"STRIP your clothes, and let's talk."
She shuddered as his recognizable voice echoed in her ears. Her veins were jolted by a sudden surge of adrenaline, which caused her to break out in a cold sweat. Her eyes widened in fear, and she began to breathe quickly and erratically. The mere sound of his voice had infected her mind and body with a sense of eternal anxiety, as if she were constantly living in a state of terror.
No, this could not be.
It shouldn't happen again.
How? How did she end up like this again? She was clearly avoiding him, so how did this happen? How is this happening?
Once is enough, twice is too much, three is extremely unbearable, and fourth... She doesn't understand anything anymore; she has never escaped him; no, she can't escape him; she will never get rid of him in all of her lifetimes. She had tried, but she always failed. She always tried, and yet she never experienced the taste of victory.
Because this is her fourth life already, and he has found her again.
The palace is different, but the ruler is the same. He looks exactly like him and acts exactly like him. He may not know yet; he may not remember yet; he may not understand her wrath yet; but she remembers it all too well.
She suffered immensely from his painfully unequal form of love, which drove her to madness due to his obsessive behavior. His way of handling her was unhealthy and not suitable for her wellbeing. It was the reason why she had to undergo the pain of death three times, in an attempt to escape him and his toxic love.
Lady Audrey, Lady Louisiana, and Lady Penelope were her past lives, but their stories ended tragically. They did not meet their end by the sword of Majesty, nor did they receive his mercy and grace. Instead, they fell victim to his suffocating love, which some might even describe as an obsession.
They perished in the aftermath of her separation from the Majesty. The experience was incredibly difficult, and now she finds herself facing a similar situation once again. Despite her efforts to distance herself from him, it appears as though both she and those around her are cursed. No matter what she does, it seems impossible to break free from his grasp.
Throughout their past lives, she had never been able to break free from his palace, no matter what title he held - whether it be "My Liege," "My Majesty," or "King." And now, to her dismay, history appears to be repeating itself once more.
Despite her best efforts, she was never able to escape the cycle of rebirth and break free from the King's hold. In each of her past lives, she tried everything - from taking her own life to attempting to assassinate the King - but nothing ever worked. After each death, she would be reborn a decade later, forced to relive the same struggles over and over again. In her first two lives, she was so consumed by rebellion and vengeance that she tried to kill the King before ultimately meeting her demise once again. However, in her third life, she finally came to the realization that killing him wouldn't change anything. She attempted to end her own life but was once again unsuccessful.
Despite her previous attempts at seeking vengeance and rebelling against the King, she now realizes that it was all for naught. As she finds herself reborn for the fourth time, she is exhausted and feels defeated. She no longer knows how to break free from the cycle of rebirth and escape the King's grasp. In her current state, she contemplates simply surrendering to fate and allowing the universe to guide her toward what she must do to end the cycle and prevent further rebirths. Perhaps, by relinquishing control and letting go of her past attempts, she will finally discover the key to breaking the cycle once and for all.
In an effort to escape the King's reach, she tried living a simple life as a runaway Aurora. She even earned the reputation as the rebellious lady of Aurora House to dissuade him from pursuing her. Unfortunately, her plan backfired, and her attempts at hiding only seemed to draw the King's attention toward her.
In her current life, she goes by the name Lady Aveline, while he remains an Emperor. Despite her attempts to live a different life in this new incarnation, the power dynamic between them remains the same.
His Majesty Dmitri Berserker has once again located her, and she finds herself on the brink of death once more, struggling to hold on.
Aveline, in her current life, was born into a wealthy family, just like her past self Lady Audrey, Louisiana, and Penelope, who all lived lives of luxury and royalty. All four women are part of the same family - the Auroras
Rumors circulated that Aveline was a clear reincarnation of the past ladies, and she could not deny the truth of it. She vividly remembers their shared history, including their failed attempts at resisting the Emperor's will. In all of their past lives, the four women were betrothed to the Emperor, but they all chose to rebel and flee from him. Aveline, in her current life, followed in their footsteps and attempted to escape the Emperor's grasp as well.
Aveline fled from the Aurora House in an attempt to escape the Emperor's influence. However, she found herself extremely vulnerable and defenseless when His Majesty Dmitri Berserker eventually tracked her down. Aveline was living alone in the woods, with only her brother Emmanuel knowing her whereabouts.
Despite her attempt to escape the Emperor's authority, Aveline lived a comfortable life in the woods with the help of her brother Emmanuel, who brought her supplies and protected her. However, one day the Emperor himself arrived, destroying her small house and burning almost half of the woods. Aveline found herself kneeling at his mercy, as she was powerless against his overwhelming authority. The Emperor then took her to his palace as his captive.
