1 Chapter 1: The betrayal that freed her from her cage

Almost every day, for the past few months, Leticia has been dreaming of the same scene over and over again. She kept dreaming that she was kneeling in front of so many people, all looking at her with contempt in their eyes.

Almost every day, in her dream, she would plead for those people to believe her, but no matter how loud she shouted, her cries would always fall on deaf ears.

No one believed in her.

She would beg and cry to those people who are looking at her like she is a mere speck of dirt under their shoes until she wakes up gasping for air, realizing that that was not her reality and that it was merely a dream.

The dream was so realistic that even after she wakes up, her heart is still filled with hatred for those people who ignored her pleas.

The dream was so realistic that even now, she could not believe that what is presently happening is her reality.

It is the same. Everything is similar to her dreams.

But no matter how hard she pinched her arm, she would not wake up.

Leticia is kneeling in front of a judge, with a lot of people, people whom she trusted, looking at her with glares that could almost kill her on the spot. They were whispering to each other, loud enough for Leticia to hear, and they were hoping that the worst sentence would be given to her, hoping that she dies.

The scene was very familiar, it was the same scene that she has been seeing in her dreams, but after watching the same thing unfold over and over again, she became too tired, too tired to plead to all these people who would not even bother listening to her.

And her silence only made those people furious.

They thought that she is silent because she is guilty of the sins that they are accusing her of, that she indeed tried to murder the daughter of an Earl, Evangeline Bennet, by poisoning her, but in reality, she was only quiet because she has seen the same scene multiple times, and she knew, that even if she tried to plead for her innocence, no one would believe her.

Leticia, in reality, had no idea of the crimes that they are accusing her of. Evangeline Bennet was poisoned at a tea party, and conveniently, the same poison that was used against her was found in Leticia's pouch, and soon enough, everyone turned their backs on her.

Leticia is innocent. She has no idea why the poison suddenly appeared in her pouch, but even if she tried to claim that she is innocent, she has no evidence of proving their accusations wrong.

To make matters worse, Evangeline Bennet is the lover of the first prince, Leticia's fiancé, and instantly, the people began making assumptions – that Leticia poisoned her fiancé's lover in a fit of jealousy.

But those assumptions could not be more wrong.

All her life, Leticia was trained to become the wife of the first prince and in turn, become the future queen of the Kingdom of Carnelian, and even if she poured her whole life thinking that she would be wed to the first prince, not once did she loved the arrogant prince enough to take another person's life.

Not once did she open her heart to him.

The first prince, Prince Anthony, was a selfish and arrogant bastard. Being engaged to Leticia all his life made him think that Leticia is tying him down, preventing him from choosing the kind of life he wanted, but what Prince Anthony failed to realize is that Leticia is as helpless as he is in this situation, perhaps even more helpless than he is. They were both tied to an engagement they both do not want because of their parents, and despite what Prince Anthony thinks, it was Leticia who was suffering the most.

Nevertheless, Prince Anthony's hatred for Leticia made him relish hurting her. He would embarrass her in front of other nobility during tea parties, he would say hurtful words to her, and he would flaunt his relationship with Evangeline Bennet in front of her.

He was making Leticia's life miserable, and he thinks that if he could not escape from his engagement with her, this was the only way he could go against his parents' wishes.

Leticia, on the other hand, had to endure everything that Prince Anthony did to her in order not to risk the chance of her parents punishing her, and despite knowing the fact about the first prince's lover, she was entirely fine with it.

She does not expect anything from Prince Anthony in the first place, especially not his loyalty.

She thought that, perhaps, if Prince Anthony has someone who would distract him away from her, she would be able to live her life peacefully, but she was wrong. The arrival of Evangeline Bennet only made her suffering worse, and Evangeline is in reality more horrible than the first prince.

But despite the embarrassment and the suffering those two did to her, she would never attempt to kill anyone.

Leticia was merely following what her parents want. Ever since she was born, she was already promised to be wed to the first prince, and her parents did everything to make her the perfect queen.

Her parents gave her all the training she needed to be the perfect tool in helping them climb the ladder. As if being a duke was never enough, they wanted their daughter to sit on the throne and help them attain more power over the nobility.

But all their aspirations vanished when Leticia was accused of attempting to murder the first prince's lover, and without even a blink, they instantly abandoned her, as if they did not use her for power all seventeen years of Leticia's life.

Her family, her supposed friends, and her fiancé – everyone betrayed her.

They did not even help prove her innocence, afraid of incurring the wrath of the first prince and the royal family. Now, they are also the ones who are hoping for her death.

Leticia could only scoff at how fast they turned their backs on her. It was only a few days ago when they were trying to use her for their benefit, now that she lost her purpose, they threw her away as fast as they could.

As the judge recounts the incident and all the evidence against her, Leticia finally resigned herself to her death. She knew, that even if Evangeline Bennet survived the supposed poisoning, the court would never be lenient with her. The court wanted to gain the favor of the royal family, and giving the woman who made a crime against a member of the royal family, the worst sentence, would give them what they want.

'And perhaps', Leticia thought. 'Death could finally set me free from this miserable life.'

"Leticia Muriel Vermilion," the judge said, his voice resounding throughout the courtroom, and suddenly, everyone was silent, anticipating the sentence that the court would give her. "You are hereby expunged from the nobility and sentenced to banishment."

The loud gasps that echoed throughout the room were deafening, and Leticia could not entirely grasp what was happening. She thought that she would be sentenced to death, but she was merely stripped off of her title and banished from the kingdom.

'Why?'

Perhaps because for nobles, stripping their title off of them is worse than death. Nobles are inherently prideful, and titles are everything for them, and for these prideful nobles, being sentenced to death with their titles intact, is way better than living as a penniless commoner.

But for Leticia, that was not the case. Leticia's title is nothing but a burden for her. It was because of her title that she was forced to become something that she is not, forced to be the future wife of the arrogant prince, forced to suffer in a life she never wanted, and when she heard the judge declare her sentence, it is as if the invisible chains that her parents imprisoned her with, was finally gone.

And finally, she can just be Leticia Muriel, a woman who dreams of seeing the whole empire, and not just a woman who's caged in this measly kingdom.

She could finally be freed from the expectations that surrounded her all her life, she could finally be herself without constantly worrying over tarnishing her family name, and she could finally be away from this miserable shell she was forced to build in order to protect herself.

'Maybe, this is the second life that I have been wishing for,' Leticia thought, her eyes blurring from tears of joy, and suddenly a single drop of tear fell from her eyes.

This is the first time Leticia cried during the entire trial.

The people inside the courtroom saw this, and immediately, they rejoiced at the victory over the supposed evil. Not only is she never allowed to return to the kingdom, but she also lost everything – her title and all the prestige that comes with it.

But if they expected that she would wallow in self-pity as a commoner and kill herself in the end, they are wrong. They thought that the court gave her the worst sentence any noble could get, but for Leticia, it was a blessing that she could only hope for in the past.

Finally, Leticia would be able to travel to faraway lands and discover all the wonders that the empire entails. She would become happier and richer than these people who betrayed her.

And for Leticia, that would be the best revenge for everyone in this kingdom who wronged her.