The Thornes built their aromatherapy business generations ago, but their ancestors made a fatal mistake and brought down a divine curse.

For ninety-nine generations, every Thorne heir drew their punishment on their eighteenth birthday.

Julian Thorne was the last. He drew the worst punishment: death from hemorrhage in ten months.

The only way to break it was to marry a witch from the Old Bloodline and complete the life transference ritual. The witch inscribes a sigil on a parchment and infuses the child's blood essence on it, and the curse transfers to the parchment.

I was that witch. My family owed the Thornes a blood debt going back three generations, so I married Julian, gave him a child, and performed the ritual to save his life.

I was terrified of missing the ritual window, so I didn't even use anesthesia as the baby was cut out of my womb.

However, Julian drove ninety-nine soul spikes into my body while I was still bleeding from the delivery, then set me on fire.

"Miriam is the real heir. You're nothing but a fraud who wanted to marry up.

"You drove her into the wilderness to protect your position. She went into labor alone and died with the baby. Even dying, she thought of me. She finished the ritual and saved my life.

"You deceived my father. I'm destroying your soul. You'll pay for what you did to them."

He ignored my screaming while he drained our newborn's blood essence.

I watched helplessly as my child's life faded.

Then I was nailed to a cross and burned until there was nothing left.

When I opened my eyes, I was back on my wedding day.

Julian Thorne knelt before his father, his voice sharp and frantic.

"Father! Miriam is the true heir of the Old Bloodline. Only she can save my life."

"Celeste Shannara is nothing but a fraud. Are you really going to let a liar destroy your son's life?"

He stared at me, his eyes overflowing with a hatred identical to the moment he set me on fire in our past life.

With that single look, I knew. He had also been given a second chance, and he was desperate to change everything.

The phantom agony of the soul spikes and the suffocating heat of the flames felt as if they were still etched into my skin.

The stinging pain made cold sweat pour down my face.

Without hesitation, I stripped off my bridal gown.

"Mr. Thorne, please burn the marriage contract. From this moment on, the engagement is void. I'm more than happy to step aside for Julian and Miriam."

Julian looked at me, stunned.

He clearly hadn't expected me to agree so easily.

After all, in my last life, I had begged and pleaded to marry him.

"Celeste, what kind of game are you playing now?

"If you're playing hard to get to make me back down, you've miscalculated. I'm only ever marrying Miriam in my life!"

Years ago, when my grandfather was at his lowest, the Thornes had taken him in for three days.

The Shannara ancestral oath was clear. A debt of honor must be repaid tenfold.

Furthermore, the debt had to be settled within three generations, or the ancestors would curse our bloodline.

Everything I had done was to repay the Thornes and let my grandfather's soul rest in peace.

In my previous life, I hadn't just saved Julian. I had paid for it with my life and the life of my child.

As far as I was concerned, the Shannaras no longer owed the Thornes a single thing.

Suddenly, Miriam Sutton burst in.

She clutched her stomach and dropped to her knees before me.

She began to sob, wailing as she struck her head against the floor.

"Sis, I know you hate me because I'm not our parents' biological daughter, yet I was born with the talent to inherit the Shannara magic.

"You couldn't stand being second-best, so you tried to take my place and marry into the Thornes to stay above me.

"But I don't care about titles or status. I only have one wish and that's to save Julian. Please, don't drive me away!"

"I'm already pregnant with Julian's child. Once I save his life, I'll leave. I'll stay out of your way."

She looked heart-wrenchingly delicate as she cried.

Julian rushed forward and pulled her into his arms.

"My silly Miriam, don't talk like that. You are the only wife I'll ever have! No one is driving you away!

"In this life, I will protect you. I won't let a black-hearted woman like Celeste hurt you ever again."

The two of them looked like tragic lovers caught in a drama.

It was as if I were the villain trying to tear them apart.

I felt a cold sneer forming inside.

No wonder Julian had been so hell-bent on killing me in our last life.

It was all built on Miriam's clumsy, pathetic lies.

Victor Thorne's expression turned grim.

"Enough! Do you have any idea how many branch families are circling Thorne Group right now?

"Have you considered what happens to the family if Miriam fails the life transference spell and the Thornes lose their heir?"

In his eyes, Miriam was just an orphan of unknown origin.

How could she possibly compare to the legitimate heir of the Shannaras?

"Father, if you force me to marry a woman as vicious as Celeste, I'd rather die!"

Julian screamed, the veins in his neck bulging.

Victor frowned and delivered a sharp, brutal slap to his face.

"You ungrateful brat, you dare to threaten me?!"

"Father, if you don't believe me, let Miriam show you what she can do right now."

He gestured, and a servant brought forward a bloody, mangled mess.

I looked closer. It was Haze, the white fox familiar I shared a life bond with.

The little fox who used to play and cuddle with me was now covered in wounds. Its fur was stained crimson, and it was barely clinging to life.

I thought the pain I felt was a phantom sensation from my past life, but these two had been secretly torturing my familiar!

Haze gently licked my palm, its eyes full of agony as a single tear fell.

"Miriam Sutton, you knew we shared a life bond! You tortured Haze on purpose!

"If you're angry, come at me. What kind of person preys on a defenseless animal?" I choked out, sobbing.

"Sis, how can you make such a baseless accusation? You sent it to bite me in the middle of the night. I was terrified, so Julian just threw it out the window."

Haze was always gentle. It would never attack someone unprovoked. The gashes on its body were clearly made by the spiked whip Miriam usually used.

Rage surged through me, blinding my reason. I swung my hand, aiming a sharp slap at Miriam.

A jolt of pain shot through my wrist as Julian caught my hand mid-air, his gaze freezing.

