Not This Time,My Lord

That losing Kael meant nothing to me. That I had no heart left to break. But that was a lie. Because when Kael stepped into the dungeon-armor dusted in ash from the last border raid-I

I tried to laugh. It came out as a cough. "Magic?" She tilted her head. "Fire and blood. But also something greater. You were once divine." The world trembled. I didn't believe her. Not really. But some part of me-the part buried under years of shame and softness-wanted to. She raised her hand. And the dungeon shattered. ⸻ Birth of the Second Beginning Warmth. Silk sheets. Golden drapes. The smell of honeyed tea and firewood. I sat up with a gasp. No chains. No blood. No pain. Just breath. And light. I stumbled to the mirror. There she was. The girl I used to be. Seventeen. Naïve. So easily led by Seren's poison. So quick to believe Kael didn't love me. I wanted to slap her. Instead, I touched the mirror and whispered, "Not this time." A knock came at the door. "My lady," a maid called brightly. "Happy birthday!" I blinked. Birthday. The day he proposed. The day everything began to rot. "Seren says to hurry," the maid added. "Lord Kael arrives soon." Of course he did. Even in this life, he still walked into my fire without hesitation. ⸻ Reflection and Resolve The perfume on my vanity was the same. Seren's gift. Crimson glass. "To make Kael obsessed," she'd once said with a wicked smile. I knocked it to the floor. It shattered. Like the illusion I'd lived in for too long. This time, I wouldn't be her pawn. This time, I'd see Kael with my own eyes. Not hers. This time, I'd make him fall in love with me-not because he still cared. But because I'd earn it. Because I wanted him. Gods, I wanted him. Not just as an apology. But as a man. ⸻ The Beginning of the Fire I descended the stairs in silence. The palace buzzed beneath me. Music played. Servants danced around the edges of my vision. And then the horns sounded. He was here. Kael. My stomach twisted. He stepped into the hall, tall and devastating in black. Eyes sharp. Presence like a storm wrapped in silence. His gaze found me instantly. He didn't smile. Neither did I. "Happy birthday," he said, voice velvet and steel. "Feels more like fate," I answered, lips curling. He raised an eyebrow. The faintest flicker of interest. I leaned in just slightly, just enough to breathe him in. His scent hadn't changed. And for one terrifying second, I wanted to kiss him. Right there. Before I remembered he didn't know me. Not really. Not yet. ⸻ The Twist Beneath the Surface Later that night, while Seren slithered her way into the ballroom and Kael's eyes drifted to me again longer this time, heavier I felt something shift beneath my skin. A flicker of heat. Magic. Rage. And power. My hand burned. I turned, startled, and saw the scorch mark left on the chair I'd just touched. It wasn't an accident. I wasn't just back. I was different. Awakened. Rewritten in fire. ⸻ This Time, I Burn The prophecy they feared? They were wrong about it. It didn't speak of a child who would destroy kingdoms. It spoke of rebirth. A queen of fire and ruin. A child born of flame and