Mag-log inI was willing to ruin my own name if it meant never meeting Julian Reed. In my previous life, at the Queen Mother's flower banquet, I took one look at him, newly crowned first among the realm's scholars, and wanted him. Then I learned he was already betrothed, and I had no choice but to let it go. Three months later, the woman he was to marry, Celeste Hale, died suddenly of an illness. After a decree from the throne granted us in marriage, Julian used my family's power to rise swiftly through the court. For three years we were happy together. Then, on the day I gave birth, he killed our newborn child. Still bleeding from the birth, I was forced down in front of Celeste's grave. "You owe Celeste a debt." "What do you have to pay it with?" Only then did I learn that Celeste's death had never been an accident. When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the day of the flower banquet.
view more"Nonsense. Who said I was punishing her?"Rowan looked up."Then why did you shut her in the chapel before I came back?"Lord Alaric snorted."Do you take me for a doddering old fool? You think I don't know what goes on under my own roof?"I put Elara in the chapel to protect her."I had the whole thing looked into long ago. That physician is Celeste's man. She'd been showing signs of losing the child for some time. This was simply her chance to do Elara harm."Besides, the woman is a plaything and nothing more. Even if the child had lived, he'd have been a mistress's son. How could he stand beside my heir?"He swept out, still furious.The two of us were left staring at each other.When I came back to myself my eyes were hot, and I struck him hard in the chest."Rowan. Who gave you permission to throw away your title for me?"The moment he saw me crying, he panicked."Don't cry."I promised I'd keep you safe."I stared at him."After all this, you still won't admit it?
"Elara, I swear I don't know how she got herself into this house as a mistress."Once I'd calmed down, I sent Poppy out to learn the truth.Celeste had bribed the household steward.Between them, they had staged a chance meeting between her and Lord Alaric.My father-in-law had always had an appetite for women, and one look at someone as young and lovely as Celeste was enough to undo him.He took her into the house on the spot.Her target was obvious.Me.Rowan took my hand."Don't be afraid."I'll keep you safe."I looked up into his eyes, dark and steady, and found that I believed him.After that Rowan and I were rarely apart, and Celeste found no opening.Until the day the old Prince sent him out of the city to drill the troops.Rowan was barely gone before she walked into my courtyard."So what if you're the Chancellor's daughter?"You still have to call me Mother now, don't you?"I gave her a contemptuous look."A kept woman."You think you belong in the same se
"You mean you were only putting on a performance for my benefit."He froze."How did you know?"Then he realized he'd said too much and clamped his mouth shut.I laughed quietly."I know more than that."You knew she meant to fake her death to get out of the engagement, and you let her do it, because you couldn't bear to give up what House Sterling could give you."And no wonder. A poor scholar with the realm's highest rank and not a single patron behind him. How else does a man like that find his footing at court?"My smile turned to contempt."The two of you. One decided a poor man's prospects weren't worth the wager, took the money and vanished."The other couldn't let go of his gentle childhood sweetheart, and couldn't let go of the Chancellor's influence either."You and Celeste really were made for each other."I lowered my voice."We've both woken from the same dream."So stop playing the innocent in front of me."Julian's face turned white."Elara, let me explai
"Why have you changed so suddenly?"He looked at me, stumbling over the words, as if begging for an answer."Elara, I give you my word. I'll have nothing more to do with Celeste. There'll be no one but you."And there it was. The suspicion I'd been circling for days finally settled into place.There was only one explanation for any of it.He'd been reborn too.I forced the tears back."Julian."After everything, don't you hear how absurd you sound?"Or is it that you've finally woken up now you know Celeste faked her death for money?"I have done everything in my power to avoid marrying you."All of it, everything that came before, I'll treat as a dream."I've woken up now, and I've put it out of my mind."From here on, your road is yours and mine is mine."The blood drained slowly out of his face.I drew a breath and held out my hand to Rowan."Let's go."I turned to leave."Elara."Julian's voice had aged years in a moment."If I told you I regret it, would it be


















Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.