I remember the moment I died.
It wasn't poetic or dramatic. No moonlight. No teary goodbyes. Just the sharp snap of a blade through my spine and the cold whisper of betrayal.
After years of killing for others, I—Kaela the Ghost Thorn, the Empire's deadliest assassin—finally met the fate I'd dealt to hundreds. I suppose that's what I deserved.
Or so I thought.
Until I opened my eyes.
---
"She's breathing! The princess is alive!"
My lungs burned like I'd never used them before. My fingers twitched—soft and delicate, unlike the calloused weapons they used to be. The world above me shimmered in gold and blue. A velvet canopy. The scent of roses. And... perfume?
I tried to sit up but found myself restrained—not by ropes or chains, but by the crushing weight of a massive gown.
What the hell was I wearing?
"Your Highness!" A frantic maid rushed to my side. "You collapsed during your presentation ceremony! Thank the stars you're awake!"
Presentation? Stars? Your Highness?
I glanced at my reflection in the polished mirror behind her.
Wide, glimmering blue eyes, like twin sapphires. Golden hair cascading down my shoulders. A face so beautiful it looked fragile.
This wasn't my body.
This wasn't my world.
And I was no longer Kaela the assassin.
---
Two Hours Later.
"So let me get this straight," I muttered, pacing across the royal chamber I'd been dragged to. "I've been reincarnated as the Sixth Princess of the Kingdom of Eltheria... named Seris... and I'm supposed to have an affinity for water magic?"
The young court mage nodded nervously. "Y-yes, Your Highness. Lady Seris Eltheria. You were dormant in magic awakening until today's ceremony. But you fainted before completing the ritual."
Right. Because my soul had just been dropped into the girl's body.
"Any siblings I should know about?" I asked.
The maid next to me gasped. "You mean… aside from your five royal siblings, including Crown Prince Kaelen and Princess Mireya?"
Five others. That meant five potential sources of trouble. Especially if I was now part of the royal political food chain.
Still, there was a sense of freedom in this strange new life.
No masters. No missions. No blood on my hands.
Maybe this time… I could just live.
---
Later That Night.
The palace threw a grand feast in my honor—my "awakening day", apparently. Nobles gathered like vultures in velvet. The food sparkled with magic-infused spices, and the music was so elegant it made my ears itch.
I smiled and nodded like a perfect little princess.
I hid the knives in the silverware under my napkin. Just in case.
And then I saw him.
Across the banquet hall, standing beside the king: a boy no older than eighteen, with crimson eyes and obsidian armor. A knight, but not just any knight. Something about his stance—it was perfect. Controlled. Lethal.
Our eyes met for a fraction of a second.
He narrowed his gaze.
I looked away first.
That was dangerous.
"Princess Seris, your wine," said a noble, offering me a jeweled goblet.
I lifted it politely. "To a peaceful life," I said.
And drank.
---
Fifteen Minutes Later.
Pain.
Like fire beneath my skin.
My throat seized. My fingers went numb.
Poison.
I collapsed to the floor.
Gasps filled the room. Screams followed.
I tried to speak, to call for help, to reach for anything—
But my vision blurred into white.
Then darkness.
---
And then—
Gasp.
I sat upright in bed, chest heaving.
The same velvet canopy.
The same scent of roses.
A maid rushed in. "Princess! You collapsed during your presentation ceremony! Thank the stars you're awake!"
No.
This wasn't déjà vu.
This was the exact same moment as before.
I'd died.
Again.
And come back.
---