To save our own skins, the four of us wasted no time and immediately took a cab to the hotel where Celeste had hosted her banquet.

Roger, who was most skilled at playing the pitiful underdog, spun a convincingly tragic story. Thanks to that, we managed to secure us permission to view the surveillance footage.

The footage showed us seated at a table in the far corner at the start of the banquet. It was a placement reflecting our diminished status after the death of our matriarch and my mother, Courtney Braun.

"That innermost corner really did have just our table," Edgar said with a frown.

Years of rivalry among the four of us had created such a tense atmosphere that it left no space for anyone else. As a result, that table remained ours alone. In fact, even the Brauns' extended relatives kept their distance.

George looked puzzled. "And there really were just the four of us there."

That was when Celeste made her grand entrance. She strode down the red carpet with an air of confidence, yet she paused as she passed us.

She then turned directly toward our table and flashed an extraordinarily doting smile. Then, she leaned in to whisper something to Donny.

As we watched the smile on her face, we couldn't help but feel an inexplicable sense of dread.

"It looks like her true love really is one of us," I murmured blankly.

The four of us exchanged glances, each seeing fear reflected in the others' eyes.

If it weren't for the fact that we all retained memories of our previous lives, this situation would have been impossible to explain.

Roger shuddered. "If it really is one of us, then why did she kill us so brutally?"

I took a deep breath and suddenly thought of the only possible way out of this.

With unwavering resolve, I looked at them and declared, "I might have to go to Celeste's place. Wait for my news."

Under the admiring and grateful gazes of the three of them, I set off for Celeste's residence.

Little did they know, I was the one who found the situation most baffling so far.

Because Celeste and I were, to this day, still maintaining a secret romance. Not to mention, she was the one who had pursued me.

Following the discreet side entrance we often used for our private meetings, I easily slipped into Celeste's room.

She was stunned for a second when she saw me, but her expression soon returned to normal.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

The gentle woman before me overlapped with the madwoman who had stabbed me to death in my previous life.

Suppressing my fear, I stepped closer and asked, "Am I the one you want to marry?"

Celeste paused, a strange flicker of unease passing through her eyes. "We've been together for so long," she said. "Shouldn't you know me by now? The reason I had Donny deliver the ring to your house was, of course, for my one true love."

I pulled her into my arms with a smile. She settled onto my lap, her posture intimate and familiar.

Even so, I was sharp enough to catch a crucial flaw in her words.

She said she went to my house for her true love, but she still hadn't said that true love was me.

Digging my nails into my palm, I asked with a smile, "Then who is your true love?"

Celeste suddenly fell silent and gave me a once-over. "You should know. Did you really need to ask me that?"

I thought she would avoid the question again. Instead, she continued, "It's you, of course. As long as you want it to be you, it will be. Once we're married tomorrow, all my family's fortune will be yours."

I stared into her eyes and saw nothing but deep affection.

Ever since we started our secret relationship, she had treated me kindly.

I was slow and often bullied by Edgar and the other two. I didn't even hold shares in the family company. Yet, Celeste not only quietly had my back, but she also gave me many things that the Braun family could never hope to possess in this lifetime.

Also, despite being born with a silver spoon in her mouth, she'd still stoop to tie my shoelaces or step into the kitchen to cook for me.

I once believed that I would definitely be the one to marry her. But then again, I had also witnessed firsthand her descent into madness and obsession.

"You're not him! What right do you have to take his place and marry me?" she had screamed as she plunged the knife into my heart. "You're just a Braun heir in name only. You're not even a real successor. What makes you worthy of being with me?

"You were nothing more than a fling to pass the time, and yet you had the audacity to try and replace him and marry me?"

Snapping back to reality, I saw Celeste lean in and place a kiss on my cheek.

I had to summon every ounce of willpower to stop myself from pushing her away, as it was this very gesture that led me to an incredibly wild yet plausible truth.

I looked at her in disbelief. "Your true love is—"

However, Celeste didn't give me a chance to finish my sentence. She covered my mouth, a dangerous glint flashing in her eyes. "Haven't you asked enough questions tonight?"

But then she quickly regained her gentle composure. "Tomorrow is our big day. You should head back and get some proper rest."

A fine, creeping fear welled up inside me. I nodded hurriedly before leaving.

When I returned home, Edgar, George, and Roger—all unable to sleep—rushed toward me the moment they saw me.

"Well? Did you find out who Celeste's true love is?"

I shook my head silently.

Defeat and despair immediately crossed their eyes.

Even Roger, a grown man, began to cry. "I don't want to die. How about we just make a run for it?"

"Run?" Edgar snapped. "With Celeste's power and influence, no matter how far we run, she'd find us and drag us back."

George steeled himself. "There are only four hours until dawn. If we run, we can at least live a few more days. That's better than dying immediately."

But my tone abruptly shifted, turning resolute. "We can't run. The wedding must happen, and I'll be the one to marry her."

George stared at me in disbelief. "I may dislike you, but haven't you forgotten how brutally you died in your previous life?"

Edgar frowned and said, "If you're still love-struck after all that, I'm starting to wonder whether I was too kind to you before."

The pigeon-egg-sized diamond ring, worth a billion dollars, still lay on the table.

If George put in on, his face would be slashed to pieces before he was thrown into the basement, left to die from infection and rot.

If Roger wore it, he'd be pushed down the stairs and left to die in agony with every bone in his body shattered.

If Edgar slipped it on, he'd be drowned in a bathtub, left to bloat into a grotesque form before being dumped back at our house.

And if I were to wear the ring, I'd face the most agonizing death of all.

As punishment for my insolence as her lover, Celeste stabbed me 20 times, every strike carefully avoiding a fatal blow. Blood slowly seeped from my body as my body warmth steadily faded away.

The sensation of life ebbing away brought me immense terror and despair.

It was so severe that even my three long-time rivals couldn't help but feel a pang of pity when they saw my corpse.

The impeccably polished diamond gleamed brilliantly, yet to us four, it shone like a guillotine blade.

Still, I walked over and slipped it on without hesitation.

"I know it's dangerous," I said. "But this is the only way we can all survive."

Roger stared at me with disbelief. "Have you found out something?"

I knew full well that sharing the truth would make tomorrow's plan more likely to succeed, but if my suspicion turned out to be correct, the reality would be far too bizarre and terrifying.

I couldn't drag them all into this, so I shook my head. "I'm sorry, but now's not the time to tell you yet."

"Tell us what you need us to do," George said gravely.

I lowered my gaze. "I need you to attend the wedding as usual and act as if you know nothing."

Edgar scowled. "After the wedding, Celeste will stab you to death, and you want us to act like everything's fine?"

Already fully on my side, the three of them looked at me with deep concern.

I thought back to all the things they had done to me in the past. They were mostly petty squabbles over small amounts of money, none of which had ever truly endangered my life.

Yet, the woman I loved and trusted had brutally tortured me to death on our wedding night.

I took a deep breath and finally decided to tell them the truth.

"When I went to see Celeste earlier, she suddenly leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. That one gesture made me realize who her true love is. He really is among the four of us, and it's someone we absolutely never expected."