Chapter 1

“Where am I?!” The voice burst from Luna’s—no, Alessia’s—throat before she even realized she had spoken. She jerked upright, her hands flying to her chest, expecting the cold tile, the sting of glass, and the ache of bruises instead of warmth and softness. A bed.

Her fingers dug into thick sheets embroidered with gold threads, smoother than anything she had ever touched in her life. Her breath came fast as she stared wide-eyed at her surroundings. This wasn't a hospital. This wasn't school. This wasn't Earth.

The ceiling above her was high and domed, painted with swirling constellations that glowed faintly like the sky itself lived inside the room. Curtains of deep blue silk draped from carved pillars. Gold lanterns flickered with gentle, steady flames that didn't smoke or burn too bright.

They shimmered like captured stars inside glass. Her heart thudded painfully.

“W-What is this?” she whispered to herself. Every part of her felt wrong. too light, too warm, too alive. She touched her cheek cautiously. No bruise. No blood.

Her hair, which she remembered as tangled and sticky with sweat, lay neatly around her shoulders, long and silvery, spread like a waterfall across the pillows. Wait. Silvery? Luna’s hair was black. She grabbed a handful of it and stared, breath trembling. The strands sparkled faintly like moonlight caught in ice.

“This isn’t mine,“ she whispered. “This isn’t me.”

“I wouldn’t move too quickly, Princess Alessia.” The sudden voice made her gasp.

She spun too fast. Pain shot through her head, not from injury but from dizziness, like her body wasn't used to moving. A woman stood near the bed, tall and graceful. Wearing an elegant white dress lined with silver. Her hair fell in soft waves down her back, light blonde with small braids tied with crystal clips. Her eyes were a bright shade of gold, sharp but strangely gentle. A maid? A noble? Luna Alessia had no idea.

“Wh-Who are you?” she stammered.

The woman dipped into a practiced bow. “I am Seraphine Elara, royal attendant of the Endymion Empire. Assigned to your service, Princess.”

Princess Alessia Endymion. The words made her stomach drop. “I’m not a princess,” Luna said instinctively. “My name is—” She stopped.

Her name is Luna Janus Jayson. She is dead and gone. She remembered the cold floor. The cracking mirror. The warmth that brushed her fingers. The voice was calling her.

Her breath quickened. Her pulse roared in her ears. Seraphine’s expression softened. “You don’t need to speak right away,” she said calmly.

“You’ve been through a great ordeal. The palace healers barely stabilized you.”

“Stabilized?” Luna whispered. “I died.” Seraphine froze. Luna clutched the sheets tighter, her chest rising and falling.

“I remember the blood on the floor.” Her throat tightened. “Why am I alive? Where am I really? This can’t be real.”

Seraphine stepped closer, hands raised as if calming a frightened animal. “This is real, Princess Alessia. You are in your chamber in the Endymion Imperial Palace.” Her voice lowered. “And you were not supposed to survive.”

The words chilled Luna to her bones. “Wh-What do you mean?” she whispered. Seraphine sighed softly. “Princess, you were pushed from the East Cliff three days ago.”

Someone pushed Princess Alessia. A body that died? Luna felt sick. “Someone tried to kill me?” Seraphine’s eyes flickered.

“That is the widely accepted truth, yes. Though the Imperial Court has declined to comment.”

Declined to comment, meaning it was covered up. Meaning it was dangerous. Luna swallowed thickly. Then her voice trembled. “I took her place. Took the place of a murdered princess.”

Seraphine tilted her head slightly; she was confused but concern knitted her eyebrows. “You don’t remember anything?”

Luna opened her mouth, but words failed. She looked down at her hands—slender, pale, and elegant. Not the hands of a girl who clutched notebooks and bruised easily from being shoved against lockers. These were the hands of someone delicate, someone pamperedand someone important.

“I remember falling,” she lied softly. Seraphine nodded once. “That is expected. Trauma has likely taken the rest. The physicians warned us of memory loss.”

Memory loss is a perfect excuse but not the truth. Luna slowly pushed herself higher against the pillows. “This place. This world. Endymion Empire—does it mean I’m in another?” Her voice dropped.

Seraphine blinked. “Another world? Princess Alessia, you are in the world of Luminary. The land blessed by the six Luminous powers.”

