Seated in a room were two families; separated by a coffee table, one side contained humans and the other elves. The king and queen of Dorsatra were sat next to their daughter while the elves from Eilnelis had their emperor, son, and a translator.

"Thank you for coming all this way, Your Imperial Majesty. We are very honored that you paid us a visit to discuss our children's marriage," the king, Hugo Alden Dorsatra, said. He flashed them a polite smile, but failed to hide the tremble in his stiff fingers.

The elven emperor, Slyreith, spoke in a foreign language the royals didn't understand. In contrast to the king's timid attitude, Slyreith was much more relaxed.

As soon as he finished his reply, the translator spoke on his behalf, "Don't worry about me. I am looking forward to joining our nations together as much as you are. And there is no need for formality. We're now family."

The king eagerly nodded, trying to maintain his expression. "Of course, um, S-Slyreith! Haha!" He let out an uneasy laugh, rubbing his hands together to comfort himself.

He then quickly changed the topic, readjusting his focus to the girl sitting a seat down from his right. He gestured over to her, "Please meet my lovely daughter. Introduce yourself to the Emperor of Eilnelis, dear."

A girl, no older than 18 years old, sat gracefully in her chair with a straight back. Her hair of midnight draped down the sides of her face, the color of lavender peeking through from the back of her neck.

She was none other than me, but only eight years back into the past. My tinted lips smiled gently at the emperor, my cheeks creasing along with, "Greetings, Your Majesty. My name is Lilith Evelyn Dorsatra. It is an honor to meet you."

"The Emperor says it is a pleasure to meet the princess as well," the translator said. He then gestured over to the grump boy that sat beside him, "This here is Eion Feyrith Eilnelis, the heir to the Emperor and Her Highness's fiancé."

With a bow, he added his own introduction, "And I am Faelan Helewyn Celestina, your translator for today."

On the side, Eion grumbled something with an annoyed look on his face. It must have been offensive, because the translator quickly elbowed him in the side. "I'm terribly sorry for his attitude. He's not usually this ill-mannered," he gave Eion a stern look before shifting his expression back to face the Dorsatras, "He was just so excited to be here today. Isn't that right, Eion?"

I looked at him in expectation, nervously looking out for a reaction. But his head remain turned towards the window, showing disinterest to the discussion. I pursed my lips, unsure of what I was hoping from him.

After all, it was only me who had changed, while everyone else was stuck as their past selves.

It was only a few months ago that I found myself awake in a room that I hadn't realized I had missed. It was the bedroom that I grew up in, back in Dorsatras before I was wedded off to live in Eilnelis.

At first, I thought that it was a dream. But days would continue to pass by and I came to the conclusion that it was far from it. It all felt too real for it to be a mere illusion.

Then... what happened to me?

I was met with a vanity mirror, a fresh face that I hadn't seen in eons ― the reflection of my younger self. One that hasn't faced any hardships, who held her head up high with pride and was surrounded by love.

By some miracle, or perhaps misfortune, I had went back to the past. I already knew that I had a stillbirth, but it was even more condemning that I wasn't able to at least properly send them off.

I thought that I could burst into tears in that moment. Not out of relief or sadness, but a built-up frustration I had against the entity that tugged along my strings. I had many questions, and I spent most of my time contemplating my existence.

Why was I here? What happened to my former body? My baby?

Yet, I was unable to avoid the inevitable event that led me to both my happiness and misery ― the day that Eion and I first met.

It was when he was visiting the human kingdom with the emperor, having our encounter through passing. I had forgotten that he would be visiting around this time. And just like my past life, I found my body reacting the way it did before.

I was stun-locked with enchantment, my eyes latched onto his being for that brief moment. But re-experiencing such emotions terrified me. I didn't want to make a fool of myself again.

Instead of watching him pass the halls like my youth once did, I chose to run away.

•••

The meeting between the two families shortly ended, the elves being excused first. It went just as it did in my past life – a formal exchange between the two families.

