Chapter 1

Colin Livingston and I were sworn enemies who hated each other.

He hated me for killing my elder sister, Monique Payne. And I hated him for having an affair with her while I was six months pregnant with his child.

After ascending the throne of the Kingdom of Landor, Colin posthumously honored Monique as his Queen out of guilt and even registered all of the children I risked my life bearing for him under her name.

Heartbroken, I requested a royal decree to depose me as his Queen, cursing him never to be reunited with his beloved.

Colin then flew into a rage and imprisoned me in the palace, humiliating and tormenting me every day for the next 30 years.

However, there was a mutiny, and the Kingdom was destroyed overnight. The palace was also burned to nothingness.

Despite being wounded by seven arrows deep in his body, Colin still carried my emaciated body in his arms as he crawled out of the ruins that once used to be the palace. Just before he died, he held me tightly in his arms and pleaded tearfully, "I'm sorry, Merry. I'm the one who let you down in this lifetime.

"But if there ever is a next life, I hope that you will let me be with Monique instead, and that we will stop tormenting each other like this."

When I opened my eyes again, I realized that I was back in the Royal Palace on the day of court presentation. But this time, Colin walked right past me and presented the diamond ring to Monique instead.

I broke into a smile and congratulated them.

"Congratulations, Your Highness. I wish you and Monique a lifetime of happiness."

In this life, I would fulfill his wish, and then we would never see each other again, whether in life or death.

However, the moment the words came out of my mouth, everyone turned and stared at me in astonishment. After all, everyone in the kingdom knew about all the things that Colin had done for me.

He once braved the snow and climbed 3,000 stone steps to a shrine on top of a mountain, knocking on the gates for hours in the snow, just to find me a night lantern that would help me sleep better at night.

He also carried me on his back through three long streets when I fell from my horse, completely disregarding his status as the Crown Prince.

He once told me that he would never marry anyone else in his lifetime. Everyone thought that the person standing next to him today would be me.

Even Colin had his eyes trained on me, looking a little stunned. But just a fraction of a second later, his eyes turned cold and wary.

I instantly understood that he had also been reborn at this moment, just like me.

He had also looked at me with the same look in his eyes when I killed Monique in my previous life. He looked at me like he would dearly love to tear me to pieces with his bare hands.

It was also because of Monique's dying words—"Prince Colin, will you please marry me in our next life?"—that he and I were bound by hatred and resentment for the rest of our lives.

Every anniversary of Monique's death, Colin would force me down on my knees before her grave and repent.

"You owe Monique this. And you'll never make it up to her for as long as you live!"

Even the children I gave birth to while risking my life and nearly dying each time were taught to never acknowledge me as their mother.

They smashed the pendants I gave to them and cried out, "You're the murderer who killed the Queen! You don't deserve to be our mother!"

However, some time later, our enemies breached the capital, and there was a huge mutiny within the kingdom that overthrew the royal family overnight. And even though Colin had seven arrows sticking out of his body, where he was gravely wounded, he still protected me until his very last breath.

In exchange, he asked me to fulfill his wish in our next life.

That was why I could smile calmly at him now and congratulate him for choosing Monique instead of me.

Colin frowned.

Monique stepped forward and gently took my hand.

"Merry, I know that you're in pain, but His Royal Highness' heart belongs to me now. Please don't blame him for it."

There was a dazzling gold bracelet on her wrist, and it was glaring to my eyes. That bracelet was something that Grandma had given to me as a coming-of-age gift. But Mom and Dad took it away from me last night and gave it to Monique instead, saying it was for the sake of leaving a positive image of her in the Crown Prince's eyes.

I withdrew my hands and said, "You're right, Monique."

After the celebratory banquet, Colin stopped me on the way back to the palace. He looked down at me condescendingly and said in a cold voice, "Monique is a delicate woman and cannot bear the slightest bit of grievance, Meredith Payne. If you dare to harm a single hair on her head because of this, I will not show you any mercy at all."

I forced a bitter smile on my face as a deep sorrow filled my heart.

In my past life, I was the one who had stayed by his side until he ascended the throne, shielded him from the swords of assassins, and bore him sons and daughters. But ultimately, this was all I got in exchange for the affection I showed him in the past.

I lowered my eyes and said, "Your Royal Highness, you have chosen Monique to be the princess consort, and therefore, I will naturally accept the outcome and celebrate it with you."

Colin's expression stiffened.

After a long pause, he said in a deep voice, "As long as you behave yourself, I will find you someone suitable to marry."

I didn't look at him anymore and turned to leave.

I'd only just stepped into the courtyard at home when I saw Mom giving out orders to bring out the pearl tiara from my room. Those were some of the finest pearls from the capital that I'd bought after saving up for three years and painstakingly crafted by hand into the tiara's finial of twin rose blossoms.

Colin had smiled when he saw it back then. He was deeply moved and said, "So, Merry, you still wish to be with me, with our hearts intertwined like this, inseparable in life and death."

My breath caught in my throat, and I instinctively reached out to stop them. However, Mom glared fiercely at me, her eyes filled with displeasure.

"What are you planning to do? You can no longer be the princess consort anyway, so this tiara will be perfect for Monique instead. And if you dare to cause any trouble before the wedding, I swear that I will never forgive you!"

I gritted my teeth and slowly retreated to the side, remaining silent.

After they left, I retrieved a wooden box from a hidden compartment under my bed. There was a yellowed letter inside that was actually a marriage contract.

Three years ago, just before he went to war, Archer Paxton asked me if I would marry him if he came back alive.

At that time, I only had eyes for Colin, and I never gave him a proper answer. But now, I grabbed a pen and wrote my reply to him.

"I will marry you. Are you still willing to marry me?"