Reborn: I Married The Empire's Most Feared Duke

The smile she'd forced onto her face slowly disappeared as memories she had buried beneath years of pain clawed their way back to the surface. She remembered this morning with terrifying clarity. She remembered every word Lyra had spoken, every gentle smile, every affectionate touch that had convinced everyone watching that the Solis sisters adored one another. Most of all, she remembered the beautifully wrapped gift Lyra had carried into this very room.

A bracelet. A Simple, Elegant yet Deadly.

No one had ever suspected it.

Not the physicians who examined her months later. Not the servants who watched her grow weaker by the day. Not even Kira herself until it was far too late. The alchemical poison coating the bracelet hadn't been designed to kill. It seeped into the skin so slowly that no one would ever think to blame a piece of jewelry. Over the following months, her body gradually weakened. She grew pale, her hands occasionally trembled without reason, and she often found herself exhausted after attending court for only a short while. Physicians blamed overwork. Noble ladies whispered that Lady Kira lacked the health expected of a future Crown Princess. By the time her engagement began falling apart, everyone already believed she was too frail and emotionally unstable to stand beside Prince Julian.

Lyra had never needed to destroy Kira all at once.

A moment later, Lyra entered the room carrying a beautifully wrapped box tied with pale blue ribbons. Her cream-colored dress swayed softly around her ankles as she hurried toward Kira with the warmth and excitement of a younger sister who had been waiting all morning for this moment.

"Elder Sister!"

Before Kira could even rise from the vanity, Lyra wrapped both arms around her shoulders in a gentle embrace. The fragrance of fresh jasmine lingered around her, sweet enough to hide the faint medicinal scent Kira had never noticed in her previous life.

"I've been looking everywhere for you," Lyra said, laughing softly. "Father has already begun welcoming the guests, yet you are still hiding in your room. Do you know how worried I was?"

Anyone watching would have believed every word.

Several maids smiled to themselves while quietly arranging Kira's skirts. One of the younger girls even sighed with admiration.

"The young ladies truly love one another."

Kira almost laughed.

If only they knew.

She gently returned the embrace before taking a small step back, allowing just enough distance to study Lyra's face. She looked exactly as she remembered. Soft brown eyes, delicate features, and a smile so naturally innocent that people trusted her without thinking twice. Even Kira had once believed there wasn't a kinder person in the Empire.

What a convincing lie it had been.

"I kept you waiting," Kira apologized with a faint smile. "Forgive me. I woke later than I intended."

Lyra immediately shook her head.

"There's nothing to forgive. Today is the happiest day of your life. Any bride-to-be would be nervous."

The words sounded harmless.

Yet Kira noticed the careful way Lyra watched her eyes after speaking.

Kira lowered her gaze at exactly the right moment, allowing a shy smile to appear across her lips.

"I suppose I am a little nervous." Relief flickered through Lyra's eyes before disappearing almost instantly.

There she is. The same timid Kira. The same sister desperate for everyone's approval.

Nothing had changed.

"I'm so glad," Lyra said warmly. "I was worried you might be feeling overwhelmed. After today, everyone will see you as the future Crown Princess. It's only natural to feel frightened."

"I've never attended such an important banquet before," Kira admitted quietly. "I'm afraid I'll embarrass His Highness."

"You never could." Lyra reached for the gift she had brought and carefully placed it into Kira's hands.

"I chose this especially for you. I wanted you to have something beautiful to wear today."

Kira lowered her eyes toward the elegant wooden box.

Her heartbeat remained perfectly steady.

Last time... She had opened it immediately. She had admired the bracelet before allowing Lyra to fasten it around her wrist herself.

She had worn it proudly throughout the banquet. And she hadn't taken it off for months.

This time, she slowly untied the ribbon and lifted the lid.

Nestled against dark blue velvet lay a delicate silver bracelet set with tiny moonstones that shimmered beneath the morning sunlight. It was beautiful enough to steal anyone's attention, crafted with such care that no one would ever imagine death hiding beneath its polished surface.

"It's gorgeous," Kira whispered sincerely.

