After Rebirth, I Became My Ex's Aunt-in-Law

The location for the Imperial Hunt scene was a sprawling private estate on the outskirts of the city, rented by the studio for its rolling green hills and dense forests.

It was 6:00 AM. The air was crisp, smelling of pine needles and horse manure.

Aria stood by the temporary stables, dressed in a streamlined version of her Consort costume—black riding leathers with gold embroidery, knee-high boots, and her hair tied back in a severe, high ponytail. She looked like she was ready to lead an army, not just ride a horse.

”Miss Vale,” the animal wrangler, a gruff man named Pete, approached her leading a massive black stallion. ”This is Obsidian. He’s a bit spirited today. If you’re not comfortable, we have a stunt double.”

Aria looked at the horse. His coat was sleek as oil, but his eyes were rolling, showing the whites. He was tossing his head, his hooves stamping the ground nervously. He was sweating, despite the cool morning air.

’Spirited?’ Aria thought, narrowing her eyes. ’No. He’s agitated.’

She stepped closer. The horse snorted and reared slightly.

”Easy,” Aria murmured, holding her ground.

She didn’t reach out to pet him. Instead, she inhaled deeply. Under the smell of hay and leather, she detected something faint but distinct. Capsaicin. Pepper extract.

It was slathered under the saddle blanket. Every time a rider put weight on his back, the heat and friction would drive the pepper into his skin, causing burning pain.

Aria looked across the paddock.

Bella was standing near a white mare, looking angelic in her riding gear. She was watching Aria with a small, tight smile. Beside her, Lucas was checking his phone, looking nervous.

’So that’s the play,’ Aria realized. ’Make the horse buck me off. Break a few bones. Maybe a neck.’

It was crude. It was dangerous. And it was exactly the kind of desperate, sloppy trap Bella would set when she felt cornered.

”I’ll ride him,” Aria told the wrangler. ”But re-saddle him. The girth looks loose.”

”It’s tight, Miss,” Pete argued.

”Check it,” Aria commanded, her voice leaving no room for argument. ”And wipe down his back. He’s sweating too much.” 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

Pete grumbled but undid the saddle. As he lifted the blanket, the smell of pepper wafted up.

”What the hell?” Pete swore, touching the residue on the horse’s back. ”Someone put... is this hot sauce?”

He looked at Aria, horrified. ”Miss Vale, I swear I didn’t—”

”I know you didn’t, Pete,” Aria said calmly. ”Clean him up. Get a fresh blanket. And don’t tell anyone.”

”Don’t tell anyone?” Pete blinked. ”But this is sabotage! We should call security!”

”No,” Aria said, reaching into her pocket. She pulled out a small vial of lavender oil she always carried for Damien. She rubbed some on her hands and held them up to the stallion’s nose. The horse inhaled the calming scent and stopped stamping.

”If we call security, we delay the shoot. And the culprit will just deny it.”

Aria stroked the horse’s velvet nose.

”I prefer to handle my own pests.”

She leaned in, whispering to the horse. ”Obsidian, huh? Good name. Today, you and I are going to teach a lesson about gravity.”

Twenty minutes later, the cameras were rolling.

The scene was simple: The Emperor leads the hunt, flanked by the Saintess and the Consort. They gallop through the forest until they spot a stag.

”Action!”

Hooves thundered against the earth.

Lucas took the lead on a golden chestnut horse, looking regal enough, though his grip on the reins was too tight. Bella followed on her white mare, looking elegant but clearly relying heavily on the horse’s training rather than her own skill.

Aria brought up the rear on Obsidian.

She didn’t just ride; she flew. She moved in perfect sync with the massive beast, her posture straight, her expression fierce. She looked like a Valkyrie.

As they entered the wooded path, the script called for the Consort to challenge the Saintess to a race.

”Keep up, Little Saint!” Aria shouted her line, urging Obsidian faster. She thundered past Bella, her black cape billowing out and snapping in the wind like a whip.

Bella gritted her teeth. This was it. This was the moment Aria’s horse was supposed to go crazy.

But Obsidian didn’t buck. He surged forward, powerful and smooth.

’Why isn’t he reacting?’ Bella panicked. ’Did I use the wrong saddle?’

Distracted, Bella yanked on her own reins too hard.

Her white mare, already sensing the tension of the other horses and the rider’s anxiety, reacted badly. The sudden jerk on the bit confused the animal. At the same moment, Aria rode past closely—too closely.

Aria didn’t touch Bella. She didn’t touch Bella’s horse.

But as she passed, she subtly flicked her hand. A tiny, silver needle flew from her fingers.

It didn’t hit the horse. It hit the flank of a tree right next to the mare’s head.

Thwack.

The sharp sound spooked the white mare. It shied violently to the left.

Bella, who was already off-balance and looking for Aria’s fall, wasn’t ready.

She screamed as she lost her stirrup.

Gravity took over.

Bella flew out of the saddle in a graceless arc. She landed hard in a patch of mud and decomposing leaves.

Splat.

”Cut!” the Director screamed. ”Medic!”

Lucas pulled his horse to a halt, looking back in horror. ”Bella!”

Aria slowed Obsidian to a trot, then turned him around. She rode back to where Bella was lying in the mud, groaning and clutching her shoulder.

Aria looked down from her high horse.

The camera was still rolling—the operator had been too stunned to stop.

”Oh dear,” Aria drawled, her voice dripping with fake concern. ”It seems the Saintess has fallen from grace. Again.”

She leaned over the saddle horn, looking at Lucas.

”Your Majesty,” she said coolly. ”Perhaps you should teach your favorite how to ride. Or better yet... get her a donkey. It’s closer to the ground.”

Lucas stared at her. He looked at Bella, covered in mud, whining. Then he looked at Aria, immaculate in black leather, sitting atop a beast of a horse like she was born to rule it.

The comparison was brutal.

And for the first time, Lucas didn’t rush to Bella’s side. He just stared at Aria, completely mesmerized.

Aria wheeled her horse around and trotted back toward the base camp, leaving them in the dirt.

As she dismounted, her phone buzzed.

[The Wallet: Nice riding. I saw the dailies feed. Remind me to take you to the Sinclair ranch this weekend. I have a stallion you might like.]

Aria smiled, patting Obsidian’s neck.

[Aria: Is he wild?]

[The Wallet: He’s untamable. Like his owner.]

Aria laughed. She walked toward her trailer, feeling the thrill of the win. Bella had tried to break her bones. Aria had just broken Bella’s dignity.

But she knew this was just a skirmish. The real war was still coming.

Because in Paris, the Charity Ball had just ended. And Lydia Laurent was checking her voicemail.