Chapter 2

For the first time since awakening, Elowen felt a strange lightness in her chest.

She hurried out of her room, her steps quickening as she made her way down the grand staircase.

The servants she passed bowed politely, some looking surprised by the unusual brightness on their young lady's face.

Elowen barely noticed them.

There was only one person she wanted to see.

Her father.

She reached the lower floor and quickly made her way toward the study.

Without bothering to knock, she pushed the door open.

"Father!"

Behind the large mahogany desk sat Duke Alistair Ravelle, carefully reading through a stack of documents.

He was widely known throughout Valoria not only for his remarkable business mind, but also for his kindness. Unlike many nobles who treated their servants as mere possessions, Alistair was respected by nearly everyone who worked under him.

Even rival families spoke highly of him.

To his people, he was a duke who could command enormous wealth without allowing power to make him cruel.

The moment he heard his daughter's voice, however, his attention immediately left the documents.

His brows lifted in surprise.

"Elowen?"

He stared at her for a moment.

His daughter rarely came to his study without a reason, much less bursting through the door with such excitement.

"What's happened?"

Elowen stopped in front of his desk, breathing slightly faster from running.

For a moment, she simply stared at him.

Alive.

Her father was alive.

She remembered the day she had received the news of his death in her first life.

She remembered how she had wished she could have hugged him one last time.

And now he was sitting right in front of her.

Young.

Healthy.

Smiling at her.

Her eyes suddenly began to sting.

Alistair immediately stood.

"Elowen?"

He walked around the desk, concern replacing his surprise.

"Are you all right, my dear?"

Elowen could no longer hold herself back.

She stepped forward and threw her arms around him.

Alistair froze.

Then his expression softened.

He gently placed an arm around his daughter.

"Well," he murmured with a small laugh, "this is certainly unexpected."

Elowen buried her face against his chest.

She had forgotten how warm her father's embrace felt.

And for the first time since returning to the past, she allowed herself to believe that perhaps this second life truly was a gift.

Because the people she had lost…

were still here.

What happened?" Alistair asked softly, still surprised by his daughter's sudden embrace.

Elowen tightened her arms around him for a moment before finally pulling away.

"I missed you, Father."

Alistair stared at her.

Then, to Elowen's surprise, he let out a warm laugh.

"You missed me?"

He gently patted her head, amusement in his eyes.

"My goodness. I must have been neglecting my own daughter."

Elowen smiled faintly.

Alistair glanced toward the mountains of documents covering his desk and sighed.

"I suppose I've been spending far too much time in this study."

He looked around as if only now realizing how much of his day had disappeared behind paperwork.

"Between the trade agreements, the new investments, and those merchants who seem determined to argue over every coin, I haven't even noticed how long it's been since I visited your room."

He shook his head with a quiet laugh. "What kind of father am I?"

Elowen's smile slowly faded.

She remembered the answer from her first life.

A father who had always loved her.

A father who had tried to protect her.

A father she had taken for granted because she believed she would have countless years to make up for the time they lost.

She reached for his hand.

"You're a good father."

Alistair looked at her, slightly surprised by the sincerity in her voice.

Then he smiled.

"Well, if my daughter says so, I suppose I must be."

Elowen looked at him for a long moment.

This time, she would cherish every moment she had with him.

Duke noticed the way Elowen was still holding onto his hand.

He raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile forming on his lips.

"You didn't come all the way to my study just to tell me you missed me, did you?"

Elowen blinked. "Why would you think that?"

"Because I know my daughter." He chuckled. "Whenever you suddenly become this affectionate, you usually want something."

Elowen puffed her cheeks slightly. "Father…"

Alistair laughed. "Ah, there it is."

He returned to his chair and leaned back comfortably.

"Very well. Tell me. What favor does my daughter want from me?"

Elowen hesitated.

She had rehearsed this moment in her head, yet now that she was standing before him, she wasn't sure how to begin.

"Father…"

"Yes?"

"Would you grant me a favor?"

Alistair studied her for a moment before his expression softened.

"Of course."

He didn't even ask what it was.

"You're my daughter, Elowen. Whatever it is, consider it done."

Her heart tightened.

In her first life, she had been too afraid to ask him for many things.

This time, she wouldn't make the same mistake.

She took a slow breath.

"Father… I want a piece of land."

Alistair raised an eyebrow.

"A piece of land?"

"Yes. A large one."

She stepped closer to his desk.

"Somewhere not too far from the Ravelle estate. I want somewhere spacious, with enough land around it to build something of my own."

Alistair leaned back in his chair, studying her with curiosity.

"That's rather specific. Do you already have a place in mind?"

