Sienna Langford, the cherished little princess of Ashbourne’s elite circle, hailed from a family that amassed their fortune by unearthing ancient relics buried beneath a forgotten cathedral. But every coin came steeped in a curse that has haunted their bloodline for centuries.

Generations ago, the Langford ancestors triggered a deadly curse during one of their archaeological digs. Since then, every woman in the family has died before reaching the age of twenty-five. The only known way to break the curse was for a Langford woman to marry a man with a rare and exceptionally strong life force powerful enough to repel the shadow of death that haunts their bloodline.

So, I’m, Lucas Everhart, and in my previous life, I was meant to marry Sienna to break that curse. But my foster brother, Tristan, stole my ceremonial suit and tried to impersonate me at the wedding. I rushed to the venue to stop him and chaos followed.

Tristan became a laughingstock in the upper circles of Ashbourne. Humiliated and enraged, he threw himself off a building.

My parents blamed me for everything. They called me a curse and severed ties. Sienna turned on me too. On the anniversary of Tristan’s death, she locked me in a room and set it on fire. But death wasn't the end for me. I awoke, gasping, burned memories still raw on the very day fate had gone wrong. Time had rewound and I was given one more chance.

“A sacred bloodline match? What a joke! You’re just after the Langford name and fortune!”

“I’m pregnant with Tristan’s child. You killed him. You robbed my baby of a father. I’ll make you pay with your life!”

When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to that fateful wedding day. This time, I would not stop the wedding. I would send them a gift.

——

I strode into the grand hall, my expression cold and unwavering. The couple on stage had just exchanged rings.

Gasps echoed through the crowd as their eyes landed on me.

“Lucas Everhart? Why is he here?”

“Wait… isn’t this his wedding with Sienna Langford?”

“If he’s here… then who’s the man standing on stage?”

The atmosphere shifted instantly. All eyes turned toward me, especially the Langford Family seated in the front row. Anthony, Sienna’s father, was the first to react, rising to his feet, fury darkening his face.

“What’s the meaning of this? Lucas Everhart was supposed to marry into our family! Who’s the man up there?”

Without a word, Daisy, Sienna’s mother, stormed the stage and yanked the groom’s mask off.

A collective gasp rose from the crowd.

“Isn’t that Tristan, the adopted son of the Everhart Family?!”

“Unbelievable! Did they really swap the groom?”

“Only Lucas Everhart is the true sacred bloodline match needed to break the curse. If Tristan marries Sienna Langford, it won’t be lifted!”

Tristan’s face turned ashen. But Sienna remained calm. She squeezed Tristan’s hand and gave him a reassuring nod before stepping forward.

She knelt solemnly before her parents. “Dad, Mom, Tristan is the only man I love. I will not marry anyone else.”

“I don’t believe in some ridiculous curse. Our female ancestors lived long lives, well into their hundreds!”

Anthony’s face was thunderous as he slammed his cane to the floor.

“Do you know why your aunts lived such long lives? Because they married men with sacred bloodlines, strong enough to defy death itself.”

“Your 25th birthday is tomorrow. You’re gambling with your life!” Tears welled in Daisy’s eyes.

“Sienna, we never lied to you. Your third aunt didn’t die in a car crash, she was cursed.”

“You were born into the Langford Family. Your life isn’t just yours, it carries the weight of generations. You have no freedom when it comes to love.”

But Sienna remained on her knees, stubborn and unmoved.

“I would rather die young than spend my life with someone I don’t love. Better a short life than living like a corpse.”

I watched her quietly, a sudden clarity settling over me. She had been reborn too. And like me, she had made her choice: she would rather defy fate than surrender to it.

Realizing she wouldn’t budge, Anthony turned his wrath on me.

“Lucas! So you never planned to marry Sienna in the first place? You used an adopted son to trick us? How shameless can the Everhart Family get?”

“If you don’t give us a proper explanation today, your family will be ruined in Ashbourne!”

