Reborn to Bless Their Love

Everyone says that the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Landor, Prince Colin Livingston, loves me to the core. But on the day of court presentation, he bypasses me and presents the princess consort's diamond ring to my elder sister, Monique Payne, instead. However, I'm not the least bit upset. I even smile and congratulate Colin, saying, "I wish you and my sister a lifetime of happiness, Your Royal Highness." In my past life, I caught Colin rolling in the sheets with Monique when I was six months pregnant. I flew into a rage and accidentally killed her with a sword. Colin hated me for the rest of my life after that. When he finally ascended the throne, he posthumously crowned Monique as his Queen and even registered the many children I risked my life bearing for him under her name instead. I was heartbroken, requesting a royal decree to depose me as his wife. However, he tore up the royal edict and imprisoned me inside the palace instead. "You are my wife. And you will never escape me in this lifetime!" Ultimately, while I was still locked up in my room, our enemies ambushed and attacked the palace, setting fire to the place. And despite being struck down by numerous arrows, Colin still used every last ounce of his strength to protect me and save me from harm. Just before his death, he wiped away my tears with bloody hands and whispered into my ear, "Don't cry for me, Merry. I was the one who let you down in this lifetime. "But if there ever is a next life, I hope that you will let me be with Monique instead." I agreed in a trembling voice. But when I open my eyes again, I realize that I have gone back in time to the day the Crown Prince chooses the princess consort. So, I help him fulfill his wish this time. Chapter 1 Colin Livingston and I were sworn enemies who hated each other. He hated me for killing my elder sister, Monique Payne. And I hated him for having an affair with her while I was six months pregnant with his child. After ascending the throne of the Kingdom of Landor, Colin posthumously honored Monique as his Queen out of guilt and even registered all of the children I risked my life bearing for him under her name. Heartbroken, I requested a royal decree to depose me as his Queen, cursing him never to be reunited with his beloved. Colin then flew into a rage and imprisoned me in the palace, humiliating and tormenting me every day for the next 30 years. However, there was a mutiny, and the Kingdom was destroyed overnight. The palace was also burned to nothingness. Despite being wounded by seven arrows deep in his body, Colin still carried my emaciated body in his arms as he crawled out of the ruins that once used to be the palace. Just before he died, he held me tightly in his arms and pleaded tearfully, "I'm sorry, Merry. I'm the one who let you down in this lifetime. "But if there ever is a next life, I hope that you will let me be with Monique instead, and that we will stop tormenting each other like this." When I opened my eyes again, I realized that I was back in the Royal Palace on the day of court presentation. But this time, Colin walked right past me and presented the diamond ring to Monique instead. I broke into a smile and congratulated them. "Congratulations, Your Highness. I wish you and Monique a lifetime of happiness." In this life, I would fulfill his wish, and then we would never see each other again, whether in life or death. However, the moment the words came out of my mouth, everyone turned and stared at me in astonishment. After all, everyone in the kingdom knew about all the things that Colin had done for me. He once braved the snow and climbed 3,000 stone steps to a shrine on top of a mountain, knocking on the gates for hours in the snow, just to find me a night lantern that would help me sleep better at night. He also carried me on his back through three long streets when I fell from my horse, completely disregarding his status as the Crown Prince. He once told me that he would never marry anyone else in his lifetime. Everyone thought that the person standing next to him today would be me. Even Colin had his eyes trained on me, looking a little stunned. But just a fraction of a second later, his eyes turned cold and wary. I instantly understood that he had also been reborn at this moment, just like me. He had also looked at me with the same look in his eyes when I killed Monique in my previous life. He looked at me like he would dearly love to tear me to pieces with his bare hands. It was also because of Monique's dying words—"Prince Colin, will you please marry me in our next life?"