The Faceless Ballerina

The poison suffocated her. It wrecked her body in agony as harshly as if the pain had been fueled.

She could hear the laughter, even in the semiconscious state, even with the poisonous ants and scorpions crawling over her body like grains of sand. The boisterous; the endless roars of cheers over music. It filled the gaps between her screaming.

A spacious room of crimson in the heart of a golden clad Imperial Palace, little more than a cage of superficial beauty amid the sea of gorgeous palatial structures. That's where they had put her. Sealed her. In a wedding room built for some forgotten princess.

As she would likely be forgotten. It was better than the alternative: to be remembered for her obedience. Her cowardice. If there would be anyone left to remember her. If there would be anyone left at all.

She would not allow it. That obedience. That cowardice.

She would not give them what they desired.

No matter how often her screams drowned out the roaring laughter. No matter how often the scratch of her nails cleaved through the marble floors.

She had tried to keep track of the passing time. Hoping someone would notice her long absence.

But she did not know how long they had kept her in that crimson cage. How long the poison had clouded her mind, lulled her into oblivion by the crawling insects they had poured in while she spasmed on the floor. Tortured in this agony, this void of endless despair.

She did not know how long the gasps lasted between her screaming and pleading. Between the pain ending and starting anew.

Seconds, minutes, hours- they bled together as her own blood slithered over the marble floor and faded into the shadows of the crimson walls.

A Crown Princess Consort who was to reign over seven empires. Larger.

That had been her boon. It was now her bane.

A curse that had garnered her the extreme hatred and intense jealousy of the countless women chasing after the unattainable Crown Prince. Another curse to bear, as heavy as the one placed upon her long before her birth. To sacrifice her very existence to fight against an ancient darkness.

To pave the path to the glorious light of the heavens for the souls who had strayed into the darkness, become lost in it. And then ruled it.

She did not feel the warmth of the red liquid flowing down her body. She wondered if it was possible to remain alive when the last drop of her blood spilled. To still feel the heart-rending agony and endless torment.

Her divine blood did not look different from that of ordinary people, ordinary saints. So she knew it would be the end once it was all drained.

But she still kept her stubborn pride, refused to give them the obedience they sought.

As the moonlight spilled through the open window, her writhing figure was exposed; curled in a fetal position on the blood-soaked marble floor as tears of blood smeared across her fair cheeks.

"Once upon a time, in an empire long fraught with war, there lived a saint who loved her people."

Words she had once spoken to the hungry, thin-bodied kids on the alleys of the impoverished streets. Words that now served to keep her sanity intact.

The dull sound of approaching footsteps entered her ringing ears, pulling back her fading conscious.

"Li Qing Yue, stop being stubborn. Do you think that if you delay long enough, someone will come to save you? In your dreams!" The yellow robes of a female paused a foot from her huddled form, swaying lightly in the red room perfumed with blood and anguish as she spat on her face.

Behind the yellow-robed female stood two maidens in pristine pink and blue robes, remaining silent spectators with their arms crossed across their chests and heads raised proudly.

"Will you sign the contract and elevate our status once you enter the Eternal Palace or not?" The yellow-robed female impatiently questioned.

A gust of wind rippled through the open window, fanning about the foul blood that leaked profusely from the unresponsive girl. As if deaf to the woman standing over her, she continued her quiet chant.

"Once upon a time, in an empire long fraught with war, there lived a saint who loved her people."

Away she would drift, deep into the endless abyss, into the belly of darkness. Away so far that when the light chased, when the torch flared, she would not see it.

"Li Qing Yue! You are seeking death! Do you think I won't dare to kill you just because you are about to marry him? Do you think I won't dare to?"

"Sister Mu Yi, is she still not willing to sign? Should I go and inform the Lord?"

"We should immediately inform him! If we fail to complete this task, our path to the Imperial Palace will be closed forever!"

"Quiet! Just a Li Qing Yue, if I fail to manage her, then how will I gain the Lord's trust? Li Qing Yue, you had better know what's best for you and sign this contract! Otherwise...!"

"Once upon a time, in an empire long fraught with war, there lived a saint who loved her people."

They were blurring. The red room and women and shadows. Clarity and the countless ants and scorpions crawling over her skin. The endless pain and torture experienced on the cold marble floor and the wet, sticky liquid from the numerous cuts, bites, stings, and lacerations.

It was all blurring, like an image in a dream.

"What is happening? Why is she not breathing? Check her pulse! Check her pulse!"

"Oh my goodness, her pulse is gone! Sister Mu Yi, she is dead! What are we going to do now?"

As her consciousness faded and darkness descended, she faintly heard a frightened shriek, followed by anxious shouts and hurried footsteps.

So she spoke the words in her mind. The light and the bright stone on her chest sang it, too, and she murmured back to them. Sprawled on the marble floor of that red cage located in an abandoned corner of the enormous Imperial Palace, the Crown Princess Consort spoke the words over and over again and allowed the poison to unleash its wrath inside her body.

"Once upon a time, in an empire long fraught with war, there lived a saint who loved her people."

