《Life 2》 Chapter 1 I should have told him. Freezing water drenches my forehead as Elsie presses a wet towel to my skin. I try to push her arm away, but she grabs my shoulders and pins me to the bed. "Let go of me! I have to go find Sen! I have to¡ª" Elsie shoves a spoon of dully-colored liquid at my lips, cutting me off. "Drink this, my lady," she says calmly, forcing the liquid into my mouth. "It''s a tonic to ease the nerves." The sound of thunder batters at my eardrums as I choke it down. I don''t have time for this. Alegreya isn''t dead yet, which means I can still save her¡ªand all the others after her. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot the clock on my nightstand: 5:04 a.m. It''s already been over fifteen minutes since I woke up, and my back still feels like it''s throbbing from the knife that stabbed me to my death moments before I found myself here, on a date six months before the first murder by Elsie''s word. If only I had told Sen what I''d seen. Maybe then, I wouldn''t have died at the hands of a killer I still don''t know the identity of. Elsie leans over and grabs a cloth, dabbing spilled liquid from the corners of my mouth. My heart races in my chest. "Elsie," I gasp, grabbing her apron as she lifts another spoonful of tonic to my lips. I gulp down the liquid, panting. "I need you to send for Sen! I-I need you to bring him here." I wipe my mouth with the sleeve of my nightgown. Elsie untangles my fingers from her apron with difficulty. "My lady, you''re just delirious from lack of sleep," she says gently. "We don''t know anyone named Sen." It takes me a moment to comprehend her words before the truth crashes over me in a stifling wave of despair. Sen doesn''t know me. For the first few minutes of my new life, I¡¯ve been blind. Tears well in my eyes before I can stop them, spilling over the sides of my face. Sen and I haven''t met yet. He won¡¯t know me until Alegreya dies. I start to sob. "Oh, don''t cry, my lady!" Elsie desperately dabs at my tears with a handkerchief. "Was it a bad dream, my lady? Please don''t cry!" All I could think of until now was how I''ve been given the chance to change the fates of the family and friends I lost. It didn''t even occur to me that Sen, the person who stood by me through all the heartache I endured in my past life, the person who promised to avenge the deaths that had scarred me, the person who I had sworn to spend the rest of my life with, is now no more than a stranger. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. I need to do something. I need to bring him back to me. We were married; we were going to start a family. In one night, all of that disappeared. No, what am I thinking? The lives of so many people I love are about to be stolen. Even if I don''t have his love, I''m still going to need his help as an inspector. But how can I convince him to help me when I don¡¯t have any evidence that any murder is going to happen? And then, a singular idea overtakes my mind: Would Sen believe me if I told him I''ve reincarnated? If I can somehow prove that I know what will happen in the future? I grab Elsie''s wrist. "Help me get dressed." Elsie''s face is covered in questions, but I scramble out of bed and stagger to my closet. Although this body is over a year younger than my brain, it really hasn''t changed much. I glance back at Elsie, who''s still standing bewildered by the bed. "Come on! I need to sneak out." "But my lady¡ª" begins Elsie, but I yank open the doors of my closet and cut her off. "If you won''t help me, I''ll dress myself." I throw on a plain satin gown and leather boots. Elsie hurries to run a comb through my hair a few times, but my wavy blonde locks retain a number of stubborn snarls. I soak a hand towel and run it twice over my face before I''m out the door. The halls of Wittgenstein Manor are silent and dark, rectangles of early morning sunlight tracing swiftly-vanishing raindrops from the windows onto the carpeted floor. Elsie keeps watch at every corner as I make my way to the servants'' door at the end of the west wing. Then, making sure to tiptoe as I pass the servants'' bedrooms, I slip into the kitchen and out the back door. Both the front and back gates of the house are guarded, but there''s a shrub in the hidden garden on the east side of the house with a gap large enough to fit a grown person. Once outside, I follow a route that''s long since become very familiar to me, passing by the bakery, two bookshops, a dress emporium, and a sword dealer. The streets are sparse as I pass through the village, past the smaller, densely-arranged