—that he and I were bound by hatred and resentment for the rest of our lives. Every anniversary of Monique's death, Colin would force me down on my knees before her grave and repent. "You owe Monique this. And you'll never make it up to her for as long as you live!" Even the children I gave birth to while risking my life and nearly dying each time were taught to never acknowledge me as their mother. They smashed the pendants I gave to them and cried out, "You're the murderer who killed the Queen! You don't deserve to be our mother!" However, some time later, our enemies breached the capital, and there was a huge mutiny within the kingdom that overthrew the royal family overnight. And even though Colin had seven arrows sticking out of his body, where he was gravely wounded, he still protected me until his very last breath. In exchange, he asked me to fulfill his wish in our next life. That was why I could smile calmly at him now and congratulate him for choosing Monique instead of me. Colin frowned. Monique stepped forward and gently took my hand. "Merry, I know that you're in pain, but His Royal Highness' heart belongs to me now. Please don't blame him for it." There was a dazzling gold bracelet on her wrist, and it was glaring to my eyes. That bracelet was something that Grandma had given to me as a coming-of-age gift. But Mom and Dad took it away from me last night and gave it to Monique instead, saying it was for the sake of leaving a positive image of her in the Crown Prince's eyes. I withdrew my hands and said, "You're right, Monique." After the celebratory banquet, Colin stopped me on the way back to the palace. He looked down at me condescendingly and said in a cold voice, "Monique is a delicate woman and cannot bear the slightest bit of grievance, Meredith Payne. If you dare to harm a single hair on her head because of this, I will not show you any mercy at all." I forced a bitter smile on my face as a deep sorrow filled my heart. In my past life, I was the one who had stayed by his side until he ascended the throne, shielded him from the swords of assassins, and bore him sons and daughters. But ultimately, this was all I got in exchange for the affection I showed him in the past. I lowered my eyes and said, "Your Royal Highness, you have chosen Monique to be the princess consort, and therefore, I will naturally accept the outcome and celebrate it with you." Colin's expression stiffened. After a long pause, he said in a deep voice, "As long as you behave yourself, I will find you someone suitable to marry." I didn't look at him anymore and turned to leave. I'd only just stepped into the courtyard at home when I saw Mom giving out orders to bring out the pearl tiara from my room. Those were some of the finest pearls from the capital that I'd bought after saving up for three years and painstakingly crafted by hand into the tiara's finial of twin rose blossoms. Colin had smiled when he saw it back then. He was deeply moved and said, "So, Merry, you still wish to be with me, with our hearts intertwined like this, inseparable in life and death." My breath caught in my throat, and I instinctively reached out to stop them. However, Mom glared fiercely at me, her eyes filled with displeasure. "What are you planning to do? You can no longer be the princess consort anyway, so this tiara will be perfect for Monique instead. And if you dare to cause any trouble before the wedding, I swear that I will never forgive you!" I gritted my teeth and slowly retreated to the side, remaining silent. After they left, I retrieved a wooden box from a hidden compartment under my bed. There was a yellowed letter inside that was actually a marriage contract. Three years ago, just before he went to war, Archer Paxton asked me if I would marry him if he came back alive. At that time, I only had eyes for Colin, and I never gave him a proper answer. But now, I grabbed a pen and wrote my reply to him. "I will marry you. Are you still willing to marry me?" Chapter 2 News of the Crown Prince having chosen his consort spread throughout the kingdom overnight. Everyone was now waiting to see me make a fool of myself. "Didn't the Crown Prince used to say that he would never marry anyone other than Meredith? But he still chose someone else in the end, didn't he? I bet nobody will ever dare to marry her anymore after being publicly denounced like that." "She must have done something disgusting to offend the Crown Prince." I pretended not to hear them and just let it go. After all, I'd heard far worse things in my past life. Colin soon sent over the royal wedding dress, and Monique put on the snowy-white gown at once, twirling in front of the bronze mirror. Mom lovingly did her hair for her and adorned it with pins and jewelry. "You look so beautiful, Monique. If anyone dares to bully you in the future, be sure to come back and tell me about it. I will always stand up for you and take your side." Dad sat beside her, picking