Chapter 5: “Death, When Love Has Ended”
That…
It was a blood-stained handkerchief.
Old and worn, not something a noble would normally carry.
Once…
“That was me.”
With shaking hands, Eleanor reached out and picked it up.
“My love… it was me.”
The mistress he loved only because she had saved him as a child…
But that place, that identity—should have been Eleanor’s.
It was Eleanor who saved young Kylus.
“The girl you were searching for… it was me.”
But she could never say it, not under her father’s watchful eyes.
Even if she did, no one would’ve believed her.
There were so many reasons why she had to hide the truth.
But now… it turned out he knew all along?
That realization was painful.
She had hoped, deep down, that one day he would recognize her.
Even while secretly helping him from under her father’s control, she had silently begged him to remember…
It’s me. I’m the girl who made you promise to wait.
I loved you. I loved you so much. That’s why I came to you…
With that foolish hope in her heart, she had chosen this path.
“Stupidly.”
“Father, I’ll marry him.”
That’s what she had said.
She joined her father’s plans just to get close to Kylus—hoping he’d recognize her.
But now…
“You knew…? All along…?”
Her head spun with pain.
How could you?
How could you be so cruel?
Hot tears fell.
He knew everything.
Knew, and still—he didn’t even show his face in the end.
She just wanted… to say something, even one last word…
The sound of footsteps faded.
Her soul sank into the darkness.
What a miserable way to die.
“Am I really going to die alone like this…?”
But no.
Footsteps were coming closer.
More than one person.
Rushing feet. A scream.
Someone pulling her up. Warm hands, trembling fingertips—
And then, someone’s embrace.
It was warm. Hot.
Her lips trembled.
She wanted to lift her heavy eyelids and see who it was.
“Kylus… I wish it were you.”
Something dropped on her cheek.
Tears.
Even as she was dying, she could tell—someone was crying.
Maybe it was Siran, the one who cried often.
“I’m sorry, Siran…”
She remembered the loyal man who begged her to run away and forget revenge.
Should I have listened?
If I had gone with him… maybe this wouldn’t be my end.
But I couldn’t.
She couldn’t leave—not while Kylus was still here.
She truly loved him.
She had loved him with her soul.
But in the end, only regret remained.
Eleanor thought:
If I’m born again…
“Then…”
If there’s a second chance,after loving him with everything once, next time she would throw away this heavy, painful love.
She would live only for her own happiness.
She would be free.
As the last teardrop fell, everything faded.
“…Eleanor.”
Ah. So this is death.
“Don’t go.”
Eleanor slowly let out her final breath.
And then—
Gurgle…
“…!”
Suddenly, pain burst from her throat.
She gasped for air—it felt like she was drowning.
What’s happening?
She didn’t know.
All she knew was—it hurt.
It hurt so badly.
Hhkk… Ahh…!
Her heart had been slowing, her body collapsing—but now… she didn’t know what this feeling was.
Like sinking into water.
It didn’t matter.
Because in this very moment…
Eleanor wanted to live.
Eleanor reached out her hand, drowning in complete darkness.
“Someone… help me!
”Bubbles rose as a silent scream escaped.
For the first time in her life, she finally said what she never could before:
“Please… save me!”
And just then—
Splash!
The water exploded around her.
A shadow appeared.
Through her blurry vision, someone grabbed her hand.
A large, strong hand… one that felt strangely familiar, like she’d held it many times before.
It pulled her upward.
* * *
Her back hit something solid.
She had been saved from the water.
But she couldn’t breathe.
“Please… I don’t want to…”
She felt like she was slipping away again.
If this was real—if she had truly come back to life—even if it was just a dream, she wanted to live.
And as if her desperate wish was heard, someone breathed air into her lungs.
A strong, life-saving force dragged her back from death.
“Cough, cough!”
Eleanor coughed out the water and wiped tears—or maybe just water—from her pale face.
She lifted her trembling hand.
And through her fingers, she saw him—those clear, purple eyes.
“You…”
Was she dreaming?
Even in death, was her heart still holding onto him?
The man spoke coldly, soaked from head to toe:
“What were you thinking?”
His voice, his expression—it reminded her of that day, 10 years ago.
She had been running from her father like always.
It wasn’t unusual. But that day, she tripped and fell into a water canal
She couldn’t swim and nearly drowned.
And just like a miracle, he appeared.
Kylus—when he was a boy.
With injured arms, anxious purple eyes, and a face too beautiful for his age.
That same boy had grown into a man…
A man who was now here, once again saving her life.
She had never forgotten that moment.
After passing out that day, she woke up in a temple.
They told her a man had brought her there—and then disappeared.
Soon after, she was taken back by her adoptive family.
She never saw him again.
“It was you. You saved me that day.”
Now, in front of her stood the younger version of her husband, Kylus.
He looked like he had in the past—not like the cold, hardened warrior of today.
“Is this a dream?”
Eleanor slowly sat up, shaking.
“Wait, don’t move—”
The man reached out to help her.
But she glared at him, and he froze in place.
He looked confused.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked.
Eleanor wanted to ask him everything:
Why did you tell me to wait?
Why did you try to kill me?
Why… did you give me hope?
But right now, there was something else she had to do.
She reached out.
The man hesitated—but stayed still.
It was just like Kylus, always quiet, always watching.
Her fingertips touched his shirt. She grabbed it.
He was surprised.
And before he could react, she pulled him close.
He caught her automatically as she collapsed into him.
Her face was right in front of his.
And then—she kissed him.
His purple eyes widened in shock.
The kiss was soft and warm—not like a dream.
But unlike the passionate Kylus she knew, this man didn’t kiss back.
He froze up, as if he had never kissed anyone before.
That made Eleanor smile.
While still holding his lips, she pulled her mouth into a smirk…and then bit him. Hard.
“Ugh!”
He pulled away with a shocked expression, blood on his lips.
Good.
Smiling darkly, Eleanor whispered:
“I won’t marry you.”
That was her final act of rebellion.
Her vision faded.
Her body went limp. She passed out.
She didn’t care what expression he made.
She didn’t know yet…
Even though everything felt the same, this was a very different beginning.
* * *
Meanwhile, the man who had just saved a drowning woman had no idea what was going on.
He had just pulled her from the water…and suddenly she kissed him, bit him, and fainted.
“…Is she crazy?”
He stared at her with a confused and annoyed expression.
Her wet golden hair framed a face that looked… surprisingly gentle.
Was it because her eyes were closed?
A moment ago, she had been glaring so fiercely it was hard to believe she’d been half-dead.
He touched his bitten lips and frowned.
That look in her eyes—even though he’d never seen her before, it stayed with him.
“Your Excellency, are you alright?”
His subordinates had finally come running.
He waved them off.
He couldn’t just leave her here.
And oddly enough…he didn’t want to leave her either.
He picked her up in his arms.
“Where’s the nearest temple?”
Back then, he had no idea—
The woman he had just rescued was someone very important.
And in just a month, he’d meet this crazy woman again…in a completely different way.