Memories of her past lives flooded back to Aveline as she found herself once again a captive in the Emperor's palace, just as she had been in her previous incarnations.
Aveline found herself in a familiar and terrifying situation as she recalled the pleas of Lady Audrey from her past life. Crawling on her knees, which was a humiliating act for a royal and a lady, she begged the Emperor for mercy, just as Lady Audrey had done before her: "Your Majesty, forgive me. Please spare me, Your Majesty! Don't do this!"
The Emperor's voice boomed with anger as he demanded an explanation from Aveline: "Why did you run away? I warned you that you could never escape me! Stop provoking me and making me angry! You should know by now that I will always find you!" He then commanded his men to take Aveline to his private chambers, where he planned to have an "intimate" conversation with her.
The lady vehemently refused, her voice trembling with fear and anger. "I will not do it! I will never submit to you or anything you want from me!"
His Majesty rolled his eyes, "I personally don't want anyone to see you, my love, but you're being stubborn. Want me to strip you here, then?"
As the King showed his obsession with the lady without any mercy, everyone in the place watched, but no one dared to oppose him, not even the Auroras. Aveline heard the rumors that her brother was caged in a dungeon and tortured upon the Emperor's orders. It was not the first time such things had happened, and she knew it would happen again. Amias would die in a few days, and a month later, she would kill herself.
"Emmanuel..."
But she refused to give up. Aveline made a promise to save Emmanuel, to break the cycle, and not let history repeat itself. She knew that taking her own life was not the solution, as it would only lead to the same outcome. Instead, she resolved to uncover the truth behind their cursed fate and find a way to break free from the Emperor's grasp.
But how... when he's starting to boil her loathe again? How? When will she lose her hopes again?
The Emperor's voice echoed in the room, commanding with furrowed brows and a displeased glare, "You're still being stubborn, I see. Fine, strip her now!" He sat upon his throne above her, adorned in his majestic black robe that flowed over the surface, with his servants surrounding him, ready to do his bidding.
"How audacious of you to defy me. I will ensure that you face the consequences of your actions, my lady."
The other servant, who didn't belong to his nightly harem, moved to remove the remnants of her already torn clothes. It was clear that she
had been tortured before being brought to the Emperor's hall. The servants were instructed to tie her up and pour cold water over her.
After attempting to escape once again and being caught in the woods, Lady Audrey was drained of all her energy due to the torture she had endured. Despite her exhaustion, she refused to allow the Emperor to have his way with her. Escaping was all she had known in her life, and she couldn't simply give in now. Even without strength, she was determined to fight back.
"Argh! You despicable creature!" She yelled and desperately covered her body, "You, you can't do this! Please, no more! No more..." She pleaded with the emperor on her knees, just as Audrey, Louisiana, and Penelope had done before her current life.
Fuck, this is so similar, there's no difference at all. She's begging, and the emperor is giving her deadly glares for disobeying him several times.
Dmitri, the emperor, grew impatient with his servants and demanded they undress the woman quickly. "Hurry up," he commanded, "or you will face severe consequences." The servants scrambled to follow his orders, fear evident in their eyes.
Aveline cried out as the servants forcefully began to strip her. She thrashed against them, but she was no match for the two large men holding her down while the lady servants ripped her robe apart.
"My lady, forgive me, forgive us; we still want to live."
Aveline couldn't help but to scream; she cried her heart out; she wailed upon the King's mercy, "Please, please... Don't do this... Please..."
If she were to look in a mirror, she would not recognize herself. She's a total mess; tears, sweat, and saliva drip all over her face. She was always considered the most beautiful lady in the Empire, but not until the Emperor had enough of her disobedience.
"We are sorry, my lady."
The servants, including the men who were holding her, whispered; their eyes screamed sympathy. Everyone in the room was giving her sympathizing stares except for the devil sitting on the throne. His piercing glares could kill them, and it's making her want to embrace death at the moment.
The King was growing increasingly annoyed with Aveline's constant wailing. However, he knew that he couldn't ignore her cries completely. With a roll of his eyes, he stood up from his seat and glared at the men holding her. "Enough with the stripping," he said in frustration. "Gently hold her and bring her to my chamber." Despite his rough language, the King couldn't help but feel a small pang of guilt at the sight of Aveline's tears.
As Aveline cried and thrashed against the servants, the two men holding her dragged her out of the hall. She kicked and screamed, but it was no use. They were too strong, and she was too weak. As they pulled her down the hallway, Aveline caught glimpses of the opulent decor and lavish furnishings that adorned the palace walls. But she couldn't appreciate their beauty, not now, not in this moment. All she could think about was the pain and humiliation she had just endured, and the uncertain fate that awaited her.
