1 PROLOGUE

[WARNING!: This prologue and the future chapters 'may' contain triggering content.]

ETHAR. A world filled with majesty, divided into five continents and over a hundred countries. It is blessed with the aesthetic gifts of nature just like Earth... but unlike it, the people living in Ethar are born with the ability to use magic.

Among the countries, twenty belong to the Empire of Asria, a matrilineal monarchy in the eastern continent which is currently ruled by a benevolent Empress: Wang Chunhei.

Beautiful, with her piercing golden eyes and dark brown locks of hair. She gave the warmest smile but also the coldest gaze to those that deserved them. The Empress who sat on the throne at the age of twenty-five was the perfect ruler to her people, and she too once believed it... until she made the mistake of falling in love with a particular Baron.

Moon Haneul was a hard-working scholar born from a poor family. His achievements and humility despite all of it caught the eyes of the previous Empress who gave him the title of Baron, and it did not take long for Chunhei who was now the current ruler of Asria to notice his kindness.

She promoted him as one of her princes' consort and he helped her pass laws and prepare plans for the empire's prosperity. They were a sweet couple, able to read each other's thoughts, almost perfect.

They were happy, until one day when their opinions clashed and his eyes landed on the throne. Haneul, the kind, and humble scholar, who was favored by the Empress felt his heart fill up with greed and his head with ambition. He, the man Chunhei trusted the most turned his back on her and planned a coup.

That plan, however, failed and the Empress' warm smile turned into a cold gaze as she sat on her throne in the public court, hiding her torn heart as she watched her beloved Haneul silently kneel in front of the people, tied up and bruised.

"Moon Haneul, you have planned a coup against the ruler of Asria. You have caused a grave sin to the Empire, and to her Majesty, Empress Wang Chunhei who has bestowed you the title of prince consort."

The minister's proclamation was met with hisses and whispers by the Asrians who were watching on the sidelines, their eyes condemning the traitor in front of them.

"The Law Ministry hereby sentence you to death by guillotine."

Chunhei's hands grip tightly on the armrest of her throne, unable to stop the punishment that was written in the laws of the empire.

She bit her lower lip as her shaking hands touched her protruding belly, it was barely noticeable, but she was with child and the father was the same man that tried to kill her.

"Do you have any last words?" The minister asked.

Haneul's eyes met Chunhei's, the woman he once loved and now felt nothing but loath for. His eyes traveled to her belly and he tried to search for any emotion his heart might have, but there was no longing any normal father would feel for his unborn child. A cynical laugh escaped his lips. He was insane, even in his current state he still wanted the throne.

"Chunhei!" he shouted at her "That child...kill it!"

His words earned a collected gasp from the public, the whispers turning into shouts and rocks were thrown in disgust.

"What Evil!"

"Even to your child!"

"How could you say that to the Empress!"

Chunhei's tears started to flow from her eyes, the shock on her face was evident. She couldn't believe the words that came out of his mouth.

"I curse that child you're bearing!" Haneul shouted in rage. "It will love blood and be surrounded by death! That child will take your head off just as you did to me!"

"STOP!" She cried in horror "Please stop!"

"You insolent fool!" The minister uttered in anger "Proceed with his punishment!" he commanded the knights.

"Your majesty, there is no need to waste your time on that traitor." One of the consorts uttered, "Allow us to escort you back to the palace."

Moon Haneul... it was the last time anyone in the Empire would speak of his name. The Empress has forbidden it after that day.

Several years later, the cursed child named Dalhee, grew up to be the Empire's crown princess. Beautiful just like her mother, but she was spoiled by the love and attention the Empress and everyone else from the castle gave her.

At the age of eighteen, she was known to be ruthless, punishing any servant that made mistakes in front of her. She was manipulative and cold, she would use her warm smile and beauty to gain the order of knights she needed to ascend the throne.

At twenty, she planned to kill her mother and take the throne for herself, but her knights had betrayed her... and just like her father, Dalhee too was beheaded.

THE END

"It can't be!" Sol gasped as she stared in disbelief at the words ending the novel she was reading.

"H-how can it end like that?!" She uttered in complain flipping the pages of the book from the beginning to end.

"Miss Sol?" She turned startled at the librarian's voice.

"You have been too engrossed in reading again. It is time to close the library."

"Oh" Sol's eyes shifted to the huge clock on the wall, it was 10:30 in the evening. "I'm sorry for staying late again, Mrs. Chae."

The old woman laughed "It is okay, I hope the youths are more into books like you, you know? They're all buried in their phones nowadays that it's a bit sad."

Sol smiled at the librarian's words. She wasn't exactly a youth too, she was already in her last year of business college. Reading novels on the weekend was just something she did to distress herself.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Mrs. Chae." She uttered grabbing her bag to leave.

"Are you going to borrow that book?"

"Huh?"

"That book you're holding, are you going to borrow it?"

"Oh" Sol's forehead creased as she stared at the book- she had unconsciously been holding- in her hands. "Yes, I will."

Sol walked the silent streets towards her small apartment, turning at the end of the block. The small public library she was in a while ago was near the area she lived in. Growing up an orphan, she had moved to that part of the city for college and made do with the scholarship fund, and money she got from part-time jobs.

