The ride back to the palace felt strange afterward.
Quiet.
Heavy.
Sabrina sat beside Alexander while staring outside the carriage windows silently.
Meanwhile—
Charles hadn't spoken much since leaving the tailor shop.
His expression remained calm.
But the atmosphere around him felt colder now.
Jennifer noticed it immediately.
Because Charles was irritated.
No—
More than irritated.
His pride was hurt.
And the reason for it was sitting directly across from them.
Princess Sabrina.
Jennifer quietly lifted her gaze toward Sabrina again.
Then toward Alexander.
And her chest suddenly tightened strangely.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Because Alexander—
The same cold duke who barely spared anyone a glance—
Was quietly holding the shopping bags Sabrina bought earlier.
Naturally.
Without complaint.
As though he was used to following her around already.
Jennifer froze slightly.
In the previous life—
This never happened.
Sabrina hated spending time with Alexander.
She avoided him whenever possible.
Then why now...?
Jennifer slowly clenched her fingers together.
The moment Sabrina laughed softly at something Alexander quietly said—
Pain suddenly exploded inside Jennifer's head.
"Ack—!"
She immediately grabbed the side of the carriage.
Charles frowned slightly.
"Jennifer?"
Another sharp pain struck her.
And suddenly—
Flash.
Blood.
Chains.
Screaming.
Jennifer's breathing instantly became uneven.
A dark prison cell.
Charles laughing.
Alexander kneeling on the floor covered in blood.
And Sabrina—
Crying while holding those crimson eyes in her trembling hands.
Jennifer's body froze completely.
No...
No no no...
Her breathing grew unstable.
Those memories—
They weren't dreams.
They were real.
"Jennifer?" Charles grabbed her arm slightly. "What's wrong with you?"
Jennifer immediately looked up at him.
And for the first time—
Fear crawled through her chest.
Because she remembered.
Everything.
The kingdom's destruction.
Charles becoming king.
Alexander's death.
And her own ending too.
Her fingers trembled faintly.
Because in the end—
Charles never chose her.
Not truly.
Even after Sabrina died—
Charles still married another noblewoman officially.
Jennifer was nothing more than a hidden lover.
A disposable piece.
Her chest tightened painfully.
Meanwhile—
Charles frowned deeper.
"Jennifer."
She immediately forced herself to calm down.
"...I'm fine."
But she wasn't.
Not at all.
Because everything was changing now.
And somehow—
That terrified her more than death itself.
---
That night—
Jennifer couldn't sleep.
No matter how tightly she closed her eyes—
Those memories kept returning.
Alexander chained inside the dungeon.
Charles torturing him personally.
Sabrina screaming.
Blood everywhere.
Jennifer abruptly sat up from the bed while breathing heavily.
Cold sweat covered her skin.
"...Impossible," she whispered shakily.
Why was she remembering this now?
Why now of all times?
Then slowly—
Another realization settled inside her mind.
Sabrina changed first.
Not her.
Sabrina changed before everything started changing.
Jennifer's eyes widened slightly.
No way...
Could it be...?
Did Sabrina remember too?
The thought immediately sent chills down her spine.
Because if Sabrina remembered the previous life—
Then that meant—
She knew everything.
Including Jennifer's betrayal.
Jennifer immediately stood from the bed and walked toward the mirror shakily.
Her reflection stared back at her.
Beautiful.
Elegant.
But terrified.
"No..." she whispered softly. "No... that's impossible..."
Yet the more she thought about Sabrina's recent behavior—
The more it made sense.
The sudden distance from Charles.
The way she protected Alexander now.
The coldness in her eyes whenever she looked at Jennifer.
As though—
She already knew.
Jennifer slowly gripped the edge of the table tightly.
Panic began swallowing her whole.
Because if Sabrina truly remembered—
Then her future was ruined.
Charles's future was ruined.
Everything was ruined.
Then suddenly—
Alexander's face appeared inside her mind.
Tall.
Cold.
Handsome.
Those crimson eyes.
Jennifer froze.
In the previous life—
She never paid attention to him properly.
Because Sabrina hated him.
Because Charles constantly mocked him.
Because Alexander always looked untouchable.
But now—
Looking back—
Jennifer realized something horrifying.
Alexander was the only man who remained loyal until the very end.
Even while dying—
He still chose Sabrina.
Not power.
Not revenge.
Just Sabrina.
Jennifer slowly sat down again.
Her heartbeat became uneven.
Charles would've abandoned anyone for power.
But Alexander—
Alexander would've burned the entire world down just to protect one person.
Her fingers slowly tightened against the blanket.
And for the first time—
Jennifer found herself thinking about him differently.
Dangerously differently.
---
The next morning—
Inside the palace garden—
Sabrina quietly walked beside Alexander while several servants followed behind them.
Peaceful.
Calm.
The morning sunlight reflected beautifully against the flowers surrounding the pathways.
Alexander walked slightly ahead of her naturally.
Always alert.
Always watching their surroundings first before himself.
Sabrina quietly stared at him again.
Then suddenly—
She noticed someone standing near the garden entrance.
Jennifer.
Their eyes met briefly.
And Sabrina immediately froze slightly.
Something about Jennifer felt strange today.
Different.
Her expression looked pale.
Uneasy.
And the moment Jennifer looked at Alexander—
Sabrina noticed it instantly.
That gaze.
Confused.
Curious.
Almost desperate.
Sabrina's chest tightened faintly.
Why was Jennifer looking at Alexander like that...?
Meanwhile—
Jennifer stared silently at the man standing beside Sabrina.
Alexander.
Alive.
Warm.
Still untouched by the horrors waiting in the future.
And somehow—
Jennifer couldn't look away anymore.