My mother stepped forward, smiling stiffly as she gripped my arm. She pushed me toward the Langford Family. And just like that, the second round of this deadly game began.

“Lucas, I know you’re unhappy about the arranged marriage our family set up for you. But forcing your younger brother to take your place, do you think that’s right? You should apologize to Mr. and Langford right now.”

My mother’s voice rang out sweetly, but I could hear the cold blade beneath her words. I sneered inwardly.

In my previous life, I had stormed onto the stage to confront Tristan and my mother never had the chance to shift the blame onto me.

Now I understood: Tristan dared to pull this stunt because he had my parents’ full support.

No wonder they suddenly insisted on a full ceremonial wedding steeped in old rituals, complete with a custom-made mask that covered my face from start to finish. It wasn’t about honoring tradition, it was about concealing the truth.

I’d only returned to the Everhart Family two years ago, while Tristan had been raised by them since birth. In their hearts, he was the real son. Two decades of affection had long outweighed a mere blood tie.

Tristan glanced at my mother, then stepped forward and knelt beside Sienna with practiced grace.

“Uncle, Aunt… Sienna and I truly love each other. Lucas has no feelings for her. Forcing them to marry will only bring misery to both sides. I’m willing to marry into the Langford Family and be her husband…”

Before he could finish, Daisy cut him off, voice sharp and cold.

“What nonsense are you spouting? You don’t have a yang constitution. Marrying you would only doom Sienna!”

She glared down at him with disdain. “And you? You’re nothing more than an adopted bumpkin from the countryside. Do you really think you’re worthy of marrying into our family?”

Tristan’s face turned ghostly pale. His lips trembled, bitten so hard they bled.

Seeing this, Sienna’s eyes filled with pity. She turned on her mother with righteous fury.

“Mom! What age are we living in? How can you still believe in these feudal superstitions?” She helped Tristan to his feet and shot me a venomous glare.

“Lucas, that so-called sacred bloodline of yours is a lie. You must’ve bribed some quack to fake those results!”

“You can crash the wedding all you want, but I’ll never marry you. The only man I will ever marry is Tristan!”

Tristan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and wrapped his arms protectively around her.

“Lucas, you were the one who said I could marry Sienna, so I agreed to step in. Why are you making a scene now?”

I nearly laughed aloud.

They’re the ones who schemed behind my back, yet now they’re turning the blame on me?

I took a deep breath, pulled out my phone and tapped open a message.

“Tristan. Mom. Dad. You all sent me this text yesterday, saying the wedding had been postponed to the evening. So why did it go ahead as scheduled?”

In my past life, if I hadn’t randomly seen a photo of the wedding car online, posted by a bystander, I would’ve missed everything. I would’ve shown up to an empty venue, too late to stop anything.

I angled my phone toward the crowd. The wedding photographer zoomed in. The contents of the message flashed across the massive screen behind the stage for all to see.

A low hum of murmurs spread through the guests. “So it’s true… The Everhart Family really favors the adopted son.”

“I’ve heard Mrs. Everhart has always doted on Tristan. Looks like she’d do anything to help him marry up.”

“Poor Lucas Everhart. After all those years lost, he finally returns home, only to find his own parents never truly accepted him.”

My father, who had been silent this whole time, suddenly turned crimson with rage.

“Stop spouting nonsense! This has nothing to do with favoritism. Lucas refused the marriage, he asked Tristan to take his place!”

“Fortunately, Sienna and Tristan are genuinely in love. Otherwise, they’d both be miserable.”

I let out a cold laugh.

“When did I ever refuse? I’m standing here today because I came to marry Sienna.”

The words barely left my lips before my father raised his hand and struck me hard across the face.

Smack!

“Lucas! How dare you! First, you run from your wedding and now you fabricate text messages to frame your family? You think the marriage alliance between the Langford and Everhart families is some kind of joke?”

