NOVEL NEXT Chapter 3 - It Happened Just as You Said
“What’s wrong, Laurencia?”
“Your Highness Luance, I saw something strange.”
“Something strange? Tell me.”
“I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but I saw a brown-haired maid putting white powder into the food you were about to eat. I don’t understand why I’m seeing these things.”
“Don’t be afraid, Laurencia. I believe you. Tell me everything you see. And don’t worry—you can rely on me.”
The next day, Luance sought Laurencia out and hugged her tightly, his gratitude evident.
“The maid with brown hair is named Jen. She joined the palace staff recently, and she really did poison the food meant for me. Thank you for saving me, Laurencia!”
Laurencia couldn’t hide her joy at having been able to help him.
Laurencia thought back to when her late mother’s amethyst pendant had begun glowing. She removed the necklace and closely examined the gemstone. Its uneven surface resembled shattered glass. At a glance, it appeared ordinary, but every time the pendant glowed, it revealed visions of the future.
She couldn’t understand why she had suddenly gained the ability to see the future. Yet, seeing Luance’s happiness made her grateful for this mysterious power. Perhaps, she thought, the goddess Ella had pitied her and granted her this gift.
Laurencia’s abilities began to flourish, blooming like a flower, all for Luance’s sake. She foresaw profitable business ventures and shared them with him. She uncovered conspiracies against him before they could unfold. Each time, Luance showered her with praise—praise that was sweeter than chocolate and just as addictive.
“Thank you, Laurencia. You’re such a kind and lovely girl.”
The more she craved his affection, the harder she pushed herself to use her powers. To see the future, she had to hold the amethyst up to the light and gaze into it. Each vision brought excruciating pain to her eyes.
One day, Laurencia confessed to Luance that using her power was becoming too difficult. The next day, as if by some cruel twist of fate, he stopped visiting her.
In his absence, Laurencia suffered Brant’s beatings once again. Soon after, the countess Anne and her daughter Illina began barging into her room, spewing harsh insults.
Laurencia could endure the beatings and the verbal abuse. What she couldn’t endure was the pain of Luance no longer visiting her.
“Have I been abandoned? Because I didn’t use my power? Should I have used it, even if it hurt?”
As her regret and exhaustion grew unbearable, Luance reappeared. Laurencia clung to him desperately.
“Because of my brother Adrian, my situation is precarious. I think I’m in danger. If you had foreseen my future earlier, I wouldn’t be in this mess.”
“I’m sorry.”
Seeing Luance’s serious expression, Laurencia felt nothing but guilt for not having used her power.
“Even though you’re an illegitimate child, I ensured you were recognized as the count’s daughter. I visited the manor every day to protect you from the count and countess. I’ve done all this for you… so why won’t you protect me, Laurencia?”
“I’m sorry. From now on, I’ll use my power, no matter how much it hurts.”
“Don’t forget—if I’m ever in danger, it’ll be because of you.”
Laurencia feared losing Luance again. Desperate for his love, she used her powers without hesitation. She revealed the dire fates of those who opposed him, including Crown Prince Adrian. Each vision foretold death, and one by one, they perished. With Adrian’s death, Luance rose as the new crown prince.
“If I am to become emperor… my father must die too. Yes, I’ll send him to join my brother.”
Laurencia searched the future for answers he wanted and shared them. Countless lives were lost, but she told herself it was better for others to die than for her to lose Luance.
“A war is coming.”
To secure Luance’s victory, countless lives were sacrificed. The land became desolate, littered with corpses, burned forests, and bloodied lakes. This was the world Laurencia had helped create for Luance. After ten years, his dream of a unified empire became a reality.
Laurencia waited for Luance to propose to her. Instead, what awaited her was death.
It was miserable. As her consciousness faded, she recalled the people who shouldn’t have died but did because of her. Yet all she had ever wanted was to be loved. She couldn’t see that as a sin.
Don’t mistake my feelings for love.
Luance’s words echoed in her mind, stripping away any meaning from her actions. Even death seemed empty. Perhaps, she thought, this was her punishment. The thought stung, and tears began to fall.
I’ll do anything for you.
When had his tender words changed? Was it when she left the attic? Or when her powers awakened? Why had she been cursed with the ability to see the future?
You’ll do this for me… won’t you? You don’t love me if you refuse.
Laurencia had believed she would live by his side, basking in his love. She thought that helping him achieve his dreams would lead to a happy ending. But at some point, his requests became demands, and her refusals filled her with guilt.
The more Laurencia fulfilled Luance’s requests and received his gentle embraces, the more suffocating his love became. Yet, she continued to believe in his love. She never imagined she would be abandoned so cruelly. No, deep down, a fear of being discarded had always lingered in her heart, though she had chosen to ignore it.
