"Are you alright?" Lina immediately asked him.

  Kaden didn't realize she had learned that much about him. Not many people could tell the difference between his aloof and indifferent expression. He was always angry about something. Always irritated, but there were varying levels of it.

  "The words you said earlier reminded me of our second life," Kaden told her.

  "Is that the lifetime before this one?" Lina questioned.

  "Yes, dove."

  "And what happened?" Lina said.

  Kaden paused. He had forgotten she didn't remember her second life. But why? What made their second life so different? He supposed the electric shock therapy did work its wonders, but only on the second lifetime.

  "A love story heading towards a tragic ending," Kaden responded. His tone was somber and serious, but he stroked her soft skin anyways.

  Kaden could still see her in elegant dresses, her hair straight and long. She was the epitome of a rich man's daughter. Her father's pockets were fat and her life was swell.

  "As tragic as our first?" Lina asked.

  "No," Kaden struggled to say.

  Kaden felt a lump in his throat. He tightened his grip on her waist. She slid her hand up his arms, settling it on his shoulders. He could feel his heart stir. What an impossible thing, really. A cliche as well. A heartless man who's organs only beat for her.

  "Nothing is more tragic than our first," Kaden told her in a collected voice. "Ever."

  Kaden embraced her endearingly. She was seated sideways, her legs resting over his. His hands snaked to her stomach, where a heartbeat should've been. But it wasn't.

  In her second life, she had told him the most profound thing ever. It had nearly shattered him.

  "I had a miscarriage…" Lina realized.

  Kaden said nothing.

  Lina was dumbfounded. She was stunned into silence. She did not know. Of course not, she was dead when the blood poured. Her eyes watered and she looked away.

  "In your second lifetime, you once told me something," Kaden muttered. "When you asked why I always wore a gaunt expression and I mentioned my first love died alongside our unborn child."

  Unborn child. First love.

  Lina's heart couldn't break any further, but it did. Her heart shattered to thousands of pieces. And he was there to pick it all up.

  "What did I say?" Lina asked.

  Her throat tightened. She was beginning to find it difficult to continue this conversation. She saw the pain in his eyes. The devastation of losing everything in a single moment.

  "You said…" Kaden trailed off. He could practically picture her beside him, an understanding expression on her face.

  Kaden placed a hand on her stomach. "Sometimes, children pick their mothers, for they feel a sense of love from you. However, sometimes the baby will sense danger coming your way. Thus, they'll quietly return to the sky to wait. To wait for you again, but only after you get healthy, and then they'll return."

  Lina's breath hitched. She felt something wet trickle down her face. She didn't realize she was crying until the moisture touched her hand. Then, she raised her head.

  Kaden watched her with a pained expression. She had never seen him like this. Never seen him with such melancholy. He was in agony too, but he held it all in.

  "You can let it out," Lina insisted. "I'll never judge."

  "I've already let it out," Kaden whispered.

  The massacre of Ritan's Second Emperor and Kade's relatives. Conquering Teran. Building a temple in memory of Lina that was now a tourist attraction. Two graves, side by side, are buried deep within the shrine. One small. One large.

  "When I am healthy, will they return soon?" Lina asked.

  Kaden slid his hand over her stomach. He simply kissed her on the top of her forehead.

  "You've just returned. Let me cherish you a while longer, dove. Just a while more." Kaden did not want children now.

  Kaden only wanted her. He had long given up his dream of becoming a father. If there was one thing he couldn't afford, it was the luxury of a family. Perhaps one day he could have their picture-perfect future. Perhaps one day. When all the dangers were gone, when their life was stable, and when the world would not go against him.

  "I'll wait," Lina said. "And if you are not long… I'll remain patient for an eternity."

  Kaden responded by embracing her tighter. He would have eternity with her. He'd have it no other way.

  "Let's have a wedding ceremony first, then," Kaden stated.

  Lina's shoulders dropped. The wedding. She did not forget the future she foresaw from touching him. In the future, she was in a blood stained wedding dress, sobbing before an empty altar.

  "Let's register for our wedding license first," Lina mumbled.

  "It doesn't take that long. We should begin to plan the ceremony soon and discuss the details," Kaden stated.

  "W-well—"

  "Do you not want one?" Kaden demanded.

  Lina pressed her lips together. Living for one thousand years does make a man as conservative as he could possibly get.

  "I don't," Lina confessed.

  Kaden stared at her, dumbstruck. Usually, it was the woman nagging for the largest ceremony this world had ever seen. The sky was the limit. She could request a waterfall at their wedding and he'd spend all the money in the world to get it. She could say she wanted it held in space and he'd find a way.

  "You don't want a ceremony?" Kaden repeated like she was crazy.

  "Yes."

  "Really?" Kaden insisted.

  "Really."

  Kaden had to do a double take. Was he the crazy one here? Or, was she too calm for a woman who didn't want to celebrate it?

  "There's no budget," Kaden slowly told her.

  "Nice."

  "We're going to have the biggest political marriage of the decade," Kaden deadpanned.

  "Wow."

  "Royalty will be there," Kaden added.

  Lina blinked. "Okay."

  Kaden grew irritated. "Why don't you want one? There is literally no reason to—"

  "Our wedding might end horribly," Lina mumbled. "I saw a glimpse of your future. As in, blood on my wedding dress, an emptied altar, and I'm on my knees crying."

  Well. That was certainly one way to drop the truth. Out of nowhere. Kaden paused at the information. What was he supposed to say to that? He'd have no choice but to trust her blindly.

  "Trust me, ever since I was a little girl I wanted a wedding that could rival the prince and princesses of my story books," Lina admitted. "But if we could avoid a mudslide of problems, then I'm willing to give up on my dream."

  "Our dream," Kaden said.

  "I'm sorry."

  Kaden let out a small sigh and shook his head. He hid the disappointment.

  "You're sorry for not spending my money?" Kaden snorted.

  "I have my own."

  "I'm aware," Kaden mused.

  Lina supposed he would be. The gifts she sent him were not cheap. In the end, she could only smile with relief that he would postone the ceremony.

  "Thank you for trusting me," Lina said.

  Lina opened her mouth to continue, but he pinched her nose.

  "Ow!" Lina groaned, her voice sounding weird.

  "Married couples don't thank each other," Kaden stated matter of factly. He rolled his eyes at her surprised expression.

  "Truly, you do not know how to be a wife, dear wife of mine," Kaden mused.

  "And you know how to be a husband?" Lina demanded.

  "Is it not just a title?" Kaden teased.

  Lina narrowed her eyes at him…… When was this man going to stop teasing her? Judging from the smug expression on his face, she knew the answer was never.