Eloise

Prologue

The moment the door closed, he let go of her like he was electrocuted.

Eloise, who was finally released from her husband's arms, took a huge sigh of relief. She thought she would suffocate if it took a minute longer close to him.

"Retire to bed first. I still have work to do. No need to wait for me."

"...yes, Your Grace."

His brows slightly furrowed at her answer but he never bothered to talk again.

Without a word, she headed to the bed like an obedient child and waited for him to head out before laying down. It was always like that anyway. They never slept together nor shared the same bed even through the ten years of being together in their first marriage.

It was the first day of the month and according to Fleiss' family tradition, married couples should spend the night together to gain the deity's blessing and fulfill their responsibility to produce an heir. But behind the closed doors, no one ever knew that the ducal couple never shared even the slightest intimacy.

Nathaniel, her husband remains distant and avoided her like she was some kind of plague he never dared to touch.

Eloise waited for him to finish changing his clothes. She watched as the black cloth slowly draped and hid his bare skin that held many traces of war.

Will we end up like how we used to in the past? Can I really change the future?

Without another word, he coldly walked to the secret passage that leads to his office. The servants had no knowledge of that door so no one doubted of the Duke leaving his wife alone in the night.

As the door shut closed, she was engulfed with coldness and loneliness again.

I should be the one to end our unhappy marriage. I need to get a divorce and save our lives this time.

She quietly lied down the bed feeling the exhaustion consume her body. The corners of her lips slightly lifted into a smile but a lone tear escaped from her eyes as she closed them and her mind drifted to the memories she kept buried deep inside her heart.

***

"The Ducal couple has arrived."

Upon the announcement of their arrival, every neck turned towards their direction, and the lively chatter in the hall gradually died down as everyone focused on them.

"They look good together."

"Count Credieu's daughter is really beautiful. So it's no surprise that the Duke of Fleiss fell for her."

"Five years of marriage and no child is a pity. I wonder if there's a problem in their marriage. They look affectionate with each other though."

The chatter continues as they walked down the hall. Along the trail of gossips, she could feel the menacing eyes of noble women whispering with contempt.

"All she has is a pretty face. She has nothing else to offer."

"Such a wallflower."

She is Eloise Credieu-Fleiss. The Wallflower. She is the most beautiful woman in the Kingdom, but that is all she has. And she is married to the Duke of Fleiss for five years now. A marriage for convenience.

The hand clutching her husband's arm tightened as he silently escorted her. Her body trembled in fear as she felt the measuring gazes from the nobles around them. Unconsciously, her eyes sought for her husband's reaction, but his expression remained stoic.

In spite of the insulting remarks, his face was cold and unfazed by them.

A bitter smile spread on Eloise's lips.

What do I even expect from him? She thought to herself as she concealed the pain and disappointment gradually growing to her heart.

It is how their first marriage transcended. In the end, a cold and unloving marriage came to a tragic conclusion.

***

Blinking a few times, Eloise groggily looked around. The cold wind touching her pale skin smelled of blood as the knights guarding her carriage now lie cold and lifeless on the ground.

Her carriage that turned upside down was horribly wrecked beside her.

Right, it was an ambush.

She drew a sharp gasp as the pain gradually overtook her body now leaning heavy against the tree. A piece of metal from the broken carriage pierced her abdomen and the blood now drenching her dress continuously gushed out from her body.

Is this how I'm going to die?...

Out of nowhere a pair of blood stained boots approached her and the man swiftly crouched down in front of her to match her level of eyesight.

"Eloise, the wallflower, huh? It's a shame to kill such a beauty."

She cannot see his face clearly from her blurry vision. Only his glistening silver hair and a golden brooch with a chalice engraved at the center attached on his cloak registered on her mind.

It was at that moment that she remembered her husband's last words before her departure.

"So, this will be our final meeting. I'm sorry for everything Ellie."

A bitter smile spread on her lips. The wind brushing on her skin was cold but it could never match the coldness of her heart.

She loved him.

Until the end, she yearned for him.

But this was his answer.

"My client wants you to meet a miserable death but, I'll consider giving you a peaceful one since you're pretty." The corner of his mouth rose into a smirk as she felt the sharp blade of his knife touch her neck.

She opened her mouth and forced some words through her parched throat, "Go ahead."

Eloise reached for the knife and pressed it firmly against her neck.

Blood began to trickle down but she remained unfazed. Her face was void of any emotion as she stare at him.

"Please do so. I will take this as your generosity and die at ease."

"Still acting noble until the end. Are you trying to protect your honor, Duchess?"

The moment I signed those divorce papers, I no longer hold that title. I am now just an abandoned woman who blindly loved her husband for 10 years.

But she buried those words in her thoughts and said no more. Her heart felt numb. She just wanted to end it all. She was too tired of everything.

"Goodbye, Duchess." Those were the last words she heard before the blade brushed through her neck. She painfully gasped as the blood gushed out and her body felt numb. Her eyelids felt heavy as she succumbed to death. Blood flowed out of her mouth as her heartbeat gradually faded.

Eloise looked at the retiring sun and the face of someone she loved flashed through her mind. It was indeed a peaceful end. Even at her last breath, her thoughts was filled of him. Tears streamed down her cheeks and her eyes slowly closed.

She only loved him for ten years but he abandoned her in the end. If she was given a next life, she would change everything. She would never give her heart again and she wouldn't marry the same man.

It was the last wish she buried in her heart.

She thought it was the end of their twisted fate.

Until she woke up a year after their marriage.