My Last Life, His Last Betrayal

The day Martin Lovell is crowned king, I'm made his queen. During the kingdom's founding ceremony, assassins attack Martin and me, and I step in to stop them. But as I'm shielding Martin, he grabs me and pulls me into a blade's path so that I take the hit meant for my half-sister. As the blade sinks into my flesh, the blood filling my mouth stifles my cries of pain. Martin holds the trembling Rosie Franklin in his arms, gently wiping away her tears as he says to me, "Helena Franklin, you know how it is. You're a skilled fighter, and you even have supernatural powers. But your sister has none of that." I die in despair. As my consciousness fades, I hear the system's voice. [Helena, you have only one chance left to complete your mission. If you fail for the tenth time, you'll be erased from existence permanently.] Chapter 1 I lay on the ground in agony, my mind a blur as a dull ache pulsed through my wounded body. That was my ninth failed attempt. This time would be my tenth attempt, and if I failed again, I would be erased from existence. After I struggled to my feet, the maids waiting outside the door helped me up. The royal physician had been waiting outside as well. Hearing the commotion, he rushed in to treat my wounds. I had already forgotten most of what happened during my previous lives. All I could remember was the first time I failed. I'd taken a blade meant for Martin Lovell, saving him from an assassination attempt by his older brothers. Back then, I'd been gravely wounded, and while Martin had held me in his arms, he sobbed, begging me not to die. He'd promised to grant me anything I wanted, as long as I stayed alive. So I'd asked him for one thing in return. I wanted to become his wife, and I wanted him to promise that he'd never abandon me no matter what. After he'd agreed, I came back from the dead. I told him I possessed supernatural powers that allowed me to resurrect myself. After that, during the power struggles over the throne, I'd died eight more times, shielding Martin from one assassination attempt after another. The second time I died, Martin swore an oath to me. "I, Martin Lovell, swear that I'll never fail Helena Franklin in this lifetime. May lightning strike me dead where I stand if I break that vow." When exactly did I fall for him? It was when I watched him agonize over the lives of ordinary people and when I watched him grieve over his family. I was sure Martin liked me, so I told him everything about myself. But the promise he'd made me began to change after my seventh death. It happened when Martin brought me back to the capital to face his older brother on the battlefield. That was when I met my half-sister, Rosie Franklin, a gentle, well-mannered lady from a respectable family. Just then, the system's voice rang out in my mind. [Helena, this is your very last chance. Please make it count. If things really don't work out, we can give up on Martin. Worse comes to worst, I'll take the punishment for you.] After I'd died nine times, Martin had gone from heartbroken and devastated at first, to numb, and eventually, cold and indifferent. On the other hand, the system had gone from numbness to indifference, then to pity, and finally to sympathy and reluctance to see me suffer. I let out a bitter, self-mocking laugh. "This is my last chance. I might as well take the gamble." I was gambling on whether Martin still had feelings for me or was genuinely in love with Rosie. My mission was to get Martin's affection for me to 100%. He'd never been favored growing up, and his mother had no power or influence, so he'd learned to be extremely guarded. Even after I'd died for him time and time again, his affection for me had only reached 80%. I gazed out at the red-brick walls beyond the palace, which stood like prison bars, trapping me inside. Just then, a voice came from outside the door. "Your Majesty, the king is waiting for you at the Queen Dowager's. He also said you mustn't miss the appointed hour, as it'd be terribly bad luck." Chapter 2 Once the maid had passed along the order, she quickly left. The people around me had always treated me like the plague, keeping their distance as if I were some kind of monster. Yesterday, they'd all watched as a blade pierced straight through my body, only for me fs avwo txrt de ilbo wlacneiszvij. Anyone would find it strange, especially those closest to Martin and me. I forced myself to get dressed and put on my makeup, then hurried to the Queen Dowager's palace, only to be made to kneel outside as punishment for missing the appointed hour. For two whole hours, I knelt under the scorching sun. Just as I was about to pass out, someone finally brought me inside. The Queen Dowager and Martin sat side by side, while Rosie stood beside them. All three looked down at me as I knelt on the floor. Martin frowned. "What happened to you? Why do you look like this?" I could already imagine how pathetic I must look. Coming back to life over and over again wasn't without a price. The price was this body's own life force. I was drenched in sweat, and the lipstick I'd been wearing was now patchy from biting my lips. Mortified, I replied, "I've been feeling unwell. I'm sorry you had to see me like this, Your Majesties." The words had barely left my mouth when the Queen Dowager's stern voice rang out from above. "Just look at yourself. Is that any way for a queen to look? If Martin weren't so dead set on you, I would never have let you become queen. "As the queen, you should know how to conduct yourself. You followed