Chapter 1 · The Bride He Never Wanted

In my previous life, I was married to Alvarado Peyton for three years, but I was still a virgin.

He stayed faithful to his true love, never once stepping into my room.

I threw a fit and demanded we split up.

But Alvarado took her side and snapped at me, "Florence, you don't understand how much she's suffered, but don't push it."

But then, I was sent back to the year the King decreed my marriage.

My father, holding the royal decree with trembling hands, asked nervously, "Florence, I know your heart belongs to Alvarado. Should I refuse this marriage for you?"

Recalling his accusation, I reached out and took the decree.

Alvarado, this time, we'd go our separate ways.

*****

Back then, my father was just a butcher.

Fortunately, he followed the right leader, and now he's considered one of the King's veteran ministers who helped him conquer the realm.

If he said he'd refuse the marriage, he'd really take the royal decree straight to the King and petition him to revoke his command.

In my previous life, I was so taken with Alvarado Peyton that I turned down the marriage without even bothering to look at the royal decree.

But in this life, I reached in and pulled the decree from my father's arms, unfolding it myself.

The King had arranged for me to marry Sebastian Crane, the eldest son of the famous Crane family.

He was a refined gentleman who was widely praised in court as the shining star.

No matter how high my father's official rank, our family could never hope to reach the status of the Cranes.

I heard myself say, "Father, I'm willing to marry him."

The Crane family was the top aristocratic clan around, with countless scholars and followers.

Even distant relatives or those born out of wedlock were seen as a prize by outsiders.

And Sebastian was the main heir, the eldest son of the primary branch.

This kind of marriage was so good, and it was obvious the King was serious about it.

Too bad I was so foolish in my previous life that I gave up a priceless gem for something worthless.

I stopped my father.

Hearing what I said, he called me by my nickname, "Florrie."

My father stood up, "Did Alvarado do something? Did he bully you?"

After all these years, hearing him call me like that again hit me right in the heart.

Tears welled up in my eyes before I even realized it.

Back in my previous life, I was dead set on marrying Alvarado, so my father cashed in all his hard-earned military honors just to turn down the King's decree for me.

After that, his career stalled out, and he was eventually demoted and forced to leave Greenvape.

Queenhans was way out in the mountains, so far from the capital.

I didn't want him to worry about me, so I kept all my suffering to myself and never said a word.

It wasn't until he heard I was dead that he rushed overnight to Greenvape to collect my remains.

The moment he saw my coffin, the great general who'd once fought through endless bloodshed suddenly lost all his strength and fell to his knees beside it.

All I could do was watch as he coughed up blood, calling my nickname again and again, his voice filled with heartbreak.

"Florrie, I've come to take you home..."

Only in this life have I truly found my way back home.

The news that Florence Sinclair was engaged to Sebastian Crane was soon the talk of the town in Greenvape.

Simply put, Sebastian's reputation was legendary.

He was two years older than me, and even before he turned twenty, matchmakers practically wore out the Crane family's doorstep.

Even the King himself took an interest in his marriage prospects.

The Crane family turned down every offer, but in the end, they chose the daughter of a butcher.

The noble girls of Greenvape prided themselves on their refined status and never included me in their circles.

But now, just because they were curious, invitations to all sorts of parties were pouring into my house one after another.

Alvarado paid a visit to our place with his mother.

We grew up together.

Back when his father went to Greenvape for the exams, my mother lent him 3,000 dollars for the journey.

After he aced the exams, he made a promise to my mother.

They agreed that their children would marry each other someday, so the two families would stay close.

Ever since I was little, everyone close to me said Alvarado would be my husband.

Maybe that was why Alvarado was always especially patient and gentle with me.

Just like that, my heart belonged to Alvarado from the very beginning.

When Alvarado decided to attend Riverdale Academy, I made up my mind to take the entrance exam too.

The academy didn't allow girls, so I pushed myself harder than anyone—studying late into the night, hoping I could somehow earn a place there.

But it wasn't until much later that I realized the real reason Alvarado enrolled at Riverdale Academy was just to spend more time with the girl he loved.

