[ENG] The Useless Duchess's Second Chance

In a large, dark room, a pair of beautiful eyes belonging to a woman stared straight at the wall in front of her. Helped by the pile of pillows she had painstakingly gathered, the woman was finally able to sit up after she had been lying down for a very long time. Her thin body trembled slightly as she struggled to support herself again. Seeing her almost resembling a living skull, no one would believe that she was the most beautiful girl in the entire kingdom in the past.

She's Ariana Madeline Alison. The only last descendant of the Duke of Alison, the most influential family who became a legend for working with the first king in founding the Kingdom of Sigmund. Her name has always been the target of praise since she was born. Because not only beautiful, Ariana is also very talented in presenting women's skills. Born as only one noble level below the king, it felt normal for Ariana to be immediately engaged to Crown Prince Emilio shortly after her birth. Hundreds of women cried with envy because of the good fate that the girl had. Because not only does the crown prince grow up to be a handsome man in the future, but Emilio is also known to be gentle and always treats Ariana like his precious treasure.

Ariana too, always thought that her life would have a happy ending even if she no longer had anyone in this world. Crown Prince Emilio is a loving man. As long as Ariana gives him whatever he wants, she will remain the most beloved woman to the man who has now ascended the throne to become a king.

But that hope was soon shattered on the day of her fiancé's coronation. Ariana was poisoned and forced to lose part of her body function due to a dangerous poison she accidentally drank. At first, Ariana thought that Emilio would still love her after that incident. Even the queen always said that she loved Ariana like her child. Ariana has always believed that she is not alone. Even if the girl was no longer able to talk, walk, or move, they would still love Ariana as much as before.

But that's just the girl's hope. No matter how long she waited, there was no longer a queen mother who came to just bring her favorite snack. Emilio no longer came just to chat with her. Since she was declared paralyzed because of the poison, no one had come just to see how she was. The room was left empty, and Ariana wasn't stupid enough to be oblivious to her current state.

She has been abandoned. The person she used to think of as her family, had left her when she was rendered useless. In the large room that Ariana thought was used to be a symbol of Emilio's love for her, Ariana sat alone after all the servants had also decided to leave her. The room that used to be always clean was now full of cobwebs from being left out too long. Even the paint on the walls was peeling off. Coupled with her appearance, Ariana believes that her castle is considered a haunted house by outsiders.

When Ariana was contemplating her life, the sound of her stomach protesting because it hadn't been filled for days disturbed her lonely life again. Her hand which was still able to move slowly caressed her sunken stomach because she hadn't eaten for some time. Ariana's attention was diverted when the sound of trumpets echoed all the way to her castle, which was far from the main palace. Ariana smiled bitterly as she heard that sound.

From the servant's last conversation, Ariana knew that Emilio has found someone to replace Ariana. Ariana didn't know how long it had been since she last heard the news. But from the sound of the special trumpet, she knew that Emilio was getting married to that woman.

Because Ariana's tears had been squeezed out for a long time, she couldn't even cry anymore as her heart felt like it was being stabbed by a thousand knives. All the lessons she was forced to become a smart queen, all the etiquette classes she took to become a good queen, all wasted when she was no longer useful in the eyes of the people she loved.

Until the end, Ariana always believed that one day Emilio would realize that she missed him and rushed over to visit and persuade the girl as usual. For the sake of the person who made her leave her surname, Ariana thought Emilio would at least do that. But no. People only talk about the story of Emilio meeting the sweet princess who will become his wife and the new queen.

The man no longer remembered his poor fiancé, who was still waiting for his arrival in the forgotten castle.

With a loud crash, Ariana dragged herself toward the large window in her room. The friction created made a scary sound because Ariana could only rely on her hands to move. Because the servants had fled with their expensive items, Ariana's palms were covered in blood from direct friction with the broken pieces that were scattered on the floor of her room.

Ariana kept dragging her body to get to her destination. Her gaze dimmed, as she saw the main palace filled with colors and festivities she had never seen before. With all of her strength, Ariana unlocked the window and forced her way up to the big window frame. Under the wind, Ariana sat while enjoying the music that sounded up to this forgotten castle.

