Chapter 3 The Truth Behind The Fire

The smell of smoke wouldn't leave me.

Even though the courtyard was untouched, even though the walls stood clean and white, I could still remember the heat against my skin. The sound of wood cracking. The weight of falling beams.

If Mark remembered the fire too, then the danger hadn't disappeared.

It had only reset.

I stood at the balcony of the east wing at dawn, staring down at the quiet garden below. In my first life, the flames had started near the old cypress tree. They spread too fast to be natural.

Someone planned it.

The system pulsed faintly.

[Mission status: Active.]

[Target affection: 49%.]

[Warning: Emotional instability detected.]

I ignored it.

The mission no longer felt like the priority.

Survival did.

A soft knock interrupted my thoughts.

"Enter."

It was Captain Rowan, commander of the inner guards. Tall, composed, loyal to Mark above all else. In my previous life, he had been one of the first to arrive when the fire broke out.

Too late.

"My lady," he said with a bow. "The Lord has ordered additional patrols around your residence."

"For what reason?" I asked calmly.

"Security concerns."

Security concerns.

So Mark wasn't taking chances either.

"Captain," I said lightly, "in the event of a fire... how quickly can the east wing be evacuated?"

His expression shifted, just slightly.

"The east wing does not burn easily," he replied carefully. "The stone foundation prevents rapid spread."

But it had burned.

In minutes.

Which meant-

"The fire in the previous timeline," I said quietly. "It wasn't natural."

His eyes sharpened.

"You remember," he said.

So he did too.

Not just Mark.

Not just me.

How many others retained memory?

"Only fragments," he admitted. "Smoke. Chaos. The Lord carrying you through flames."

That wasn't something I remembered.

"You carried me out?" I asked.

His jaw tightened. "He tried."

The words struck harder than I expected.

"You didn't make it past the courtyard."

So Mark had run into the fire.

For me.

The system buzzed louder.

[Affection level: 52%.]

[Host emotional response increasing.]

I turned away from Rowan before my expression betrayed anything.

"Investigate the supply storage beneath the east wing," I said quietly. "And the servant quarters nearby."

He studied me. "You suspect internal sabotage?"

"Yes."

Because in the first life, the fire had started from below.

Oil.

Accelerant.

Intentional.

Rowan bowed once more. "I will report directly to you."

After he left, I remained still, replaying every detail from the night of my death.

No warning.

No argument.

No confrontation.

Just flames.

Which meant whoever set the fire didn't want to scare me.

They wanted me erased.

The system flickered suddenly.

[Unauthorized interference detected.]

[External manipulation suspected.]

I froze.

External?

"Explain," I whispered.

But it gave nothing more.

By midday, rumors were already spreading.

The rejected proposal had shaken the court.

Nobles gathered in clusters, whispering. Some looked at me with pity. Others with calculation.

If I wasn't to be Mark's wife, then I was a loose piece on the board.

Easy to remove.

I walked through the grand hall slowly, pretending not to notice the tension.

A woman stepped into my path.

Lady Isolde.

Elegant. Sharp-eyed. Always watching.

In my first life, she had congratulated me with a smile too wide to be sincere.

"My dear Lara," she said smoothly. "I was surprised by your answer last night."

"I value honesty," I replied.

She studied me carefully. "Honesty can be dangerous in this palace."

"So can disappointment."

Her lips curved faintly.

"His Lordship does not take rejection lightly."

"I'm aware."

Her gaze lingered on me a moment too long before she stepped aside.

As I continued walking, something clicked into place.

Isolde's family controlled the western trade routes.

If I became Mark's wife, her political influence would shrink.

If I died-

She would be free to maneuver.

But suspicion wasn't proof.

And in this palace, accusations without proof were suicide.

That evening, Rowan returned.

"They found traces of oil beneath the east wing storage," he reported quietly in my chambers. "Hidden behind wine barrels."

My blood ran cold.

"So it was deliberate."

"Yes."

"And who has access?"

"Servants," he said carefully. "And members of the council."

Council.

Powerful. Untouchable.

I paced slowly.

"In the first timeline, how long after the proposal did the fire occur?" I asked.

"Three days."

Three days.

Which meant the countdown had started again.

The system chimed.

[Threat window reopening.]

[Host mortality risk: Elevated.]

"Can we trace who ordered supply deliveries three days before the last fire?" I asked.

Rowan nodded. "I will investigate."

After he left, I closed the doors firmly.

Three days.

In three days, I would burn again if nothing changed.

Unless-

Unless I changed it.

A sudden knock echoed.

This time, it was Mark.

He entered without ceremony, dismissing the guards outside.

"You've been investigating," he said.

"I have."

"And?"

"The fire was planned."

He didn't look surprised.

"I suspected as much."

I crossed my arms. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because in the first timeline, you didn't trust me."

The honesty caught me off guard.

"And now?" I asked.

"Now," he said quietly, stepping closer, "I am trying to earn that trust."

The air felt heavier between us.

"If the fire was meant to kill me," I said, "then I was the target. Not you."

His expression hardened.

"Anyone who touches you touches me."

The possessiveness in his voice was unmistakable.

The system pulsed sharply.

[Target affection: 58%.]

[Critical threshold approaching.]

"Why do you care?" I demanded suddenly. "We barely knew each other."

He looked at me for a long moment.

"In the first timeline," he said slowly, "you saved my life."

That wasn't in my memory.

"When?" I asked.

"The winter hunt. An arrow meant for me."

I searched my mind.

There had been an attack.

Bandits in the forest.

I had pushed him aside out of instinct.

Not affection.

"I thought it was strategy," I murmured.

"For you, perhaps," he replied. "For me, it was everything."

Silence stretched.

The mission felt heavier now.

If I had been sent to kill a monster, this would be easy.

But Mark wasn't a monster.

He was a man who ran into fire.

A man who remembered losing me.

And somewhere in the shadows, someone powerful wanted me dead.

"Three days," I said finally. "That's how long we have."

His eyes sharpened. "You're certain?"

"Yes."

"Then we set a trap."

My pulse quickened.

"A trap?"

"We allow them to light the fire," he said calmly. "But this time, we're waiting."

The idea was dangerous.

But it was the only way to expose the mastermind.

The system glitched violently.

[Host deviating from mission.]

[Warning: System stability at 72%.]

I ignored it.

For the first time since arriving in this world, I wasn't thinking about killing Mark.

I was thinking about surviving with him.

As Mark turned to leave, he paused at the door.

"Lara."

"Yes?"

"If the fire comes again," he said quietly, "I will not fail to reach you this time."

His words lingered long after he left.

Three days.

Three days until the truth burned its way into the open.

And this time-

I would be ready.