Raja’s Existence

"Where's the princess consort?" a majestic woman in a throne asked as she went down the chair owned by the ruler of all the land.

The time for an audience got finished and now, she needed to proceed with her duties in her office.

"Answering the Empress, the princess consort is currently in the Imperial Library with the young princess of the Cercia Duchy," the attendant answered while bowing his head.

The woman paused a little before continuing her walk.

However, she now had a small frown on her face.

Instead of walking to her office, the woman made a turn towards the Imperial Library.

When she entered, she ignored the tall shelves full of books and the scent of paper in the air.

She accurately found a girl in a white dress sitting in a corner by the window with books in her desk, reading.

The woman showed a soft smile in her face when she saw the girl, but it quickly changed to a grimace when she noticed another by the girl's side.

She approached the two people reading silently by the window in fast strides.

"Princess consort, Cercia princess," the woman greeted with her sharp eyes.

The princess consort, the girl in a white dress, obviously flinched when she heard this familiar voice before raising her head from her book with wide eyes.

She hastily stood up before uttering a greeting to the monarch of the country.

On the other hand, the Cercia Duchy's princess, the confident girl in a purple outfit smiled lazily before performing a lacking greeting without pressure.

She can only do this because her father is second-in-line to the throne if the current Empress did not have an heir.

It had been scandalous event when the current Empress did not choose a prince consort but a princess consort instead.

Noble families that had ties to the Imperial Family were quick to object this as if they were concerned about the heirs of the Imperial Family when they only wanted to fight for the prince consort position.

Although the Empress was quick to quell the hearts of the nobles due to her achievements of conquering the nearby kingdoms, support to the Imperial family still fell and some nobles turned around to support the Cercia family.

"The Cercia family's princess really is free, taking the time to read in the Imperial Library instead of the Cercia's own family library. How sad the Duke would be if he found out that his library is less attractive than the palace's own for his daughter?" In short, she's trying to drive away this third party from the palace.

The woman even smiled hypocritically, which the Cercia princess just returned.

"Your Majesty, this princess did not come to visit the Imperial Library but came to accompany the princess consort. How lonely she must have been when the Empress is busy with the country's affairs?" the woman's smile twitched when the Cercia princess did not even mince her words and straightforwardly said that to the Empress.

If this girl is not her cousin but a girl from other noble families, she would have exiled her away from the palace.

But she can't do that.

The Cercia Duchy is an important pillar for the country.

She can't afford to tear the paper window between them just because of her petty jealousy.

The woman sighed mentally.

The past few months had been tiresome for her.

Quelling the rebellions in the newly conquered territories, providing support to drought-infested areas, the annual demon beast tide, and the nobles jumping out of line.

She can only compromise.

But she didn't know that she would come to regret this later.

If she had known, she would have tightened her reigns and control over this giant country to be called a tyrant rather than to be betrayed.

"Vanche! What is the meaning of this?!" the woman did not even bother and just called the Cercia princess in her name.

The woman is currently facing the period of the most ups and downs in her emotions, even topping that of the time when she found out that she liked girls.

"Are you an idiot or what? You can't even tell the obvious, Your Majesty?" Vanche said that title mockingly as she looked down on the former majestic woman on the throne who's now kneeling pathetically to her knees.

The woman, the former Empress of the empire, however, continued to stare at the girl currently sitting on the throne resentfully.

If stares could kill, Vanche would have been dead a thousand times over.

"Did you really think that Mirabelle would look at you if you forcefully take her as your princess consort?" Vanche stood up from the throne and walked before stopping a few steps away from the tied-up woman.

"That's where you're mistaken, Raja. Mirabelle will never look at you, because she's always been looking at me, and me only," the girl expressed her dominance to her love cousin who's pathetically gritting her teeth.

"You don't even truly love her! What right do you have to continually keep her hopes up! But I can clearly give her everything she could have hoped for! Love, status, security!" the woman became crazed as she heard Vanche's mocking.

"Pfft! Security? You can't even keep the throne in your hands, and you hoped to give her security? You're just an orphan who have nothing after uncle died. You are rash, petty, hot-headed, not suitable to be the monarch of an empire. That's why I'll gladly take those responsibilities from your hands, cousin, including your princess consort," Vanche said before ordering the guards to take Raja to the dungeons.

The crazed former Empress suddenly turned silent, before she laughed in a chilling manner.

"I see, I see. So, everything happened because Mirabelle kept her eyes on you, and you took advantage of it. Yes, this is what happened. I understand, I understand. Then I can only make sure that next time, you won't return the gaze that she gives you," the woman raised her tear stained and sweat stained face, with a malicious smile on them.

Vanche got alarmed as she saw something in between Raja's smiling teeth.

Recognizing that marble, Vanche's victorious grin turned into horror.

How could the Empress have acquired the fabled Reincarnation Marble?!

"See you in another world, Vanche. But this time, Mirabelle will solely belong to me," those are the last words of the former Empress before she crushed the marble.

"No!" Vanche cried out but it was already too late.

An energy wave coming from the crushed marble spread to every corner of the world, warping it in chaotic void storm.

Remembering the events in another time and space, Raja squinted her eyes in amusement as Mira slept peacefully in her bed.

"Vanche would never have known how I acquired the Reincarnation Marble, my dearest princess consort. That cowardly rat who searched the whole world for it would never have known that the marble is passed down from generation to generation of the Abyss' heirs," Raja smiled as the redness in her eyes appeared once more.

"When my mother met my father the Emperor, she was gravely injured from the Abyss' infighting, and her demonic traits hid themselves. He married her and I was conceived. The marble was passed on to me when she died from the assassination of those nobles," Raja kissed the girl lying on bed piously, as if the girl is some kind of diving being that she can't bear to taint with her dirty lips.

"You don't know how long I've endured just to meet you again, my dearest princess consort. This time, I'll make sure you look at me only. I'll make sure that I become your world, evolving around me."

Unbeknownst to the sleeping girl, Room #6 became a freezing hell, with icicles forming and frost covered the ceiling and the floor surrounding the bed.

Pausing for a bit, Raja smiled once more.

"Now I know why mother told me not to fall in love. Demons might be naturally cold-hearted savages, but once we give our hearts to others, we will turn into possessive bastards. And the object of my possession is my beloved Mirabelle."

"You're mine, Mira. Mine only."