Luminous powers, like the notebook she wrote in. Her heart pounded in disbelief. “L-Luminous?” she repeated. “Magic?”

Seraphine eyed her cautiously. “Yes. Princess, you are a noble of one of the strongest Luminous bloodlines. It would be troubling if you forgot such a thing.”

“Oh,” Luna whispered weakly. Right, of course. Magic, a new world. A murdered princess’s body. She inhaled shakily. “Is this reincarnation or possession?” she whispered under her breath. Seraphine didn’t hear but Luna knew this wasn’t a dream. This wasn’t heaven. This wasn’t some hallucination from the brink of death.

She had been pulled here, placed here, reborn. The thought terrified her. The thought thrilled her. The thought broke her heart because Luna Janus Jayson was gone and Alessia Keren Endymion lived.

Seraphine stepped forward again, expression tightening with urgency. “Princess, I must inform the Emperor and Empress of your awakening. They have been waiting.” A rush of panic filled Luna.

“Wait, Emperor? Empress? They’re my parents?” Seraphine paused. Something pained flickered across her face. “Yes,” she said carefully. “They are your mother and father.”

Luna almost expected warmth in Seraphine’s tone. There was none. “Are they good parents?” Luna asked quietly. Seraphine looked away. That was answer enough. Before Luna could ask more, the door burst open.

Two armored guards stepped in, spears crossed behind them. Their eyes widened at the sight of her sitting up. “S-She’s awake,” one whispered.

A ripple of discomfort passed between them. “They bowed stiffly. Your Highness,” the taller guard said. “We will escort Lady Seraphine to announce your recovery.”

“No need.” A deep voice filled the chamber. Luna froze. Something in the air shifted, heavier, colder, like the weight of a storm pressing down. A tall man enteredbroad-shouldered, sharp-jawed, and wearing a long white coat lined with silver armor. His hair was dark, almost black, and tied behind him. His eyes were terrifying, deep, stern, and unforgiving.

They looked like they could see straight through lies and into bone. Seraphine bowed deeply.

“Your Majesty, leave us,” he ordered.

Seraphine lowered her head and slipped out silently, followed by the guards. The doors shut. Leaving Luna alone with the Emperor, her father.

He approached slowly, each step echoing in the luxurious room. Luna’s throat tightened painfully. She had never been alone with a parent like this, not even her real parents.

The silence felt heavier than the bathroom floor had moments before her death. The man stopped at the foot of the bed. His gaze traveled over her face, her hands, and her posture, assessing. As if expecting something wrong or dangerous.

Finally, he spoke. “Alessia.” The sound of the name hit Luna’s chest like a physical weight. Not Luna, not anymore.

She swallowed. “Y-Yes, Father?” His expression didn’t soften, not even a little.

“You were found at the bottom of the East Cliff,” he said. “Your body is broken, your Luminous core weak. You should have died.”

Luna’s breath caught. He continued. “And yet, you live. With no memory. No explanation. No trace of the shameful behavior that led to your downfall.”

Shameful? Luna stared. Was Alessia hated that much? What happened to the original girl? Her voice trembled. “F-Father, I don’t remember anything. I don’t even know why I was.”

“You don’t need to remember.” His voice cut clean and cold. “You only need to know this: Your survival is inconvenient.”

Luna’s heart dropped. “Inconvenient?” she whispered. He clasped his hands behind his back.

“Your presence complicates political alliances, succession orders, and the reputation of this Empire. Many wished you gone. Some still do.”

Her blood turned cold. “And if you show weakness again,” his eyes sharpened like blades. “They will not hesitate to finish what they started.”

Luna’s hands trembled under the sheets. The Emperor leaned closer, his shadow falling over her.

“You were given a second chance, Alessia. Use it wisely or lose it.”

With that, he turned and walked toward the door. Just before he stepped out, he said one last thing: “Someone pushed you. Someone wanted you dead. If you do not learn who and why, you will not survive the next attempt.”

The door closed. Silence slammed into the room. Luna exhaled shakily. A new world. A murdered princess. A hostile empire and a father who saw her as an inconvenience.

Luna pressed a trembling hand to her heart. “I died once,” she whispered. “I won’t die again.”

She didn't know who wanted Princess Alessia dead but she would find out and she would survive this world. No matter what.