Chapter 1: LRPVL

Ariletti Cadis.

She was the greatest villainess in the history of the Bertel Empire.

The most foolish villainess in the world, betrayed not once, but twice.

All around her was a world of pure white.

Ariletti lay in the middle of the snowfield, staring up at the falling snowflakes drifting through the sky.

She had lived two lives.

And she had regressed twice.

Now, beginning her third life, Ariletti quietly reflected on her past.

Failure.

That was the only word for it.

Ariletti had lived a thoroughly failed life.

From birth, she had been insignificant. An orphan with no family, surviving by begging in the streets.

When she grew a little older, she worked menial jobs in a filthy, foul-smelling general store, beaten regularly by the owner. Then, at the age of twelve, she awakened a mysterious power within herself—and as though by fate, she met her prince.

Ariletti’s prince was Albert Federka, the First Prince of the Bertel Empire.

“You are the one and only special existence in this world. A noble Time Sorcerer chosen by the White Forest.”

A Time Sorcerer.

One who possessed the absolute power of regression—a miracle-like ability among the Four Authorities of the White Forest, known only through ancient historical records.

As Ariletti stood there in stunned confusion, First Prince Albert extended his hand toward her with a sweet smile.

“Your father was Baron Cadis, executed for treason. Ten years ago, your mother fled while carrying you in her arms. Under normal circumstances, you would have shared the same fate as them. But I wish to give you a chance.”

“A chance…? To me?”

“Yes. A chance to let your abilities bloom brilliantly. So, Ariletti… won’t you work for me?”

He was the first person who ever acknowledged Ariletti’s worth and gave her a reason to live.

After following Albert into the imperial palace of Bertel, Ariletti devoted her entire youth to making him emperor.

As the strategist who devised cruel schemes to eliminate his political enemies.

As the villainess who took the blame for all his sins.

And eventually, as his hidden lover.

Only to place a golden crown upon his head, she rewound time again and again, changing the world endlessly.

She truly believed that if she did, he would turn her into the princess of a fairy tale.

“Aril, my beloved angel. You are the greatest gift the White Forest has given me. If I can ascend the throne, I will make you my empress.”

She should never have believed those words.

When Ariletti’s prince finally ascended the imperial throne, he married a real princess from a neighboring kingdom—the woman who could provide him with genuine political support.

Ariletti, who had dirtied her hands and taken on every scandal for his sake, was discarded overnight.

And if he was going to throw her away, he could have at least exiled her somewhere far away.

Instead, that bastard locked Ariletti in prison and threatened her.

“The royal physician says you don’t have much time left to live. Before it’s too late, it would be best for you to pass on the Sage’s power.”

That was the first time she learned her authority could be inherited by someone else.

It was also the first time she learned that the price of using her power was her lifespan—and that years of her life had already been shaved away.

“How could Your Highness do this to me? Why… why me?!”

“You seem to be misunderstanding something. This was your purpose from the very beginning, Ariletti. If not for that magnificent power of yours, did you really think someone like you could ever hold her head high in this imperial palace?”

“…You said I was precious. You said you cherished me…”

“That was when you could still use your power properly. But if you die, your ability disappears with you. Ah, enough. Your whining is irritating.”

“Your Highness!”

“Sir Bodafeti, silence that bitch and lock her underground. Find out how to steal the power of regression from her. Use any means necessary!”

Ariletti was imprisoned underground for weeks, suffering in a dungeon reeking of rotting corpses.

Then she died.

And when she opened her eyes again, she had returned to the age of twelve—right after first awakening her power.

In her second life, Ariletti resolved to dedicate everything she had to killing the man she had once believed to be both her lord and lover.

She sought out the First Prince’s rival: the Second Prince Luciu, along with his fiancée, Lady Pembroke.

Together, they swore an oath of brotherhood and burned with determination.

“The three of us will die together on the same day if we must.”

“To the most agonizing death possible for First Prince Albert—that piece of trash!”

