Eleanor Hawthorne woke up and everything was spinning. She was on a cold, hard floor, not her comfy royal bed. Her head hurt, and she was confused.
Where was she?
The room was small and simple, with basic furniture. The old wallpaper was very different from the luxury she was used to. She slowly got up and looked around, then saw herself in a mirror.
The reflection showed a young girl, about fourteen, with auburn hair. She didn't look like the mature, royal woman she used to be.
"No..." she whispered, barely believing it.
But it was real. Everything felt real.
As she stared in the mirror, memories rushed back. She was Eleanor Hawthorne, the princess of Ardelis, supposed to rule. But she had messed it all up.
Her heart ached as she remembered Aurian Blackmoore, the man she loved so much. She had taken him from the woman he truly loved, Amelia Sinclair, a commoner. Using her royal power, she forced him to marry her.
Eleanor had even caused Amelia's death and laughed about it then. But now, it felt empty.
"Why?" she whispered. "Why did I let jealousy take over?"
Her kingdom suffered under her rule. People starved and bled, while she only cared about keeping Aurian's love. Eventually, they rebelled and came for her. She was killed by a cold blade.
But now, she was alive again. This was her second chance.
Her heart raced. She had to fix her mistakes. She couldn't mess up again.
Eleanor promised herself she would learn from the past. She wouldn't let her dark side take over. She couldn't destroy everything again.
"I can't," she said firmly to her reflection. "I won't."
She knew the scars from the past would take time to heal. But she had a chance to make things right, to rule with kindness. She was determined to not repeat her mistakes.
"I'll make this right," she muttered, stepping away from the mirror, filled with a mix of fear and hope. "No more regrets."