"Sister, wake up, sister, wake up. Please, don't leave your brother alone…" With these agonizing wails echoing in the background, Isabella slowly awakened from the darkness. A splitting headache and dizziness greeted her, and she almost wanted to rebuke the bold intruder disturbing her rest, desiring to drag the source of the noise away. But as her consciousness returned, despite the overwhelming pain, the intricately ornate wallpaper, the sculpted ceiling, the silver silk bed canopy, and the soft touch of the mattress felt familiar yet slightly alien. This was her room from before she became queen, when she was still a contender for the throne.
"How can this be? Wasn't I dead?" Isabella wondered. The chilling sensation of a silver sword piercing her heart, as if still lingering at her chest, was unmistakable.
But then, that irksome voice resounded again, "Sister, sister, you're awake! Oh, thank goodness, you finally woke up. You've been unconscious for over seven days; I was so worried about you."
Isabella turned towards the source of the voice, her heart shaking. Of course, the one who dared call her 'sister' and shout in her bedroom could only be her brother Andrew, whom she had plotted to kill.
Once, after witnessing her father express his desire for Andrew to inherit the throne, Isabella felt an extreme sense of injustice. Despite everyone knowing Andrew was only fond of pleasure and somewhat foolish, their father still wanted to pass the throne to his son. Isabella despised Andrew in her past life, even though he always tried to bridge the gap between them, constantly bringing her gifts and pestering her to play. But she remained unmoved.
However, just a minute before the vampire hunters she had hired sealed Andrew in a coffin, he shouted for Isabella to escape. That moment, Isabella realized she felt no relief at removing a rival, but the situation didn't allow her to ponder, as she soon faced the wrath of her father, King Isabella VI.
"Even if you're angry, Father, Andrew won't return," Isabella thought complexly at that time. Later, with no other choice, King Isabella VI reluctantly allowed Isabella to ascend to the throne. Soon after, Duke Vlad's usurpation and subsequent events unfolded.
Seeing his sister open her eyes, Andrew was initially enveloped in immense joy, wanting to shout and rush to embrace her, but his happiness vanished as he saw Isabella's tearful eyes focus on him, followed by deep concern and anger.
"Who made my sister cry like this, my always strong sister? Tell me, and I will avenge you," Andrew asked.
Only then did Isabella realize her tears were uncontrollably flowing, overwhelmed with regret and self-reproach. How could she have overlooked and even harmed her only kind brother for a throne? Embracing Andrew, Isabella let out her remorse, pain, and regret through heart-wrenching sobs. Ever since becoming queen, she was never allowed to express her emotions so freely, as the nobles and officials could only accept a queen who was always calm and strong. It had been so long since she had last vented like this. In that moment, Isabella realized the true worth of what she had lost.
Elizabeth only gradually stopped crying when she felt Andrew's increasingly uncontrollable trembling of panic and deep concern. She released her hold on Andrew's shoulders and told him, "Brother, thank you, and I'm sorry. I finally realized what a stupid fool I was. This time, it's my turn to protect you and to be good to you."
Andrew, confused as to why his sister, who had just opened her eyes after a seven-day coma, suddenly cried and then uttered such strange words, was too overwhelmed to ponder it. He felt a surge of immense happiness, his sister actually calling him 'brother' without that look of utter disgust, not asking him to stay away. All Andrew could do was react with a giggle. But after giggling, he excitedly presented a treasure to his sister, "Sister, this is the precious dragonfish blood offered by Marquis Ryder. I didn't touch a single drop, saving it all for you. You just woke up, so try it. If you like it, I'll ask him for more."
Such thoughts crossed Elizabeth's mind about Marquis Ryder, the one who had initially not sided with himself or his brother to inherit the throne but had later helped Duke Vlad.
However, now wasn't the time to dwell on such details. Elizabeth had an older brother in front of her, eagerly awaiting her feedback. Andrew's gluttony and love of pleasure were famous, but Elizabeth's view of his indulgence at this moment wasn't filled with the disgust she had felt in her last life. Previously, she had seen Andrew's love for drinking the blood of rare species as sheer greed, unbecoming for an heir to the throne. But hearing that Andrew hadn't touched a single drop of the dragonfish blood he adored, her heart swelled with an infinite touch of affection and realization; unbeknownst to her, her brother cared for her deeply.
After drinking a few sips of the dragonfish blood, said to be nutritious for vampires and able to enhance their strength, Elizabeth handed the rest back to Andrew. At his puzzled look, she said, "This isn't to my liking, brother. You drink the rest." Andrew didn't dwell on Elizabeth's words, quickly standing up and running outside, shouting as he went, "Wait here, sister. I'll find you another flavor of blood…"
Watching Andrew's hasty departure, Elizabeth revealed a helpless smile but felt a warmth in her heart. "This must be the best thing, right? My brother is still alive, and I haven't yet done more to regret in the future. I'm back at this time again, perhaps due to the secret ability in the Elizabeth family bloodline Father mentioned before. He always said if we faced a life-threatening moment, we would naturally discover this secret. Now I know, I have the ability to reshape time. So, for everything that will happen, since I'm back, I must make up for my past regrets and be prepared against Duke Vlad. His rapid command of vampire armies and the support of many nobles after falling in love with that human girl must have been premeditated. I must uncover everything and protect Andrew. Brother, I realized my mistake in the last life; in this one, I no longer desire the throne. I just want you to stay by my side forever, as my brother." Elizabeth swore in her heart.