Three Regrets and a Second Chance

"Evelyn Frostwood. You're something else." The young man's low, cold voice reached my ear, polished enough to cut. "You actually got my parents to threaten me with death so I would marry you. Do you really think marrying me will make you happy?"

I opened my eyes in a haze and looked straight at Caspian Stormcrown.

He stood right in front of me, dressed in red, the tailoring sharp against his frame. His brows looked untamed, his gaze wild. Everything about him, his presence and the way he spoke, felt unlike the Caspian I knew 10 years later.

This was the 18-year-old Caspian Stormcrown.

So I truly had gone back 10 years.

I forced the ache down and allowed myself to study him anyway, hungry for every detail.

"You don't want to marry me," I said, keeping my voice steady. "Because the one you actually want is Amelia Greenvale. Right?"

He let out a short, humorless laugh. "So what if I do? Are you going to let it happen?"

"I can," I said.

My parents had died on the battlefield. They had given their lives protecting the country, and King Aurelius Thalassar had rewarded me with a royal marriage decree. The decree bore no name, which meant I could marry anyone I chose. And just as easily, I could request another decree for someone else.

Caspian froze for a moment. Then his lips curled, as if I had told him a joke. "You used His Majesty's decree to pin me down. My parents are forcing me too. Our marriage is already decided."

His gaze swept over me, his contempt clear and sharp.

"And now you're saying you're 'going to let it happen'? How, exactly? Evelyn, I don't have time for your little push-and-pull game." He tipped his chin toward the palace gates. "Take your decree back inside yourself. I'll wait here."

He turned and leaned against the palace wall as if it belonged to him. The disgust in his eyes drove straight into my chest. Sudden sharp pain flared.

In my previous life, and in this one, I had loved Caspian for years.

Twice, he had thrown himself into danger to save me. I had mistaken that courage for something gentler. I had believed, foolishly and earnestly, that perhaps he cared for me as well. I had gone to King Aurelius full of joy, requested the marriage decree, and married him.

Only after his first love died did I finally understand that his heart had belonged to someone else all along.

My 10 years of love had been his 10 years of torment.

In that life, I had tried everything. I gave alms, did good deeds, and burned my own life down in a desperate plea to the universe for one more chance. In the end, I traded what I could to win Caspian the opportunity to be reborn.

Before it happened, High Priest Idris Augur had warned me, "Within 12 hours after you return to the past, you must fulfill three of his regrets. When you finish, leave at once.

"From that moment on, you will go your own way, and he will go his. He will not die at 30 because of you. The rest of your lives will end on separate paths.

"However, going back always has a price. Think carefully, young lady."

As long as Caspian lived, I feared no price. Thus, I went to see King Aurelius. I asked for a royal marriage decree for Caspian and Amelia.

I knew his three regrets. He had written them himself in his personal notes

[Regretted marrying Evelyn Frostwood. Regretted not resisting his parents' arrangement. Regretted failing to save Amelia.]

Now the first regret was already resolved. Was it not?

I left the palace with the decree and walked straight to him.

Caspian looked at me as if I had finally gotten what I wanted, as if I had won. His hand reached for the scroll, ready to open it.

I pressed my palm over his, stopping him. I kept my smile soft, almost gentle.

"Tomorrow," I said. "Look tomorrow. There will be a surprise."

He glanced at me from the corner of his eye, impatience flashing across his face. "How is tomorrow any different from today? Either way, it still means marrying you."

His eyes narrowed as he studied me, as if I had suddenly grown a second head. "You're acting strange. What, you finally get to marry me, and you're so happy you've lost your mind?"