Auric sat quietly beside the city wall, staring at the bustling street beyond.
The wind brushed against her hair, but she didn't feel it. Her eyes were empty, filled only with regret.
She had once dreamed of living like the heroines in her favorite novels, the reborn women who righted their wrongs, gained wealth, married powerful men, and lived happily ever after.
But in her case, rebirth had brought nothing but humiliation.
Every month, she had to pay twenty million dollars to Gu Jin, the very woman she had once tried to impersonate. Twenty million. The number echoed in her mind like a curse.
Auric laughed weakly. "Even after being reborn, I'm still the same fool," she whispered. "Where's my mansion? My prince? My beautiful ending?"
All she had were ashes.