out a shop to purchase more gold and wedding accessories from the map of the capital. I stood outside the door and suddenly recalled the day I married Colin in my past life. Monique had cried her eyes out all night. Mom's eyes were swollen with heartache, and Dad wouldn't stop yelling at me. "Monique's already heartbroken enough! And you still have the nerve to wear bright colors to dampen her spirit even more? How much more do you want her to suffer?" Actually, I knew long ago that Mom and Dad never loved me. Mom had had a hard birth when she had me, and they all thought that I was a bad omen to the family. Before I was even two months old, they sent me away to my grandparents' at the borders. There, my grandfather, Albert Banks, taught me all I needed to know about horse-riding, and my grandmother, Florence Middleton, stayed up late all night sewing riding clothes for me. When I fell and scraped my knee, Grandpa would carry me home while Grandma chided the horse for being disrespectful to me. It wasn't until Grandma passed away when I was ten years old that my parents finally brought me back to live with them. However, Mom always thought that I was uncouth, and Dad always thought that I was crass and uneducated in etiquette and mannerisms. The day I was brought back, Monique hid behind them and asked, "Is this my new maid?" To please my parents, I put away my riding crop and bow and arrow. Instead, I wore my fingers raw learning to play musical instruments and practiced writing until my eyes turned bloodshot. I carefully molded myself into the kind of person that my parents liked, and then I reunited with Colin at a palace banquet. Back then, he had served a year in the army camp at the borders, and we had ridden horses bareback together. He held my hand and said, "You were born to chase the wind, Merry." But later, he was also the one who imprisoned me within the palace walls and broke both my legs so I couldn't run. I turned to leave, but Monique called out to me just then. "Merry! His Royal Highness is taking me to the Royal Stables to try out some horses today. You should come along too." She didn't allow me to refuse and pulled me into the carriage right away. However, when we arrived at the Royal Stables, I suddenly realized that she had mounted Midnight Star, the horse that Grandpa had personally chosen and gifted to me. I rushed up to her and said, "Give me the reins!" Monique smirked at me and said, "What, you can't bear to part with your horse? Too bad—His Royal Highness has already bestowed this horse on me!" She then leaned closer and spoke softly. "You stole Grandma and Grandpa from me at the borders, and after coming back here, you stole the prince from me as well. Who do you think you are?" Then, she pulled out a small gold dagger from her side and plunged it fiercely into Midnight Star's belly. He neighed loudly in pain at once and charged toward the fence like he'd lost his mind. Monique screamed, "Save me, Prince Colin!" Colin immediately steered his horse to chase after Midnight Star and saved Monique from the runaway horse. Monique then curled up in his arms as tears streamed down her face. "Y-Your Royal Highness… I just… I just wanted to try Meredith's horse… Was it my fault for touching him?" Colin didn't even ask for further clarification. He got off his horse, marched up to me, and grabbed my throat before slamming me hard against a wooden post. A sharp pain shot through my throat, and I immediately began to feel suffocated. "You knew that Monique wasn't good at riding, and yet, you still dared to hurt her? I see that I'd been so lenient with you in the past that you think you can walk all over me now!" I didn't explain myself. In my previous life, he had forced me onto my knees before her grave after she died, making me repent for my sins. I simply asked him, "Why should I?" He did the exact same thing by grabbing my throat and slamming me against the brick wall behind me. Blood had spurted everywhere, but he only said coldly, "If there ever is a second chance, I will never let you harm a single hair on her head ever again!" Colin suddenly got triggered by the look in my eyes and flung me harshly onto the ground. I slammed my head against the ground and coughed up a mouthful of blood. Not too far away, Midnight Star had been captured, and he was currently being held down by the royal stable hands. Colin reached for his bow. My heart suddenly dropped. I lunged forward, grabbing him by his robe, and begged, "Your Royal Highness! He was just frightened! Please spare his life! Don't kill him!" Monique then tugged on his sleeve and said shakily, "I'm scared, Prince Colin…" The bowstring snapped, and an arrow pierced the air, embedding itself right in Midnight Star's neck. "No!" I screamed, my eyes widening