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Chapter 21
Ethan hadn’t expected Lena to say that. He murmured, shaking his head as tears welled in his eyes.
He couldn’t bear to imagine that at one time, Lena had waited for him like this her entire life, only to learn in the end that he wasn’t dead but had abandoned her for Flora.
Now, seeing the determination in her eyes, he couldn’t hold back his sobs.
“Lena, do we really have no chance?”
Lena nodded coldly.
“We never had a chance.”
Her words stabbed Ethan’s heart with unbearable pain.
As he was about to stand, the door, which had been tightly shut, suddenly flew open. Linden rushed out and threw his arms around Lena, his own eyes red.
“What nonsense are you saying? I won’t die in battle and leave you alone! I’ll come back safe and stay with you forever.”
Linden’s tone was resolute. He had been eavesdropping all along and could no longer contain himself once he heard the crucial words.
The Gale family had been military commanders for generations, so Linden’s deployment was inevitable. He didn’t yet know he had died in the battlefield in their past life, and Lena had never told him that. She smiled faintly.
“Of course, you must come back safely.”
The familiar yet strange smile unsettled Ethan, filling his chest with bitter pain.
Linden muttered under his breath.
“If I really do die, just mourn me for a few years. If someone better comes along, you should marry him…”
Lena pressed a finger gently to his lips, her beautiful brow furrowed.
“Besides you, I won’t seek anyone else.”
Linden fell silent, feeling his ears burn. He hugged Lena tightly and nodded quietly.
They seemed to forget there was still someone else there. Ethan smiled bitterly and had no intention of interfering. he was about to leave silently.
But as he stood, something felt wrong.
An arrow whistled past his cheek. Ethan’s eyes widened in shock as he turned around. The arrow was aimed straight at Lena!
His mind went blank. Without thinking, he lunged forward, pushing Linden aside to shield Lena. In the next instant, arrows came flying, piercing his back. Ethan spat blood and managed a weak smile.
Everything happened within seconds. Lena couldn’t react in time and watched helplessly as Ethan collapsed before her. Immediately, another volley of arrows shot toward the princess. Linden drew his sword to block them, quickly spotting blurry dark figures nearby. He ordered his men to pursue and capture the attackers.
When the assailants realized they’d been exposed, they fled without hesitation, giving them a brief respite.
Linden returned to Lena’s side, protecting her and checking Ethan’s wounds. His expression turned grim.
“The arrows were poisoned. The poison has already taken effect.”
He was right. Each arrow used in the assassination attempt was smeared with toxin–any wound, even slight, could be fatal Ethan had been struck by eighteen arrows, his internal organs shattered and infected. He wouldn’t survive more than half an hour.
Chapter 21
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Blood smeared Lena’s face as she stared in disbelief. Ethan, however, smiled faintly.
“When you gave me the mandrake flower, I promised I’d always protect you.”
“I saved you once again, Lena. If there’s a next life, I swear, I won’t let you get hurt again.”
He reached out to touch Lena’s face, but his arm fell weakly before reaching her.
Ethan died.
Linden took Lena’s hand, holding it tightly.
“I’ve already sent people to investigate. We will find out who did this.”
She nodded blankly, staring at the lifeless body, feeling as if she were drifting between worlds–about to return to the past life, with white hair, cradling Ethan’s fallen body.
Back then, there was no Linden, no Alice, no familiar faces. It was a world and story she had never wanted.
Chapter 21
