Chapter 2:

She felt even more heartbroken. "If it weren't for that, how could he have contracted pneumonia? How could he have died at such a young age? He is your biological son, and just because of a misunderstanding, you treated him like that! What did I do wrong? I called the doctors urgently to treat him; I wanted to save my son! But all you cared about was Felicia. My son was burning with a high fever, and he cried to me, 'Mother, it hurts so much!' Do you understand my suffering? I would willingly give my own life to save him if I could! Your precious Felicia has you, but my Phil only has me! Why did Felicia give birth while I had to take care of her? My son was fighting on the brink of life and death at that time! Now, I don't want anything else! I only want Phil to come back to life! I hate Felicia, and I resent her. I loathe her! I wish I could tear her apart piece by piece!"

"You despicable person!" Alpha Jeffn grew angrier, his disgust for the woman before him increasing. "You want to hate, then hate me! She didn't want to enter the palace, but I deliberately brought her in and made her Empress! She is so kind and pure; how could there be such a terrifying sister like you!"

He swiftly approached Emma, his expression cruel as he grabbed her hair. "I will never forgive you! I want you to live a life worse than death! Guards cut off this despicable woman's legs and throw her into the dungeon!"

Then, Emma saw something dazzlingly golden. In the dark palace, its color surpassed everything, shining more brightly than any lamp, shattering the entire world. She knew it was the decree of deposing the Empress! The deposed Empress!

The attendants continuously proclaimed, and somewhere, there were gazes like poisoned arrows, seemingly wanting to pierce through her heart. But her soul felt empty, as all thoughts in her mind disappeared, leaving only the two words, hatred. Finally, she couldn't hear anything more. Her complete soul had discarded her tattered body and flown towards the distant sky.

Alpha Jeffn, your thoughts are fierce and so cruel! Emma embraced her heart and lay down on the ground. As for him, he didn't even spare her a glance, lifting his foot without a hint of mercy. This kick injured her physical body and trampled on her dignity and soul.

Emma laughed maniacally. She had once said that she loved the scenery of Mipiaa the most. One day when the dust settled, everything ended; she would go to Mipiaa to admire the view, drink good tea, listen to the best folk songs, and travel across the mountains and rivers. Alpha Jeffn said he would remember it well for a lifetime. Because he remembered it well, he used it now to punish her! Didn't she say she wanted to travel across the mountains and rivers? He would cut off her legs! Didn't she say she paid attention to her position as the Empress? He deposed the Empress and locked her in the dungeon. Alpha Jeffn, you are genuinely sinister, truly cruel!

Under the awning of the prison cell, Emma narrowed her eyes. Later on, Alpha Jeffn made Felicia the Empress, bestowed their son with the title of Crown Prince, and she lived a life of endless glory. Meanwhile, Emma was forgotten by the world.

Her existence now was just a lingering breath. Still, she told herself, she had to live longer than Felicia, she had to live longer than FeliciaAt this moment, the prison cell door opened, and Emma saw a faint ray of warm sunlight seeping through the dark gap. "Emma, kneel to receive your sentence!"

Kneel? Her legs had been cut off; how could she kneel?

Emma didn't understand what he was saying. His hoarse and sharp voice echoed in her ears, making her unable to comprehend. Someone else dragged her across the ground and taken to the corridor.

"By order of King Lycan, the unworthy Empress Emma, who failed to reflect on her actions while imprisoned, has been sentenced to death by poison!"

"Luna Emma, please don't blame others. The Empress is filled with sorrow and fear, unable to sleep peacefully. His Majesty believed your life force was too strong, threatening the Empress. To protect the Empress, His Majesty decided to end his life. May you find peace in the afterlife!"

Poison, of course, it's poison! Throughout her life, she had been a good wife, working tirelessly for him, and a good Empress, neglecting her illness to comfort the officials. In natural disasters, she risked distributing food to the people without hesitation. She didn't hesitate to fix Alpha Jeffn's mistakes and treated the courtiers and palace maids with kindness and compassion. And now, what does she get in return? When she faced danger, did anyone stand up for her? No one did!

Emma laughed hysterically. "Alpha Jeffn, Felicia, well done! You have treated me so well! In my next life, I swear, I won't do good deeds or enter the palace again! I swear I won't become Empress!"

The old servant looked at the deposed Empress Emma with a touch of pity in his heart and sighed. "Take her away."

In the room, a small bean-sized lamp flickered.

Emma lay on the bed, her body tilted, suddenly becoming alert. She could hear a conversation outside.

Outside the room, Omega Hana spoke hesitantly, "Mother, should we find someone to examine Miss Tam? After all, she is a member of the Beta Henry family. If anything happens to her..."

