Chapter 1

When an assassination attempt was made on the Emperor, Earl Banks, my husband, Aiken Henry, commander of the imperial guards, was off trying to calm down Roxanne, his first love, who had just stormed out in a fit of anger.

Instead of firing the signal flare in my hand, I stepped forward, my pregnant belly leading the way, and used myself as a human shield to protect Earl, helping him get out of danger.

Because in my previous life, after I fired the signal flare, Aiken abandoned Roxanne and rushed to save Earl.

He was rewarded with the title of Marquis Protector for his heroic act, but Roxanne fell into a trap and was killed instantly.

Aiken never let it show, but on the day I gave birth, he threw me into the beast pit.

I stared at him, my face contorted with agony, and asked, "Why would you do this to me?"

He just gave me a cold, dismissive look.

Aiken said, "There were plenty of guards around the Emperor. Why did you have to drag me back? All you care about is power and money. You did this on purpose, just so I'd be the one to save him.

"If you hadn't fired that signal flare, Roxanne would still be alive. I'll make sure you suffer twice as much as every bit of pain she went through!"

In the end, I was ripped to shreds by the beasts, and even my unborn child was swallowed whole.

When I came to, I found myself back on the day of the assassination attempt against Earl.

*****

"Protect the Emperor!" someone shouted.

I stared at the well-trained assassins in black, right in front of me.

Instinctively, I took a step back.

I actually really had time-traveled to this crucial moment.

Once it hit me, I glanced down at the signal flare clutched in my hand.

When nobody was watching, I tossed the flare straight into the lake.

Then, I threw myself in front of Earl, who was fighting off the assassins, putting everything I had into protecting him.

With Earl staring at me in shock, I held my ground, enduring hit after hit from the assassins, refusing to let them get past.

I watched as the confusion in Earl's eyes slowly turned into a look of being moved and utter disbelief.

I knew I'd made the right bet.

My husband, Aiken Henry, was the commander of the imperial guards.

He was always shadowing Earl, never more than a step away. But today, when the assassination attempt happened, he was nowhere to be found.

He was busy chasing after Roxanne Joseph, his first love, who had just stormed out in anger.

In my previous life, I was afraid he'd be blamed, so I fired the signal flare.

But after he received real recognition, he decided I was driven by greed and ambition, and blamed me for Roxanne's tragic death.

He threw me into the beast pit he had meticulously prepared, letting the beasts devour me and my unborn child.

Now that fate had granted me a second chance at life, there was no way I'd repeat the mistakes of my previous life.

I threw myself in front of Earl, shielding him with my own body. Even as the assassins' blades kept piercing me, I just gritted my teeth and refused to make a sound.

Earl was surrounded by guards. If I could just hang in there until backup arrived, I was sure I could make it out alive.

Earl understood that too. Even if he was reluctant, he had no choice but to stay behind me. Right then, the assassins caught on that I was shielding him with my own body.

They exchanged a glance, then, without hesitation, plunged their blades straight into my stomach.

There was an eight-month-old baby growing inside me.

Every single day, I could feel him kicking and squirming in my belly. Even in my previous life, right before I died, I heard his desperate cries.

This pain was even worse than being torn apart by beasts in my previous life.

A scream I couldn't hold back burst out of me. Everything turned crimson before my eyes. I could sense the assassins were about to kill me.

A dull, sinking pain hit me down below.

This pain was nothing like being torn open by beasts in my previous life. It felt like something I cared about more than anything was slipping away from me.

I reached out, desperate to hold onto something, but all I could grab was Earl's robe, soaked in blood.

Frantic footsteps rushed toward us, and I heard Earl yelling in panic, "Where's the doctor? Which family does this woman belong to? Hurry up and get over here!"

I tried to speak, but all that came out was blood, spilling from my lips again and again. Earl didn't flinch, he crouched right beside me, ignoring the blood and chaos.

With everything I had left, I managed to squeeze out a few shaky words.

"I'm Aiken Henry's wife. The commander of the imperial guards," I whispered.