“Sienna and Tristan’s wedding is already done. You… you have no place in this anymore!”

I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth and lifted my gaze.

“I don’t mind holding another wedding ceremony, so long as Miss Langford is still willing to marry me.”

The moment I expressed my willingness to marry Sienna, Daisy’s expression softened with relief.

“Lucas, the Langford Family only acknowledges you as our son-in-law. This wedding doesn’t count. We’ll hold another one tonight—and this time, nothing will go wrong!”

Panic flashed across Tristan’s face. He turned urgently to our parents for help. My mother stepped forward, blocking the Langford Family members just as they began to leave. Her voice rang out sharply.

“Since things have come to this, I won’t keep it a secret any longer. The real reason we didn’t want Lucas to marry Sienna… is because he’s incapable.”

Her words fell like a thunderclap.

“Over the years, he’s been fooling around with countless women. The doctor said he’ll never be able to function properly again.”

All eyes turned toward me, laced with contempt and revulsion, as if I were the one tainted and despicable.

I gave a slow, calm smile, then reached into my pocket and pulled out a neat stack of photographs. Deliberately, I flipped through them one by one so everyone could see.

“Mother, are you referring to these women?”

The photos revealed Tristan in intimate situations with various women, arms entwined, kisses shared, shirts half-off. Evidence of his indulgent, chaotic private life.

Each image had been purchased at great expense.

In my previous life, Tristan hadn’t taken his life because of me. He ended it out of sheer terror, after being blackmailed with these exact photos and receiving a devastating medical diagnosis.

I’d cleaned up his mess back then. I had even paid those women off, trying to protect his so-called legacy.

What I hadn’t known was that he had left behind a suicide note, one that blamed everything on me.

“If Lucas hadn’t ruined our wedding, I could have stayed by your side… We could’ve lived happily as a family of three. I hope in the next life, I can meet you and the child again. Sienna, please forgive my cowardice.”

That note shattered everything. Sienna blamed me for his death. In her twisted grief, she tied me up, doused me in gasoline and set me on fire.

But this life… this life will be different. Let’s see without my extreme yang constitution to protect her whether Sienna can even survive past twenty-five.

Suddenly, Tristan lunged forward, yanking the stack of photos from my hand. His face was a mask of panic.

“These photos are fake! All digitally altered! Don’t believe him!”

With trembling hands, he tore the photos apart, pieces fluttering to the floor like ashes.

“Lucas,” he snarled, “you were the one sleeping around. You photoshopped my face onto your mess!”

Unfazed, I pulled out a small USB drive and held it up.

“The originals are on this drive. If you’re so confident, let’s have a professional analyze them. Let’s see who’s lying.”

A flicker of fear flashed in Tristan’s eyes. He clutched Sienna’s shoulders, voice trembling.

“Don’t listen to him! He forged everything to drive a wedge between us. Sienna, the only one I love is you. You know I’d never touch another woman, please, believe me…”

Sienna stared at him for a beat, then gave a firm nod. She turned toward me, her eyes filled with disdain.

“Lucas, do you really think dragging Tristan down will make me change my mind?”

“I’d rather become a nun than marry you.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder and sneered.

“Mrs. Everhart already exposed your wild personal life. Stop embarrassing yourself.” I chuckled lowly, my eyes narrowing.

“Tristan, do you dare go to the hospital right now for a full check-up? Let’s find out which of us is actually ‘incapable.”

His breath hitched. His hands balled into fists.

“I…”

Before he could finish, Sienna pulled out her phone and dialed.

“You really won’t give up until you’re humiliated, will you, Lucas? Fine. I’ll make sure you never show your face again.”

She called the family’s private physician on the spot. Tristan stood frozen in place, his expression a portrait of dread.

Shortly after, I followed the male doctor into the examination room for a thorough evaluation.

Thirty minutes later, the doctor returned and with a heavy expression, turned to Sienna and shook his head.