**
I took off my crown and sat on the bed. This was the biggest decision of my life. What I have kept a secret for years will be told today. The royal family was going to be disappointed. The Emperor…I wondered what he was going to do.
He was going to be hurt. I knew it was going to end badly for me. I took the veil from the bed and tied it around my head. I stood up and glared in the mirror.
Time has changed. I was no longer the lonely girl that walked through those doors four years ago. I changed into a woman…an empress. Everything that happened to me became a lesson and I learnt well from the best master.
Through these years, I found a new family. Sooner or later, I might be a grandmother. I also recalled the beautiful daughter I lost. Hopefully, she would forgive me for not protecting her.