Chapter 2 – The Marriage Proposal That
Shook the Empire
Silence filled the council chamber like a held breath.
My father stared at me as if I had spoken a foreign language. The long oak table between us suddenly felt like a battlefield, each noble seated along its sides frozen in disbelief.
"Repeat that," my father said slowly.
I did not flinch.
"I said," I replied, my voice steady, "I will marry Kael Raventhorn."
A murmur erupted instantly.
"Impossible." "Has she lost her mind?" "Raventhorn? That Raventhorn?"
I kept my gaze forward, my posture straight. In my past life, this was the moment I had bowed my head, apologizing for my "childishness," accepting the man they had chosen for me.
Never again.
My father rose from his chair, his expression dark. "Elena. This is not a joke. The Raventhorn family is our enemy.
Their lands border ours, and their influence—"
"—is precisely why this marriage is necessary," I interrupted calmly.
Gasps followed my words.
My father's eyes widened. "You dare interrupt me?"
"Yes," I said simply.
The council members stared as if witnessing a miracle—or a disaster.
I clasped my hands together, hiding the faint tremor in my fingers. I could not afford weakness. Not now.
"In the last five years," I continued, "our influence has steadily declined. We have lost allies. Trade routes are unstable. And our enemies grow bolder by the day."
One of the older nobles frowned. "You speak as if you've lived those five years already."
I smiled faintly. "I pay attention."
My father studied me closely, suspicion flickering across his face. He knew me. Or rather, he knew the girl I had been.
Obedient. Predictable.
This version of me unsettled him.
"You think marrying Raventhorn will solve all of that?" he asked.
"No," I answered honestly. "But it will stop our fall."
Silence returned, heavier than before.
Kael Raventhorn was not merely powerful—he was untouchable. His military strength rivaled the crown's.
His intelligence network reached everywhere. No one knew how he operated, only that those who crossed him rarely survived.
And yet, in my past life, he had stood there and watched me die.
That memory burned in my chest.
If I was wrong about him, this decision would kill me faster than poison ever did.
But if I was right…
Then I would never be powerless again.
"You are already engaged," my father said sharply. "This proposal insults another noble house."
"I will handle that," I said.
"How?" one of the council members scoffed.
I lifted my gaze. "Publicly. Cleanly. Without bloodshed."
They laughed.
I did not.
My father slammed his hand onto the table. "Enough. I will not allow my daughter to marry a monster."
A spark of anger flared inside me.
"In my last—" I stopped myself just in time, exhaling softly. "In my experience," I corrected, "monsters are usually the ones who smile kindly while sharpening the knife behind their back."
The room fell silent again.
My father's jaw tightened.
"You will withdraw this madness," he said coldly. "Or I will disown you."
I met his gaze without blinking.
"Then disown me," I replied.
The words echoed like a thunderclap.
Several nobles stood up in shock. Someone dropped a cup. My father looked as if he had been struck.
"Elena," he whispered.
I bowed—not submissively, but formally. "I will send an official proposal to House Raventhorn by sunset."
I turned and walked out before anyone could stop me.
The carriage ride was quiet.
Too quiet.
I stared out the window as familiar streets passed by, memories overlapping like ghosts. In my previous life, this city had felt safe.
Now I saw it for what it was.
A cage.
We arrived at the Raventhorn estate just as the sun began to set. Tall iron gates loomed ahead, engraved with sigils of protection and dominance. Black banners fluttered in the wind.
My heartbeat quickened.
I had prepared for this moment. Rehearsed every word.
Still, my palms were damp.
The guards did not stop me.
That was the first warning sign.
They looked at me with unreadable expressions, then opened the gates without question.
As if they had been expecting me.
I stepped inside.
The estate was vast, quiet, unnervingly orderly. Every stone seemed deliberately placed. Every shadow felt intentional.
A servant led me through dark halls until we reached a large chamber lit only by firelight.
"Wait here," he said, then vanished.
I stood alone.
Seconds passed.
Then minutes.
I fought the urge to fidget, keeping my posture composed. This was a test. He wanted to see if I would crack under silence.
I would not.
Finally, footsteps echoed.
Slow. Measured.
Kael Raventhorn emerged from the shadows.
He was taller than I remembered. Broad-shouldered, dressed in black, his presence alone seemed to bend the air around him. His silver eyes locked onto mine immediately.
Sharp. Penetrating.
The same eyes that had watched me die.
"You're braver than rumors suggest," he said calmly.
My heart skipped.
"I prefer 'desperate,'" I replied.
A faint curve touched his lips. Not quite a smile.
"You should be," he said. "You walked into the den of your family's enemy without guards."
"I came to propose a marriage," I said.
That finally caught his attention.
The air shifted.
His gaze darkened, something dangerous flickering beneath the surface. "Between whom?"
"Between you," I said, "and me."
Silence.
The fire crackled softly.
Kael studied me as if dissecting a puzzle. Slowly, he walked closer. Each step sent a warning through my nerves.
When he stopped, we were only an arm's length apart.
"You know who I am," he said quietly.
"Yes.
"You know what people say about me."
"Yes."
"And yet," he continued, lowering his voice, "you still came."
"Yes."
He tilted his head slightly. "Why?"
I met his gaze. "Because you already know how I die."
The temperature in the room dropped.
For the first time, his expression changed.
Only slightly—but enough.
"You shouldn't know that," he said.
My breath caught.
So it was true.
"You were there," I whispered.
"Yes," he admitted without hesitation.
"Why?" I demanded. "Why did you watch me die?"
Kael's eyes hardened.
"Because," he said slowly, "in every future where I interfered, you died sooner."
The world tilted.
"What…?" I breathed.
"You were already marked," he continued. "The moment you accepted that engagement, your fate was sealed. Poison was the cleanest outcome."
My knees felt weak.
"You're lying," I said.
"If I were lying," he replied coldly, "you wouldn't be standing here alive."
Silence crashed down between us.
My voice trembled despite my effort. "Then why am I alive now?"
Kael looked at me for a long moment.
Then he said, "Because you changed the first step."
I swallowed.
"I want your protection," I said. "And you want control."
A slow smile finally appeared on his lips.
"You're not asking for love," he observed.
"No."
"You're asking for survival."
"Yes."
He leaned closer, his voice a whisper. "And what do I gain?"
I lifted my chin. "A wife who already knows how the story ends—and refuses to die quietly."
For a moment, I thought he might laugh.
Instead, he extended his hand.
"Very well," Kael Raventhorn said. "Let's rewrite fate."
My fingers hesitated—then slipped into his grasp.
His hand was warm.
Steady.
Dangerous.
The moment our skin touched, I knew one thing for certain.
This marriage would either make me untouchable—
Or bury us both.