Martin into battle and had him wrapped around your little finger. Even your younger sister carries herself more like a proper lady than you do." Her scorn and contempt pierced my heart like a thousand arrows. I looked up at Martin, hoping he'd speak up for me. But he avoided my pleading gaze. Meanwhile, the Queen Dowager looked at Rosie with unmistakable approval. Rosie glanced shyly at the man beside her, dressed in a gold-colored robe, before lowering her head bashfully. Had they all just forgotten that I'd come from a family of military commanders and had trained in martial arts since childhood? Back when no one believed Martin had what it took to claim the throne, I'd endured everyone's insults and ridicule to take command of an army despite being a woman. I'd protected him and the Queen Dowager from threats both inside and outside the palace, shielding them from one assassination attempt after another. After my first death, the Queen Dowager held my hand and said with tears in her eyes, "If my ungrateful son ever lets you down, I'll disown him myself." I died a second time after drinking the poison meant for Martin. Back then, the Queen Dowager had been nothing more than a lowly mistress. She'd knelt before me and thanked me for saving his life. But now, they'd forgotten everything. Before I could dwell on it any longer, the Queen Dowager spoke. "Enough. Come over here and serve the tea already. Do you have any idea what time it is?" I took the teacup and stepped forward to offer it to her. But just as I was about to get on my knees, I noticed Rosie standing right beside the Queen Dowager, apparently intending to receive the same honor. "You don't mind me standing here, do you? Her Majesty specifically granted me the privilege of sharing this honor with her…" Rosie placed heavy emphasis on the word specifically, acting as though she'd been forced into this. Martin quickly cut in, "That's enough. I have important matters to attend to. Just serve the tea and stop upsetting my mother." He clearly wanted me to get it over with as quickly as possible, barely bothering to hide his impatience. With no other choice, I knelt before both the Queen Dowager and Rosie and held out the cup. "Please have some tea, Your Majesty." After a long pause, the Queen Dowager finally took the cup. She took a displeased sip before setting it down with a loud thud. "You're not outside the palace anymore, so you'll need to learn proper court etiquette and perform your duty to continue the royal bloodline. "You've been by Martin's side for ages, yet you still haven't gotten pregnant. You need to give him a son as soon as possible." At the mention of children, my mind went blank for a moment. I'd once been pregnant. It had happened not long after Martin and I got married. But our child… At the thought, I looked up and caught the smug expression on Rosie's face. Rosie was the reason I'd lost my child. Chapter 3 Back then, Rosie had run into trouble while going off on a pilgrimage. Martin had wanted to go rescue her, but it was also the perfect opportunity to unite the armies under his command. So I'd stopped Martin and ridden out myself to save Rosie. My injuries were so severe that I collapsed right in front of her. When I finally woke up, the military physician told me the truth. There had been a child. I'd been carrying a baby, and it was gone. The news hit me like a bolt of lightning. I was so devastated that I became bedridden, too ill to even get up. Martin, still in his armor, tried to comfort me. "Helena, we'll have children again someday." But now, would we ever have that chance again? After the tea ceremony, the Queen Dowager dismissed me. Just before I left, I heard her telling Martin to escort Rosie back later. Rosie spoke in a shy voice. "Isn't that a little inappropriate? I'm worried my sister might take it the wrong way." The Queen Dowager's disdainful voice followed. "What's inappropriate about it? If you ask me, someone with your temperament is what a real queen should be like. "If she hadn't once done the king a great service, I'd never have allowed her to rule the royal household. A woman like her, who has none of the grace expected of a proper lady, wouldn't even be accepted into an ordinary family, let alone as the queen." When I stepped out of the palace, Martin still hadn't said a single word in my defense. [See, Helena? Martin doesn't love you at all. My latest readings show that his affection for you is only 20%. And Rosie? Hers is a whopping 80%. How are you supposed to compete with that? You might as well listen to me and—] I cut the system off, my voice firm. "Are you sure your readings aren't wrong?" The system fell silent, and I said nothing more. When I'd died for the first time, Martin's affection for me had skyrocketed from 0% to 50%. The second time, it reached 80%. After that, it continued to rise, little by little. I'd thought that as long as I held on, I'd eventually reach 100%. But from the moment Martin met Rosie, his affection for me had started to decline, bit by bit. I returned to the palace reserved exclusively for the queen and let out a sigh at how eerily quiet and empty it was. I didn't even know what I was waiting for anymore. Was I waiting for Martin to escort Rosie past my palace? Or was I hoping he'd leave Rosie behind and come looking for me? I had no idea how long I'd been waiting when I suddenly heard a commotion outside. "Did you see what just happened? His Majesty was sitting right beside Ms. Franklin, laughing and chatting away. And she was sitting on the royal