always used. In its reflection, a face stared back at her, framed by long, softly waving hair in a faded shade of violet.

Celeste stared, transfixed by every strand of it, looking so full of life, no longer dull and tangled the way it had been in her final days as the discarded Empress.

She ran her fingers slowly through her hair, feeling a softness that broke her heart a little, because she knew that this beauty was nothing more than decoration for a golden cage waiting to trap her all over again.

Yet her face looked brighter somehow, even as her eyes remained completely empty.

She tossed aside the blanket covering half her body. Her feet touched the cold marble floor. Without a second thought, she ran barefoot toward the vanity mirror. Desperate. Her legs, as though they had forgotten what it felt like to walk, gave out beneath her.

Pak!!.

The sound was quiet, but the red bruise it left on her skin was not. Her knees felt useless. She crawled the rest of the way to the mirror, dragging herself forward with one arm. Slowly, she pulled herself up and sat on the cold stool.

Isn't this.... what my face looked like before... that woman came and took everything from me...

She murmured. She cupped her own face in her hands and stared, unblinking. Her lips, her skin, her eyes. The hollowness that had once carved into her cheeks had filled back in. She looked almost young again.

No more cracked, peeling lips. The eyes that had always been swollen from crying were now clear again, though a thousand griefs still lived quietly behind them.

She sat there, stunned. All this time, as Empress.... she had never once cared for herself. Food, sleep, water, none of it had mattered.

There had only ever been one thing she wanted.... the love of a husband who had never once seen her as his wife.

Even knowing that man would never change, still....

Could he not have given me even the smallest piece of himself??...

It had all been because she was too desperate, reaching for a love that was never meant for her.

Unrequited love truly is the cruellest kind of pain...

She whispered softly. Tears rolled cold down her cheeks. She steadied herself and stood, slowly, until the mirror reflected back her slim figure, her white sleep gown settling gently around her.

Her feet carried her toward the quiet balcony. She stared out at nothing in particular, watching horse carriages pass in and out below. The sound of maids chattering on the lower floors barely reached her. The cool evening wind grazed her face softly. Her long hair swayed along with it.

She exhaled slowly, heavily.

Haih.....

Without warning, her nose caught something, a rich scent of musk and expensive sandalwood.... a scent she had once adored, the scent that always meant he had come home. The scent of the man she had loved the most.

It was as though she could feel the presence of someone she knew all too well.

"Celeste?"

That low, rough voice broke the silence of the balcony. Celeste froze. The heart that had felt dead moments ago suddenly slammed against her ribs with a fear that was almost violent.

Slowly, she turned, and there stood Caspian. He looked impossibly perfect, even more striking than she remembered, but his eyes were as cold as ever as they settled on her.

PAK PAK PAK

His footsteps echoed through the room. In an instant he was standing directly in front of her, staring down at her, sharp and unreadable. The same as always.

That look made her despise him even more than she already did.

"Why are you here?..." Celeste said, her voice flat and cold, and turned her face away. Her whole body felt weak. She knew no matter how hard she tried to appear unbothered, she always seemed to fall apart in front of him.

Not now, please, not now....

She pleaded silently. But Caspian said nothing. He simply stared. Slowly, Celeste turned to look back at him as he stood there before her, perfectly still.

Her eyes wavered for just a moment....

...those eyes....

Celeste could tell. His eyes looked as though they were hesitating, as though, they were asking something of her. But she already knew how this went. So she shifted her gaze toward the wide open bedroom door, where a woman in a fancy dress stood waiting, as though she had been expecting Caspian's return all along.

"Which one is it this time.... a beggar? Someone you picked up off the street??..."

Celeste said it with a look of pure distaste. Caspian went quiet. Usually, Celeste would cry or raise her voice whenever she saw him with another woman.

But that cold stare, that look of contempt.... it was as though she were looking at something revolting, not at the man she had once worshipped.