Elowen nodded.

"There is a large piece of undeveloped land on the western side of the estate. Near the old woodland."

Alistair's expression changed slightly.

"That land?"

"Yes."

"Why that particular place?"

Elowen hesitated.

She remembered it clearly.

In her first life, that land had never belonged to the Ravelles for long. Nathaniel had been the one who eventually acquired it.

At the time, Elowen had thought nothing of it.

Now she knew better.

That piece of land would become one of the first things Nathaniel secured for himself after their families began discussing their engagement.

She wasn't going to let that happen again.

"I simply like the location," she answered.

Alistair gave her a skeptical look.

"You've never shown any interest in land before."

"I do now."

He chuckled.

"You certainly woke up with many surprises today."

Elowen smiled innocently. "So… can I have it?"

Alistair tapped his fingers against the desk, pretending to consider her request.

"And what exactly does my fifteen-year-old daughter intend to do with such a large piece of land?"

Elowen's smile widened.

"That…"

She paused.

"I'll tell you when I'm ready."

Alistair stared at her for several seconds before laughing.

"Very well. Keep your secrets for now."

Elowen's eyes brightened.

"Then you'll give it to me?"

"If the land is still under our family's control, it's yours."

Her heart filled with relief.

She had just changed the first piece of her future.

The land Nathaniel once acquired would now belong to her.

Her second life would not be a repetition of the first.

It would be the beginning of something entirely new.

After leaving her father's study, Elowen walked through the manor with a strange lightness in her step.

For the first time in years, she felt as though the future belonged to her again.

She passed through the grand corridor and soon spotted the family's old butler, Goodness she forgot the name speaking with several servants near the dining hall.

"Mr- ."

The elderly butler immediately turned.

"Yes, Lady Elowen?"

Elowen smiled. "Starting today, I want my meals changed."

Mr. Alden blinked. "Changed, my lady?"

"Completely."

The maids exchanged confused glances.

Elowen walked toward the dining room as though she had just made the most ordinary request in the world.

"I want different kinds of meat served throughout the week. Beef, chicken, fish, and anything else the kitchen can prepare properly. I also want broth with my meals."

Mr. Alden hurriedly took out his small notebook.

"Of course, my lady."

"And nuts and grains."

The butler's pen stopped.

The maid standing beside him stared at Elowen.

"Lady Elowen..."

"What?"

"You don't usually eat nuts."

"I know."

"You've even had a slight allergic reaction to some of them before."

"I know that too."

The maid looked at her as though she had suddenly grown another head.

Elowen smiled.

Silence followed.

The maid exchanged another look with Mr. Alden.

In the past, Elowen had been notoriously particular about her meals. She disliked heavy food, often skipped breakfast, and sometimes pushed away perfectly prepared dishes simply because she wasn't in the mood to eat them.

Now she was standing in front of them, calmly requesting a complete change.

"And vegetables," Elowen continued. "Fresh fruit. Eggs. Milk. More nutritious soups. And make sure the kitchen uses fresh ingredients."

Mr. Alden stared at his notebook.

"My lady... that is quite a list."

"Is it?"

"A very considerable one."

Elowen laughed softly.

"Then consider it a challenge for the kitchen."

The maid finally found her voice.

"But, Lady Elowen, are you certain? Some of those foods don't agree with you."

Elowen's smile faded slightly.

She remembered.

She remembered how weak she had become in her first life.

How often she had been exhausted.

How she had barely cared about what she ate because she had been too consumed by loneliness and the coldness of her marriage.

And later...

When she had finally carried Julian's child, she had realized too late how precious her own health had been.

Her hand instinctively moved toward her stomach.

There was no child there yet.

Not now.

And this time, she would be ready.

"I'll be careful," she said quietly. "Anything that causes a reaction will be removed immediately. I simply want my meals to be healthier."

Mr. Alden bowed.

"Very well, my lady. I shall speak with the head cook personally."

"Good."

Elowen turned toward the dining room.

Then she stopped.

"Oh, and one more thing."

Mr. Alden looked up.

"No more skipping meals."

The butler's expression became genuinely surprised.

The maid nearly dropped the tray she was carrying.

Elowen smiled.

She walked away before either of them could question her further.

During her first life, someone had once told her something she had barely paid attention to at the time.

She remembered the conversation clearly now.

"You shouldn't think of food as something you eat simply because you're hungry, Elowen."

Lady butcher told her. Her friend before while she's four months old pregnant with Julian.

"Your body needs it."

"Different foods give the body different things. Meat, grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, broth... your body needs nourishment from all of them."

At the time, Elowen had simply smiled and ignored the advice.