It was an arranged marriage, one for the sake of both of our nations. And like the naïve girl I was, I fell for him. But this time, I didn't want to come off as a dolt no more.

Left in the parlor was now just the Dorsatras. My parents exchanged worried hushes, most of it being my mother comforting my father. I wished not to involve myself this time, so I walked on out shortly after the elves. I didn't want to see my father become an anxious mess again.

Down the hall stood the elven emperor and his translator not too far from the doorway. They were right in the center, proving difficult for me to maneuver past them.

"That darn folly... When will he learn to grow up?" Faelan sighed, pinching his temple.

Slyreith reached a hand over to pat his shoulder, a warm smile over his face. "Haha. You worry too much, Faelan. You cannot rush a child's growth. It takes time," he chuckled.

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"Forgive me, Your Majesty. But you worry too little. Eion's not a foal no more!"

With a finger, Slyreith calmly hushed the elf. "Shush, boy. Not so loud. You'll worry the princess," his light colored gaze gestured over to me.

I awkwardly stood nearby, greeting them both with a curtsy. "Good afternoon, Your Imperial Majesty and Lord Faelan..." I didn't expect them to notice me so soon.

Slyreith gave me a smile, beckoning me to approach. I obediently clicked my heels across the polished floors to where he was, being mindful to create a respectful distance.

Out of all of my encounters with the Eilnelis members, Slyreith was the one I had the least interactions with. This was due to his hasty retirement after he fell ill not too long after Eion and I officiated our marriage. I've only ever seen him from afar, and... in his bed rest before he passed.

"It's a shame," Slyreith began, "How could Eion storm out as soon as the meeting was over? Just look at how lovely his fiancée is."

I wasn't sure what he wanted to say when he started, but out of all the things he could have said, this was not what I was expecting. I was so thrown off, I let out a, "Pardon?"

Faelan seemed to be just as startled, quickly readjusting to work mode. "Oh! Well, the emperor says that you're..." his face grew a bit rosy, as if he was hesitant to say it, "... Lovely."

I blinked, wondering why Faelan was translating it for me when I understood well. I had forgotten that they didn't know that about me yet; I already knew how to speak their tongue.

Perhaps if it were the old me, I would have needed Faelan's assistance. But I had regressed to the past with the knowledge I've retained. I could put my years of studying into use.

I gave him a polite look, an idea sprouting in me. "Thank you, Your Imperial Majesty. You flatter me," I replied back humbly, using their native language. It was basic conversational knowledge, so it shouldn't raise too much suspicion.

Albeit simple, it was enough to impress them both. "Oh? Well, that's a surprise. You know Kwenia?" Slyreith asked, cupping his chin in curiosity.

I nodded my head sheepishly, "Yes, I do. I'm not very good at it yet, but I'm still learning." Which wasn't false. It took approximately six years to be nigh-fluent; all of which were for the sake of wanting to understand Eion better.

But learning the language unlocked a better grasp of the elven people instead, and they've taught me so much of their culture while I was there. Yet there was still so much more for me to learn before I regressed. I wouldn't find it comfortable to flaunt my knowledge, especially in front of a native.

Slyreith scoffed at my demure display, waving a hand in dismissal. "Nonsense. It is quite rare for a human to trouble themselves learning our language. Wouldn't you reckon, Faelan?" he looked over at the translator beside him.

"Y-yes! It is rather an impressive sight. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought you were a fellow sister from that sentence alone."

My chest felt light, a strange flutter that caused warmth to seep across my cheeks. I was being recognized, by my in-laws no-less. It was a pleasant yet embarrassing feeling.

"Perhaps this should make things easier," Slyreith stated, a nod of approval over his pleased expression.

He then faced me, placing a kind hand over my shoulder. "Eion may come off as harsh at times, but he is a good boy. I hope that you two can learn to get along," he said with a low voice.

Something behind his old gaze told me that he was worried; a concerned warmth from a loving father. I couldn't tear my eyes away from his, sucked in by the words he spoke. Because that sentiment was one that I shared with him.

