Chapter 1188: Not a Disaster Star [Part 2]

The memory sharpened.

Aurelia was older now. A young woman wearing a dark-blue dress, standing near the edge of a mountain path overlooking the valley.

Her traveling bag lay beside her.

She had finally decided to leave. Not to reclaim her stolen reputation.

Not to expose Celestine.

She simply wanted to disappear somewhere nobody knew the name Aurelia Valessa. Somewhere she could begin again. But Celestine had discovered her plans. "You’re leaving?"

Her sister stood several paces away, breathing heavily after chasing her up the mountain.

Aurelia tightened her grip around her bag. "Yes."

Celestine stared. "Without telling me?"

"I left you a letter."

"A letter?" Celestine laughed incredulously. "You think you can abandon me with a letter?"

Aurelia looked exhausted. "Celestine, please. You’ve already got everything."

Her sister’s expression changed. "Everything?"

"Father loves you. Everyone admires you. The entire kingdom knows you as the Lucky Star."

Aurelia swallowed. "You have everything I once wanted. So why do you still need me?"

Celestine’s face twisted.

Because there was one thing she didn’t possess. The power behind the miracles. The blessings. The strange fortune that followed Aurelia wherever she went. Celestine had stolen the reputation, but she couldn’t reproduce the miracles herself. Without Aurelia nearby, eventually someone would notice.

Eventually, someone would ask why the Lucky Star could no longer heal the sick or restore dying crops.

And worse... If Aurelia performed miracles somewhere else, the truth might finally reach their father.

Celestine couldn’t allow that. "You can’t leave," she whispered.

Aurelia shook her head. "I can."

"No!"

Celestine stepped forward. "You need me!"

"No, Celestine." For the first time in years, Aurelia looked directly into her sister’s eyes. "I don’t."

Those two words shattered something.

Celestine’s expression turned murderous. "If you leave, you’ll ruin everything!"

Aurelia backed away. "Please..."

"You ungrateful little—!"

Celestine lunged. Her hands struck Aurelia’s shoulders.

Behind Aurelia lay the cliff. A sheer drop into the rocky valley below. Aurelia stumbled. Instinctively, she grabbed her sister’s sleeve. Celestine tried shoving her again. But the loose gravel shifted beneath her shoes. Her balance broke. Suddenly, she was the one falling.

Aurelia screamed and caught her wrist.

For one terrible moment, Celestine dangled over the cliff. "Aurelia!"

"I’ve got you!"

Aurelia pulled desperately.

Her fingers slipped.

Celestine’s eyes widened.

And then... She fell.

Her scream disappeared into the valley.

Aurelia remained on her knees, staring over the edge.

The world went silent. She hadn’t pushed her sister. She hadn’t wanted her dead. But Celestine was gone. And Aurelia knew exactly what everyone would believe.

The Disaster Star had killed the Lucky Star.

Her father would never forgive her.

The servants would accuse her.

The entire kingdom would hunt her.

Then she heard voices.

"Lady Celestine!"

Footsteps approached from the mountain path.

"Lady Celestine! Are you here?"

Aurelia froze. They were searching for Celestine. Not her.

Her trembling fingers reached toward the golden ribbon that had torn from her sister’s sleeve.

She stared at it. Then at her own reflection in a shallow puddle. Identical faces. Identical voices. Identical blood. Only their clothes were different.

And suddenly, a desperate idea entered her mind.

Just for a little while.

She could pretend to be Celestine. Tell the servants that Aurelia had run away. Return to the mansion. Gather some money. Then disappear before anyone discovered the truth. She wasn’t planning to steal her sister’s life forever. She merely wanted enough time to escape.

Aurelia tied the golden ribbon around her wrist.

Wiped away her tears.

And answered the approaching voices. "I’m here!"

The servants emerged from the trees.

"Lady Celestine!"

Relief flooded their faces.

Aurelia forced herself to smile.

The servants escorted her back to the mansion, fussing over her pale complexion and asking whether she needed anything. For the first time in her life, their voices carried genuine concern.

And every kind word made her stomach twist.

Eventually, she reached Celestine’s chamber.

The servants bowed and closed the doors behind her.

Aurelia stood motionless.

The room was enormous. Silk curtains framed the windows, expensive dresses filled the wardrobes, and jewels glittered inside velvet-lined boxes. Fresh flowers decorated the tables, while a magnificent canopy bed occupied the center.

Everything was beautiful.

Everything she’d never been allowed to touch.

She walked slowly toward the dressing table, running her fingertips across the polished wood.

A silver-framed mirror reflected her face.

Celestine’s face.

Aurelia swallowed.

For once, nobody shouted at her to leave. Nobody accused her of stealing. Nobody reminded her that she didn’t belong. Yet the silence felt unbearable.

She lowered herself onto the bed.

Just one night.

Tomorrow, she’d find a way to escape.

Then someone behind her began applauding. Slowly. Deliberately.

Aurelia spun around.

A man stood beside the open balcony doors, half-concealed by the curtains. Tall. Regal. Beautiful in a cold, unsettling way.

His eyes glittered with amusement. "Well, well..." He smiled. "What a fascinating little tragedy."

Aurelia’s blood ran cold.

The stranger stepped forward. "I wonder..." His smile widened. "...how long you intend to keep wearing your dead sister’s name."

And for the first time, Aurelia met the man who would turn her desperate lie into an eternal prison.

Kaelmor.

"Who... who are you?" Aurelia whispered, backing toward the bed.

The stranger bowed elegantly.

"Kaelmor. A king, if titles interest you. But tonight, consider me someone offering a rather generous opportunity."

Aurelia shook her head. "I don’t want anything. Please leave."

"Really?" He glanced around the luxurious chamber. "Not even this?" His fingers brushed the silk curtains. "The beautiful dresses, the servants, your father’s affection... All those wonderful things your sister stole from you."

Aurelia stiffened.

Kaelmor smiled.

"You deserve them, don’t you?"

"I... I’m leaving tomorrow."

"Why?"

"Because they’ll discover the truth!"

"Then perhaps we should ensure they never do." He approached, lowering his voice. "What if Celestine could live forever? Loved, admired, cherished. And Aurelia..." He chuckled softly. "...could remain conveniently alive elsewhere?"

Aurelia stared at him. "What?"

"I could become Aurelia. Your troublesome sister would still exist, so nobody would question her disappearance."

"But..."

"And you could finally enjoy everything you’ve been denied." He extended his hand. "No more running. No more hatred. Just love."

Aurelia hesitated.

Kaelmor’s smile deepened. "Come now, little Lucky Star. Don’t you deserve a happy ending?"