"Any last words?"

It sounded like the ending to a story.

Last words?

I had none. In my last life, I had plenty to say, but I learned my lesson. I could beg for my life. I could scream and cry. I could tell him that I was innocent. None of it would make a difference.

Instead, I remained silent, staring up at the man holding the sword to my neck.

Prince Valen Arzhur.

My husband.

His crimson eyes looked down at me as if I were a mere bug to be squashed beneath his boot, one that he had already grown impatient with. In my last life, I would have told you that I loved him. Now, all I saw was a bastard.

To make matters worse, she was here, standing behind him, looking down at me.

Faustina Siderias.

She had a fake look of pity in her eyes, as if she never meant for things to go this far.

Yeah, right.

In my first life, she was the woman who seduced my husband, ruined my reputation, and framed me for assassination. She was the very reason I had written down the first rule to survive in my diary:

Rule #1: Never trust Faustina Siderias.

But now, I knew that rule had been mistaken. No, Faustina wasn’t really to blame.

This bastard in front of me was.

His blade at my neck was proof of that, and the corpse lying on the floor behind my husband. Prince Kiran, Valen’s older brother. He was on the ground in a pool of his own blood. His crimson eyes, the royal Eyes of Arzhur, stared blankly at nothing, and a dagger lay next to him covered in blood. The scene was horrific.

Kiran…

He didn’t deserve to die like this. We hadn’t spoken to each other in years, but at one point, I would have called us childhood friends. I always thought he was kind, and gentle.

Almost too kind for a prince.

But I had found Kiran like this. I didn’t kill him! Of course, moments after I entered the room, Valen, Faustina, and a group of guards walked in on the scene. Now I was facing judgment for murdering him.

Just like my first life.

“Explain yourself,” Valen demanded, pressing the sword softly into my neck.

Annoyance sprouted in the pit of my stomach. In this life, I’d done everything possible to avoid this tragedy. Faustina had been the one to frame me for Kiran’s murder. So, I made sure to get rid of her as soon as I could. I had her ostracized and thrown out of High Society, all to avoid her framing me.

But look where I ended up. Back at square one.

Karma’s a real bitch.

At least now I knew the truth. Faustina had never been the one framing me. It was Valen, my husband, all along.

We were all just pawns in this stupid bastard’s game, and I lost again.

Valen pressed the blade on my neck, making me wince. I could feel a warm streak of blood go down my neck and chest. He smiled at me, relishing in my pain, and the annoyance turned into an uncontrollable anger.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to fight back, but he held the blade so close to my throat, I wouldn’t dare. If I was going to die again, I might as well spare myself the extra pain, right?

It was already humiliating enough to be murdered by your own cheating husband with his mistress standing behind him.

“Speak,” he hissed.

“I have nothing to say, Valen,” I croaked out quietly. “Just do it.”

A momentary expression of surprise flickered across his face. The first time he killed me, I was kicking and screaming, cursing him all the way to hell. Did my coldness surprise him?

“Fine, have it your way,” he growled. “Navina Dekarias, I hereby sentence you to death for the assassination of the First Prince, my brother.”

I grinned, which only seemed to infuriate him even more. I couldn’t help it. This was all absurd. We both knew the charges weren’t true, but it didn’t matter. Valen had been bored of me for a while, and now, he had concocted the perfect chance to get rid of me.

He raised his blade into the air.

“Actually…” I murmured. “I do have something to say to you.”

My eyes were cold, piercing into him. “What?” he hissed.

“Mark my words, you bastard,” I growled. “Whether it’s in the next life, or the one after that, I will have my revenge on you.”

The look on his face was priceless. Totally worth the pain that was about to come.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

Shwick!

Death came quickly. I heard the whistle of his blade as it struck my throat, the momentary blazing heat and sharp sting, and then…

Darkness.

My body sank, as if I’d been plunged into cool water.

Sinking further… and further… and further…

And then I could feel something form beneath my fingertips. Soft, velvet covers.

I opened my eyes, slowly, nearly blinded by the early morning light. There were birds whistling outside the window, distant chatter as my maids were hurriedly preparing for the day. I could hear my mother playing the piano downstairs, my father speaking to his advisor in the hallway.

I knew exactly what day it was. My twentieth birthday.

Well, you know what they say. Third life’s the charm, right?