Ariana closed her eyes to remember the sweet memories that came to her in her last moments. Ariana often learned to dance to the same song when she was a child. When the parents were still around, they would dance with all their might and have fun afterward.

Unfortunately, her parents died in an accident when she was quite young. Young Ariana was taken care of by her grandfather after that. However, due to her grandfather's harsh disposition, Ariana no longer gets the love she should have received from her family.

In the midst of the loneliness that constantly suppresses Ariana, Emilio and Queen Melisa appear and give her the affection she has always longed for. Together with Emilio and Queen Melisa, Ariana finally learns to live again. She was so happy when she found out that she would be Emilio's future wife. Even if she had to leave her name, and her family's honor, Ariana thought everything would be fine as long as she could be with them.

"Your Majesty ...."

Since Ariana couldn't speak anymore, she could only whisper that name in her heart as her eyes were fixed on the magnificent view of the palace from afar. She's not strong anymore. The nightmare torment of her because she failed in everything was driving her even crazier lately. She could no longer wait for her fiancé to come and explain everything to her. She will leave, and promise not to disturb the happiness of her lover in the future.

"Oh my God. Why did His Majesty ask us to check out this spooky castle? With such a dire situation, what exactly can we find in this place?"

Ariana turned her head slowly as she faintly heard someone else's voice. It felt like it had been a long time since Ariana had heard another human voice. She subconsciously froze, as her eyes searched for where the unfamiliar voice had come from.

"You didn't know? This place is where His Majesty locked his ex-fiancé, who was paralyzed from consuming poison. It is said that after His Majesty managed to exterminate the entire family, he locked up his fiancée so that his fiancé would see what this kingdom would look like when her family was annihilated."

"Ah? How could His Majesty be that cruel! When talking about his ex-fiancé, you can't really be talking about the sole heir of the Duke of Alison, right? Their family is a family of heroes, why does His Majesty have to punish such a great family?"

"Precisely because they are getting stronger, His Majesty the King feels threatened by their existence. It's no longer a secret in the palace, that the one who poisoned the King's ex-fiancé was actually the King himself!"

"Oh my God ... Why do they have to be that cruel?"

"This is a palace. Don't expect you to just have fun in this place. Even the people who support Alison cannot escape His Majesty's wrath. Anyone who tries to resurrect the family again will be hanged along with the rest of their family!"

Ariana stopped looking as the unfamiliar voice slowly drew closer to her. Below the castle, Ariana saw the royal guards approaching her castle and looked surprised when they saw the former fiancé of the king they were talking about sitting casually at the top window of the castle. Both of them were pale because they were afraid that Ariana had heard everything. Although people always say that Ariana can't move anymore, no one knows if the two of them will be able to survive after being caught talking badly in front of the woman herself.

Neither of them had time to react as Ariana smiled bitterly. At least, she was lucky that her ears were still as sharp as before. Before her death, she had heard such shocking facts. Ariana feels that God knows her plan, and intends to give her a final gift before her time to die. The secret he's been trying to figure out just came out today. The death of her family, the poison she drank, the unnatural death of those around her, everything was probably the plan of the person she cared for all along.

If Ariana had still managed to speak, she might have laughed out loud before welcoming her death. She would laugh at how stupid she was, laugh at how blind she was, and laugh at how she could fall for such a man.

But she's mute now. Ariana couldn't help but smile, as she pushed her hand so that her body fell free from the high window of her room.

Ariana was no longer listening as the palace guards who had arrived shouted as they watched her body fall freely from the top floor of the castle. The girl closed her eyes quietly, as the last image she remembered was the smiling faces of her parents.

"Father, Mother, please forgive me. Then Grandpa ... Please forgive this useless granddaughter of yours. I will catch up with you now. Please don't reject me. I want to avoid continuing to be alone anymore ...."

And with a loud thud, Ariana's body slammed into the ground in the forgotten castle grounds.