Leticia stumbled through the rain, her breath ragged, her gown clinging to her skin, soaked and heavy. Her carriage lay overturned behind her, its broken frame a cruel reminder of the life she had once led, now reduced to wreckage. The horses had fled, their frantic whinnies lost in the howling wind. She was alone—almost.
A searing pain ripped through her body. She gasped, her knees buckling as she looked down in disbelief at the gleaming blade lodged in her stomach, its hilt gripped by the very man she had promised to love.
Adrian.
Her fiancé.
His dark hair clung to his forehead, drenched in rain, but his eyes—those cold, indifferent eyes—held no trace of the warmth she had once known. His hand twisted the blade, and she cried out in agony, the sound lost beneath the roar of thunder.
"You don't deserve to live, Leticia," Adrian said, his voice devoid of emotion, as though he were delivering an undeniable truth. "I should have killed you the day you poisoned her. You're nothing but a stain on this world."
The words struck her harder than the blade, their weight crushing her spirit in a way no physical wound could. Leticia stared at him, her red eyes wide with shock, filled with questions that would never be answered. Her body trembled as the life drained from her, blood mixing with the rain at her feet.
Adrian’s expression remained unyielding, the face of a man who had cast aside whatever bond they once shared. Without another word, he pulled the blade free, the sound of it sliding from her flesh barely audible over the storm. He turned his back on her, walking away, leaving her crumpled on the forest floor.
Leticia's legs gave out, and she collapsed, her body hitting the wet earth with a dull thud. The cold mud soaked into her dress, clinging to her skin as she gasped for air. She clutched at her wound, but the warmth of her blood seeped through her fingers, impossible to stop.
The rain poured relentlessly, washing over her as if trying to cleanse the world of her existence. The trees swayed violently, their branches whipping in the wind, but she no longer had the strength to move. She could only lie there, her chest rising and falling with shallow, labored breaths.
Leticia tilted her head toward the sky, her vision blurring as the dark clouds rolled overhead. The storm rumbled as though it mourned with her, as though it knew. Her once-bright red eyes, now dull with exhaustion, reflected the storm's fury.
She closed her eyes, allowing memories to flood back like a tide that refused to recede.
***
Flashback : The beginning of Leticia's Lament,
What kind of lady was I?
It’s strange, isn’t it? The idea of being reborn. One moment, I was surrounded by flashing lights, the screech of tires, and the bone-shaking impact of metal on metal. And then... nothing.
I don’t remember much about my life before I came to this world. Just fragments, really—like bits of a dream that slip through your fingers the moment you wake. I know that I came from a world where everything was fast, bright, and loud. A world where people carried tiny devices—smartphones, I think they were called—constantly glued to their screens. There were tall buildings, hundreds of them, scraping the sky, and machines that roared down roads made of something black and hard.
When I first woke up here, I wasn’t Leticia Drakemorne. I didn’t have this name or this life. I didn’t even know who I was at all. Just the memory of the accident stayed with me—a shadow that lingered even though everything else was washed away.
But here... in this world, I was given a new life. A second chance, I suppose.
I was reborn as Leticia Drakemorne, the daughter of Duke Zephyr Drakemorne—one of the most powerful and influential men in the entire kingdom. It didn’t take long for me to adjust to my new life. How could I not? I was surrounded by luxury, comfort, and the love of a family that doted on me. I was no longer that girl from the fast-paced world of machines and glass towers. I was Leticia—the cherished daughter of a noble house.
My father, Duke Zephyr, was gentle and kind. He would sit by my bedside, reading me stories, his voice always steady and soft. But it wasn’t just my father who adored me. I had two older brothers—Sebastian and Raphael. Both of them were fiercely protective of me, treating me as if I were the most precious thing in the world.
I remember feeling so safe and so loved. Every day, I was surrounded by people who cherished me, and I thought—maybe, just maybe—this was my reward for the life I had left behind. This new world, this new family... it felt like a gift. A second chance at happiness without the pain and hardships.
I even had two best friends—Kael Vermillion, the crown prince, and his sister, Princess Selena. They were my heart and my companions in everything. We shared laughter, and they became my second family.
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