Jennifer's face turned cold, her response indifferent. "This lowly girl thinks she'd of a noble lady. I've heard people say that she is the illegitimate child born from the womb of a concubine who washed her feet. And she was born in February, a complete calamity. Emma belongs to a noble clan so we couldn't kill her. That's why we dumped her off with distant relatives in Miami City. And afterward, the Old Madam and Master Beta Henry kept falling ill. Isn't that harming their own family? So they panicked and brought her to our place in the countryside! Hmph, I see her as a calamity and a lazy and rotten girl who pretends to be sick whenever she's asked to do even a small task!"

Emma listened to this conversation and suddenly jolted. Instinctively, she looked around the room. There were few belongings in this room, only a square table, four long wooden chairs, a storage cabinet, and the wooden bed she was lying on.

This place is... Her mind suddenly became hazy, but the conversation outside remained clear.

"When the girl was at the Beta Henry's house, she had servants attending to her. She never had to do any hard work. It was just because she slipped into the crack in the ice today that she fell ill. We can't blame her..." The weather was freezing now, and Jennifer let a young child like Emma wash the clothes in the icy water. Omega Hana couldn't bear it, and her voice filled with worry.

Jennifer sneered coldly. "A dead baby still has some affection, but this spoiled little miss is truly worthless. She pretends to be helpful but does everything reluctantly. Whenever she's given a small task, she pretends to be sick. Useless girl!"

After speaking, Jennifer's face turned icy cold as she stared intently at Omega Hana. "Do you think I don't know for sure? You pity that wretched person, don't you? If you feel sorry for them, why don't you wash their clothes too!"

Omega Hana hurriedly continued, "Yes, Mother is right. Your daughter-in-law won't speak out of line anymore..."

Jennifer released an exasperated sigh, stood up, and shut the door with a loud noise.

What's going on? Didn't I die already? How can I still be lying here? Emma tried to move, but her whole body felt powerless, as if her bones were utterly disjointed. She could remember everything so clearly. Just then, someone suddenly lifted the curtain and entered the room. Emma found herself lying in someone's arms. This person had slender shoulders, a soft chest, and the fragrance of jasmine.

"Eat the porridge, and it'll make you feel better!"

The warm breath blew onto her face, and Emma felt like seeing a ghost. She stared at the peculiar complexion of the woman in front of her. If she remembered correctly, the woman before her was Omega Hana, the eldest daughter-in-law of the rural family she once stayed with twenty-three years ago. But how could this be? She was supposed to be dead, poisoned with wine. In the blink of an eye, why was she meeting someone she knew from twenty-three years ago...

At sixteen, she married Alpha Jeffn, and eight years later, she ascended to Empress. She spent twelve years in prison, and she was thirty-six at the time of her death. But Omega Hana still had the appearance from twenty-three years ago. It was unimaginable!

Instinctively, she glanced at her hand. It was thin and fragile, and the fingertips revealed a pale moon-like color. This was not the hand of a thirty-six-year-old woman; it was the hand of a young girl! Thinking about it, a trace of fear hid in Emma's eyes.

Omega Hana worriedly asked, "What's wrong? Are you still feeling cold?"

Her voice was familiar, and Emma could tell she genuinely cared about her.

"We should find a doctor to check your illness, but my mother... Sigh..."

Emma looked at the bowl of porridge in Omega Hana's hand. She didn't know what kind of rice it was made from, but it smelled strange. For some reason, tears slowly welled up in her eyes. She hoped to keep dreaming and never wake up if this was a dream because she had a feeling that she was still alive!

As Emma was about to speak, someone suddenly pulled back the curtain and walked in.

Holding the bowl of porridge, Omega Hana looked at Jennifer's expression and trembled with fear.

"What are you doing? Stand up!"

Omega Hana startled and quickly released Emma, standing up. She was about to place the bowl on the table, but due to her nervousness, the bowl tilted slightly, causing some liquid to spill out, scalding her hand. She felt intense pain but tried to endure it and placed the bowl on the table.

Seeing her daughter-in-law daring to be clumsy and serving food to Emma, even spilling it, Jennifer's anger flared up. In one smooth motion, she grabbed the bowl of porridge from the table and poured it directly onto Omega Hana's face. The hot porridge poured onto Omega Hana's head with a splash, drenching her entire body. Jennifer pointed at her face and scolded:

"You little wretch! Didn't I tell you not to give her food? Haven't you heard a word of what I said? If you don't want to live in this house, leave immediately! I can't stand to have even a grain of sand in my eyes, let alone let you disgrace me."

Poor Omega Hana, drenched with a bowl of hot porridge by Jennifer, her whole body swollen and red, tears streaming down her face. She didn't dare say a word, just huddled in the corner of her clothes, gently wiping off the porridge and turning to clean up the broken pieces on the floor.