houses to the more spacious homes scattered across a field beyond. Sen''s house is the same as I remember¡ªdark brown wood with a small white gate encircling it. The small front porch encases a faded birch door. My hand pauses in front of the door. What am I going to do if he doesn''t believe me? I close my fingers into a fist. If I don''t make this quick, someone back at the manor will notice I''m gone. Sucking in a deep breath, I knock on the door. The door swings open. A thin linen shirt clings to Sen¡¯s chest as the first rays of dawn kiss the beads of water dressing his hair. His soft violet eyes meet mine, and it¡¯s like love at first sight all over again. (Intermission) List in the comments all male leads who you suspect are using this product. Stay tuned for additional OI necessities! Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Note: The following ad has been found floating around on the interwebs. It is a scam. Do not purchase. The OG version is right here. Chapter 2 ¡°I-it started during the dinner party.¡± I lift the water glass to my dry lips. ¡°Cambria was going to perform violin for the whole family before her violin exam. We were all sitting in the drawing room. Our seats had been arranged in a circle to face the hearth, and she was supposed to come in through the door from the dining room.¡± Inspector Sen nods as he scribbles into a small leather-covered notebook, his soft wavy hair falling into his eyes. ¡°We waited for fifteen minutes or so before Lady Fredericka went to check¡ªcheck on her.¡± My voice cracks as flashes of Cambria¡¯s blue face fill my mind. ¡°She screamed and told us to call for the doctor.¡± I take a deep breath. ¡°C-Cambria was lying on the floor. She¡ªshe had a violin string around her neck¡ªit must have been from her violin¡ªit was broken on the floor next to her¡­¡± Sen nods solemnly, then sets his notebook down on the tea table and reaches into the pocket of his coat. He draws out a white envelope decorated with swans. The remains of the lavender wax seal fall to the table as he pulls out a sheet of paper. ¡°Is this the letter that was found beside the violin, my lady?¡± I nod vigorously. ¡°It¡¯s signed by someone of the name ¡®Alegreya¡¯...would you happen to know who¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s my cousin,¡± I burst out, leaning forward in my chair. ¡°She used to write these letters that she showed me once¡ªa hat box full of them, but I only ever saw a few¡ªand she had false names for everyone just in case someone found the letters¡ªCambria¡¯s name was ¡®Violin¡¯¡ªbut I don¡¯t know how any of them got here because she died in an accident a few months ago¡ª¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Just a moment, my lady. Please, slow down if you can.¡± Sen grabs his quill pen again. ¡°Lady Alegreya¡­you say she recently passed away?¡± ¡°I-I apologize for my outburst.¡± I settle back into my chair, cheeks flushing. ¡°My cousin Alegreya was one of Cambria¡¯s younger sisters. We¡­we were quite close, and frequently spent time together.¡± My chest tightens. ¡°Alegreya liked to drink. The night that she died was the night that her husband eloped with her maid.¡± I swallow hard against the memory of Alegreya lying face-down in the grass. ¡°W-we found her the following day in the hidden part of the garden behind the house¡­it was right below the balcony of her room, and there was a broken wine glass under her.¡± I blink back the tears forming in my eyes. ¡°The floor of her room was covered in empty bottles of port. She must have gotten drunk and fallen from her balcony.¡± Sen¡¯s quill pen pauses against the page, and his brow furrows, his eyes fixating on a line above. ¡°Er¡­Inspector?¡± I prompt cautiously. His head snaps up. ¡°My lady, can you tell me more about your cousin Lady Alegreya?¡± he asks urgently. ¡°Isn¡¯t it Lady Cambria we should be talking about?¡± I quickly hedge. Surely he wouldn''t think this is Alegreya¡¯s fault? ¡°I suppose what I mean is, Alegreya couldn¡¯t have murdered Cambria.¡± Sen shakes his head, and his face darkens. ¡°This case is no longer simply about Cambria.¡± I stiffen. Does he think Alegreya wanted Cambria to die? Yes, Alegreya had written a whole box of unsent letters to people she¡¯d fallen out with. But I know she would never be able to kill someone. ¡°Lady Arial,¡± Sen says, and suddenly his eyes are gazing intensely into mine. My heart skips a beat. ¡°I believe that Lady Alegreya was murdered.¡± (Intermission) Clumsygirl Times Editors Pick! *Drug trip not guaranteed. ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!