The Return of the Butterfly.

To what extent can a woman go when she loves? Can she forsake herself to become the instrument of her beloved's whims and fancies? Is this love? And what happens when that dream is shattered?

Deep within the dungeon of the royal family's retreat, a woman with striking blue eyes and hair as black as the night pondered endlessly – why? Engulfed in her own thoughts, tears streamed down her face. Bruised and battered, with split and bleeding lips, she knelt, hands on the ground and fist clenched. The dungeon's earth appeared damp where her tears had fallen. She remained baffled, questioning how it all led to this.

Lost in her reverie, she suddenly heard footsteps approaching. She wondered if it was her captors returning for another bout of torment. Not a day had passed without beating since her imprisonment. Her back was battered from lashes, her bloodied face almost unrecognizable from the blows received amongst mockers. But by now, the pain had ceased. After enduring so much, her body no longer bore signs of feeling the continuous abuse. To her, the ordeal had become unremarkable, the pain less acute than at first. Numbness had set in... She had lost track of time since the nightmarish sequence started. All that lingered was her consciousness and a nagging question without an answer: why?

Yes, she was alive. Yes, she was aware of everything done to her – but, why? What sin did she commit to end up in such dire straits? Just as she questioned this to herself, the dirty cell door creaked open. Instinctively, she lifted her head slightly, enough to perceive a pair of refined shoes... and there he was, the love of her life, the man she had given her all to. A faint glimmer of hope sparked at his sight.

"You've come to save me. I knew you wouldn't leave me here alone. Take me away from here, Sebastian. I don't understand why they're doing all this to me," she uttered, trying to inch closer to him.

"Silly and naïve. Manipulating you into catering to my every wish was so simple... but guess what? You're no longer of use to me, and I mustn't leave loose ends that could implicate me," Sebastian scoffed, his face twisted in disgust as he looked down at her.

"Was it you?” She laughed at herself in disbelief.

To her, it seemed he had come to rescue her from the torment she was enduring, but in truth, it was he who subjected her to this torture... the man she assisted in his endeavors, killed and stole for, all for him, so the emperor might consider him a potential heir to the throne. Foolishly, she had believed they would always be together. She loved him, while he merely used and betrayed her when she ceased to be of value.

"I did everything for you, damn you. Every desire of yours. All because I loved you. Why? Why betray me this way? I don't deserve this!" she exclaimed in anguish.

"Love? Did you really think I'd ever love you? That you'd be my empress when I took the throne? Hah… just look at yourself. To begin with, you're ugly, not even good for a lay. And since we're confessing, I'll tell you something: every time you thought you were lying with me, it was actually a different soldier in your bed. That's why I always insisted on doing it in the dark, so you wouldn't realize."

"What a bastard you turned out to be," she said with a wry smile. Raising her face to meet his gaze, she added, "I hope your life becomes a living hell, and you pay dearly for all you've done to me."

"My dear butterfly, even if your curses come true, you won't be here to witness them. By the way, do you know why I always called you 'My butterfly'? You probably envisioned a beautiful butterfly each time I did so, and your heart fluttered... hahahaha... I thought of the ugliest one every time I saw you, especially because of that birthmark on your face resembling one. Well, enough chatter, I came here today to this foul place to give you some news: I'm engaged, and guess to who? The beautiful Layla, your younger sister. I'm looking forward to our wedding. And with your father's support, my ascension as crown prince is nearly assured."

Her heart shattered, in the end, it was all for naught, and she had been cruelly exploited.

"But it's my fault. Love blinded me, and I foolishly believed that by doing everything you asked, you would love me back, but it was all my imagination," she thought to herself.

"I hate you. I hate you with every fiber of my being. And I hope there's another life so I can repay you for all you've done. Today I curse you, Sebastian, and I swear I'll return for you. You will die by my hands."

With that, she swiftly grabbed Sebastian's light sword from his belt and, with a twisted smile, slit her throat, falling to the ground dead. Her last thoughts were filled with hatred, sorrow, and pain. She wished for his suffering and longed to be there to witness it, thought she as darkness enveloped her.

"Well, she saved me the trouble. I want the body removed unseen, and dumped in the forest for the beasts to consume," Sebastian ordered before leaving the cell.

Her body was secretly taken from that place. Left in the forest as instructed by master Sebastian, and just as he said, the lady's body was devoured by the beasts; but from her spilled blood, a butterfly emerged and took flight. Indeed, the soul of the woman who had suffered beyond imagination transformed into a breathtaking butterfly.

Within the Emerald City, in a grand mansion bursting with opulence, there resided a strikingly beautiful woman, her allure was undeniable. She was also bestowed with talents for the arts, dancing, singing, and even playing various musical instruments with exquisite grace. A lady of exquisite beauty and outstanding abilities. Her name was Layla, the second daughter of the prime minister, spoiled and adored by her father who always took pride in her. At that moment, in that immense mansion of luxuries, a celebration was underway for her newly arranged engagement to the third prince. The absence of the mansion's eldest daughter concerned no one.

