Chapter 4

I moved back to the little tent I stayed in when I first got here.

The bed was surrounded by piles of herbs that smelled awful, and in the corner, blood-stained bandages waited for someone to wash them, filling the air with the metallic stench of blood and rust.

I remembered how much I hated this place when I first arrived, bugging Edward for ages until he finally let me move into the tent right next to his.

But now, coming back here, my mindset had totally changed.

Either way, it was still way better than the place I died in my previous life.

At least I wouldn't end up freezing to death out in the snow and wind here.

For the next few days, I slowly passed my patients on to others. Each day, I would head out early with the herb carts and return late, just waiting for Grace to come and escort me back to the capital.

The camp had been lively and bustling these past few days.

No matter where I went, I couldn't escape the gossip about how much Edward adored Isabelle.

To marry his beloved as soon as possible, Edward had picked the nearest auspicious date, and the wedding was set for just a month from now.

Even so, all the proper traditions and rituals were being followed; he wasn't cutting any corners.

Word was, the Stone family hadn't prepared much of a wedding gift for Isabelle, so Edward personally opened his private treasury and sent a hundred carts of precious gifts to the Stone family, just to make sure Isabelle had a proper wedding gift.

With the wedding gifts Edward had already sent, this wedding was truly unparalleled.

I just listened quietly.

Every now and then, I would join in with the others, wishing Edward and Isabelle a lifetime of love, never to be separated, and to grow old together.

That morning, like always, I got up early to head out with the herb carts, ready to leave the camp.

But just as I was about to climb into the carriage, a sharp pain shot through my wrist.

Edward seized my delicate wrist and yanked me off to the side.

"Have you been avoiding me these past few days?" Edward asked, his gaze sharp.

"No, Uncle Edward, I haven't," I replied, shaking my head quickly.

Edward fixed me with a brooding stare, pressing in on me with every step.

When I had nowhere left to back away, he said coldly, "Still going to deny it? As my doctor, you leave with the herb carts before dawn and return after dark. You don't even greet me when we meet. Isn't that avoiding me?

"Why? Is it because I'm marrying Isabelle?"

I shook my head and said, "No, Uncle Edward, I'm truly happy for you. You're marrying the one you love. I wish you and Isabelle a lifetime together. When you return to the capital for your grand wedding, I'll prepare a special gift.

"Uncle Edward, please don't worry. I've come to terms with who I am, and I know you'll never return my feelings. So I've let go of my feelings for you. I won't trouble you anymore."

I spoke calmly, telling Edward exactly how I felt, but his face just kept getting darker. My words hit him like a slap.

She had already let me go?

That was probably the most absurd thing he had ever heard.

"Charlotte, don't think I'll fall for your little tricks," Edward said.

"Uncle Edward, I'm not," I replied.

"Not?" Edward said.

Edward scoffed, grabbed my wrist, and dragged me into the tent.

The table that used to be piled with herbs now had a wooden box sitting on it.

My expression changed instantly.

"You say you're not, but you left letters and sketches in Isabelle's tent that upset her. You pursued me relentlessly for years, from the capital to Northmoor, and now you claim you can drop it in an instant? Do you really believe that?" Edward said.

I looked at the wooden box on the table, my eyes stinging with unshed tears.

Inside were all the love letters I had secretly written to Edward over the years, along with sketches of him I had secretly drawn.

After coming back, I almost forgot about that little box I had hidden so well.

But now, Edward had brought it out and thrown it right in front of me.

I knew saying I had let go sounded laughable, especially since I used every trick in the book just to stay by his side before.

But Edward had no clue I actually died once, so of course, he thought I was just up to my old tricks again.

But I really couldn't bring myself to love him anymore.

"Uncle Edward, I did love you for a long time. But now that your marriage to Isabelle is set, as a princess, I would never do something so dishonorable as to come between you and her," I said softly.

I looked at Edward with tear-filled eyes, holding his gaze for a long moment.

Then, I took out every sheet from the box and, right in front of Edward, threw them straight into the fire in the tent.

"Charlotte," Edward called out.

As the fire blazed up, Edward's voice, thick with fury, exploded in the tent.