Ophelia couldn’t stop thinking about it.
The way he said it.
“Not until it was too late.”
That sentence had been stuck in her head since last night.
And honestly?
She hated it.
Because now everytime she looked at Alekxander, she noticed things she didn’t before.
The guilt.
The exhaustion.
The way he always looked like he was waiting for something bad to happen.
It made him feel more human.
Which was unfortunate for her.
Very unfortunate.
Because catching feelings for emotionally damaged noblemen was definitely not part of her survival plan.
Ophelia groaned softly and buried her face into the pillow.
“This is terrible.”
A knock sounded immediately after.
Of course.
Perfect timing.
“My lady?”
Not Alekxander.
Thank God.
“Come in,” Ophelia mumbled.
A maid stepped inside carrying breakfast.
The moment Ophelia saw the amount of food on the tray, she blinked.
“Is this breakfast or preparation for war?”
The maid looked confused.
Ophelia sighed.
“Never mind.”
The maid carefully placed everything down.
“My lord asked that you eat properly.”
Oh.
Of course he did.
Ophelia tried very hard to ignore the tiny warmth that sentence caused in her chest.
Unfortunately, her brain was annoying.
The maid hesitated before speaking again.
“My lady… Lord Vale also requested your presence downstairs once you’re done.”
That immediately ruined her mood again.
Because nothing good ever happened after sentences like that.
Twenty minutes later, Ophelia walked downstairs cautiously.
The Vale estate was quieter this morning.
Too quiet actually.
After last night’s attack, guards now stood near almost every hallway.
Which was slightly terrifying.
Ophelia walked into the sitting room slowly.
Then stopped immediately.
Alekxander wasn’t alone.
Celestine sat across from him calmly, dressed elegantly as always.
And the moment her eyes landed on Ophelia.
That same cold feeling returned.
Yeah.
Still didn’t like her.
“Lady Ashbourne,” Celestine greeted smoothly.
Ophelia smiled politely.
The fake kind.
“Lady Celestine.”
The atmosphere already felt tense.
Amazing start.
Alekxander looked up at her the moment she entered.
His gaze lingered for half a second too long before he gestured toward the empty seat beside him.
“Sit.”
Not please sit.
Just sit.
Bossy man.
Still…
Ophelia sat beside him anyway.
Which annoyed her slightly.
A servant poured tea quietly before leaving again.
Silence followed.
Then Celestine finally spoke.
“I heard about last night.”
Ophelia picked up her teacup carefully.
“Unfortunately, so did I.” This chapter is updated first at g.com.
Celestine ignored that.
Her attention shifted toward Alekxander instead.
“This situation is becoming unstable.”
Alekxander’s expression remained calm.
“I’m aware.”
“She’s remembering too quickly.”
The room suddenly went still.
Ophelia slowly lowered her teacup.
Excuse her?
Too quickly?
What did that even mean?
Celestine finally looked directly at Ophelia.
“You’ve been seeing visions more often recently, haven’t you?”
Ophelia frowned slightly.
“Why do you sound like you expected it?”
A pause.
Then Celestine smiled faintly.
“Because this has happened before.”
The words hit like ice water.
Ophelia’s chest tightened immediately.
Before?
What before?
She turned sharply toward Alekxander.
He looked tense now.
Actually tense.
“Alekxander.”
His jaw tightened slightly.
“Not now.”
“No,” Ophelia snapped softly.
“Absolutely now.”
Her heart started beating faster.
“What does she mean this happened before?”
Silence.
Nobody answered immediately.
Which was already a horrible sign.
Ophelia laughed nervously.
“Oh my God.”
Her stomach dropped.
“Oh my God, this is one of those secrets that changes everything, isn’t it?”
Still silence.
Celestine calmly picked up her tea.
Meanwhile Ophelia was seconds away from losing her mind.
“Alekxander.”
He finally looked at her.
And for the first time since meeting him.
She saw hesitation.
Real hesitation.
Then quietly, he said:
“You are not the first Ophelia Ashbourne to return.”
The world stopped.
Completely.
Ophelia stared at him blankly.
“What?”
No one spoke.
No one moved.
The fire crackled softly nearby.
But Ophelia barely heard it over the sound of her own heartbeat.
Return?
Not first?
Her throat suddenly felt dry.
“What does that mean?”
Alekxander looked exhausted already.
“It means this cycle has happened before.”
Cycle.
Ophelia hated that word immediately.
Celestine finally spoke again.
“The Ashbourne women have always carried the gift.”
Gift?
This sounded less like transmigration now and more like generational trauma with supernatural problems.
“The ability to remember,” Celestine continued quietly.
“The dead. The past. Things buried by history.”
Ophelia’s chest tightened painfully.
That was why the visions kept happening. Visit novelping.com for the full chapter.
Not because she was special.
Because the original Ophelia already had this power too.
And suddenly.
Everything made sense.
Why people feared her memories returning.
Why someone wanted her dead.
Why the original Ophelia discovered dangerous secrets.
Because she could literally see the truth hidden in objects and places.
Ophelia slowly looked down at her hands.
“So the women in this family were cursed.”
“No,” Celestine corrected softly.
“Feared.”
Honestly?
That wasn’t better.
Not even slightly.
Ophelia looked back at Alekxander again.
“And you knew this the whole time.”
“Yes.”
No hesitation.
That hurt.
More than she expected actually.
Because despite everything, some stupid part of her had started trusting him.
A dangerous mistake apparently.
She stood up abruptly.
“I need air.”
“Ophelia…”
“No.” She shook her head immediately.
“Don’t.”
The room suddenly felt suffocating.
Too many secrets.
Too many lies.
And somehow she kept ending up in the center of all of it.
Without waiting for permission, Ophelia walked out quickly.
The hallways blurred slightly as she moved.
Her thoughts were too loud now.
Not the whispers.
Her own thoughts.
Not the first to return.
Cycle.
Ashbourne women.
What did that even mean?
Did the original Ophelia come back too?
Did this happen over and over again?
Was she even herself anymore?
Ophelia pushed open the doors leading outside into the gardens.
Cold air hit her immediately.
Good.
She needed that.
The rain had stopped earlier, leaving the gardens damp and quiet.
Ophelia walked further down the stone path slowly, trying to breathe properly again.
But her chest still felt tight.
Because now everything felt bigger than her.
More dangerous too.
And somewhere deep down…
A terrifying thought had started forming.
What if her death wasn’t an accident either?
The thought barely settled before.
Pain exploded through her head again.
Ophelia gasped sharply and grabbed the nearby stone railing.
The whispers screamed louder than ever before.
“Remember the river…”
“Remember how you died…”
“Remember HIM…”
Another vision crashed into her violently.
Dark water.
Cold.
A woman struggling desperately beneath the surface.
Then a voice.
Male.
Familiar.
Softly whispering near her ear:
“You were never supposed to wake up again.”