The prime minister had two daughters, the older Elyana was the child of his first wife. Born with a mark on her face, she was shunned by her own father and family. Her mother, who truly loved her, died when Elyana was 7 years old, and since then that little girl was never the same again. Two months after the death of his wife, the prime minister brought home the woman who is now Layla’s mother and his wife. He married this woman, named Marian, and nine months later Layla was born, capturing all the attention.

Elyana was confined to a small house at the back of the mansion, with no one to assist or serve her. She received food once a day, the leftovers from the main house. Thus, she grew up alone, virtually unknown to the outside world, until one day, at age 13, she met the third prince, Sebastian. He seemed interested in her and would secretly visit to chat, always bringing food for her. Elyana, having never had anyone's attention, was deeply touched and dazzled by this man and vowed to herself to always follow Sebastian and aid him.

That’s how the relationship between Sebastian and Elyana began, but he asked to keep it a secret, explaining that to free her from her situation and love her openly, his status as the third prince was insufficient as he lacked his father's favor. Naively, Elyana offered to help him... and so Sebastian proposed to train her to become strong. At the age of 15, Elyana had left the little house, but her departure went unnoticed or uncared for as she was deemed nothing more than refuse by the family and mansion—garbage the prime minister had discarded for being of no use.

Prince Sebastian had taken Elyana beyond the city, to a mountain where he had people who served him in secrecy, all trained assassins... And there she was now, Elyana, determined to be the best to assist her beloved. Several years had passed, Elyana was 18 and ready for the missions that Prince Sebastian might assign to her. Elyana was happy, she had to perform well, so they could be together soon.

At that moment, she did not realize how mistaken she was. She was simply deceived, used, and tossed aside. With the prime minister on his side through the engagement to his daughter, for Sebastian, Elyana became an inconvenience that needed to be removed to prevent future issues. And so, he planned to eliminate her.

Now everything was clear, that butterfly born of Elyana's blood flew aimlessly under the torrential rain. It fluttered among the clouds until it took direction toward something that seemed to be calling it. Entering a lavish room, where a young woman lay unconscious, it settled on her chest, then vanished. This young woman in her dreams saw images of the marginalized girl; they were like memories.

Suddenly she saw herself standing in front of that woman. The lady lying unconscious in the bed had been poisoned by her cousin, whom she regarded and treated as a sister. Only after drinking that cup of tea did she see her cousin's true colors, because, before slipping into unconsciousness, her cousin said, "I deserve everything you have, even Prince Nicholas. With you dead, I will take your place as the fiancee." The last thing she saw was the mocking smile of the woman she considered a sister.

The two women faced each other until Elyana asked, "Who are you?" The beautiful lady smiled and said, "I am the daughter of the great general of the empire, my name is Elizabeth. I am dead, I can no longer return. But you can, thus, I want to give you the chance to take my place. You will have my memories and know how I ended up this way. I ask for two things, one is vengeance, the other, to take care of my father." With that, the beautiful woman disappeared and at that moment Elyana, now Elizabeth, opened her eyes.

A bit dazed, looking at the ceiling of that room, all the life images of the former Elizabeth passed through her head until she finally said;

"So, it was you, treated as a beloved sister, betrayed. Betrayal, something we have in common, Elizabeth. Perhaps that is why fate has given us this chance, for our revenge. Do not worry; your vengeance will be served so you can rest in peace. And thanks for giving me the chance to seek my revenge as well."

Having said this, she touched her face, and looked around. A beautiful room. At that moment, she heard noises outside, and with the door opening, she saw a distinguished-looking man, albeit powerful. He was of years but looked good, very good for his age because thanks to Elizabeth's memories, she realized that this majestic man was her now father.

Those with him appeared frightened to see her awake, of course, they had given me up for dead... she thought. The man rushed to where she lay.

"My dear daughter, you are well... you are awake... when they told me you were dying, my heart almost stopped beating. Please do not scare Papa like this again..." he said, stroking the head and face of his beloved daughter, and then he addressed the others present.

"All of you are inept!" he exclaimed. Someone go fetch a doctor, and not the one who declared my daughter was dead, find someone else. As for that one, who wished death on my daughter with his diagnosis, I will see to him personally.

Two weeks had passed since she awoke in the grand general's mansion as Elizabeth. Her father had insisted she rest during this time. To her, this was unusual; in her previous life, she never knew what having a father was like. She grew up motherless, with a father who despised her. On top of that, she had a sister and stepmother who sought her out only to ridicule her or, even worse, to mistreat her.

Seated in a small gazebo amidst a garden, she stared intently at an artificial pond covered with blooming lotus flowers, lost in thought.