The hand that had been hanging at her side came up, and she crossed her arms, watching Caspian with a calm that clearly confused him. Her reaction was nothing like what he had been expecting.

You're not angry?....

Caspian asked, his voice low and quiet. Celeste lifted her shoulders quickly.

" For what...??"

Celeste shot back, eyes briefly scanning the woman at the door who looked like she wanted to disappear into the wall. But still,

"Shameless..."

She muttered under her breath.... only for it to slip halfway past her lips. Caspian's eyes went wide, and then his hand moved without much thought and landed lightly on her small cheek.

Pap!!

Her face tilted slightly to the side. Celeste was quiet. Then slowly, she turned back to face Caspian, whose breathing was no longer steady.

She let out a small laugh. She looked at him with nothing but contempt and hatred burning in her eyes. Caspian stood there, unable to move.

The pair of eyes that had always adored him, always chased after him through tears, now stared at him with a depth of emptiness he had never known.

There was a flash of hatred there that he had never seen before, as though the flame that had lived in Celeste's eyes for so long had gone out completely, leaving behind only cold ash.

For just a moment, Caspian's eyes trembled. In the pale violet of her irises, he saw his own reflection, and what looked back at him was not a great Emperor, but a monster.

Something uncertain stirred in his chest. The hand that had just struck her twitched slightly upward, as though it regretted itself.

But he did not understand what was happening inside him. And then,

"I wonder, Caspian.... is this the same hand you'll use to kill me one day? Or are you saving your strength for the woman at the door?"

Celeste wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth with her thumb. Those pale violet eyes stared straight into his, without a single tear.

"Go ahead and slap me again. After all, that's the only thing you know how to do whenever you feel like you're losing an argument, isn't it?"

Caspian's mouth went shut. He had no idea what to say. Before, whenever he did something that hurt Celeste, there had always been a part of him that almost enjoyed watching her react. But now,

The face in front of him felt like a stranger's.

"...silent now?... Caspian, you're really always like this..." Celeste said, her voice sharp and cutting.

Celeste turned back to the balcony, putting her back to both Caspian and the woman at the door as though they were nothing more than dust beneath her feet.

"Leave, Caspian. Take that woman out of my sight before I lose my patience "

Her voice was calm. But cold enough to root him to the spot.

For the first time in the entire history of their marriage, it was not Caspian who left Celeste in tears. It was Celeste who drove the Emperor out, with nothing but disdain.

CLICK...

The door shut tight. Without warning her legs suddenly went weak.

Hick!!.....

Then her eyes that had been full of anger filled with tears. Her knees touched the cold balcony floor.

She didn't know why the ache in her chest hurt so much. She let out a cry with no sound. Only her tears did the talking.

The harder she held back her voice from coming out, the more painful the pressure in her chest felt.

Her breathing grew more and more unsteady. Then her hand reached for her chest as she almost fell to the floor. One arm gripped the balcony railing tight.

Owww..... this really hurts...

Her body that had been facing the balcony door slowly turned forward then leaned against that railing. She stared at that still door with a look full of hatred.

Behind that door, Caspian was probably holding another woman, while here, Celeste was fighting the remains of a love still beating in her chest. A love she swore she would pull out by its roots.

Like someone gone mad, her feet bare with only her sleep gown on, she sat staring at that tightly closed door.

How dare you Caspian...

She said while clutching and pulling her neatly done hair into a mess. Little by little her crying became audible, quiet but enough to be heard in that one room. She pulled her knees to her chest and covered her face.

A few minutes later, her eyes started to swell. She wiped her tears roughly until her cheek that had just been slapped stung with pain. That sting became an alarm clock that snapped her out of the trauma.

"Why..... why should I cry..."

"Just for a man who never even looked at me properly..."

She said quietly while staring straight at that door with empty eyes. As if she had only just woken up to the reality of her life all this time.

She went quiet for a moment. Then stood up from the balcony floor on legs that were still trembling, but her eyes had already sharpened.