That much wasn't a lie. Lyra's smile widened.

"I knew it would suit you." Kira gently lifted the bracelet from its box, allowing the light to dance across the silver before carefully placing it back inside.

"Thank you, Lyra. I love it." The younger woman's expression softened.

"I'll help you put it on."

She stepped forward naturally, already reaching for the bracelet.

Kira smiled. "Not today."

The words came so gently that no one in the room thought anything of them.

"I had another dress prepared for next week's spring festival. The moonstones will match that gown perfectly. I'd rather save such a beautiful gift for then." She turned toward one of the maids standing nearby.

"Lina, would you place this inside my jewelry cabinet? Make sure it's wrapped carefully. I wouldn't want it to be scratched."

The maid accepted the box with both hands. "Of course, Miss."

For less than a heartbeat... Lyra froze. It wasn't obvious.

Her fingers stopped moving. The smile on her lips tightened almost imperceptibly.

Then it was gone. "So that's what you had in mind," she said with a soft laugh. "I was hoping everyone would see you wearing it today, but next week sounds even better." Kira smiled back just as warmly.

"I want to treasure it properly." Neither sister looked away. For the first time in either lifetime...

Lyra's first move had failed.

Yet what unsettled Kira wasn't the tiny victory.

It was how quickly Lyra recovered. Only another flawless smile.

She had adapted in the space of a single breath. Perhaps...

Kira had underestimated her before.

The conversation drifted naturally toward the upcoming banquet,

"Has Father spoken with you this morning?" Lyra asked while adjusting one of Kira's sleeves.

"Not yet."

"And His Highness?"

Kira shook her head.

"I haven't seen him since yesterday."

"You must be terribly excited."

A faint blush spread across Kira's cheeks. "I only hope I can become someone worthy of standing beside him."

Exactly what Lyra expected to hear. The younger woman relaxed almost immediately.

By the time the conversation ended, Lyra looked completely satisfied.

Nothing had changed.

Her sister was still the same trusting, insecure young woman who would never see danger until it was too late. After another affectionate embrace, Lyra finally excused herself.

"I'll see you downstairs," she said sweetly. "Today belongs to you."

"No," Kira thought as she watched the door close behind her.

"It belongs to both of us."

Silence settled over the room once Lyra was gone.

The maids resumed preparing gowns and arranging jewelry, completely unaware that the room felt lighter simply because one person had left.

Kira waited patiently.

One minute. Two.

Only after the last maid disappeared into the dressing room to retrieve another pair of shoes did she quietly open the jewelry cabinet.

The wooden box remained exactly where Lina had placed it.

She removed the bracelet, then reached toward the vanity and picked up a plain silver hairpin from among the dozens decorating the table. Years ago, one of Wildflower's physicians had taught her a simple trick. Pure silver often reacted to certain alchemical compounds long before they became dangerous enough for the human body to detect.

Holding the bracelet carefully between her fingers, Kira scraped the tip of the hairpin along its inner surface.

For a heartbeat...

Nothing happened. Then, like ink spreading through water, the bright silver darkened into a dull charcoal gray.

Kira stared at it quietly. Poison. Exactly as she remembered. A faint smile touched her lips. She wasn't smiling because she'd proven herself right.

She was smiling because fate had made a mistake.

It had given her back every memory.

Carefully wrapping the bracelet inside a square of white silk, she tucked it into the deepest corner of the cabinet instead of throwing it away.

One day...

It would find its way back to the person who had prepared it.

Closing the cabinet, Kira walked toward the tall window overlooking the front courtyard. Servants hurried across the estate carrying flowers, polishing carriages, and directing musicians toward the grand ballroom where the birthday banquet would begin within the hour.

Her gaze wandered absentmindedly across the bustling manor until one figure stopped her cold.

Near the outer gates, partially hidden beneath the shadow of an old oak tree, stood a hooded courier dressed in dark traveling clothes.

Her fingers tightened against the windowsill.

She knew him. Not his face. Only the cloak.

He wasn't supposed to be here. especially not today. In her previous life...

That courier wouldn't arrive for another three months.