Reborn as a Mind-Reading Empress
Falling for his warm touch despite his usual coldness, she loved him only to be disappointed and betrayed in the end. When love turns to darkness, it festers to be poisonous and consumes the soul. The naive Arabella evolved. . . . “Thank you for becoming my wife,” was her cold husband’s last words before he died, coupled with a smile that had never before graced his lips. Not on their wedding day. And not even at the birth of their only child. Emperor Ferdinand, someone Arabella loved so much, killed their son. She became a villainess and vowed revenge for her beloved son. For a decade, she used everything she could to make Ferdinand pay. Until finally, he fell to ruin. With her revenge complete, Arabella's life soon ended with her dead husband right beside her. But fate wasn’t done playing with her. All of a sudden, she was back two decades ago right after their wedding. Was it a curse or a blessing? It doesn’t matter. Because there is only one thing she needed to do. “I will ruin you in this lifetime too,” that was her hateful promise to herself upon realizing she was reborn. And in her second life, Arabella was bestowed a gift to uncover the truth. Who was wrong and who was right? Only time will tell.
Too Mature for Her Age [Bonus chapter]
"I genuinely care about Dimo's well-being, so I want to help him. He's a child after all. Adults should be protecting him, not endangering his life, or trying to kill him as Sonia did. But of course, I'm not doing this purely out of goodwill. I also have ulterior motives."
"Oh, you do?" Ferdinand eyed her.
[Why does she have to deny being kind? She's been helping everyone even those who tried to harm her.]
'Because I'm not doing it out of kindness. I simply knew everything he went through in my past life. And he was someone who stood by me until the end, simply because I treated him better than his guildmates. And I simply thought, maybe, other people needed second chances too, the way I did.'
"Yes, I do."
After all, Olivier is a vast duchy with rich resources. If they became part of Valeria, they would be a boost to Valeria's coffers. Not that she was planning to make them a part of Valeria now.
What she wanted was Olivier's strategic location.