[The first time I met the Crown Prince, his Highness disliked my hair for being like a spider web. My mother consulted with my father, saying that they should hire a wizard to dye my hair.]

The inscription, which was a bit clumsy, recorded the first day the emperor and the empress met.

The emperor fixed his posture and sat down to read the diary with an extremely serious expression. But that was just the young empress’s record.

On the next page, the emperor could meet her the day before she became the crown princess.

[Finally, I will become the Crown Prince tomorrow. Goodbye to the nasty Duke family. I have to become a crown princess who won’t bring embarrassment to that person…]

The nasty Dukedom. He also sympathized with her.

Nowadays, they want to push the empress’s sister into the position of royal concubine.

[ His Majesty was not fond of talking, and i performed perfectly on my first official royal schedule. Will mother be pleased?]

What was the first official schedule? The emperor went through his memory.

However, even the first official schedule of the crown prince and princess was not that great, and there was nothing to remind him of when he looked back on it.

It was a minor thing that he didn’t even remember, but it must have been a happy moment for her after she became the crown princess.

Lightly, the pages continued to flip.

[I can’t believe it. When Empress Dowager died , I lost the only person in the Imperial Family who was on my side. What should I do now?]

[Afterwards, the Emperor followed the Empress and passed away, and I became the empress. From now on I must be the perfect empress.]

The emperor continued to flip the diary with trembling hands. The word ‘perfect empress’ somehow caught his attention.

[People praise me for being the perfect empress. I just did the natural thing, but I feel proud.” If I give birth to the successor of the imperial family, I can finally become the perfect Empress]

It is natural? After giving birth to a successor and being perfect, then what’s next?

[I tried changing out the flowers in the vase for new ones. They’re to help the Emperor concentrate, so I picked one without a heavy scent and focused more on delicate flowers.]

Why? Why did she do something he didn’t even tell her to do? Such a thing is enough to have the maids done.

[Your Majesty said that the fragrance of the flowers was nice. He even allowed me to continue to take care of the flowers if I wanted to. I was glad that I was a little closer to being the perfect empress]

Why the hell was she so obsessed with being a perfect empress?

[His Majesty escorted me from the carriage. His Majesty’s hands were so large and firm that I couldn’t fall asleep because my heart kept pounding.]

No, it’s nothing. This is not it.

[I suggested to your Majesty that he should bring in a second wife. I’m okay, the imperial family needs a successor. If I’m a perfect empress, I should be able to embrace even the concubine’s child. I’m alright, really, really alright… No, none of them are okay. If i can’t be the perfect empress, I want to be happy]

The emperor faced the last page with a trembling gaze. The empress in the diary was nothing but debris, the part of human beings that have been ousted while trying to become perfect.

[I met the clock tower witch. She gave me a magic to be happy. Will this magic really work?]

Tears rolled down on the emperor’s cheeks. And he only then realized how stupid he was.

The empress was literally the perfect empress. Like an elaborate mechanical doll made by endlessly censoring, controlling and brainwashing herself.

There wasn’t a single part of hers that remained who she truly was.

What expression she made when she laughed, what sound she made when she cried, what she liked, what she hated.

The emperor knew nothing.

With a very weary look, the emperor held his tense face for a long time.

What did he do to the empress?

A lot of things have happened.

But let’s talk about that story slowly in the future, and now let’s focus on the Emperor, who is heading to the clock tower, unbeknownst to anybody, without a single escort late at night.

“Can you turn the time back?”

The Witch of the clock tower laughed. This late at night, the Emperor came to the clock tower to tell her what had happened. He wants to turn back in time?

With a snort, the witch made a remark to the emperor.

“Your Majesty, regret is regret, it is already irrevocable” she said.

But the man once again begged the witch of the clock tower.

“If it’s your power, isn’t it possible. Please give me another chance, not for me, but for the empress.”

The witch laughed at the emperor, who was resolving in his own guilt, glaring at him with a very dissatisfied face.

If you didn’t cherish when you have it, then don’t regret when you lose it.

And if the emperor had figured out a little sooner, then that tragedy would not have happened.

The witch of the clock tower stopped laughing and anguished at the words “For the Empress”, which protruded from the Emperor’s mouth.

“Is it okay if all your future changes with little actions of yours?”

“It’s alright even if the world perishes, as long as she is happy.”

“Is it okay if she doesn’t love you in the alternative future?”

“If that makes her truly happy.”

“Do you really want her to be happy?”

“You can ask for my heart in return. It doesn’t matter if it costs the rest of my life. Please give her a chance to be happy again.”

Only then did the witch smile with a satisfied expression.

“Good. I’ve already received the price. Lizzie will be happy.”

The emperor, enchanted by the witch, found God after a very long time.

‘God, please give me one more chance, a chance to turn back everything, please, for her, not for my foolish self.’

And the clockwises on the clock tower began to turn backward.