Catherine leaned closer.
This was her mother, the one whose death she had mourned for the rest of her life. Even now, in this life, a part of her still held Maximilian responsible for that loss, for the emptiness that had followed.
In her previous life, Catherine had felt that absence in everything. In every decision she made, in every path she chose, there had always been a quiet, aching awareness of what might have been different if her mother had been there.
And she understood.
She truly did.
She herself had awakened to her past life at three years old, and the very first thing she had done upon seeing Maximilian again was try to stab him.
So how could she not understand this?
Her mother had raised him, trusted him, already seen him as family—as her future son-in-law. And in the end, he had been the one to bring ruin upon them, upon their kingdom, in the cruelest way possible.
Of course, she wanted revenge.
Of course, she couldn't let it go.
But…
