I Gave Up On Both of Them

When my identity as a spy for the enemy nation was exposed, my two childhood friends faked their deaths and made a bet.

Whose memorial tablet I chose to marry at the altar would be the one to protect me.

One was Rio Murray, the young general to whom I was betrothed. The other was Prince Bayram, who had concealed my identity as a spy for many years.

But I chose neither for the simple fact that I had lived this life twice.

During my first time, I chose Rio, only to be buried alive by the prince, who had “returned from the dead.”

During my second time, I chose Bayram, only to be torn to pieces by vultures sent by Rio.

Later, I learned that all those years of care had been a facade.

It was because they had mistaken me for their dream girl, who had been abducted by the enemy nation in childhood and vanished without a trace.

They hated me for usurping her place. So under the pretext of eliminating a rival, they subjected me to the agony of slow torture!

This time, I ignored both memorial tablets placed before me.

Amid the gasps of the crowd, I produced the Royal Decree and declared while enunciating every word clearly. “I am already betrothed; I’m afraid I cannot choose.”

The Royal Decree was still in my hand when a loud “boom” rang out. The coffin, which should have been buried, was blown up from the inside.

Rio Murray stripped off his ill-fitting funeral robes and approached me with a cold expression.

“Reverie, what did you just say? Did you just mention an engagement?”

Everyone in the mansion turned pale with shock at the sudden turn of events.

A gossipy voice still spoke up. “I heard that Reverie Savoy is a spy from the enemy nation. How could His Majesty possibly issue a Royal Decree to grant her a marriage?”

“Don’t you know? The young general and the prince specifically purchased a potion to feign death so she could make a choice and save herself. Unfortunately, she’s built her own cage. By falsely proclaiming a Royal Decree, she has signed her death warrant.”

I had long believed that Rio Murray and Bayram Anjou’s plan to feign their respective deaths had been kept a secret. Evidently, I had been the only one out of the loop in the entire mansion.

Thinking of the tragic deaths I suffered in my previous two timelines, my gaze grew colder.

“Naturally. His Majesty has already bestowed upon me the title of consort to the Crown Prince. The wedding is to take place shortly.

“General Murray, I’m afraid I cannot continue playing along with this charade any longer.”

Rio narrowed his eyes. His expression darkened.

“Reverie Savoy, you are nothing but a spy. His Majesty would only sentence you to death!

“If you reconsider your choice now, I might still spare your life!”

Even though I had lived through two lifetimes and long since recognized his true nature, my heart still clenched in pain upon hearing those words.

Before I could speak, the other coffin emitted a strange sound.

“Reverie, wouldn’t it be better to choose me? Surely, you’re not going to choose Bayram in that coffin!”

Rio closed in on me. His fingers clamped around my neck as he coldly questioned me.

When I remained silent, he reached out, snatched the Royal Decree from my hand, and tossed it into the air.

He shattered it with his powers. Pieces of parchment fell before me.

I gasped. “Rio, that was a Royal Decree!

“You just want me to make a choice, don’t you? Well, I’ll say it now. Between you and Bayram, I’m choosing neither!”

“Shut up!” Rio lost his composure and yanked my wrist hard.

He desperately tried to find a shred of sincerity in my eyes, but the coldness in my gaze pierced his heart.

“Don’t you want to live anymore? Right now, I’m the only one who could save you!”

Could he save me?

If he knew I was not the “Reverie Savoy” he wanted, would he still be this desperate?

As I pondered this, Bayram’s coffin shook. Immediately afterward, one of the shadow guards by his side whispered something into his ear.

Bayram sprang to his feet as he stared fixated on me.

“Rio, we were both wrong.

“The person before us is not Reverie. She took Reverie’s place.”

The hatred in the man’s clenched jaw made Rio’s gaze toward me turn instantly cold and menacing. He drew the saber from his waist and pressed it against my neck.

“Since she’s an imposter, let’s just kill her!”

I closed my eyes in agony. In my previous two timelines, it had ended just like this.

At first, I thought that since we had shared a bond for so many years, they would not go so far as to seek my death.

But I had been wrong. In their hearts, anyone who dared to desecrate the true “Reverie Savoy” deserved to die!