At my words, Kaelen’s eyes shot up. His dark, feather–like lashes trembled, and a moist sheen coated his eyes.
“My lady, you truly have forgotten me completely.”
I blinked, confused. He meant we had met before our marriage? But I had no memory of it.
Seeing the bewilderment in my eyes only made him look more wounded. He rested his forehead on my shoulder, his hot breath ghosting across my neck, his voice muffled.
“My lady, do you remember a young captain you met five years ago in the province of Corvia? I had just crawled out of a pile of corpses. The pain of my wounds and the death of my brothers… I had lost the will to live.”
“That was when you appeared. You were like a beam of light in my gray world. You told me I was a champion of the realm, that I
deserved to live more than anyone.”
“You gave me enough silver to survive, to make it through that darkest time.”
His words unearthed a long–buried memory. Five years ago, I had returned to my family’s ancestral lands with my parents. While out with Rose to buy blossom cakes, I had seen a young man by the roadside, covered in blood. I saw the tattered armor on his body and was moved to pity. I heard him muttering about joining his brothers in death. Fearing he would take his own life, I quickly
comforted him, urging him to live–on, and gave him all the money I had with me.
I never imagined that one small act of kindness would lead to such a wonderful fate.
But Josh had also married me out of gratitude in our past life, and we had ended as a resentful pair. Would Kaelen and I meet the
same end?
15
The thought made the hand on his chest tremble. Was I doomed to repeat my past mistakes?
Chapter 2
Kaelen sensed my distress and was instantly alarmed. Heedless of the broad daylight, he tried to examine my body.
“My lady, are you in pain somewhere? Let me see.”
Mortified, I grabbed his large hand. “My lord, I am fine. I have another question for you.”
“Ask anything, my lady. If I hide a single thing, may I be str-”
Before he could utter the last word, I pressed my fingers to his lips.
“My lord, do not speak of ill omens. My question is simple. Did you marry me to repay a debt?”
04.50
Kaelen was about to capture my fingers with his lips, but upon hearing my question, he shook his head so vigorously it was like a
child’s rattle.
“My lady, that debt was merely what brought us together. There are many ways to repay a kindness; marriage is not the only one.”
“I have held a secret in my heart for a long time. Every time I returned to the capital, I couldn’t stop myself from going to catch a secret secret glimpse of you. Just one distant look was enough to satisfy me.”
“But later, it wasn’t enough. I wanted you to be my wife. I feared I was unworthy, so I fought desperately for military honors, to rise
as fast as I could to stand by your side.”
The love in his eyes was real. I knew he wasn’t lying. He married me for love.
The knot in my heart dissolved, and I threw myself into his arms. If only I hadn’t married Josh in my last life, I could have spent it
with this man whose heart and eyes were filled with only me. So that was it. The reason he never married… was for me.
Thank the heavens for this second chance. This time, we did not miss each other.