in horror as I lunged forward. Midnight Star collapsed into a pool of his blood and struggled to turn its head around to nuzzle my palm for the last time, just as calm and docile as the first day Grandpa carried me onto his back as a kid. Then, he stopped moving. Tears blurred my vision at once. Colin's hand holding the bow stiffened for a moment. Then, he averted his gaze and looked away. "It injured the princess consort. That's more than enough to warrant its death." Monique then spoke up softly and said, "Please don't hold this against Meredith, Your Royal Highness. She's just too attached to this horse. After all, it was left to her by Grandpa." Colin turned around and put his arm around her. "I'll pick out a better horse for you." I watched Midnight Star's body gradually grow cold, a realization finally dawning on me. Some things would never return after they died. Chapter 3 Just as I returned to the Payne manor, a goblet came hurtling toward my head and smashed into me on the forehead. Warm blood trickled down my brows and blurred my vision with crimson. Dad sat in the living hall, his face livid as he yelled at me, "Get down on your knees this instant!" Mom then rushed up to me, cursing and shouting loudly, "Monique was only accompanying the Crown Prince to the Royal Stables, and you still dared to try and kill her? Are you only going to stop after she's dead?" I didn't move. Colin then escorted Monique into the living hall. Her face was pale and colorless as she said, "Mother, don't talk about Meredith like that. She was just upset about losing her horse. That's the only reason why she misbehaved." Colin looked at my blood-covered face and was stunned for a moment. However, Monique coughed lightly, and he immediately looked at her and pulled his robe tighter around her body. "Are you still afraid?" Mom immediately felt sorry for her. When she turned to look at me again, her eyes were filled with nothing but disgust. "What the hell are you still standing there for? You must be punished according to familial law!" The nanny came over and pinned me to the ground and lashed at my palms with a leather crop. My palms swelled at once, and it hurt so badly that my shoulders trembled with pain, but I bit my lips tightly and refused to make a sound. In my past life, I had protected Colin from an assassin attack and gotten deeply wounded where the bone was exposed, and yet I still never cried out in pain. Back then, he held me in his arms, tears streaming down his face. "Merry, I promise, whoever dares to hurt you from this day forward will suffer my wrath! I will kill them no matter what!" After 30 lashes of the leather crop, my palms were so badly injured that the flesh had torn open. Monique finally spoke. "Mom, the royal wedding will be held in two days. I still want Merry to see me off. Don't hit her anymore." Mom then told the nanny to back away and said, "Lock up this scoundrel in the dungeon and make her copy the Holy Scriptures 99 times. She will not be allowed to be released until she finishes writing them all!" The dungeon was cold and damp. I was forced to stay in a kneeling position as I painstakingly copied out the ure, holding the pen in my trembling hands. Every word I wrote tore at the wounds on my hands, and soon, the paper was soaked with my blood. In the middle of the night, I developed a high fever. In the midst of my haziness, I felt someone grabbing my hand and wiping away the blood on it. I immediately opened my eyes and saw Colin crouching over me. I immediately withdrew my hand. "What are you doing here, Your Royal Highness?" He frowned. "Monique pleaded for mercy on your behalf, so I have decided that I will be bringing you into the palace as my concubine after the royal wedding. "She's weak and fragile. Whatever children you bear in the future will be registered under her name. This way, you will be able to stay with me, and it will also fulfill your sisterly bond with her." A buzzing sound filled my ears at once. In my past life, I had nearly died during childbirth because of the pain. But even when my daughter was grievously ill, they still never allowed me to see her. And when my son was old enough to learn to write, the first word they taught him was how to spell Monique's name. I trembled with anger and grabbed one of the scrolls, meaning to hit Colin with it. However, there was a sudden cry at the door. It was Monique. She stood at the door, tears streaming down her face. "Meredith… I haven't even married into the palace yet, and you're already seducing the Crown Prince in our own home? How could you be that impatient?" Mom rushed in at once and slapped me hard without another word. "You bitch! You think you have the right to destroy Monique just because of your damn jealousy?" My face smarted from