The cold stone floor bit into her knees, but Seraphina Vale barely felt it. Her hands trembled as she clutched the blood-soaked fabric of her once-elegant dress, her once-glorious golden curls now tangled and matted with ash and tears.
All around her, nobles whispered behind gloved hands. The nobles she had once called friends. The same ones who had laughed at her parties, danced in her ballroom, praised her beauty—now watched her fall, their eyes filled with smug delight and fake pity.
Above her, on the royal dais, stood Crown Prince Cedric—the man she had once loved with every ounce of her foolish heart.
He didn't look at her. He wouldn't even meet her eyes.
"…For the crimes of treason, manipulation, and attempted murder, Lady Seraphina Vale is hereby stripped of her title and sentenced to execution."
The crowd gasped. She didn't. Her heart had already stopped the moment Cedric handed her over to the guards without blinking.
She didn't beg. Didn't scream. Didn't ask why?
Because she already knew.
She had been the villainess in a royal love story that wasn't hers.
And now, she was going to die for a love that was never real.
As the guards dragged her away, Seraphina caught one final glimpse of a boy standing at the edge of the crowd.
Dressed in plain black robes, nearly invisible behind the others…
But his gray eyes were locked onto hers, wide with horror.
Darian.
The quiet, invisible noble who had always lingered in the shadows of her story.
He had reached for her just once before the guards pushed him back.
She smiled bitterly.
Maybe… in another life.
---
"—Lady Seraphina! Can you hear me?"
Her eyes flew open.
She gasped, choking on air, her chest heaving wildly. Her fingers clenched the edge of the silk bedsheets as she sat upright, sweat dripping from her brow.
She was… alive?
The ceiling above her wasn't stone. It was white. Familiar.
The scent of roses drifted from the vase on the side table. The room—her room—was filled with soft light.
The maid beside her dropped the tray she was holding in shock. "Y-Young Miss, you're awake?! I'll go call the doctor!"
But Seraphina didn't answer. Her trembling hand reached for the mirror on her bedside table. Slowly… fearfully…
And what stared back at her made her heart stop all over again.
She was sixteen.
Her cheeks were rounder, youthful, untouched by stress. Her eyes weren't hollow. Her lips—no scars.
She looked just like she did before everything went wrong.
"I…" Her voice cracked. "I'm back…?"
---
Later that evening…
After confirming the date with the healer and sending away a very panicked household, Seraphina sat alone in her room. Her fingers played with the lace of her sleeves as the truth finally settled in.
She had returned.
Two years before her fall.
That meant she still had time. Time to fix things.
Time to protect her family, dodge the crown prince, and live a peaceful life.
And maybe… just maybe…
A certain pair of gray eyes flashed in her memory. That moment in the crowd—his helpless expression, the way he'd reached for her.
She blinked. Her heart skipped.
"…Darian Ravenshade."
He was the only one who ever tried to help her. The only one who saw her as something more than the villainess.
But she never noticed him properly. Never thanked him.
This time…
She would.
She'd never chase after Cedric again. Never fight for a love that humiliated her.
Instead, she'd live for herself.
And maybe—fall in love quietly, with someone who had always looked at her like she was made of stars.
---
The next day…
At the grand academy courtyard, Seraphina stood beneath the towering marble arch, her golden curls shining under the morning sun.
She had memorized this place—the way her so-called friends would greet her with smiles laced with poison, the way Cedric would arrive last and soak in all the attention.
But today, she paid them no mind.
Her violet eyes scanned the crowd of students arriving through the gates.
And then—there he was.
Slipping through the back entrance quietly, dressed in black again, with a stack of books in his arms and hair that curled slightly in the wind.
Darian.
Still quiet. Still unnoticed.
Until Seraphina took a step forward.
"Excuse me," she said, loud enough to make him stop in his tracks.
He looked up, startled. Gray eyes met violet.
Seraphina smiled gently. Her voice dropped to a soft, sincere whisper.
"…Thank you."
He blinked. "Huh…?"
"You helped me once. And I never said thank you." She tilted her head. "So… thank you."
He stared at her like she had just spoken in a foreign language.
Then, slowly… his pale cheeks flushed pink.
"I-I think you have the wrong person…"
"I know exactly who you are, Darian Ravenshade."
She leaned closer, her voice teasing now, just a little.
"And I'll be keeping an eye on you this time."
She turned and walked away, her heart fluttering in her chest. Behind her, Darian stood frozen, his ears bright red.
---
What she didn't know…
Darian was gripping the edge of his books to keep his hands from shaking.
His heart thundered. His lips parted slightly.
She remembers me?
And for the first time in years, a smile bloomed on his lips.