*

-LiLong Country, Long Capital City, Spring 2030-

In the most prosperous city of the LiLong country, stood a hundred thousand miles acre of land in which the country's most glamorous Li Mansion towered over the lands as it majestically basked in the radiance of the golden sun.

Inside the luxurious mansion, in a spacious room overlooking a body of water, was a wide bed decorated with great splendor. On the bed, laid a pregnant woman with black hair and blue eyes, covered in sweat as she cried out in pain.

On either side of her were two blond-haired women firmly holding her arms, while two more sat by her feet holding her feet. A white-haired midwife stood in the center of the bed, pressing gently on the pregnant woman's womb as she softly whispered and encouraged her.

"Mistress, you can't give up. Otherwise, the child will never be able to see the light. You need to push hard. Gather your strength, Mistress. Push harder! You can do it!"

"Ahhhhh!"

"Almost there! I can see the child's head...do not give up! Push harder, Mistress!" The elderly midwife continued shouting anxiously.

"I am trying! But...but it's so painful!"

"Yes, I am sure it's painful. Giving birth to a child isn't an easy matter. You will feel as if your body is being split into two. But that is also why mothers are the most loving, most merciful. Even under the agony of such pain, they grit their teeth and bring their child into the world, giving them life at the cost of their own."

The wise, soothing voice of the elderly woman calmed the nerves of the tired woman, filling her weak body with strength upon hearing the words.

"That's right! Being a mother isn't easy. A mother is one that cuts off her own flesh to bring the life growing inside her belly into the world. A mother is one that sheds blood and tears and endures unimaginable pain to sustain and safely deliver the life inside her. So, you have to be a mother, Mistress. You must endure the pain and shed your blood to bring this life into the world."

Clenching the bedsheets tightly, the woman threw back her head and pushed with all the strength left inside her frail body.

"Ahhhhh!"

"Almost there, Mistress! Keep pushing!"

"Ahhhhh!"

Outside this room, a group of expensively dressed people had gathered. A young man that looked to be thirty, with a majestic and noble aura, paced in front of the room, filled with anxiety and worry. His masculine features, purple eyes, and gray hair spoke of the handsome youth he once was.

Across from the middle-aged man, was a similarly majestic and noble man with dark hair and gray eyes, a boy of 3 years holding his hand.

"Brother Li, calm down. Sister-in-law will definitely be fine. After all, she still needs to give birth to a bride for my little Tian'er." The dark-haired man teasingly said in a bid to distract his friend.

"But Brother Long, Su'er has been in labor for a day and night now. If this goes on any longer, I am afraid that her life will be harmed."

"You are worrying needlessly. Sister-in-law is strong. You just need to think positive and they will both be okay." The man strode over and clapped his friend on the shoulder.

"Hmm..."

The dark-haired man sighed and stood aside. He knew that no amount of words could rest his friend's worries. Until the woman inside the room delivered safe and sound, his anxiety would not fade.

"Uwahhhh!"

Right at this moment, the sound of an infant's cry rang out from the room, instantly causing the gray-haired man to excitedly throw the door open and rush into the room.

"Master, congratulations. Mistress has given birth to a baby girl."

"How about your Mistress? How is your Mistress?" Not paying heed to the tiny bundle extended out to him, the man walked around the midwife and went to his wife's bed.

"Su'er, Su'er, how are you? Are you fine?" He anxiously asked as he looked at her pale face.

"My child..."

"Ah! Yes, our baby! Granny Lu, quick, bring the child!"

The midwife that was previously ignored, came back hurrying with the tiny bundle in her arms. She cautiously handed the child over to her mother and excused herself, giving the family of three their private space.

"Look, husband. Our daughter has my hair color." Yan Su softly whispered.

"What should we name her?"

"Hmm, since you went through so much suffering to birth her, why don't you name her?"

"Hehehe, great! Let's name her Qing Yue, then. I always wanted to have a daughter named Qing Yue." Yan Su smiled brightly as she cuddled her daughter.

At this instant, a sharp pain shot through her body, making her scream in pain as she convulsed.

"Ahhhhh! It hurts!"

"Su'er, Su'er! What's wrong with you? Hurry, someone! Anyone! Get a doctor! Get a doctor right now! Su'er, hold on!"

The peaceful atmosphere was instantly shattered, as servant after servant, midwife, and nurses rushed into the room. The middle-aged man hovered around the bed with the child in his arms, as he anxiously peered at his convulsing wife.

An ominous feeling appeared in his heart, numbing his senses, leaving him frozen in place.

"Not good! Mistress is bleeding!"

"We need to stop the bleeding or Mistress will be in danger!"

"Use more towels! Stop the bleeding! Is the doctor not here yet?"

"The doctor is not here! Granny Lu, the Mistress's pulse is weakening! We are losing her!"

"Stay calm! Don't panic. Madam Yan, Madam Yan! Keep your eyes open. You cannot close your eyes. Think about your child!" The elderly woman shouted and tried to keep the fading woman conscious.

Unfortunately, her words went unheard, as the woman on the bed breathed her last.

In the spring of the New World Formation of 2030, in the LiLong Country of Long Capital City, Crown Princess Consort Qing Yue was reborn as the daughter of the world's most renowned businessman.