“Thank you, Luciu. Tenencia…”

For them—and for the sake of killing Albert—there was nothing Ariletti would not do.

She doubled Luciu’s weaker political faction and used both her memories of her past life and the power of regression to lead him toward victory.

How much blood had stained her hands in her obsession with revenge?

But the result was the same.

Just as her revenge was finally within reach, the Second Prince and his future empress—whom she had believed to be her family—betrayed her.

Not only did they stab her in the back, they turned her into a wanted criminal.

“Capture the Sage of the White Forest! She is the one who uses the ‘Power of Regression’! She must be taken alive so we can uncover the secrets of the forest! Once we learn the truth behind the White Forest, the imperial throne will belong to us anyway!”

They had never cared about Ariletti’s revenge or hatred.

From the very beginning, all they had wanted was her power—and the secrets tied to the White Forest.

In the end, they were no different from First Prince Albert.

Human garbage that deserved to be fed to dogs…

Ariletti spent an entire year on the run as a wanted fugitive across the empire.

Because her lifespan had already been drastically shortened in her first life, the end of her second life came even faster.

And when she finally had nowhere left to go, Ariletti threw herself off a cliff.

Then she opened her eyes here.

A silent snowfield beneath heavy falling snow.

What point in time had she returned to this time?

She didn’t know.

Everything Ariletti had built through her two lives had vanished like a sandcastle swept away by the waves.

What exactly have I been living for?

Lies, betrayal, hypocrisy?

And what did I gain from it all?

Pain, blood, scars, suffering?

I’m tired now.

She truly was exhausted.

Everywhere she went, there were only people approaching her to use her.

If she gave them her heart, they betrayed her.

Even if she closed her heart, they forced their way in anyway and stabbed her with a knife.

What was so great about this cursed power?

She hated it now.

Why struggle so desperately anymore?

I’m tired. I want to stop.

And strangely enough, the moment she thought that, her heart became peaceful.

At that moment, something stirred inside her clothes.

“Get up! Get up! Are you planning to freeze to death like this?!”

The shrill little voice was unbearably noisy.

From between the worn folds of her clothes, a stick-like object suddenly popped out. It started smacking Ariletti repeatedly.

“This life might be your last chance! I went through all the trouble of bringing you back, and now you want to disappear without leaving even a trace?! Huh?!”

What’s the point of surviving? I’ll only die again in a few years anyway.

No one knew better than Ariletti herself.

Because she had abused her power so recklessly, she barely had a few years of lifespan left.

“You stupid idiot! Then at least find a successor before you die! The position of Sage of the White Forest can never remain vacant—not even for a moment…!”

Now it was getting angry at her?

Ariletti thought bitterly:

This is all your fault in the first place, you rotten thing.

If something like you had never existed…

If she had never possessed such an ability…

Even if she had spent her entire life begging in the streets, at least her soul would not have been shattered like this.

Her body slowly sank deeper into the freezing snow.

She couldn’t feel anything anymore.

But she didn’t care.

I just want to rest now.

However, Ariletti’s final wish would not come true.

The ground began trembling with uneven thuds.

A group of riders was approaching on horseback.

“Captain, there’s someone over there! Judging by the size, I think it’s a child!”

“A child?”

Then came the voice of a young man.

“What the— I thought it was some flower bush blooming in the middle of winter.”

Ariletti’s hair was a vivid crimson red.

Spread wildly across the snow, it apparently looked like a large flowering bush from afar.

“Is it a boy?”

“No, I think it’s a girl… Huh? She’s even smaller than she looked from a distance. She’s tiny.”

Tiny? Who are you calling tiny?

“Go take a closer look. See whether she’s alive or dead.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Someone approached, footsteps crunching through the snow.

Crunch. Crunch…

A shadow fell over her body.

Ariletti muttered weakly,

“Just leave me alone…”

Just let me die like this…

But she could feel an intense gaze on her.

With no choice, Ariletti slowly opened her eyes.

A knight with thick brown whiskers and gray eyes was staring directly down at her.