"How painful is it for a heart to be trampled until not a single piece remains?" she wondered, adding, "and by the person one loves the most?" Elyana, now Elizabeth, lifted her gaze towards the blue sky, sighing deeply. She raised a hand as if trying to reach that beautiful blue sky, then answered herself;

"It feels like thousands of needles piercing your body, deep enough to reach the bones. Just as when the beautiful scenery of peach blossoms suddenly turns to bare branches with neither leaves nor flowers where a butterfly has no place and vanishes." With this thought, she smiled to herself.

"A butterfly, her butterfly."

At that moment, she stood and extended her hand; several golden butterflies appeared to land on her and fluttered around.

"Sebastian, I will not leave you in peace. First you will fall into disgrace, be tortured to madness, and then you will die. What I suffered, you will suffer twice over."

Just then, her father arrived, witnessing the golden butterflies surrounding his daughter. The sight reminded him of his beautiful, beloved late wife. Until that moment he was unaware that his daughter had inherited her mother's magic. Surprised, he asked, "How long have you had this ability?" He remembered that Elizabeth had never used her magic and had not revealed it so that her father wouldn't suffer more from missing the woman he deeply loved. Deciding to be honest, she replied;

"I've always had it, Father. I feared that it might bring sadness to you, reminding you of Mother. She had this magic, and I inherited it, though I must admit I do not know how to use it properly," said Elizabeth with a pout and a somewhat embarrassed face.

"My child, my Eli, I will always miss your mother and cherish every memory of her. Your inheritance of this golden magic will not make me miss her more or love you any less." With that, he embraced his daughter. "But I'm curious about something, why butterflies?" he inquired as he held her.

"Because they are free and beautiful... Though fragile, they remind me of a friend," she replied.

In the arms of the man who was now her father, Elizabeth felt happy and thought to herself (Elizabeth, I will always take care of our father). She hugged him tightly.

A few minutes later, he mentioned that her cousin wanted to visit, concerned for her. Elizabeth thought to herself (it's not convenient to see her at the moment. I need more time to adapt to everything and to plan my revenge on her behalf). After reflecting further, she said to her father;

"Father, if possible, I'd prefer not to see anyone. I have just recovered and wish to rest. Ask her not to come for now. Also, I want to ask you something. I wish to learn everything about Mother's magic; I want to learn to use it, and once I gain a bit more strength, I want to train with you. After all, I am the daughter of the great General of this empire and wish to bring honor to my father and our house," she spoke seriously.

Though she possessed the training from her previous life, it was in knowledge only, as her current body had no physical training and was quite frail.

"You've often wanted to learn before, and you've refused. What has made you change your mind now?" the general asked cautiously as he stroked his daughter's head.

"I know I refused before, but being so close to death has made me reconsider. I nearly died from poisoning, and in the future, attempts might be made to kill me directly. I want to be prepared. Please father, this daughter of yours is asking for your help," she said with a slight bow.

"You make me proud, my child. Of course, I will teach you everything. You are my daughter, and surely, as the daughter of the great general, you must be the best. I will let it be known you haven't yet recovered, and you will receive no visitors until further notice. We will use your convalescence to start magic training from tomorrow. Something basic because I don't want you to overexert yourself. You are still weak," concluded the great general.

"Father, you are the best!" Elizabeth exclaimed, embracing him once again.

That same afternoon at the mansion of the general's brother, a girl received news that Miss Elizabeth had been targeted in an attack and had not yet recovered; therefore, she would not receive visitors since her condition was somewhat delicate.

"I feared she might suspect; perhaps she didn't hear what I said as she was fainting. Nonetheless, she is delicate. I will find a way to end her life once and for all," the girl said with a smiling face.

She was Estefani, Elizabeth's cousin, who had always envied everything her cousin had—her father, her wealth, her beauty, and, above all, her fiance. This hatred for her cousin had been and was being fueled daily by her mother, Alicia, who initially wanted to be the wife of the great general but never received a glance from him as he was hopelessly in love with Elizabeth's mother, who at the time was just his betrothed.

Alicia, in an attempt to seize the general, tried to sleep with him using an aphrodisiac and sneaking into his room, but to her misfortune, the servant she had paid made a mistake, and Alicia ended up in bed with the general's brother. This led to them having to marry. That night she conceived Estefani, and her husband never touched her again, blaming her for his unhappiness. At the time, he had been in unrequited love with his brother's fiancee, and because of Alicia, he never even had the chance to at least try to win her over.

Remembering all that her mother had told her so many times, only fueled her hatred for Elizabeth. Rising, she began to throw things randomly.

"Damned be she. I was meant to be the general's daughter. Because of your stupid mother and you, I'm stuck in this miserable life within an unhappy family," she said, continuing to throw items.