the stinging slap. However, I suddenly burst into laughter. "Yeah. I'm jealous, alright. So jealous of her, in fact." The entire dungeon went silent. "I'm jealous that she has always been the apple of your eye ever since she was born. The moment she said the cold was too much for her, you took all my winter clothing, warm bedding, and coal stove, and delivered them all straight to her room." Tears began streaming down my face without me knowing it. "She said that giving out food to the needy was too much work, so I was the one who stood in the scorching hot sun for hours until I collapsed from heatstroke, but she was the one who gained the reputation of being kind and virtuous. "I was so sick that I lay in bed and couldn't even get up, but she said she wanted to eat fresh pastries from the capital bakery, and you forced me out into the snow just to buy them for her." I stared at Mom and made my words very clear. "Am I not your daughter too?" Mom's expression changed slightly. Colin also hesitated, his eyes flickering with uncertainty. However, Monique took a step forward and cried even harder than before, her face completely pale. "I… I didn't know that you hated me this much… Then… Then I'll let you be the princess consort instead… I'll just kill myself here now to atone for my sins…" Then, she suddenly went limp and collapsed to the floor in a dead faint. Colin's face turned grim at once as he rushed over to her to hold her up. "Fetch the physician!" Half an hour later, the physician approached Colin with a grave expression on his face. He said, "This lady has a weak heart, and the shock and anger she experienced prior to her collapse have damaged her spirit. She must drink the blood of a close female relative for three days for her condition to stabilize." Mom immediately came up to me and said, "Merry, Monique is the princess consort, and nothing can happen to her." Dad also said, "It's just a few bowls of blood. It won't kill you. It'll be over in no time." I felt a pain in my chest. "What if I said no?" Colin got to his feet, the last trace of warmth in his eyes completely gone. "Pin her down." The nanny lunged at me at once and held me to the ground, forcing me to extend my arm. A dagger then slit into my wrist, and my blood flowed into the bowl. It hurt so much that my vision blacked out for a while. However, Mom continued urging, "Take more blood. Take more. Monique has a very weak body. We have to make sure that the blood is enough for her. At that moment, it finally stopped hurting for me. After they were done taking the blood from me, I was dragged back into my room and dumped onto the floor. I didn't know how much time passed after that, but a carrier pigeon landed at my window, and I crawled over to it with my broken body, untying the bamboo tube from its leg. The letter contained only a single line of words. "This is the pill to fake your death, Merry. I will marry you in two days." I clutched the pill in my hand as tears finally streamed down my face. Chapter 4 The next morning, I was awakened by loud laughter outside the courtyard. "The Crown Prince's betrothal gifts have arrived! I heard that there's exquisite wine made 50 years ago and a diamond tiara crafted by the top smith in the kingdom! "Most importantly, there's also a rare diamond necklace personally crafted by the late Queen herself, and it's said to be passed down only to the princess consort!" Another female voice rang out. She scoffed and said, "That bitch inside the room can't even hold a candle to Ms. Monique, of course! She's nothing but a hooligan raised on the frontier. Who does she think she is, trying to covet the princess consort spot from her?" My fists tightened against the bedding. I recognized that voice. It belonged to one of the maids, Holly Fleming, and she had nearly been beaten to death by the nanny three years ago. I took her in and gave her money for her treatment, and she dissolved into tears at my feet, swearing that she would only acknowledge me as her master from then on. As dawn broke, Mom arrived and went straight to the point without even properly looking at me. "Move all of Meredith's gold and jewelry from her room to Monique's room. It is her wedding today, and we will not let her marry without any precious jewelry on her. I looked up abruptly at once. "Mom! That's the jewelry that Grandma left for me! They bear the private seal of the Royal Army General, and my name is also on them…" She finally looked me in the eyes. Then, she landed a heavy slap on my cheek. I was hit so hard that I fell back against the metal railings on the bed, and my mouth filled with the metallic taste of blood. "Yours?" Mom cackled coldly. "Monique is the princess consort! And her dignity represents the Payne family's dignity as well! You're