Future Reflections

On my wedding night, I saw another me from fifty years in the future through the bronze mirror on the dressing table. The old woman in the mirror was in the same manor I had just married into. Blushing, I touched my hair. "Fifty years from now, will I be surrounded by family, living peacefully together?" But the old woman only leaned against the dark bed in silence. Then, a yellowed painted portrait slipped from her sleeve and fell at her feet. I shyly said, "Is that the portrait Matthew promised me on our wedding night? He said we would grow old together, hand in hand." Only then did the old woman scoff and slowly move closer to the mirror. I looked carefully. The woman in the portrait on the floor was... Sabella, my closest friend. A chill went through me as my future self forced a bitter smile and stared straight at me. "The truth is that Sabella Lane was abducted and violated on your wedding night, and then she died. Because you stopped Matthew Cross, he became certain that you had sent people to do it. After that, he hated you and tortured you for fifty years. "Gwendolen Shaw, I have now revealed to you the truth ahead of time. Whether you still stop him from seeking out Sabella tonight or not is your choice." Chapter 1 I froze where I stood, unable to believe a word of it. Matthew and I had known each other since childhood. After more than a decade together, everyone in the royal capital of Kingsport knew how much he cared for me. To marry me, he had barely passed the two trials my father had set for him. Then, he petitioned outside the Shaw estate for three days and nights before my father finally agreed. He had said he would never marry anyone but me. Sabella Lane was also my closest friend. She had not been in Kingsport for long, but we were alike in temperament. It wasn't long before we shared everything with each other. She knew Matthew was the only man in my heart. She had even once teased me by saying that if she were a man, she would fight Matthew for me. The two of them even got jealous over who could invite me out that day. To say they had been secretly involved with each other and that Matthew would torture me for fifty years because of her? What a ridiculous joke! I was about to argue with the old woman in the bronze mirror when the door to the bedchamber was suddenly shoved open from outside. The candles shook hard and nearly went out. My heart lurched as I hurriedly lowered the veil over my head again and grabbed the corners of my dress with both hands tightly. My heart was pounding, and I felt both nervous and shy. However, my husband did not comfort me gently, nor did he hand me the wedding cup that symbolized eternal union to seal our marriage. Instead, a large hand reached over and tore the veil from my head. The force was so great that it knocked my wedding hair ornaments away. The wedding night I had imagined countless times was shattered in that instant. I looked up in shock and saw Matthew, his face tight with fear and anxiety. A fine layer of sweat covered his forehead, and the eyes that had once held such tenderness for me now held only panic and urgency. He did not even glance at the face I had carefully made up for him as he held my shoulders tightly. "Gwendolen! Sabella was abducted. I have to save her." My mind buzzed as if I had just suffered a blow. The old woman's words from the mirror echoed in my ears again, one by one. When Matthew saw my face go pale, he seemed to realize he had been too rough. His tone softened as he hurried to explain. "You and Sabella are closest friends. She means more to you than anyone. Of course, I can't stand by and do nothing." After he said that, there was a glint in his eyes as he glanced at me with guilt. The sight sent a chill down my spine, and I couldn't help but shiver. So… everything the old woman had said was true. All my questions and refusals died immediately. I lowered my eyes, hid every emotion, then looked up again with a calm face. "Alright." My voice was very soft, but he heard it clearly enough. Matthew had thought I would cry, make a scene, or even try to stop him, so he had already prepared what he would say to soothe me. "I know tonight is our wedding night, but a life is at stake. You wouldn't feel at ease if we sent someone else to find her..." Halfway through, he stopped and stared at me in disbelief. "What did you say? You agree?" I nodded and pulled myself free of his hands, then I pushed him toward the door. "You're right. A life is at stake, and Sabella is my closest friend. No matter how you look at it, you should go and save her. Make haste. You must bring Sabella back safely. Take as many of the estate's guards as you need. The more people, the better. Go. Do not delay." The more generous and understanding I acted, the more confused Matthew became. He stared at me for a long time. Only when I urged him again did he snap out of it. His need to save Sabella overcame every doubt. He no longer hesitated and walked out of the room. "Gwendolen, wait for me." Chapter 2 Matthew left those words behind in a hurry, and he soon vanished into the night. But the moment he turned away, my expression turned cold. The noise outside slowly faded. I stood there quietly, listening as he gathered men and rode away at full speed. The candles in our bedchamber still burned, but it felt unbearably ironic. I turned and walked toward the bronze mirror. In the mirror, I still wore my wedding hair ornaments and gown. I looked dazzling, but the icy look in my eyes could send a chill down anyone's spine. I took out a carrier pigeon and wrote a letter. Then, I raised my voice and ordered the people outside. "Prepare a carriage and follow the marquess!" The carriage raced through the night. I sat upright inside, holding the bronze mirror tightly in both hands. In the mirror, the old face from my future fifty years later remained clear. Her hoarse voice sounded faintly beside my ear. "On my wedding night, I refused to let Matthew leave no matter what. I cried and made a scene. I