The Captain's Second Chance Novel

The day the King was ambushed, my husbandthe Captain of the Royal Guardwas busy placating his childhood sweetheart, who had stormed off in a fit of pique.
I did not light the signal flare in my hand. Instead, I stood before the King, my belly swollen with child, and became his human shield.
I made this choice because, in my previous life, I had lit that flare. My husband had abandoned his precious Victoria to rush to the King's side. He was hailed as a hero, named Lord Protector of the realm for his valor. But Victoria, left alone, fell into the assassins' trap and was killed on the spot.
My husband said nothing at the time. But on the day I gave birth, he threw me into the Beast Pit.
As the creatures closed in, I screamed at him, demanding to know why.
He gave me a single, cold glance.
The King has a legion of guards. Why did I, and only I, have to return? It must be that you, with your eyes only for power and wealth, deliberately summoned me!
If you hadn't lit that flare, would Victoria have died? The suffering she endured I will make you repay it, tenfold!
The beasts tore me apart, devouring even the newborn child from my womb.
When I opened my eyes again, I was back. Back on the day of the King's assassination.

Protect the King!
The black-clad assassins moved with deadly precision. I took a reflexive step back.
I was truly reborn. And it was right at the beginning.
My eyes fell to the signal flare clutched in my hand. While no one was watching, I hurled it into a nearby lake. Then, with all my strength, I threw myself in front of the King, who was locked in a desperate struggle with the attackers.
I saw the shock in his eyes as I became his shield, absorbing blow after brutal blow meant for him. I watched as the confusion in his gaze slowly gave way to disbelief, then to a dawning sense of awe.
I knew, in that moment, that my gamble had paid off.
My husband, Lord Richard, was the Captain of the Royal Guard. He was meant to be by the King's side at all times. Yet today, with the King's life in peril, he was absent.
He was chasing after his pouting first love, Lady Victoria.
In my last life, I had lit the flare, fearing he would be reprimanded for his absence. Instead, after being showered with titles and honors, he decided I was a power-hungry shrew who had orchestrated Victoria's death. He had me thrown into a pit of wild beasts he had prepared just for me, a final, gruesome end for me and my child.
Since the heavens had granted me a second chance, I would not walk that same path to ruin.
I shielded the King with my life. Blades plunged into my body, but I gritted my teeth and refused to make a sound. The King had other guards nearby; if I could just hold on until reinforcements arrived, I would live.
The King understood this. Though it pained him, he took shelter behind me. The assassins, realizing my intent, exchanged a look. Then, one of them drove his sword deep into my abdomen.
My child. I was eight months pregnant. I felt him move within me every day. In my last life, just before the end, I could have sworn I heard him cry. This single blade felt more agonizing than being torn apart by a hundred beasts.
A raw scream tore from my throat. My vision swam with red. I felt their killing intent focus on me, the final blow about to fall.
A sharp, tearing pain radiated from my core, different from the agony of my first death. I felt something precious, something vital, slipping away from me. I reached out, but my hand only found the King's blood-soaked tunic.
The thunder of approaching footsteps. I heard the King's frantic roar.
Healers! Where are the Royal Healers? Whose lady is this? Someone, attend to her!
I opened my mouth, but only blood came out, spilling in crimson waves. The King knelt beside me, heedless of the gore.
With the last of my strength, I forced out the words.
I am the wife of the Captain of the Royal Guard Lord Richard.

After speaking, I felt myself slipping into darkness. But a sharp prick from a healer's needle jolted me back.
My lady, you cannot sleep, he urged, wiping sweat from his brow. If you sleep now, you may never wake. Think of your husband, your child! They are waiting for you!
The King's voice joined his. Yes, yes, that's right. You have saved the Crown. When you recover, I shall name you Lady Protector of the Realm, and you will want for nothing. And your child! If it is a girl, she shall be betrothed to my son, the Prince. If a boy, he will be granted a great title. You must hold on! I've already sent for Lord Richard!
I managed a weak, bitter smile. I was no fool. The moment that blade entered my womb, I knew my child was lost. As for Richard he would not come.
Just then, the messenger the King had dispatched returned, breathless. He fell to his knees, his eyes fixed on the floor.
The King's brow furrowed. Where is Lord Richard?
The page trembled. My lord Lord Richard refuses to come. He said he said not to use such cheap tricks to gain his sympathy.
The boy's head hit the stone floor with a dull thud. I knew Richard must have said far worse, things the page dared not repeat in the King's presence. Of course. In Richard's heart, I was worth less than a single hair on Victoria's head.
And yet, I was his lawfully wedded wife. Victoria was merely his mistress. He had abandoned his post, abandoned his King, to chase after her. That signal flare I had knelt and begged him for it before he left.
In my last life, I lit it, and he called me ambitious. In this one, the King himself summoned him, and he ignored the call.
If he loved Victoria so much, why had he ever married me?
Rage surged through me, and I coughed up another mouthful of blood.
The healer, his cap askew, glanced nervously at the King. Your Majesty, the Lady's emotions are too volatile. If she does not have family by her side at this critical moment, I fear she will not survive!
The King looked at me, his jaw tight with fury, but he swallowed his anger. He pulled a heavy, carved jade pendant from his belt and threw it to the page.
Go. Tell him it is a command from his King. If he does not come, I will have his head!
He was truly enraged now. He was surrounded by guards, yet on this day, the one who mattered most was gone. I had nearly died for him, yet he could not even summon my husband. For a man of his absolute power, it was a profound humiliation.
My condition was too fragile to be moved. The healers could only keep me alive with needles and potions while they brewed a stronger draught. When the page returned again, I was still conscious enough to hear his report.
This time, he was not alone.
With great effort, I opened my eyes. I saw a face I knew all too well from my past life: Victoria's handmaiden, Sarah.