Chapter 1. Unlucky Star

— Sir, the stars say that this child will bring you nothing but misfortune.

Those were the first words she heard when she returned to this world.

— «Misfortune?»

— The Remesis star foretells death, ruin of ancestral property, and other misfortunes… Your ladyship, for your sake, I advise you to get rid of this child.

The man who looked colder than an iceberg remained silent for a while. The gaze of his topaz eyes glittered unkindly on the infant.

— Your lordship…

— I hear you,» Michael Carter, the Grand Duke of the Nadal Empire, nodded briefly, «You may be free to go.

— What about…» the astrologer fell silent as his host suddenly looked at him gloomily.

— This girl… I'll decide what to do with her.

With a wave of his long dark cloak, the duke's figure disappeared from the room. Following him was an aged astrologer in a satin robe. The hem of his garment fell to the floor, while the elder himself was an image of wisdom and majesty.

He muttered something unkindly to himself as he looked at the baby's cradle. There lay the infant, branded at birth as «a harbinger of trouble and misfortune.»

They left the newborn in the room all alone. Her birth father looked at her as if she were a mountain of garbage in front of him, not his own daughter.

That feeling… She'd already forgotten what it felt like. Her lips curved involuntarily into a smile as she caught her father's gaze for the first time in a long time.

As it turned out, he'd been full of hate from the start.

If it weren't for the infant's body, she would have laughed across the room at the irony.

Her name is Remesis Carter, and in fact, she had turned twenty not too long ago. Just moments ago, her life was cut short by a sword, and she woke up in the body of an infant.

«In the end, I returned to this body again. The youngest daughter of the Carter family.»

Her first life was miserable and disgusting. Even though she was born into the Duke family, her situation was far worse than expected. Her father abandoned his daughter, all because she was born under an unlucky star.

The Nadal Empire was a state where people deeply believed in astrology, and in particular, in the destiny it ordained. It was a kind of cult. Immediately after the birth of a child, the nobility, and even commoners, if they had such an opportunity, invited a representative of the astrological order to their home.

In its importance this person was not inferior to the clergyman of the temple.

It was the astrologer who determined the future fate of the child. Depending on the star under which he was born, his position in society was decided. Thus, parents could make even the youngest child the heir of the family, if he was «blessed by the stars».

This tradition was so rooted in the empire that the services of astrologers were used by members of the imperial family and the upper nobility.

Michael Carter, Grand Duke of the Nadal Empire, was no exception. In total, he had four children, and for each at birth was made a personalized star horoscope.

Under the most prosperous star was born the eldest son, the Duke's successor, Michelle Carter. The star Serdil foretold its bearer wealth and success in all endeavors. Therefore, from birth, the boy was treated with special attention.

The second daughter, Katrina, was also blessed by the celestial luminary, although to a lesser extent than her brother. Reina's star promised happiness in family life and a successful marriage.

The third son, Livius, was not blessed by the stars like his older sister and brother. The star Akarin promised a quiet life without much accomplishment. But there were no bad signs on it either, which already allowed Livius to be accepted into the family.

However, the prosperous lineage of the ducal family, was interrupted with the appearance of the fourth child. The duke's youngest daughter was born late at night when thunder and lightning raged outside the window. By her birth, she also took her mother's life.

The oak tree that had remained untouched in the Duke's residence all this time was destroyed by lightning at the moment of her birth.

On this basis, the fate of the newborn was predetermined even before the visit of the astrologer. And the astrologer confirmed the fears. The star Remesis was considered one of the unfortunate stars in the natal chart. Practically, it meant that the girl would bring trouble not only to herself, but also to others.

Such a child had no place in the Duke's family. The abbot of the astrological tower advised him to get rid of the child sooner rather than later.

«Even though Mr. Michel, blessed by the star Serdil, may be able to ward off trouble from the family, but the presence of this girl here is still unsafe.»

People born under an unlucky star are said to bring their loved ones nothing but trouble. Their lives are full of hardship. Either ruin or death of some of their relatives or all together awaits them.

In any case, no one wants to keep such a child. This was especially unacceptable in the family of the Duke, one of the pillars of the preservation of the state.