Chapter 1

In my previous life, I was married to Alvarado Peyton for three years, but I was still a virgin.

He stayed faithful to his true love, never once stepping into my room.

I threw a fit and demanded we split up.

But Alvarado took her side and snapped at me, "Florence, you don't understand how much she's suffered, but don't push it."

But then, I was sent back to the year the King decreed my marriage.

My father, holding the royal decree with trembling hands, asked nervously, "Florence, I know your heart belongs to Alvarado. Should I refuse this marriage for you?"

Recalling his accusation, I reached out and took the decree.

Alvarado, this time, we'd go our separate ways.

*****

Back then, my father was just a butcher.

Fortunately, he followed the right leader, and now he's considered one of the King's veteran ministers who helped him conquer the realm.

If he said he'd refuse the marriage, he'd really take the royal decree straight to the King and petition him to revoke his command.

In my previous life, I was so taken with Alvarado Peyton that I turned down the marriage without even bothering to look at the royal decree.

But in this life, I reached in and pulled the decree from my father's arms, unfolding it myself.

The King had arranged for me to marry Sebastian Crane, the eldest son of the famous Crane family.

He was a refined gentleman who was widely praised in court as the shining star.

No matter how high my father's official rank, our family could never hope to reach the status of the Cranes.

I heard myself say, "Father, I'm willing to marry him."

The Crane family was the top aristocratic clan around, with countless scholars and followers.

Even distant relatives or those born out of wedlock were seen as a prize by outsiders.

And Sebastian was the main heir, the eldest son of the primary branch.

This kind of marriage was so good, and it was obvious the King was serious about it.

Too bad I was so foolish in my previous life that I gave up a priceless gem for something worthless.

I stopped my father.

Hearing what I said, he called me by my nickname, "Florrie."

My father stood up, "Did Alvarado do something? Did he bully you?"

After all these years, hearing him call me like that again hit me right in the heart.

Tears welled up in my eyes before I even realized it.

Back in my previous life, I was dead set on marrying Alvarado, so my father cashed in all his hard-earned military honors just to turn down the King's decree for me.

After that, his career stalled out, and he was eventually demoted and forced to leave Greenvape.

Queenhans was way out in the mountains, so far from the capital.

I didn't want him to worry about me, so I kept all my suffering to myself and never said a word.

It wasn't until he heard I was dead that he rushed overnight to Greenvape to collect my remains.

The moment he saw my coffin, the great general who'd once fought through endless bloodshed suddenly lost all his strength and fell to his knees beside it.

All I could do was watch as he coughed up blood, calling my nickname again and again, his voice filled with heartbreak.

"Florrie, I've come to take you home..."

Only in this life have I truly found my way back home.

The news that Florence Sinclair was engaged to Sebastian Crane was soon the talk of the town in Greenvape.

Simply put, Sebastian's reputation was legendary.

He was two years older than me, and even before he turned twenty, matchmakers practically wore out the Crane family's doorstep.

Even the King himself took an interest in his marriage prospects.

The Crane family turned down every offer, but in the end, they chose the daughter of a butcher.

The noble girls of Greenvape prided themselves on their refined status and never included me in their circles.

But now, just because they were curious, invitations to all sorts of parties were pouring into my house one after another.

Alvarado paid a visit to our place with his mother.

We grew up together.

Back when his father went to Greenvape for the exams, my mother lent him 3,000 dollars for the journey.

After he aced the exams, he made a promise to my mother.

They agreed that their children would marry each other someday, so the two families would stay close.

Ever since I was little, everyone close to me said Alvarado would be my husband.

Maybe that was why Alvarado was always especially patient and gentle with me.

Just like that, my heart belonged to Alvarado from the very beginning.

When Alvarado decided to attend Riverdale Academy, I made up my mind to take the entrance exam too.

The academy didn't allow girls, so I pushed myself harder than anyone—studying late into the night, hoping I could somehow earn a place there.

But it wasn't until much later that I realized the real reason Alvarado enrolled at Riverdale Academy was just to spend more time with the girl he loved.