Alessa's eyes snapped open, her chest heaving as though she had just been pulled from the depths of the ocean.
She was alive.
Or so it seemed. Her hands—untouched by blood or scars—trembled as she raised them before her. The vibrant sunlight streaming through lace curtains painted golden patterns on the floor of the small room. She blinked in disbelief. She recognized this room.
It was her childhood bedroom in the Elorin household. The warm, familiar scent of lavender filled the air, a fragrance her mother always adored. Slowly, she sat up and caught sight of herself in the mirror across the room.
A girl stared back at her—her—but younger, no older than fifteen, her celestial mark barely visible beneath her nightgown.
"This… this isn't possible," she whispered, her voice trembling.
Alessa threw off the covers and rushed to the mirror, her fingers brushing her reflection. Tears welled in her eyes. The heavens had granted her a second chance.
Before she could process her emotions, the door burst open. A familiar figure entered—a young boy with disheveled blond hair and bright green eyes. Her younger brother, Theo.
"Alessa! You're awake!" he exclaimed, bounding toward her. "You've been sleeping for days! Mother was so worried—"
She threw her arms around him, pulling him into a tight embrace. Theo was alive. Her heart clenched with overwhelming gratitude.
"Alessa?" he mumbled, confused by her sudden affection.
"I'm fine, Theo. I'm just… glad to see you," she said, her voice shaking.
Theo blinked but didn't question her further. "Mother said I should call her when you wake up. I'll be back!" He darted out of the room before she could stop him.
As the door closed behind him, Alessa sat down on her bed, her hands gripping the sheets.
She remembered everything. The betrayal. Her death. Lady Seraphina's lies.
But this time…
"This time will be different," she vowed, her voice low and steely. "I won't let them use me. I won't let them take what's mine."
Her mind raced. She had years before Seraphina would make her move, before the court would turn against her. She had the knowledge of her past life and the determination to rewrite her fate.
The saintess had returned, and she wasn't here to forgive.
She was here to claim what was hers.