I gave him a smile of reassurance. I wondered if I would be stepping over the line for this, but I wanted to show my determination. I placed a palm over his hand that was on my shoulder, patting it gently.

"I know. Thank you."

For a moment, Slyreith seemed surprised. But he returned my expression with another smile of his own. He seemed thankful.

•••

In the past, I had a hard time locating where Eion was whenever he'd visit. It was typical for him to avoid me. But with my knowledge from the future, I knew all of his favorite spots in the royal castle.

Resting in the rose garden beneath a gazebo was Eion, standing beside a pillar. His slender fingers cupped a pink flower, drawing in his elegance to take in its aroma.

I stood nearby, slightly taken aback by the serene complexion he had amongst his usual bothered look. He always seemed to prefer the outdoors, which would partially explain why he was never home when we lived together.

With an unsure voice, I called out to him, "Eion?"

I did not expect him to hear me at all, but he stepped back onto the platform in surprise. Once he realized that it was me, he quickly whisked his head away.

All I could really do was smile. His behavior made me feel nostalgic, oddly enough. I knew that it was far from ideal, but seeing his younger self act in such a way was somehow endearing. It reminded me of just how young we were, and how childish he was then.

"I was wondering where you had ventured off to," I began, slowly approaching him. I made sure to keep my distance, careful not to scare him off, "I see that you are enjoying the roses."

He didn't say a word, having his back turned towards me. It was slightly discouraging, but it wasn't something that I was unfamiliar with.

"They're lovely, aren't they? My father had it made for my mother when they got married."

It seemed that he had grown fed up of my rambles, as he was now stepping off the platform to leave. I knew that it was awkward between us, even I had wanted to turn my heel around in embarrassment. But this was a rare opportunity, and I wanted to make the most of it.

My hand reached out to him, not sure what I was trying to grab onto, "W-wait!ー" Before I knew it, I misplaced my footing over the path and began to stumble.

Eion looked back at me, his eyes widening from the sight of me falling. He was quick to reach out, stretching his arms for me to land in them. I squeezed my shut as he held onto me, waiting for the impact of our crash.

He had cushioned my fall, his gloved hands grappled over my shoulders. I rose my head up off his chest, a sting coming from the bridge of my nose. I clasped over the area to suppress the pain, failing to realize that I was on top of him until he had said something.

"Princess," he groaned.

I let out an exclamation in surprise, my face having gone cold. I had never seen him look this flustered. His platinum blonde hair was sprawled over the dewy grass covered in petals of rose, his button-up slightly disheveled thanks to my face that had been pressed into him earlier. He was laying directly underneath me, a grimace etched over his lip as he was trying to recover from our fall.

For some reason, this angle awoken something in me and shame began to creep up my neck as I grew more wary of it.

But his grouch quickly pulled me back into reality. In his native tongue, he said, "Get off."

I must have been in a daze, because I couldn't comply right away, "Sorry?"

Eion glared at me suspiciously, confused as to why I was still on top of him. He carefully sat up, setting me aside so he could stand again. He began to dust himself off, grumbling to himself in his elven language.

Although late, I followed suit. It was only then I began to recollect myself, trying not to replay what had just happened in my head.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," I tried to explain myself, but I was far too cautious of his emotional state to say anything else. I also felt as though I should leave out the part that I was mesmerized by him, but I digress.

With a huff, Eion rolled his eyes to dismiss my words. But they soon shrunk in alert after he took another glance at me. I wasn't too sure why he was looking at me like that, but I received an answer soon enough.

Down the cupid's bow of my lip, I felt something warm trickle past it. It was the taste of iron.

I reached up to my face to dabble at it, noticing a deep scarlet had rubbed off onto my fingers.

This had never happened to me before, yet it did, and I wished that it didn't have to be with him. I wanted to start things afresh but it seemed like God was toying with me.

Why was it that all I've ever done so far in front of Eion was embarrass myself?