The library was where she went to when she wanted to prep for exams, not many people visit it since it was old and a bit lacking in resources to update its collection of books. However, it was a silent place and helped her focus when studying.

Her eyes went to the book she had read earlier, she has been holding it since she went out. Her lips pursed as she read the book title. The Moon of Asria. It was written in cursive and embossed in the upper center of the black plain leather cover.

"How could it end like that? Why would the author end it so abruptly." She muttered to herself in annoyance.

It was very disappointing, she was rooting for the princess to find a way to get rid of her curse. She was hoping it was that kind of story. She sighed stopping on the sidewalk to place the book in her bag.

How could she die because of the curse? Why was no one willing to help her break it? Why did the Empress who knew about it--why didn't she do anything?

A sharp object suddenly passed through her stomach and she gasped in pain, she vomited, red liquid dripping out of her mouth, her hand instinctively wiping it off as the other hand, held the wound on her belly.

Blood. It was blood.

"Sorry Miss. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time." The voice of a man uttered.

She slowly turned but it was too late, she had already dropped on the ground feeling cold. Her blurry eyes caught the shadow of someone picking up her bag and running off before completely passing out.

She was dead. She 'definitely' was dead.

Still...she could hear something.

Someone was calling her name.

"Prin...hee"

She couldn't understand.

".....hee"

"Princesss..."

'What?'

"Wake up, Princess Dalhee."

Her eyes squinted at the light. Her blurry gaze finally getting clearer. The windows were opened, the curtains were drawn, the sun was up.

"Princess?"

She turned towards the voice her forehead creased at the sight of a stranger, her eyes then shifted to the interior of the room she was in. She was not at a hospital as what her initial thought was, instead, she was in a Victorian-inspired bedroom she has never been in before.

"Where am I?" she asked, a sudden feeling of anxiety taking over her.

"The inner palace, princess." The maid answered though puzzled at her question.

"The inner...palace?" She repeated as she got off the bed.

"Yes, this is your bedroom."

"My bedroo-"

Straight locks of dark brown hair, crystal blue eyes, reddish cheeks on soft sand color skin, and plump pink lips. The girl she was facing made the same confused and fearful expression she was.

Sol's hand trembled as she nervously touched the unfamiliar face she now had, never taking her eyes off the mirror.

What happened to her? She remembered being mugged. Is she dreaming while in a coma at a hospital somewhere?

"Princess Dalhee?" The maid who woke her up called.

Sol's forehead creased as she turned towards the servant. Her heart beating rapidly as she realized the name she just called her.

"D-dalhee?" she stuttered, wide-eyed as she placed her hand on her chest "Did you just call me Dalhee?"

The maid gave her a puzzled look before flashing an awkward smile "Yes, your Highness" She bowed politely "Princess Dalhee."

An excruciating pain shot through Sol's head making her gasp, a series of images of unfamiliar memories forcing its way on her brain. She wailed, startling the maid in front of her as she grabbed her temples and kneeled on the ground trembling at the headache.

"Princess!"

"It hurts!" Sol cried "Make it stop!"

"Princess Dalhee!"

"Make it stop!"

"Someone!" The maid rushed through the door calling for the other servants "Call a doctor immediately!"

Sol's eyes blurry with tears started to feel tired and once again she was lying on the ground watching the maids run towards her as she blacked out.

Five. It was the number of days Sol was on her bed with a hellish fever. She would sometimes be able to open her eyes slightly and see the doctor and the maids that attended to her daily.

At night she can make out the silhouette of a woman, her warm voice soothing as she talked to her, kissing her on the forehead before leaving.

On the sixth day, she woke up early with her fever gone along with the confusion she felt on the first day she woke up at the place.

Sol was in Dalhee's body, and the images that caused the excruciating headache were the memories of the original princess.

She was now the manipulative and cold Dalhee who was beheaded for trying to kill her mother, the Empress of Asria- the Empire were the story in the novel she read all started.

After Sol died on that street, her soul, for an unknown reason was brought to the eleven-year-old body of the dying Dalhee who had poisoned herself that same night before sleeping.

The princess's story had ended much earlier than the book said.

The original Dalhee killed herself because she found out about what her father had done, and the fear of the curse coming true took over her mind making her commit suicide.

Sol slowly walked in her sleeping gown towards the mirror, her eyes glinting with pity as she stared at Dalhee's face.

"You were not ruthless, were you?" she said to the reflected image in the mirror.

Dalhee was stubborn and prideful but she was not evil enough to kill someone. She knew she was spoiled and wanted to change, but knowing about the curse made her lose hope.

"I was born to kill my mother and ruin the empire. She will kill me or I will kill her."

Those were the original Dalhee's thoughts before she died in her sleep. The princess would rather kill herself than watch her very own mother take her life.

Tears escaped her eyes as if the remaining fragments of the princess was wallowing in despair inside of her.

A smile cracked on Sol's lips as she touched the mirror. A lot of questions remained unanswered but at least she now knew one of the reasons why she was brought to Asria after her death.

"I will help you change your fate." She uttered to the girl in front of her "I promise."

Sol has made up her mind. She will continue living in the body of the cursed princess and help her avoid the mistakes she made in the book that caused her, and hundreds of others' death.

On the sixth day, at that moment as she stared at her reflection, Sol was now Wang Dalhee, the Crown Princess of Asria.