The Night Everything Changed

Eleanor’s POV

“Wait… am I inside the book I read last night?”

I stared at the man standing before me, then lowered my gaze to my bound hands. My white gown was stained with dirt, my knees pressed against the cold stone floor, and dozens of pairs of eyes watched me as though I were the most dangerous criminal in the entire Valedorian Empire.

No. This couldn’t be happening.

I still remembered my apartment, the heavy rain beating against the windows, and the novel I’d been reading before everything went dark. My chest had tightened, my breathing had grown shallow, and then I’d lost consciousness. When I opened my eyes again, I was in this unfamiliar place, standing before someone whose face I knew all too well.

Edward Alistair.

Duke Edward Alistair, the male lead of The Duke’s Unwanted Bride.

“Eleanor Genevieve Rose,” an elderly man’s voice echoed throughout the hall. “You stand accused of treason against the Valedorian Empire. The evidence gathered indicates that you leaked royal secrets to the enemy, causing the fall of Rose territory and the deaths of hundreds of soldiers. How do you plead?”

I turned toward him. “What? I don’t even know what’s going on!”

“Stop pretending to be innocent.”

“I’m not pretending! You have the wrong person!”

Several people in the crowd laughed mockingly. The elderly man behind the long table remained unmoved by my protests. He merely raised the parchment in his hands and read out a verdict that seemed to have been decided long before I’d been given a chance to speak.

“Based on the evidence examined, this council finds Eleanor Genevieve Rose guilty of treason.”

The name made me fall silent.

Eleanor Genevieve Rose.

I knew her. I knew who she was, how her story ended, and even who should have been standing beside her at that very moment.

But I’d never imagined that I would become her.

“Impossible…” I murmured.

I lifted my head and looked at Edward, who stood a few steps away in a black coat embroidered with the Alistair family crest. He was just as handsome as the novel had described, but his gaze was far more terrifying than I’d imagined. He looked at me without the slightest trace of compassion.

I remembered this story. Eleanor was the villainess who married Edward after Isabelle Rose, her own older sister, fled on their wedding day. Eleanor loved her husband, but Edward never returned her feelings. In the end, she was accused of treason and sentenced to death, while Edward chose to believe the evidence against her.

And now, I was standing right in the middle of that very scene.

“Your Grace,” I said quickly, trying to ignore the panic spreading through my body. “I haven’t committed any crime. Someone framed me.”

Edward didn’t even blink. “All the documents were found in your residence.”

“Because someone deliberately planted them there!”

“The evidence has already been examined.”

“Then why haven’t you investigated who actually forged it?”

His jaw tightened. “You still dare to blame someone else?”

“I’m telling the truth!”

“Enough,” he interrupted coldly.

I stared at him in disbelief. “Edward, I’m your wife. At least hear me out before deciding I’m guilty.”

“Our marriage doesn’t change the facts.”

“So you’d rather trust a few documents than the woman you married?”

“I believe in the evidence.”

His voice was so calm that it made me want to scream. There was no doubt in his eyes, no desire to find out whether I was telling the truth. As far as he was concerned, the matter was already settled.

“Eleanor,” a woman’s voice interrupted from beside Edward, “please don’t make this any worse.”

I turned sharply.

Isabelle Rose.

Eleanor’s older sister, and the woman Edward loved. Her long hair cascaded over her pale blue gown, and her expression was so sorrowful that anyone looking at her might have mistaken her for the real victim.

“Don’t pretend you care,” I said.

Isabelle looked startled. “I only want to help.”

“Help? You’re the one who brought those letters to the council. You’re the one who accused me of entering the royal archives. You know perfectly well that I never did any of those things.”

“I saw you myself.”

“You’re lying!”

“Enough!” Edward stepped forward. “You’ve brought shame upon the Alistair family time and time again. And now you’re dragging Isabelle into your crimes?”

I fell silent for a moment before letting out a bitter laugh. “Unbelievable. Even now, you’re still defending her.”

“I won’t let you blame someone else for your own actions.”

“Because you’ve never wanted to see who she really is!”

Edward’s gaze sharpened. “Watch your words.”

I wanted to retort, but the head of the council spoke before I could say anything else.

“Eleanor Genevieve Rose, your title is hereby revoked, and all rights of inheritance are suspended. For the crime of treason against the Valedorian Empire, you are sentenced to death. Your execution will take place today.”

I froze.

“Death?” I turned to Edward. “You can’t possibly let this happen.”

He didn’t answer.

“Edward, look at me. I’m innocent!”

“The council has reached its decision.”

“You haven’t even given me a chance to prove it!”

“Take her away.”

