Chapter 2
“Miss, what’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
I was frozen in fear, unable to hear anything, but finally, someone’s voice reached me.
When I looked up, I saw someone I shouldn’t be seeing.
“Seri…?”
“Oh my! Miss, why are you crying? Are you alright?”
“Why is Seri here…?”
Suddenly, I started gasping for breath.
Huff… huff…
I hadn’t been able to protect Ian. Instead, I got caught up in his rampage.
Ian, who had always hated and never used his powers, finally lost control—for me, his wife.
And since I’d never used my powers to protect him before either, it was only natural that I couldn’t save him.
But still…
“I couldn’t protect him… sob… hic…”
“Miss, what happened? Please, tell me.”
I remembered the last thing I saw: Ian’s red eyes, filled with desperation as he tried to protect me in the middle of the burning flames.
“My goodness, Lia! Why are you crying like that?”
Startled by another familiar voice, I looked up again.
The moment I saw her face, I ran toward her.
Mom.
My mother, who had prayed every day for the daughter she lost at such a young age.
“What’s going on? And on the morning of your long-awaited tenth birthday too!”
Birthday…?
Ten years old?!
I forgot to cry and just stared at her.
She looked exactly like the last time I saw her—right before I left for the North to get married.
“Oh no. Look at that face. Seri, bring me a wet cloth, please?”
My mother gently wiped away my tears with familiar hands.
“What happened to you, Lia? Are you feeling sick?”
As she patted me softly, I buried my face in her arms.
‘A marriage without love. Nothing more than a title…’
Compared to Joseph’s disgusting touch that felt like crawling insects, my mother’s warmth was so different, so comforting.
Thanks to her, I could step away from those horrible memories.
“Did my little Lia have a bad dream, maybe?”
I shook my head.
She smiled softly, clearly relieved.
She brushed my hair gently behind my ear.
“No, it wasn’t a dream.”
Ian was real.
No, this couldn’t be a dream. It wasn’t.
Maybe this was the dream—one I was having because I couldn’t accept my own death.
Still confused, I hugged my mother tightly.
It had been so long since I felt that warm embrace.
“Well, it’s okay now. Today’s a happy day, right? Come on, look outside.”
While holding me, my mother stood up.
I looked out the window and saw people moving around the garden busily.
“They’re decorating the garden with all your favorite things. And wait until you see the dress and shoes I prepared!”
At her signal, Seri brought over a dress and shoes.
A pink dress with frills and ribbons.
Sparkly crystal shoes.
Can this really be happening? Even if it’s a dream…
I pinched my cheeks.
My mom laughed.
“Oh, Lia. You’re that happy? Trying to check if it’s a dream?”
She smiled sweetly, touching her nose to mine.
But my head was a mess.
If this was real, and I had truly returned to when I was ten…
Even if this was a dream…
If I had come back again…
I licked my dry lips and made up my mind.
“I want to get ready for the party with Seri!”
I needed time to think.
Later…
“Oh, Miss! You look so perfect!” Seri said while fixing my hair.
“Um, Seri, do you think a lot of people will come today?”
My tenth birthday.
It was a day I could never forget.
“Of course! It’s your birthday, Miss!”
“Then… um…”
I took a deep breath and asked, “Will anyone from the Duke Vesford’s family come?”
Seri’s face tensed up for a moment, then relaxed.
“How do you know about the Vesford family, Miss?”
“Well, they’re the most famous family in the empire…”
I fiddled with my fingers and tried to act like a clueless child, but just saying their name made my heart ache.
I remembered his warm eyes, always looking at me kindly—even when he kept a distance.
His tall figure, his strong body like it was sculpted.
A face every noble lady in the empire admired.
And especially, those beautiful red eyes that always shone so brightly.
But in the end, surrounded by fire, Ian’s face was twisted with pain and guilt.
“Well, they are the most powerful family. They only go to royal parties. Some even say that if Vesford attends a party, it’s the biggest event of the year!”
When I blinked up at her, Seri gently patted my cheek, thinking I was just a sweet, curious child.
“But unfortunately, the Vesford estate is too far away from ours. Even though you’re so lovely today that the emperor himself would be jealous, I doubt they’ll come.”
She was right.
There’s no reason a busy family like theirs would come to a baron’s daughter’s birthday party.
But I knew.
I remembered exactly who came to my tenth birthday.
If this really was my past repeating itself…
Then maybe…
Maybe I could save Ian this time.
Later, in the garden…
As guests filled the garden, my father gently tapped a spoon against his champagne glass to get everyone’s attention.
“Today is my lovely daughter Amelia’s tenth birthday! Thank you all so much for coming.”
I wiggled in Seri’s arms, wanting to be let down.
My chubby arms and legs waved in the air, and the noble guests looked at me with adoring smiles.
“She’s becoming a little lady now, isn’t she? Just look at her golden hair and soft skin. How cute!”
“Plenty of noble families will start eyeing her as a match for their sons.”
“Too bad she’s the only daughter of such a close couple. It won’t be easy to win her over!”
But the real reason I wanted to be let down…
“Now then, Lia, why don’t you thank all our guests?”
My parents held my hands and helped me bow to the crowd.
That’s when it happened.
“The Duke of Vesford has arrived!”
Gasps echoed everywhere.
So it’s true…
I swallowed hard.
My tenth birthday.
It wasn’t just about turning two digits—it became unforgettable for a very different reason.
“W-what did they say?”
“The Duke of Vesford? Why would he come here…? And isn’t that the second son next to him? What a handsome boy…”
“But why not the first son? Is that rumor true…?”
Everyone began whispering.
Rumors had spread when Joseph’s powers didn’t awaken for a long time.
Some said maybe those powers had gone to Ian instead.
As a ten-year-old, I hadn’t understood back then.
“Baron DaleRose.”
An uninvited guest.
But one who walked in confidently, knowing no one could stop him.
And behind him stood a boy who caught everyone’s eyes instantly.
The second son of House Vesford.
Ian Vesford.
Black hair, the symbol of his house.
And under it, shining red eyes looking straight at me.
Even next to the intimidating duke, Ian stood out.
“He never responded to our invitations,” my father whispered nervously.
“I came myself for the Baron’s sake. Don’t worry,” the Duke said coldly.
But his voice and eyes were as cold as ice, like he could strike at any moment.
The whole garden went silent.
