The classroom was silent after the confession.
Elara's fingers trembled on the wooden desk.Liora and Lucian watched her closely — afraid to speak, afraid to breathe.
Finally, Elara whispered:
"So in my first life… I lost both of you on the same night."
Lucian bowed his head. "Yes."
"And now… one of you may forget me."
Silence again. A heavy, painful silence.
Elara stood slowly, her voice steady but her eyes full of heartbreak.
"I won't let the past destroy us again. I won't let fate decide who I lose."
Lucian stepped toward her, desperate. "Elara—"
But Liora placed a hand on his arm, stopping him.
"Give her space," she said softly. "She needs to breathe, Lucian."
He hesitated… then nodded.
Elara walked out of the classroom.
🌙 The Garden of Moon Lilies
Elara wandered into the academy garden — the same garden she used to escape to in her previous life.
Moon lilies glowed softly under the night sky.She touched one, and memories flickered — Lucian sneaking in to see her, Liora laughing and throwing petals, promises made, promises broken.
Tears finally fell.
"I don't want to lose either of them," she whispered to the flowers. "Why must I choose?"
Her grief stirred the magic in the air — the lilies glowed brighter, responding to her emotions.
Suddenly she felt warmth on her shoulder.
Lucian's cloak.
She turned, startled — Lucian stood behind her, breathing hard from running.
"I know you said you needed space," he panted, "but there are monsters roaming the school. I won't let you walk alone. Ever."
Elara's chest tightened painfully.
"Lucian… you should hate me," she choked. "The kingdom fell because of me. Because of my power."
He stepped closer — gently brushing her tears.
"I don't care about the past. I don't care about destiny. I don't care what the world wants."
His voice broke — raw and real.
"I just want you."
Her heart raced.
The world blurred into silence — just the two of them, the moonlight, and everything unsaid.
Lucian's hand moved to her cheek… slowly leaning in…
But before their lips could meet—
A spear of light ripped through the ground between them.
Elara gasped and stumbled back.
A figure stepped out of the shadows — someone tall, elegant, with violet eyes and a smirk that could slice glass.
"Sorry to interrupt, Princess," he said mockingly. "But you don't belong to him."
Lucian summoned his sword instantly, fury blazing."You again. What do you want from her?"
The violet-eyed stranger chuckled.
"What I've always wanted — what belongs to me."
Elara stared, pulse pounding."You… who are you?"
He bowed dramatically.
"I suppose in this life I am known as Prince Damien of the Northern Empire."
Then his expression darkened — eyes filled with obsession.
"But in your first life… I was the one who loved you first."
The world tilted.
Lucian froze — shock and rage exploding across his face.
Damien stepped closer, fearless.
"Elara, you were promised to me — your fate tied to mine long before Lucian stole you."
Lucian lunged forward, voice like a snarl:
"She wasn't stolen. She chose me."
Damien didn't flinch.
"And now fate has given us a second chance… but there is a twist."
He looked straight at Elara.
"The curse on the locket — when it activates, the one who loves you most… will be the one who forgets you."
Elara staggered back, her legs nearly collapsing.
Love became a weapon.
A countdown.
A sword pointed at her heart.
Lucian looked devastated.Liora, who had just arrived breathless at the edge of the garden, went pale.
Damien smirked.
"So here is the real question, Princess… who loves you enough to lose their entire world for you?"
The moonlight flickered.
Elara's heartbeat thundered.
Because the deeper the love…
The greater the danger.