Page 7 of Villainess's Redemption
“Please,” I begged, my voice a raspy whisper. “We’ve done nothing wrong. Have mercy…”
The commander’s face twisted with disgust. He released my throat, shoving me backwards. I stumbled, gasping for air.
“Mercy?” Maxwell spat. “There’s no mercy for traitors.”
What happened next seemed to unfold in slow motion. Maxwell drew his sword, the steel gleaming in the torchlight. He turned towards Sebastian, who was struggling to rise.
“No!” I screamed, lunging forward.
But I was too slow. The blade flashed, and Sebastian’s eyes went wide with shock. He looked down at the crimson stain spreading across his chest, then back up at me. His lips moved, forming my name before he collapsed.
My mother’s wail of anguish cut off abruptly as Maxwell whirled, his sword finding her heart with brutal efficiency.
I froze, unable to comprehend the horror before me. This couldn’t be happening. It had to be a nightmare.
My gaze zeroed in on Seb and Mother’s limp, lifeless bodies. Their eyes were wide open from shock or fear or both. Their lifeless eyes stared at me accusingly.You did this. You are a murderer. You deserve it.
I could see nothing but the blood flowing on the dirt floor. One moment they were here and the next, they were gone. My numb legs gave out and fell on the floor. Their blood mixing and flowing towards me, staining my tattered gown. Their blood was on me. Everything was quiet but my heart felt chaotic at the same time.
Please, stop this. Stop this pain. I will do anything to erase this, to make everything right. Anything. Oh, Lord. Please, give me a chance.
Maxwell advanced on me, his blade dripping with the blood of my family. “Last chance,” he growled. “Confess your treason, and I’ll make your death quick.”
“We’re innocent,” I whispered, my voice breaking as I stood up. “We’ve always been innocent!”
His face hardened. “Then you will die a liar as well as a traitor.”
Pain exploded in my chest as Maxwell’s sword found its mark. I gasped, my legs giving out beneath me. As I fell, my gaze met Sebastian’s lifeless eyes.
I’m sorry,I thought desperately.This is all my fault. If only I could go back… change everything…
Darkness crept in at the edges of my vision. With my last breath, I made a desperate wish.
Please,I begged whatever power might be listening.Let me turn back time. Give me one more chance to make things right.
Please.
The world faded to black.
Chapter 3
I opened my eyes with a gasp, Noah’s warm brown gaze meeting mine. The world around me swam into focus—the ornate church of Eldoria, where I’d married almost two years ago; the pews filled with nobles; Noah’s father; my parents… My father.
What in the Seven Hells was going on?
My heart stuttered. There he sat, alive and beaming, not a ghost or figment of my imagination. Lord Elyas D’Arcane, minister of revenue, pride evident in the set of his shoulders. Not the broken man I’d last seen, stripped of the title and led to the executioner’s block.
What fresh hell was this?
Was this some kind of twisted purgatory? Hell was the only place I deserved to go. I looked back at Noah, drinking in his familiar features. Handsome, kind—everything I’d once fallen for. But now, all I could see was his cold, hard face as he kicked me out of his manor, standing by while my father was publicly executed.
It wasn’t Noah’s fault. He was justified. But I couldn’t control the emotions that bubbled up—helplessness, fear, desperation. It all looked so real.
I blinked rapidly, certain the vision would dissolve. But the church remained solid, the scent of candles tickling my nose. Noah’s hands were warm in mine, his brow furrowed with concern. Noah must have caught a glimpse of my inner turmoil.
“Are you alright?” he whispered.
I nodded jerkily, not trusting my voice. This couldn’t be real. And yet…
