The last thing I smelled was his breath — sandalwood and iron, like a temple after sacrifice.
The last thing I heard was laughter.
Hundreds of voices, toasting to the union of the Poison Alchemist and the Crown Prince.
To the girl who could dissolve a dragon's heart in three drops and still smile at dinner.
Me.
They called me brilliant.
They called me dangerous.
They called me wife.
And then Prince Wei kissed me — soft, slow, like we had a lifetime ahead.
But his other hand was already between us, the dagger hidden in his sash.
When he drove it into my back, he didn't shout.
He whispered.
"Forgive me, Xiyue. But a man cannot rule an empire with a wife who knows too many poisons."
I fell.
Not dramatically. Not in slow motion.
Just a collapse — like a marionette with cut strings.
The phoenix embroidery on my gown caught the candlelight as I hit the floor.
Red on red.
No one moved.
Not the elders.
Not the guards.
Not even the man who raised me — my so-called father.
Only her.
Su Lian.
She stepped forward in her jade-green robe, face pale with fake horror.
Then she knelt beside me, brushed my hair back, and smiled.
"You always were too bright, sister," she said, so quietly only I could hear.
"Now the world can finally see me."
I tried to speak.
To curse them.
To name the poison I'd put in the wine — one that would make them beg for death.
But my throat filled with blood.
And as the light faded, I made a vow — not to the gods, not to fate.
To myself.
If there is a next life…
I will remember.
I will return.
And I will eat their hearts with a spoon.
Darkness took me.
But it wasn't the end.
Because when I opened my eyes again…
I was standing before a mirror.
Fifteen years old.
Wearing the same red gown.
And Prince Wei was smiling at me, hand outstretched.
The wedding hadn't happened yet.
It was only beginning.
And this time…
I knew how it ended.