"Death should have already taught me that tears are the most useless thing in this palace."

She whispered in a voice so very quiet. She stepped back into her room then walked straight toward her vanity table.

Srick...

A drawer was opened. Inside were many pieces of jewellery, hairpins that Caspian had given her throughout their marriage. She gripped one hairpin tightly... a bitter memory crossed her mind.

"I was too naive back then..." she said. Her old memory of thinking those gifts were a sign that Caspian loved her... but it turned out they had belonged to the women he had already brought to his bed. She smiled bitterly.

"If I were still the old Celeste I would definitely have kept this in my treasure box..." she said while slowly shaking her head. Not knowing she had been that naive.

All the disgust inside her heart burned stronger. She took every piece of jewellery Caspian had given her.

"All of this..... means nothing to me anymore" she said sharply while putting all her jewellery into her cloth bag.

"This is no longer a love gift from Caspian. This is my ticket to freedom."

She said... without meaning to the corner of her lips curved into a smile. When she noticed it she startled and touched her lips that had been bleeding. As if that moment was the beginning of her new life.

Suddenly, that door swung wide open... a maid around her age walked in with a worried face. Celeste went still... stunned watching that maid's reaction. That maid closed the door then rushed toward Celeste who was sitting on the cold floor.

"Your Majesty!! Why are you sitting on this cold floor..." she said while helping her up. Celeste was surprised hearing that maid's voice.

She thought for a moment. That was the maid she had dismissed when she was madly in love with Caspian. She had tried to stop Celeste from caring too much and had always criticised Caspian's behaviour... but...

"I was the one who was too blind and without thinking clearly...."

"...fired her under the charge of disrespecting the royal family..."

Without realising it she hugged that maid tightly.

"I'm sorry...."

She said in a whispered tone. That maid was stunned... silent. Confused watching Celeste who had suddenly become emotional.

"Your Majesty!!!!! Are you okay?!" that maid cried out in panic as if afraid something had happened to her. But Celeste slowly shook her head while smiling bitterly.

"No, I just suddenly woke up from a very bad dream" she said letting go of that hug.

"Um... Kina... will you help me?" she said quietly while looking at the maid named Kina. She tilted her head slightly then startled.

"Your Majesty.... if it has anything to do with the Emperor I don't want to..." she said with a slightly annoyed tone. Celeste laughed quietly. Celeste smiled thinly, that pair of faded violet eyes now shining with fresh determination.

"Don't worry, Kina. This is no longer about how to get that man's attention. Instead... I need your help to make sure I never have to see his face again for as long as I live."

Kina went quiet, her eyes went wide.

"HAH... what does Your Majesty mean?"

Celeste looked at the cloth bag filled with jewellery.

"We are getting out of here, Kina. Before this cage kills me for the second time."

She said while looking sadly toward Kina. Kina went quiet and said nothing. She looked at Celeste who had always seemed empty but now looked more alive.

Without saying much she reached for Celeste's hand. With eyes that were shining as if she had been ready for this all along.

"ALRIGHT!! Your Majesty.... if that is what Your Majesty wants I will help ....Your Majesty get away from that shameless dog"

she said while standing up quickly. She walked to every corner of that room. To Celeste's wardrobe that looked dusty as if it had never been touched.

Celeste was confused. Before she could understand the situation a bag landed neatly in front of her.

Huhh...

"Kina... what is this for?" she said while smiling awkwardly.

"To survive...." she said briefly but looking proud. Celeste laughed quietly.

"Kina... not now, ....but maybe within this month..."

"We need to plan a strategy to get out..." she said calmly while standing. Kina helped her stand and sit on that bed.

Kina held Celeste's hand tight, as if channeling all her strength to her mistress.

"Your Majesty... this time, I will not let anyone touch even a single strand of Your Majesty's hair. We will run as far away as possible from this hell."