throne!" "Why didn't they come by our way, though? I wanted to see them too!" Then their voices dropped a little. "Have you forgotten that the queen lives here? Imagine how humiliating that would be for her! Besides, by taking the longer route, His Majesty gets to spend even more time alone with Ms. Franklin." At that moment, I hated the sharp hearing I'd developed from years of martial arts training. Listening to the maids chatter away, I felt as though the sweltering summer heat had suddenly turned bitterly cold. I waited from day to dusk, then from dusk to nightfall. By then, one thing was certain to me, and that was the fact that Martin wasn't coming. I didn't sleep a wink that night. My mind was filled with thoughts of Rosie and Martin. I should've realized sooner that there had always been something between them. Like that time Martin and I had just finished drilling the troops, and Rosie showed up under the pretense of visiting me, bringing along a drink to help me beat the heat. Or the time Martin had held my hand and casually muttered, "Helena, why aren't your hands as soft as other women's?" He must've held another woman's hand before. That must have been why he couldn't stand my calloused, scarred hands. Alas, he'd forgotten that my scars, every wound I'd ever suffered, were for his sake. If it weren't for him, I could have been a proper lady too. Chapter 4 The palace staff were rushing around in every direction. When I asked what was going on, I learned that the New Year was approaching, and the palace was preparing to hold a grand celebration. Rosie was in charge of organizing the entire event. The Queen Dowager had signed off on it, and Martin had given his permission. All of this had happened right under my nose, yet I, the queen, hadn't known a thing about it. I'd been completely sidelined in this massive palace, stripped of any real power. It wasn't until I heard some maids saying the banquet had already begun and that they were going to check it out that I realized it was underway. Time ticked by, second after second, as I gazed at the moon and silently let my tears fall. It wasn't until hurried footsteps sounded outside my palace that someone finally came for me. "Your Majesty, the Queen Dowager and the King would like you to join them." I wiped away my tears and headed to the banquet. But the moment I arrived, the entire hall fell silent. A group of men was kneeling on the floor. It wasn't until I drew closer that I recognized that they were my subordinates. The Queen Dowager gave a slight nod when she saw me. "Helena, I was about to make an announcement, but some of your former subordinates stepped forward to speak up against it, so I'll leave the decision to you." I glanced at Martin. His expression was as calm as always. "Please go on, Mother." "Well, you've been married to the king for quite some time, yet you still have nothing to show for it. Although you've only recently been crowned queen, the royal family still has no heir. "I was thinking of appointing a new consort, but since I didn't want to upset you, I thought we could bring your younger sister into the palace to help shoulder the responsibility. "That way, whichever of you gives the king a son, the child belongs to you both." Her words rang in my ears. I stared at Martin, disbelief written all over my face. But Martin merely said in a cool voice, "Helena, don't let jealousy get the better of you. Have some dignity." All the feelings I'd foolishly convinced myself were real, all the love I'd imagined he still had for me, came crashing down on me at once. I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails dug into my palms. The pain made it hard to breathe. I stared straight at Martin, wanting nothing more but to ask if he still remembered the promise we'd made to each other. But when the words reached my throat, I swallowed them back down. My silence made the Queen Dowager's temper begin to flare. Rosie suddenly dropped to her knees and pleaded for forgiveness. "Please, Your Majesty, don't put my sister in such a difficult position. I once heard her tell His Majesty that she'd rather become a nun than share her husband with another woman. "How could I bear to watch my own sister give up everything and become a nun?" Rosie's words did nothing to calm the Queen Dowager's anger. If anything, they only made matters worse. When the courtiers heard her bring up how I'd once insisted on being the only woman in their king's life, they turned disapproving looks on me too. Martin was the king, a man who sat at the very top of the world. How could anyone expect him to have only one woman in his life? And just like that, the men kneeling on the floor and I became, in everyone's eyes, ungrateful schemers who used past favors to demand special treatment. "How dare you! You're part of the royal household, yet you've been conspiring with people from the court! "Guards! Drag those men out and beat them to death! Take Helena away and confine her to the palace. And strip her of her royal seal." I stared at Martin, who was sitting up there, doing nothing but watching us. Behind me, people were trying to drag off the men who had once served under me. I let out a bitter laugh and fell to my knees, pleading with the Queen Dowager and the King. "This was all my doing. They knew nothing about it. Please spare them, Your Majesties. Whatever the punishment, I alone will carry it." But no one listened, and Martin stayed silent. My former subordinates were dragged out to be beaten. Before they were taken away, none of them spoke