My hands wouldn't stop shaking.I stood in front of the cracked mirror, staring at a face I hadn't seen in five years. The face of a girl who still believed in fairy tales. A girl who thought fate would reward loyalty and love.A girl who had no idea she would one day burn alive.A knock sounded again."Seraphina?" my mother called. "Are you ill?"The sound of her voice hit harder than anything else had.In my first life, she had died less than a year after my rejection ceremony. Accused of helping political enemies of the Crown, she had been dragged from our home and executed without trial.I never got to say goodbye.Now she was alive.Breathing.Waiting outside my door.My throat tightened painfully."I'm coming," I managed.For several seconds, I simply stood there.Then I crossed the room and opened the door.My mother immediately frowned."By the Moon Goddess, child, what happened to your face?"Before I could answer, she reached up and touched my cheek.The gesture shattered so
Last Updated : 2026-06-22 Read more