Celeste nodded slowly. She looked toward the balcony.... toward the darkness of the night waiting outside.

She had already died once, and she would not let Caspian make her feel like she was in hell for the second time.

The real war had only just begun. She clenched her hand tight as if that was her resolve as an Empress in that kingdom.

Throughout that breakfast, Celeste did not once lift her face to look at the man sitting at the far end of that long table.

The atmosphere of the dining hall that was usually filled with hollow compliments now felt suffocating. Caspian might have expected Celeste to cry or beg like always, but what he found was only a sharp silence... like a blade ready to pierce anyone who came near.

Then,

Clang..

The fork and spoon were placed on that clean plate. Celeste glanced toward Caspian who hadn't touched the food on the table at all. Without saying anything... she picked up the cloth beside her to wipe her lips.

After wiping, her chair was pushed back slowly until the sound of that chair scraping echoed through that dining room. All the maids present looked toward Celeste whose behaviour seemed to have changed so suddenly.

"I'll excuse myself..." she said quietly. Without expecting an answer she turned her head and stepped toward the entrance door. But just as her hand was about to reach that door knob, Caspian's voice was heard from behind.

"Celeste..." he said slightly loudly... still hesitating to call that name. She actually had no desire to deal with Caspian who had always looked at her as if she were small... like rubbish that when no longer needed was thrown away just like that. Celeste slowly turned her head back.

Caspian's slightly dark face stared sharply toward her.

"Yes?..." she said in a firm but calm tone. Caspian stood and approached her slowly but was stopped by Celeste.

"Don't come near me, Your Majesty.." she snapped while staring sharply toward Caspian. Caspian startled.

This was the first time Celeste had raised her voice at him. Somehow he felt something had changed about Celeste. Caspian gritted his teeth. "Celeste, do you realise who you are speaking to right now? I am the Emperor of this kingdom!"

Celeste smiled sarcastically, not the least bit shaken.

"And I am the Empress you neglected until I nearly died from the coldness of your own hands, Your Majesty. So save that status for your kept women. I... am done."

She answered without caring anymore about the people around her. She rolled her eyes and then stepped out of that room calmly.

"Celeste!!!..." That voice still echoed in the room she had just left. But it was ignored, in fact it gave her more energy to plan her escape from that cage.

The sound of her footsteps echoed all along that corridor. At the corner of her lips a smile formed, but deep in her heart she still felt pain every time that voice called her name.

Not worthy!!

She whispered then walked away to her room.

Back in that room, Caspian was still looking toward that wide open door. His hand that should have been pulling Celeste's hand was now holding nothing but empty air. He went quiet for a moment. He looked at that cold marble floor. His eyes were fixed on Celeste's plate that had been eaten clean.

This time she finished her food...

He whispered quietly while stepping toward his dining chair. He looked at his palm that had landed on his wife's small cheek. Then leaned his body against the chair. He let out a heavy breath. Then covered his face.

Why does that woman do this to me....

He said quietly while slowly closing his eyes. Silence.

But suddenly, a figure appeared at that door.

Celeste?

He whispered then quickly opened his eyelids. But when his eyes shifted toward the sound of those footsteps, the light in Caspian's eyes went out immediately upon seeing that figure. The hope that had just bloomed in his chest shattered, replaced by a nausea he had never felt before.

"Your Majesty.....I waited for you for a long time last night..." said that woman. The same woman Celeste had seen. For the first time, he felt disgusted looking at that woman.

"Get out!!..." he said loudly. But that woman paid no attention and instead moved even closer to Caspian. She walked then went behind Caspian while lightly patting his shoulder.

That woman, with the coy smile that usually managed to melt Caspian's heart, stepped in with a deliberately exaggerated sway.

She didn't realise that the aura inside that dining hall had already turned cold, colder than the snow outside the palace.

"Your Majesty....don't be angry please...I'm scared.." said that woman in a soft gentle tone as if performed. But that woman's hand was roughly brushed away by Caspian. Then,

"Get out!!" Caspian's voice was flat, but its tremor was enough to stop that woman's movement.