to me. It was as though we'd become strangers. But I saw the tears in their eyes. They were grieving over the injustice done to me, and the injustice done to themselves. Rosie was officially granted the title of Royal Mistress and ordered to enter the palace that very day. As for me, I was escorted back to my palace, where the maids sent by the Queen Dowager took away my royal seal. "Your Majesty, the Queen Dowager has decreed that starting tomorrow, the Royal Mistress will take charge of the royal household on your behalf." One by one, my former subordinates were beaten to death. Not a single one had begged for mercy before meeting their deaths. The system remained silent for a long time before finally speaking again. [Helena, are you sure you still want to continue?] Chapter 5 I stayed silent, tears slipping down my face in the moonlight. Those men had fought by my side through life and death. Some had taken blades meant for me, while others had entrusted their families to my care, asking me to look after their loved ones if they ever died in battle. They hadn't fallen to enemy swords or spears. Instead, they had died shortly after we'd finally won the war. They'd been killed by the very king they'd sworn to serve. After a long silence, I finally spoke, my voice hoarse. "I've made up my mind. Let's do what you suggested." I should have come to my senses ages ago. Every gift Martin had ever given me was some little trinket that a young girl would like. Whenever I'd told him what I wanted, he'd show up with something entirely different the next time. On my last birthday, I wanted to go stargazing in the wilderness. Martin told me he was too busy with state affairs and promised he'd take me another time. But shortly afterward, I saw Rosie climbing into his carriage. Time and time again, I'd lied to myself, insisting that Martin treated Rosie so well only because I was her older sister. But I couldn't lie to myself anymore. My former subordinates had paid with their lives for my foolish obsession with love. They'd acted on words I'd once spoken so casually, risking everything for my sake. As for Martin, he was already seated on his throne, having completely forgotten the vow he'd made to me. "I heard the King and the Royal Mistress went outside the palace to celebrate the New Year together. When will we ever get to leave the palace?" "Don't even dream about it. We're assigned to serve in the queen's palace now." After hearing the maids sighing outside, I finalized my plans with the system. I was still awake late that night when I heard footsteps outside my door. "Helena, are you asleep? It's me. Don't take today's events to heart. Mother was just acting in the heat of the moment. She didn't mean to make such a decision, so don't hold it against her. "The women of the royal household have always been forbidden from interfering in state affairs. Not even you are an exception, so don't do something like that again. "Rosie is a good woman. With her here to help you manage the household, you'll have less on your shoulders." As I listened to Martin talking to himself outside my door, tears rolled down my cheeks. After everything that had happened, too many people had died for Martin and me to ever go back. I wasn't sure how long I'd been sitting there when someone suddenly kicked the door open. Rosie stood before me in a festive rose-red dress, looking positively radiant. She smiled brightly. "How have you been, Helena?" Looking at how vibrant and full of life Rosie seemed, I felt neither jealousy nor envy. She might as well have been a stranger. When Rosie noticed how unfazed I was, she lost her patience and grabbed my chin. "What's wrong, Helena? Why aren't you saying anything? Did the sound of those beatings that day scare you mute?" Remembering what had happened that day, I gritted my teeth. "Rosie, you have no right to bring them up." Those men had served under me, and they'd always treated Rosie well, too. Yet that day, she'd shown no regard for their past kindness. Instead of pleading for mercy on their behalf, she'd made an already terrible situation even worse. When Rosie burst out laughing, I could no longer hold back. I slapped her hand away from my chin. In the next second, she went flying like a kite with its string cut. A furious roar reached my ears. "Helena!" Martin had appeared at the door at some point. The moment he saw Rosie sprawled on the floor, he rushed over and gathered her into his arms. Just like all those countless times before, he'd chosen Rosie again. The Queen Dowager ordered me to be flogged. Blow after blow landed across my back. Soon, blood trickled from the corner of my mouth, but I didn't make a sound. Had my loyal subordinates suffered this much that day, too? Had they endured this unbearable pain, humiliated and broken, in front of the very king and comrades they'd once served with unwavering loyalty? Just then, the system's voice sounded in my mind. [It's all taken care of. You'll be dead in ten seconds.] [Ten, nine, eight…] As the countdown continued, my consciousness began to fade. I heard Martin's footsteps. He stopped a short distance away. [Three, two, one.] "Helena, is it really that hard for you to just admit you were wrong?" The system's countdown and Martin's voice rang out at the same moment. The next second, everything went black, and Martin's voice was the last thing I heard. "There's no need to fake a faint or play dead. I know about your supernatural powers, so don't think you can use them to threaten me." But Martin, I was really dead this time.