“Marquis Teishar Spencer, it happened just as you said.”
Laurencia thought of Marquis Teishar Spencer from the Floyd Empire, who had visited as a peace envoy to prevent war.
<“My lady, you will be used by the Emperor and then discarded.”>
That man had spoken as if he could see right through her. His jet-black hair and piercing red eyes were sharp and cold, like those of a leopard. When their gazes met, she felt as though she was being pulled into his eyes, unable to look away.
<“Used? I am merely an ordinary count’s daughter, Marquis.”>
<“How could a child of the goddess Ella be ordinary?”>
<“What… did you just say, Marquis Spencer?”>
<“I said you are a child of the goddess Ella.”>
<“How could you possibly…”>
Teishar had stared at her with a sad smile. Laurencia had wanted to speak with him more, but Luance had interrupted their conversation.
<“Take your eyes off me for just a moment, and you’re already distracted by other men, Laurencia.”>
<“Your Majesty, that’s not true.”>
<“I warned you, didn’t I? Don’t let it show that you’re a bastard.”>
Luance had humiliated her in front of everyone, pointing out her illegitimacy.
<“Even if she is illegitimate, calling her a bastard in public is not right, Your Majesty Luance von Ischter.”>
Teishar’s words pierced her heart like a dagger. His voice carried a sorrow that resonated deeply within her. The ferocity in his gaze directed at Luance left her breathless, her chest heaving. Teishar had spoken the words she had longed to say but had kept buried inside.
After Teishar left, Luance declared war on the Floyd Empire. The thought of Teishar weighed on Laurencia, making her hesitate to use her powers. Luance, of course, became furious, shouting so loudly that her ears hurt. Her eyes welled with tears. Laurencia, unable to make any decisions for herself, became nothing more than a marionette controlled by Luance.
<“You will be discarded.”>
Teishar’s prophecy had come true. Laurencia had been abandoned, branded as a witch. She knew there was no use in regretting it now. She was indeed a villain—a villain blinded by love. She saw her punishment as just retribution for the atrocities she had committed for him. History would remember her as the worst villain and witch to have ever lived.
Laurencia closed her eyes and prayed to the goddess Ella for the first time.
If another life exists, I pray I won’t be lonely. I pray I won’t be an illegitimate child. I want to wear a white wedding dress adorned with beautiful flowers and lace, to marry a man who truly loves me, to raise children, and to live a simple, peaceful life until I grow old. Please, fill the emptiness in my heart. I dare to ask this of you, goddess Ella.
Laurencia slowly opened her eyes. She sat up and removed the amethyst pendant from her neck. The pendant glowed brightly, illuminating her surroundings. As she turned her head, she noticed objects floating weightlessly around her.
“This is…”
The scene was eerily reminiscent of the night she first awakened her powers.
“What is happening?”
She felt a strange unease. Just moments ago, she had been dying in a cold prison cell after being betrayed by Luance, starving and weak. Now, she couldn’t understand what was happening. But one thing was clear—she wasn’t dead.
Laurencia gripped the amethyst pendant tightly. Her heart began pounding furiously. She looked into the floating mirror before her. Crimson-red hair and amethyst eyes stared back at her. It was her reflection.
With trembling fingers, Laurencia touched the mirror. Tears welled up in her reflection’s eyes and rolled down her cheeks. Watching herself cry, Laurencia clutched her chest and let out heart-wrenching sobs. Her whole body felt drained of strength as the light of the pendant flickered, and realization struck her.
“The pendant… it was showing me my future.”
Despite the tears streaming down her face, a bitter smile crossed Laurencia’s lips. If that was true, then what should she do now? The answer was obvious, wasn’t it? She had trampled countless lives to remain by his side. Happiness built on the misery of others could not endure.
At 29, imprisoned, Laurencia had come to understand this. The regret had nearly driven her mad. But now, she had been given a chance to undo it all. She could right her wrongs. The mere thought made her body tremble uncontrollably. Tears poured down her cheeks, and no matter how hard she tried to blink them away, they kept flowing.
<“You will be discarded.”>
“Now, I’ll be the one to discard you.”
Teishar Spencer’s words echoed in her mind once more. Laurencia grabbed her crimson hair with both hands and glared into the mirror, her bloodshot eyes cold and sharp. Dark smoke began to swirl around her, encasing her like a storm. The light of the amethyst pendant gradually dimmed.
“Return to where you belong.”
At her command, the floating furniture and objects drifted back to their original places, as if nothing had happened.
In the past, when her powers first manifested, she had been unable to control the chaos. She had cried through the night, trembling in fear. Brant, Anne, and Illina had seen her despair and branded her a “monster.”
“Fine. I’ll show them what a monster truly is.”
The naive, ignorant Laurencia of 19 no longer existed.