Miriam hid behind him, acting timid. He shoved me back with enough force to knock me down, then ground his heel into my wrist.

Haze let out a whimper of pain. I looked at the fox through my tears, wanting to save it but unable to move.

"Life bond? Stop with the mystical nonsense. You're just trying to frame Miriam!

"Miriam was ready to look past your grudge and use a spell to save it, and you tried to hit her? Celeste, you really are a viper!"

Miriam drew a sigil in the air and cast it into a bowl of water, then forced it down Haze’s throat. Within minutes, the wounds on its body miraculously closed.

But I felt no relief in my own body.

A flicker of surprise crossed Victor’s face, and his expression softened.

"Father, Miriam is the true heir. Please, just let us be together!" Julian shouted urgently, sensing his father’s change of heart.

Victor let out a heavy sigh. "Fine. I won't interfere anymore. The marriage contract is void."

He helped me up. "Celeste, you’ve been wronged. After what Julian did to you today, the bloodline debt between our families is settled. We are even."

Julian couldn't wait to throw the marriage contract into the brazier, where it instantly turned to ash.

Seeing no reaction from me, he snorted and grabbed a pen to draft a new one. On it were his and Miriam’s names.

Miriam lowered her head shyly, but her eyes glinted with triumph as she glanced at me.

I picked up Haze. The fox’s breath was paper-thin.

Miriam hadn't saved it at all. She had used an illusion spell to make the wounds disappear to the naked eye!

My parents had found Miriam as an orphan in a spell arena. My mother had been too kind-hearted to leave her alone, so despite my father's protests, she brought her home. She treated Miriam as one of our own and taught her the family’s secrets.

Perhaps it was the bloodline barrier, but Miriam only ever learned low-level illusion spells. She certainly couldn't handle the life transference spell

Julian Thorne, I won't lift a finger this time. I want to see how Miriam is going to save your life.

Miriam clutched her stomach and whispered something into Julian's ear, her face twisted in feigned agony.

"Stop. Who said you could leave?"

He stepped toward me and gripped my jaw tightly. "Celeste Shannara, you were reborn too, didn't you?"

"I don't understand what you're talking about."

I backed away in pain, but I couldn't break free from his grip.

"In our last life, you kept Miriam and me apart until death. In this one, you’re going to compensate her," Julian said.

"The blood of the Old Bloodline is the purest there is. Miriam’s pregnancy is at risk because she had to bow to you. You’re going to slit your wrists and give her your blood to stabilize the baby.

"Do as you're told, and I'll let you go in a month. If you don't, that familiar won't live to see another day."

Without another word, he had his men tie me up and lock me in the guest room next to his.

Not only was I forced to bleed for her three times a day, but he lit incense which causes insomnia every night, chaining me to the foot of the bed to watch them together.

Julian would kiss Miriam passionately, and the room filled with a lingering, suffocating intimacy.

In my past life, Julian only touched me when he was drunk, treating it like a rough, obligatory task. It turned out his tenderness was reserved solely for Miriam.

"Cece... I can finally be with you," he murmured.

I shuddered.

Every time we had been together in the past, Julian had whispered "Cece". It made me believe that perhaps, in some corner of his heart, there was a place for me.

But Miriam’s middle name was Macy. Cece was her nickname.

He had only been able to touch me by chanting her name.

Tears fell silently, mocking the pathetic self-delusion of my previous life. I didn't love Julian anymore, yet my heart still radiated a dull, fragmented ache.

A month passed, and I was barely clinging to life.

Even though I had fed Haze every remaining elixir I had, the fox was weak and exhausted from the shared agony of my daily bloodletting.

I held Haze and knelt before Julian’s door for three days and three nights.

Finally, he returned with Miriam by his side.

"The month is up. Unchain me and let me leave," I said.

Julian’s face darkened instantly, his voice dripping with displeasure. "You knelt here all this time just to get away from me?"

I let out a harsh laugh, my eyes cold and resolute. "What else? I’ve already stepped aside for you and Miriam. What more do you want?"

A sudden, sharp irritation flared in Julian’s chest.

"Is staying with the Thornes not good enough? I can't marry you, but since you've helped Miriam with the pregnancy, I can ensure you never want for anything again".

Miriam's internal alarms blared. She put on a sweet, compliant smile.

"Since sis is so desperate to go, just let her leave," Miriam said.

"But I heard familiar meat is incredibly nourishing for pregnant women. Why don't you let me have a taste before she goes? Consider it a parting gift for me, Jules..."

He hesitated, but Miriam gave a sharp look to the side.

A servant lunged forward and snatched Haze from my arms.

"No! It'll die! Haze has been with me for eighteen years. It’s the only family I have left in this world! You can't be this cruel!"

Miriam crossed her arms and looked down at me, a sadistic smile playing on her lips.

"Am I not family to you, Sis?"

I threw myself forward, grabbing Julian's leather shoes.

"That fox is half my life... I'll give you as much blood as you want! Just let Haze go!"

"I'm begging you!"

It was the first time in two lifetimes I had ever been so small, so desperate before him.

A flicker of hesitation crossed Julian's eyes, his knuckles turning white.

"Forget it—"

Before he could finish, Miriam threw herself into his arms, weeping uncontrollably.

"Sis, you’re being so hurtful! I’m only trying to save Julian. I thought the meat would help the baby!"

Suddenly, she clutched her stomach. "It hurts! Jules, help me..."

"Miriam! What are you all standing around for? Slaughter the fox!" Julian screamed, frantically catching her as she collapsed.

The servants pinned Haze down and raised the blade.

In an instant, pain like a thousand steel needles pierced every single nerve in my body.