Chapter 2

The air was filled with the gentle aroma of coffee.

Amanda Peyton, Alvarado's mother, had pulled my father into the main hall to discuss something important, deliberately leaving Alvarado and me alone here.

Through the hazy steam, I let my eyes trace the outline of Alvarado's face.

We'd spent three years together every single day in my previous life, but now it all felt like a dream from another world.

The surreal feeling of traveling back still clung to me, making everything seem unreal.

Alvarado reached out and poured me a cup of coffee. There was something in his eyes I couldn't figure out.

He asked softly, "Are you really willing to marry Sebastian Crane?"

I took a sip of my coffee. "It's the King's order. I don't really get a say in it."

After a few days of thinking, it finally hit me that the King arranged this marriage to repay a favor, to show his gratitude.

Years ago, my father had taken an arrow meant for him on the battlefield.

So in my previous life, when my father turned down the marriage, it was seen as being ungrateful, not knowing how to appreciate the King's kindness.

Alvarado was always sharper than I was. If I could figure it out, he must have seen it too.

But in my previous life, he never said a word to persuade me otherwise.

Sure enough, Alvarado nodded, clearly understanding.

He paused for a moment, then said, "If you truly don't want this, I can marry you instead."

That really caught me off guard.

I froze, and the cup in my hand bumped against the table with a crisp ring.

Alvarado's eyelashes fluttered, and for a split second, regret flashed across his face.

He was just saying he'd marry me to keep up appearances—probably worried I'd actually agree right away.

I lowered my gaze and asked calmly, "What about your Alex? Would you have her be your concubine?"

Alvarado suddenly stood up, the chair scraping harshly against the floor.

He stared at me in disbelief, his voice low and urgent. "How do you know Alex is a woman?"

I drained my coffee, feeling nothing but a chill deep inside.

In my previous life, Alvarado married me just because his parents said so, but he always kept his distance.

I started to suspect he had someone else, so I secretly had him followed, and that was how I caught his secret.

The so-called best friend he was always hanging around with, Alex Young, was a woman.

When I found out in my previous life, I threw a full-blown tantrum.

I smashed the hairpin he gave me on our wedding day, then his vase, anything I could grab.

Alvarado just stood there in silence, watching me go wild and turn his study into a disaster zone.

Finally, I broke down, sobbing and cursing at him, "If you love Alex so much, why don't you just marry her? Maybe I should go beg the King to let us split up, so you two can finally be together!"

That was when Alvarado finally reached out and covered my mouth, cutting me off before I could say another word.

He lowered his gaze, his voice cold. "Alex will never go back to being herself. Don't ever bring up divorce again. She's no threat to your place.

"She's already barely getting by at home. If you expose her real identity, how is she supposed to hold her head up? Florence, you don't know how much she's suffered, but don't go too far."

Every word he spoke was heavy with emotion.

It was only then that I realized Alvarado was never as distant as I thought. He just never let his heart stir for me.

I sank my teeth into his hand, biting down so hard that even as blood welled up, I refused to let go.

Alvarado's brows furrowed in pain, but he still didn't pull away.

After that, Alvarado never came near my rooms again.

Worried I'd actually reveal Alex was a woman, he even had people watching me day and night.

I set down my cup, and for the first time, the reality of traveling back truly sank in.

"Florence." Alvarado took my hand, his voice low. "Can you keep Alex's secret? She's got it tough..."

"OK," I interrupted him.

Alvarado was so caught off guard that his nervous look just froze, making him look kind of funny.

He blinked and echoed, "Really? You can?"

I nodded. "Of course. I never meant to tell anyone about it anyway."

That was true. Even in my last life, I was just venting, saying it out of anger.

I was not the type to expose someone's secret.

Besides, I knew Alex Young.

If I had to say, she was almost like a tutor to me.

That year, I was determined to get into Riverdale Academy.

My father didn't know what else to do, so he found me a female tutor, claiming she'd passed the exam herself.

But Riverdale Academy didn't take girls, so I figured she was most likely a fake.

Still, I didn't have the heart to go against my father's wishes.

The tutor was a frail woman, but when she taught me, she gave it her all and never held anything back.

She always kept her face hidden behind a veil during our lessons, so I never once saw what she looked like.

It wasn't until after I died in my previous life that I saw Alex come to my grave and put down a few history books in front of my grave.

I loved reading history books—except for my father and her, nobody else ever knew.

Once I agreed, Alvarado let out a sigh of relief.

"Florence." He looked up at me, trying to explain, "You don't really get what Alex is about. Someone like her would never agree to be just a concubine.

"The Crane family is the most prestigious family around. I was worried you might not be able to fit in, so I thought of this option. If we get married and you ever change your mind, we can split up then..."

"Alvarado," I cut him off, not interested in hearing any more of his talk. "Sebastian is renowned everywhere. Why on earth would I choose you over him?

"And honestly, even if there wasn't a single man left in the world, I would never marry a man whose heart belongs to someone else."

Alvarado was left speechless by my straight talk.

He got up abruptly and stormed out.

I didn't bat an eye, only watched him leave in a huff.

Alex was forever out of his reach.

So he figured he'd marry me, and just wait for Alex to have a change of heart and finally fall for him.

But miracles like that would never happen.

And even if it did, Alvarado would never be the one to get them.