The dignitaries of the astrological order begged Michael Carter to change his mind, but he still decided to keep the child. She was never given a name, after all, the girl was named after the cursed star under which she was born. Remesis.

But despite the fact that Remesis was able to stay in the family of the Duke, further life did not bode well for her. It was as if the curse of the unlucky star had begun to come true.

From the moment she was born, her sister and brothers shunned her, fearing the misfortunes destined for her. And her father, for that matter. He forgot about her existence after the astrologer made that terrible «diagnosis». It is not clear why he decided to keep the girl in the house at all.

The family shunned her and the servants despised her. Remesis' entire life was filled with suffering. She tried to earn love, but could not do so, because of her unfortunate fate.

Remesis didn't live on the Duke's estate for long. At the age of eight, she was officially declared the bride of the imperial family. Moreover, she was the daughter of the emperor, once given the title of Crown Princess. But it was too early to rejoice. After all, this child was also cursed.

Asil Nara Ashelot.

The princess was born under the so-called «black» star, which carried only one meaning — death.

Though the emperor did not kill her, he disowned Asil as his daughter. Once the horrifying details of her birth were revealed, the newborn princess was stripped of her status as heir to the throne and exiled to live on the outskirts of the Imperial Palace.

Since then, Asil has been universally hated by those around her. Even her own mother cried every day and regretted giving birth to her. The princess was mistreated and tormented as if she were a leper.

A devil's spawn who would never find a place anywhere.

A horrible monster.

…And it was her wife that Remesis had to become.

When her father put this condition before her, she could not refuse. It was the Emperor's order, who wanted to unite their families by blood ties.

In truth, though, it was just a convenient excuse to get rid of the harbingers of trouble between the two noble families.

The two of them were exiled to the north, ostensibly to maintain friendly relations between the northern and southern regions. But in reality, it was an exile to certain death.

Severe frost, dangerous predators and lack of food — a place where not every adult can survive. But they sent the children there virtually unaccompanied. A barren land. A place where the battle is always raging.

Of course, no one expected them to come back alive.

Remesis didn't believe it either. When the girl was sent to the north, it seemed to her that her fate was already sealed. She thought she would either freeze to death or become a snack for wild animals.

But to her great surprise, that never happened. Remesis was able to survive this time and live safely into her twenties.

All because her wife, Asil Nara Asheloth, was more dangerous than any predator in this frozen land.

It was only because of Asil that they were able to survive the cold nights, avoid dying in the jaws of beasts and other dangers of the north. Eventually, they were able to settle in the capital of the north and rebuild their own residence.

However, even though Remesis had gained the long-awaited stability and shelter over her head, the girl was actually not at all happy about it. Because she was terribly afraid of her wife.

The girl even got a nickname — «the northern devil».

People called Asil a monster, obsessed with war and bloodshed. Becoming the princess of the northern lands, the girl unleashed wars one after another, and none of them ended in defeat. Wherever she passed, she left not a living soul behind.

It seemed to Remesis that she was living amidst endless bloodshed. She could neither escape nor hide from it. Asil's madness followed her everywhere.

The princess kills someone, someone attacks them, war breaks out, kills, kills again…

With Asil's influence growing rapidly, the North became one of the most powerful territorial lands in the Empire. After the dominance of the northern region became apparent, all the powerful families rushed to sign an alliance agreement with them. No matter how humiliating it was.

Obviously, sooner or later, this news worried the Imperial Palace and the emperor himself. Except that he came to his senses too late. While the emperor did not remember about the existence of his daughter in the far north, — she slowly and surely accumulated her reserve. As a result, her army was at least five times larger.

The war between the North and South was only a matter of time. And the imperial family didn't stand a chance from the start. For someone who had considered himself superior to everyone all along, this turned out to be a real blow. In an attempt to save his position, Alexis Cesius Ashelot even decided to pull a dirty trick.

To avoid an unequal fight with his daughter, he instead decided to stab her in the back.

To do so, the emperor secretly contacted his daughter-in-law and made a pact with her. In exchange for killing Asil, the emperor would allow Remesis to annul the marriage and return to her homeland. This was what the girl had so desperately longed for all these years.

