The day the King was ambushed, my husband—the Captain of the Royal Guard—was busy placating his childhood sweetheart, who had stormed off in a fit of pique.
I did not light the signal flare in my hand. Instead, I stood before the King, my belly swollen with child, and became his human shield.
I made this choice because, in my previous life, I had lit that flare. My husband had abandoned his precious Elara to rush to the King's side. He was hailed as a hero, named Lord Protector of the realm for his valor. But Elara, left alone, fell into the assassins’ trap and was killed on the spot.
My husband said nothing at the time. But on the day I gave birth, he threw me into the Beast Pit.
As the creatures closed in, I screamed at him, demanding to know why.
He gave me a single, cold glance.
“The King has a legion of guards. Why did I, and only I, have to return? It must be that you, with your eyes only for power and wealth, deliberately summoned me!”
“If you hadn’t lit that flare, would Elara have died? The suffering she endured… I will make you repay it, tenfold!”
The beasts tore me apart, devouring even the newborn child from my womb.
When I opened my eyes again, I was back. Back on the day of the King’s assassination.
…