"Your Majesty... why? Has Empress Celeste said something that..."

BAM!

Caspian slammed his hand down on the table, causing the remaining plates and glasses to shake hard. He stood, his eyes cutting sharply toward the woman in front of him.

"I said... GET OUT!"

he snapped, this time with a voice that shook the entire room.

That woman startled, her face that had been covered in thick powder now went pale.

"B-but Your Majesty... last night you promised..."

"My promise is dead..... dead after seeing your face that gives me a headache,"

Caspian stepped toward that woman, every footstep feeling like a threat.

"I want you to leave this palace right now. Do not let me see your face again, or I myself will make sure you will not be able to see tomorrow's sunlight."

Without waiting even a moment, that woman turned and ran out in tears full of fear. Caspian drew in a long breath, trying to find the calm that had already gone. He turned back toward Celeste's empty chair.

"Celeste... what have I done?" he whispered to the passing wind.

The Butler who had witnessed everything drew in a long breath. Then stepped toward Caspian who looked troubled.

"Your Majesty....." he said quietly. A low voice but still carrying firmness in every word he put out. Caspian stared sharply.

"Forgive me Your Majesty, but forgiveness will not come to those who only wait at the dining table. If Your Majesty truly wishes to see Her Majesty's face again, perhaps Your Majesty needs to learn how to make amends."

"What if Your Majesty visited Her Majesty.." he said in a polite tone. Caspian narrowed his eyes looking at the Butler.

"Haih....how am I supposed to go..."

"If you look at her behaviour.....doesn't it mean she's starting to find me disgusting?.." said Caspian in a very low tone. That voice was mixed with sadness and disappointment. The Butler stepped two feet away from him. A sign of understanding the situation.

Whether it was love or missing Celeste's affection, he was disturbed by the emptiness in that woman's eyes. He was not used to being the one who was ignored.

"Why has she changed? Is this another tactic to get my attention, or is the Celeste I knew truly already dead?"

He whispered. He tilted his head to the side to look at that wide open window, but the window mirror reflecting his own face was stared at sharply.

He imagined every one of his actions toward his wife after they married. Those images kept circling in his mind. He looked at that face full of ego and womanising ways.

He went quiet for a moment....

Caspian was still sitting stiff in front of the mirror, staring at his own image full of ego.

" Maybe, if i show up she will happy..." He said. But, He had just been about to step out to find Celeste, but the dining hall door opened roughly.

The Butler entered with a face paler than usual. His hands trembled holding a letter with a very exclusive gold seal.

"Your Majesty... forgive me, but there is an official messenger at the front gate,"

the Butler reported in a halting tone. Caspian furrowed his brow. "Who dares disturb me at a time like this?"

"Prince Killian, Your Majesty. He states that he will not move until he sees Her Majesty, Celeste, with his own eyes."

Caspian snatched that letter and read it. The last line of the letter made his blood boil:

" I have heard that the 'jewel' you have been neglecting has started to crack. So I have come to make sure nobody will break it further including you, Caspian."

That sentence echoed in his mind. He crumpled that paper with one tight grip. Then stood and threw it toward the fire.

His eyes clearly showed jealousy rising but at the same time his ego remained high. He scoffed. Then stepped toward the wide window that could show the situation in front of the gate.

A figure could be seen standing, smiling sarcastically looking toward Caspian. Caspian's jawline tightened. His teeth were gritted hard.

Shit....

In her room, Celeste who was packing her things together with Kina stopped when she heard the sound of a royal trumpet blow from the direction of the front gate.

Celeste stopped her grip on the linen cloth she was about to put into the bag. Her heart beat slightly faster,... not out of fear, but because she recognised that trumpet sound.

She looked at Kina full of questions.

"Kina... it seems our plan has to be postponed. Something bigger has just arrived."