Stolen bride- Rebirth of abandoned duchess

PAIN 1

Layla looked around herself and there was some sort of a frowning expression on her lips. One minute she was in the imperial palace of Ardos waiting for Icarus and then another in this strange dark place where everything was absolutely pitch black...what was going on?

The female tried standing up and walking ahead to search for a source of light yet could not find any even after walking for several minutes. It was just like a long dark tunnel without any end.

"Do you remember me?" A voice echoed in the space and Layla stood frozen.

"Who is it? What do you want from me?" After moments of silence there was a smiling voice that replied.

"Me? I am you." It was all confusing for the female. Everything so chaotic until a figure came out of nowhere with her visage illuminated by bright light. She resembled Layla in all aspects- voice, face, figure and mind yet there was something that was still different.

"I am Ilaria, I am you." The woman with violet irises smiled and nodded at Layla

"I-I don't understand-"

"Layla and Icarus who are bound with great sacrifices yet separated by the guilt, remorse, hatred for their enemies and baggage from their past lives.

Our soul has lived multiple lives-Ilaria, Layla who was the wife of Duke Valentine and Layla who is Icarus's soulmate are all one but you shall never find happiness if you keep dwelling in past so the very past that you considered a baggage has come to ask you Layla- would you want to know the truth:

The truth of all your lives, redemption of those that committed sins and revenge from your enemies of past. With the burning of Ilaria's body that was preserved since thousands of years you have burned away your sorrows and opened a path for you and your soulmate's happiness...for mine and Zyram's happiness so I have come to bid you farewell.

The god that we have worshipped all our lives has blessed us in this life of yours but before that go and calm your heart like I have, go and see what happened to you, to us..to our one soul and to others."

Layla was spellbound with the things she saw and was almost in a daze as if she found it hard to believe yet when the scene changed there was little to question that this was indeed happening for she was in an imperial palace that she had never seen in her entire life and at that too in the emperor's personal chambers.

It was more magnificent than either what could be ever seen in either Avesta or Ardos in present but surprisingly she felt very familiar to it, she was only thinking when the doors opened and a male entered.

He looked younger than her and composition that could even rival gods yet the most enchanting feature of him was his eyes which were deep dark violet, exquisite like gems yet so sad that Layla did dot even knew why she forgot to hide herself and could only stare at him in a daze.

The man did not seem to be alarmed by her presence and only sat down near the window as if he had not seen her, he was silent for a long time, mulling in his head over something and lost in his own world.

The two sat together for an hour or so and by that time the male could not help and doze off.

Layla stood up and glided to him, her fingers trying to gently swipe the tears gathered in the corner of the boy's eyes only for them to pass right through his face like a ghost's.

After that for many days she followed him and saw him reigning over his kingdom with justice and truth, honor and kindness.

"Hail his highness Emperor Arvaram!"

She could not help but crying watching the scene where he sat alone trying to compensate for the absence of his father and mother by taking the responsibilities on himself.

Entire atmosphere was soon swallowed by mist and Layla could not see her son anymore for it was like a fog. She was going to shout for Arvaram despite knowing that he could not hear her when a voice called out her name.

'Layla'

'Layla, please forgive me.'

'Layla don't leave me alone. I failed to find you before.'

Layla opened her eyes and saw a strange place, wasn't she in the imperial palace?

Looking around this was a temple and not just any temple, it was the monastery where she spent the last days of her previous life after running away from Valentine duchy, the fact that she was there made chills run down her spine.

"Layla!"

It was a man's voice that resonated off as rough and choked to the point of having trouble in breathing as he cried heart-wrenchingly while clutching a corpse to his chest. The man had a silk cloth binding his eyes and at first glance, anyone could tell that he was blind.

"How can this be possible...no.....ICARUS!" Layla screamed and ran to his side as she saw a sorry figure of her husband holding a dead woman while weeping, she tried reaching out to him yet her fingers as fate has destined passed right through his body, she could not see him in such condition and felt pain enough to drive her insane.

Layla looked at the dead woman and knew it was her from her previous life after running from the ducal house and dying due to a terrible disease that also killed her mother, the Duchess of Everdale.

Were these the memories of her previous life, an answer to what happened after her death?

She was not sure but looking at the scene infront of her she almost did not wish to see it, she could not see Icarus breaking apart like that.

The moment Layla turned her back unable to witness the sorrow, her surroundings changed; it was the Everdale castle covered in mourning black flowers. Layla could guess what was this all about.

This was her own death procession, her funeral where everyone except Marianna was looking at the empty casket with dead eyes deeply sad, it was just her sister that acted like a child as if nothing happened, she looked like she had gone insane.

A/N: So these were the people who genuinely mourned her, next episode will be a continuation of what happened to others who pushed her to death, its like another arc.