Two guards immediately seized my arms. I struggled against them, but the restraints around my wrists left me helpless.

“Edward!”

He didn’t move.

“Look at me and tell me you truly believe I did all of this!”

For a moment, I hoped to see a flicker of doubt on his face. Anything at all. But he simply stared at me with the same cold expression.

“I believe in the evidence,” he repeated.

I stopped struggling.

Fine. If this man chose to believe everyone else over his own wife, I wouldn’t waste what little time I had left begging him for help.

“One day, you’ll learn the truth,” I said as the guards dragged me away. “And when you do, remember that you had the chance to save me, but you chose to let me die.”

For the first time, Edward’s jaw tightened. Yet he still said nothing.

I didn’t know how long they’d kept me in the dungeon before two guards came to fetch me. There were no windows, only damp stone walls and a small lamp illuminating the room. I tried to recall every detail of the novel I’d read, hoping to find something that could save me.

Unfortunately, I’d never finished the story.

I knew Eleanor would be executed, but I didn’t know who had truly framed her or how everything ended after her death. While reading, I’d been too busy complaining about Eleanor’s foolishness for chasing a man who didn’t love her.

Now, I wanted to slap myself for not reading to the final page.

“Get up,” one of the guards ordered.

I looked up. “Where are you taking me?”

“To the execution grounds.”

My heart immediately began to race. “Wait, isn’t there still an investigation? I haven’t even been given a chance to prove my innocence!”

“The order has been issued.”

They hauled me to my feet and led me through a long corridor. When the massive doors opened, the roar of the crowd greeted us. Thousands of people had gathered in the royal courtyard to witness the death of a duchess branded a traitor.

An execution platform stood in the center of the courtyard, complete with a wooden post. Gray clouds hung low overhead, as though this world had deliberately chosen its bleakest day to end my life.

Edward stood beside the platform with Isabelle and the members of the council.

He’d actually come.

Not to save me, but to watch everything come to an end.

“Your Grace,” a guard announced, “the condemned has arrived.”

Edward turned his gaze toward me. “Proceed.”

I could hardly believe what I’d heard. “You’re not even going to give me one last chance?”

He remained silent.

“I never betrayed your family, Edward!”

There was no answer.

I was led to the execution post. One of the guards bound my hands while the executioner stood behind me, his sword drawn. The crowd grew louder, but I could no longer hear their insults. My eyes remained fixed on Edward, the man who was supposed to be my husband but had chosen to become a witness to my death instead.

“I hope you’re happy with your choice,” I said. “Because when the truth finally comes out, you won’t be able to take this day back.”

Edward said nothing. But just before they covered my eyes, I saw his jaw tighten.

The executioner’s sword rose.

I closed my eyes. I didn’t want to die. I didn’t want to disappear in a world I hadn’t even had the chance to understand. And I refused to accept the ending written for Eleanor simply because I’d become trapped inside her story.

If someone really had written my destiny, I wanted nothing more than to slap them.

Just before the sword could fall, an unfamiliar voice sounded inside my head.

[Fate Rescue System activated.]

My eyes flew open.

“What?”

[Subject identified: Eleanor Genevieve Rose]

[Status: Execution in progress]

I tried to turn my head, but no one appeared to be speaking. The guards remained in position. Edward hadn’t moved, and the sword above my head still hadn’t fallen.

Then a glowing panel appeared before my eyes.

[Would you like to relive your life?]

Two options appeared beneath it.

[YES: Return to the starting point of your destiny.]

[NO: Accept death as the end.]

I stared at the panel without blinking.

“This has to be a joke.”

But when the executioner began swinging his sword, I had no time to wonder whether any of this made sense.

“YES! I CHOOSE YES!”

In an instant, the world froze.

The crowd fell silent. The fluttering banners stopped midair. The sword that had been moments away from my neck hung motionless above me.

[Choice accepted.]

[Resetting fate's starting point.]

“What do you mean, resetting?” I shouted. “Where are you taking me?”

There was no answer.

Pain spread through my entire body, followed by a blinding white light that swallowed the platform, the crowd, and Edward’s figure. I reached out for something to hold on to, but my hands found nothing.

Then a warning appeared one final time.

[A second chance has been granted.]

[Warning: Failure to change the outcome of your destiny will result in permanent death.]

“Wait! Permanent death? What do you mean I could die again?”

The light swallowed everything before I could get an answer.

And when I opened my eyes again, a maid’s voice came from the other side of the door.

“Lady Eleanor, you must prepare immediately. Duke Edward Alistair is already waiting at the chapel.”

I froze.

My wedding day.

I’d returned to my wedding day.

***