For twelve years, Remesis had lived in a never-ending nightmare. She hated the North and the wife imposed upon her, for whom she felt nothing but horror.

And now she clutched at this opportunity like a straw.

«Maybe if I save the empire, father will finally recognize me!»

If the girl cursed by an unlucky star became a Hero of the Empire, she could get rid of her stigma. The people who have despised her all this time and members of her own family will finally accept her.

Fueled by this fragile hope, Remesis decided to make an assassination attempt.

Killing Asil proved to be a difficult task: after all, they had no relationship. She could not simply walk in on her without witnesses and without arousing suspicion. Their rare meetings were limited to mutual greetings in the corridors, more like a forced formality.

In the end, the girl came to the conclusion that she only had to do it at night.

She was going to attack and kill her while she slept. But…

Suddenly, the princess intercepted the blade a millimeter away from her neck. A few drops of blood fell on the snow-white sheets. But from the look of the woman, you couldn't tell she was in any pain. Remesis' blow, delivered with all her might, was more like an insect bite.

Remesis was so stunned that she was involuntarily dumbfounded. She couldn't believe that Asil had sensed danger so quickly, even in her sleep. Or perhaps she wasn't asleep at all?

— Did you come to say good night to me?

She tilted her head, as if surprised, and smiled strangely. Remesis became uncomfortable with that sinister smile that had nothing human in it.

At any rate, since Asil had learned of her intentions, it was too late to retreat. Now she had no choice but to follow through.

— Aaaah!

Remesis drew her dagger and tried to attack her again, but it failed. To Asil, her pathetic efforts were nothing more than the fluttering of an ant. She effortlessly fell her onto the bed, not even giving her a chance to resist. Both of her hands found themselves chained to the bed in a tight grip.

Remesis' battle appeared to be lost very quickly.

She was now staring at the woman in front of her with her eyes wide open. Just looking at her gave Remesis goosebumps, but she couldn't look away from her eyes as if they were frozen shut. Incredibly, the woman, more beast-like than human, was beautiful. A beauty frightening and mesmerizing at the same time.

Even in the darkness, her amber eyes shimmered dazzlingly. The fixed gaze of which stopped on Remesis' face. Beneath it, the girl could barely continue to breathe.

Asil grinned coldly, scrutinizing every line that appeared on her face.

— This is the first time my wife has sought to meet me. I am so touched. Apparently this dagger is also a manifestation of your love?

The tone of her voice was mocking, yet as cold as the north wind.

She only said one sentence, but Remesis' insides instantly turned cold. Every word she said gave her goosebumps.

The girl squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away.

— Speak when I command you to.

Asil grabbed her chin ruthlessly and forced her to look at herself. Remesis' eyes glistened with the tears she had been holding back all this time.

— I–I have to… I have to kill you to get home!

Her words were cut short by the hysteria that suddenly erupted.

— Is that so? So this isn't your home?

— Let me go! I want to go home! I–I can't-I can't-I can't stay here any longer!!!

Asil's expression changed. She looked at the girl lying beneath her like she was trash. Remesis shook at how indifferent that look was.

In an instant, the grin on her face was replaced with the familiar ferocity of a predator.

— All right,» she said slowly and without emotion, «If that is your wish, I will grant it. I will send it safely…

— W-what?

The girl stammered.

— …your head.

Before Remesis realized it, her head was already severed from her body. In the end, this failed assassination attempt turned out to be her death.

It was only in that moment, as her whole life flew before her eyes, that she realized how stupid and pathetic she had been all along.

No stars were to blame for her unfortunate fate. It was people's fault.

When Asil had beheaded her, only a few moments had passed for her. The girl opened her eyes again in her newborn body. Twenty years ago, when all these misfortunes that preceded her death had not yet happened.

Now she lay in her crib, staring up at the dark ceiling in front of her. It would be a long time before the servants came to take care of her. And her father's indifferent gaze was firmly imprinted on her memory.

Remesis Carter, a girl born under an unlucky star and doomed to a miserable fate, grinned.

«If I am truly cursed, then I will bring damnation to the entire empire.»