nothing but a lowly concubine destined to marry into the palace. What's the point of you keeping this jewelry for yourself?" A concubine? A palace guard then stepped forward with a smile as he unfolded the royal edict in his hands. He then proclaimed, "His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Colin of the Kingdom of Landor, hereby grants Ms. Meredith Payne permission to enter the Royal Palace alongside princess consort Monique Payne, on account of His Royal Highness' past relationship with her. "Although she will be a noble concubine, it is still a blessing bestowed upon her that many others would die for." My blood ran cold. The nanny was already directing the maids to drag out the sandalwood chests from my room containing the gold and jewelry, and I ran over to her, barefoot, grabbing hold of the corner and stopping her from taking them away. "Put them down! They belong to me!" Mom lifted her leg and stomped harshly on my palms that still hadn't recovered from yesterday. The wounds tore right open once more, and blood immediately flowed down my hands. She then said in disgust, "Today is supposed to be a joyous occasion. If you dare to cause any more trouble for us, I will personally break your legs myself." I was pinned to the ground and forced to watch helplessly as the last of the chests were taken away. At that moment, it also felt as though my heart was ripped out of my flesh. … The sound of loud fanfare soon echoed through the courtyard. Colin had personally arrived to escort Monique, his soon-to-be princess consort, to the palace himself. I crawled back to my bed and felt for the pill under my pillow, staring at it for a long time before ultimately swallowing it. Just then, my door was violently kicked open, and several old maids rushed in and grabbed me without another word. "Meredith, the Crown Prince requests to see you." I was then dragged to the living hall in my disheveled state. Mom and Dad were seated at the center of the living hall, and Monique was dressed in her snowy-white wedding gown and robes, nestled in Colin's arms. She looked at me with feigned concern and said, "Meredith, I know that you've always wanted to marry His Royal Highness. There's one condition for you to enter the Royal Palace with us." After saying this, a maid brought in a bowl of dark, murky liquid and held it to my lips. Colin hesitated for a brief moment before saying in a deep voice, "Drink it. "Now that Monique's health is improving, there needs to be a royal heir rightfully born to the princess consort. As my concubine, you will be abandoning all improper thoughts and doing only as I say." I froze to the ground, and my eyes turned bloodshot. "I would rather die than be forced to marry you, Colin Livingston!" A fierce glint suddenly surged in Colin's eyes as he reacted as though he'd been stung by my words. "Don't be such an ingrate, Meredith Payne." He strode forward and reached out to grab me by my chin. I quickly grabbed a porcelain bowl from the table and smashed it on the ground. Then, I snatched up the sharpest piece of porcelain and pressed the tip against my neck. Blood trickled out at once. Everyone in the living hall was shocked. Monique's eyes turned red. She said shakily, "Meredith… Are you… Are you insistent on giving the Crown Prince an heir? Is that why you refused to drink this contraceptive concoction?" Mom flew into a huge rage and jumped to her feet, screaming at me, "You ungrateful wench! Are you out of your mind? Are you determined to ruin Monique's wedding day today?" Dad also slammed his hand on the table in fury. He shouted at the maids, "What are you all waiting for? Remove that thing from her hands at once and stop her from embarrassing the rest of the family!" Colin glared intently at me, his eyes as dark and malicious as the night. "I gave you a way out, Meredith, but you're the one who refused to take it. Guards! Seize her and tie her up and drag her into the palace from the back door! She will be drinking this concoction today, by hook or by crook!" The guards immediately lunged at me, some of them grabbing my wrists, and some others grabbing my arms. When they snatched the broken porcelain from my hands, it left a deep cut in my palm. I couldn't break free from them. But just as they forced down a sip of the concoction into my throat, a sudden sharp pain shot through my abdomen. Then, a sweet, metallic taste churned in my throat. I spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed heavily onto the brocade-covered floor. Before I closed my eyes, I saw Colin rushing up to me with a pale face. "Merry!" I could almost hear someone frantically checking my breathing. Then, the person dropped to his knees and spoke in a fearful, trembling voice. "Y-Your Royal Highness… Ms. Meredith is dead!"