Nathan leaned back in his chair and pressed a hand to his forehead. The information Ella had just shared was deeply unsettling. He had never imagined their lives would be so intricately intertwined.
"Ella…" His breathing was uneven. "This is… quite the discovery."
"What's the matter?" the redhead asked, alarmed. "Are you feeling unwell? Do you need water?"
"No, please, don't worry."
Nathan straightened and clasped his hands together, his mind racing.
"I'm now convinced that you and I were destined to meet, Ella."
She looked at him, confusion flickering in her blue eyes.
"Your accident with the wagon… do you remember it?"
Ella nodded slowly. "Yes. That's how I died… in my life as Aria."
"In the small town of Wintersend…"
Her eyes widened. "I didn't tell you the name of the town. How could you possibly—"
Nathan met her gaze. "That day, in Wintersend, my father came home devastated. He told us that while pulling his cart up a hill, it slipped… and caused the death of a young woman."
Ella's breath caught.
"What…?" Her voice barely existed.
"A few days later," Nathan continued, "I fell gravely ill. My entire family did. Food poisoning, we were told. My siblings and parents recovered… but I didn't."
He swallowed.
"I died."
Ella watched him carefully. There was grief in his eyes, old and heavy.
"Later, I was reborn as the second youngest son of a lord in a town called Mirine."
Ella's chest tightened.
Of all her lives, Mirine was the one that still bled.
There, she had almost forgotten the curse. She had a family she loved… and Jillian.
Her mind drifted to him, to what could have been. A life together. A future stolen in a single night.
If only she hadn't gone back. If only she hadn't tried to be brave.
A gentle touch pulled her back.
"Ella… are you alright?" Nathan asked.
She blinked, then nodded. "I'm fine, Your Grace."
"But you're crying."
She touched her cheek and found tears she hadn't noticed falling.
Nathan handed her a handkerchief.
"I'm sorry," she said softly. "Mirine… holds a lot of memories."
"I understand," Nathan replied quietly. "More than you think."
He gave her a moment before continuing.
"As I said, my father was a lord in that life. I remember hearing about a beautiful red-haired girl with ocean-blue eyes. I assume that was you."
Ella nodded.
"I sent word to meet you. Truth be told, I was already smitten just from the descriptions. I was determined to make you mine." He gave a small, awkward chuckle. "But you declined every time. I was told you were already involved with someone else."
"I was…" Ella whispered, the ache returning.
"That didn't stop me," Nathan admitted. "I rode out to see you myself, gifts in hand. But I was ambushed by bandits. I tried to fight them off… but I was killed."
Ella's thoughts spiraled.
So even if she had done things differently… if he died, she would still follow?
"Did you die as well?" Nathan asked gently.
"I did," she replied.
"Was it an accident, or…?"
Ella's voice dropped. "I slit my own throat."
Nathan instinctively reached for his neck, unsettled. He chose not to ask more.
"You know what I find most infuriating about this curse?" he said after a moment, his tone softening.
Ella shook her head. "What?"
"The fact that in every lifetime, I grow up, become a man, finally win a woman over… and then die, only to wake up a bloody virgin again."
Despite herself, Ella smiled faintly. "That's your greatest complaint? Losing your track record?"
He grinned. "It's a tragic cycle."
"Surely you have complaints too," he added.
Ella shifted in her seat, cheeks warming. "I… I've never been intimate with a man."
Nathan blinked, then nearly leapt from his seat. "What?! You're joking!"
"I'm not!"
"But you're so—" He stopped himself, recalibrating. "You're incredibly beautiful, Ella. How has no man—"
"Can we change the subject?"
He studied her for a moment, intrigued.
Then, gently, he took her hand.
"If you ever feel ready…" His voice dropped, smooth as silk. "It would be my honor to be your first."
Ella's face burned. Her thoughts tangled between outrage and something far more dangerous.
Before she could respond—
KNOCK KNOCK
[Oh, thank goodness.]
"Your Majesty," came the butler's voice, "your lunch with Lady Ella has been served in the garden."
"Thank you, Theodore. We'll be right out."
Ella quickly pulled her hand away and stood.
"We should go eat. I'm starving," she said, a little too fast.
Nathan rose slowly, his gaze lingering on her, taking in every detail like a man memorizing a painting.
"Of course," he said with a grin. "After you, Lady Ella."
As they walked through the castle halls, whispers followed them like mischievous ghosts.
"Do you think they've already…?"
"Look at her blush! Of course they have."
"Back in my day, we waited until marriage to churn the butter."
"Back in your day, there was no butter."
Ella's face turned crimson.
[Why did I agree to go into his room?!]
Behind her, Nathan looked far too pleased with himself.
Nothing had happened… yet.
But the rumors? They fed his ego beautifully.
After all, he fully intended to make her his wife someday.
And when that day came…
Well…
There would be plenty of butter to churn.
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I want to take this opportunity to publicly thank @doomfanger and @etestman for the power stones. They mean a lot thank you.
Ya'll are the real MVPs