said that if he dared abandon me on our wedding night, he would humiliate the General of Ironwall's household and make me the laughingstock of the capital. "I forced him until he had no choice but to stay and complete the rest of the ceremony with me. I kept him trapped in the bedchamber, and he did not go out all night." I listened in silence, my heart growing colder and colder. "But I never expected Sabella to appear at the estate's gates the next day, her clothes torn and her body covered in injuries. She did not die, but what happened to her was worse than death. "Everyone said I was a jealous woman who had deliberately delayed him to cause her so much suffering. Matthew… He hated me to the bone from that day on." After the old woman finished, I sank into even deeper confusion. From what I knew about Sabella, there was a strong chance that she had staged this abduction herself. Sabella had pulled these pranks more than once over the years, and every time, Matthew used me as an excuse to find her. I had foolishly thought he cared about her because she mattered to me. It turned out the two had been involved for a long time. But if my future self was right, why had the matter ended so tragically? Before I could think it through, the carriage stopped sharply. A personal guard reported quietly from outside the carriage. "My lady, Lord Matthew is inside the abandoned temple ahead." I raised the curtain at once, and a cold wind rushed in, clearing my head. Not far away, torches lit up the abandoned temple, and the estate guards had surrounded it so that no one could get through. I hurried over and immediately saw Sabella with a blade pressed to her neck. She was wearing white. Her hair was loose and messy, and she looked fragile enough to break as she cried. "Matthew, I'm so scared..." Her voice trembled, but her eyes passed over Matthew and landed on me. "Gwendolen, I'm sorry. This is all my fault... I shouldn't have played this kind of joke on you. I ruined your wedding night." She cried beautifully, and she absolved herself of blame with those words. Matthew's heart nearly broke as he listened. He roared at the bandit. "Let her go! I'll give you whatever you want!" The bandit holding Sabella only looked fierce. The truth was that he was already rattled after being surrounded by so many people. The blade in his hand pressed closer to Sabella's neck, and a line of blood immediately seeped from Sabella's pale skin. "I want one hundred thousand silver coins! Not one coin less! Bring it now!" "Fine! I'll give it to you! I'll gather the silver at once!" When Matthew saw Sabella bleeding, he completely lost his composure and agreed repeatedly. He suddenly turned and grabbed my hand, then spoke in an urgent tone. "Gwendolen, you heard him! One hundred thousand silver coins! Agree to it first! The general's household is wealthy, and your wedding gift should be enough!" I looked at his red eyes. A life was at stake, so of course I would not refuse. Just as I was about to nod, Sabella suddenly screamed. The bandit was already nervous. When she startled him, his hand shook, and the blade cut deeper. "Why are you screaming, you witch?! I'll kill you!" "No!" Seeing that the bandit was about to kill Sabella, Matthew's eyes turned red. Then, he did something I would never forget. He grabbed my arm without hesitation and shoved me hard toward the bandit. I stumbled forward under that terrible force and crashed straight into the bandit's arms. The cold blade instantly pressed against my neck. The husband who had just taken my hand during our wedding used that opening to snatch Sabella back from the bandit and hold her tightly in his arms. He did not even spare a look at me as he lowered his voice to calm the trembling woman in his arms. "Don't be afraid, Sabella. You're safe now." Even the bandit froze, not expecting the hostage to be switched like this. Then, Matthew's cold voice came, each word cutting into my heart. "I'm exchanging her with Sabella. My wife is Gwendolen Shaw, the only daughter of the General of Ironwall! Forget one hundred thousand silver coins. As long as she's alive, the general will even pay a million silver coins for her!" Chapter 3 In that instant, I could feel the chill in my bones. Oh, how cold the bitter frost traveling through my veins was. The person I loved most had pushed me into the bandit's hands for the sake of my closest friend. I felt the edge of the blade against my neck, but I was not afraid at all. It was said that there was no greater sorrow than a dead heart. This was probably what that meant. When the bandit saw that he had me in his hands, the panic in his eyes turned vicious. He grinned and pressed the blade tighter against my neck. His foul breath brushed my ear as he spoke in a voice only I could hear. "The legitimate daughter of the General of Ironwall? If you want to blame someone, blame it on the person who paid a high price for your life!" My heart skipped a beat as I sensed the killing intent surging inside of him. The bandit raised his sword, but at the last second, I used all my strength and bit hard into the wrist that held me. The bandit screamed in pain, and his grip loosened. At that exact moment, a feathered arrow shrieked through the air. Matthew had not come to save me. Instead, his arrow came flying at me! The sharp arrow pierced through my left shoulder blade, then buried itself deep in the bandit's chest behind me while my blood flowed. The pain in my shoulder made my vision go black. I had gone through martial training with my father since childhood, and that shoulder had been badly injured before. Matthew knew that, yet he still aimed for it. I might never draw a bow or wield a sword again. I stared at Matthew in disbelief. He stood not far away, still holding the bow he had used to shoot me. For Sabella, he could push me out as a hostage. Now, he had used my body as a shield, shooting through me before injuring the enemy! The bandit clearly had not expected him to be so ruthless either. Clutching his chest, he slipped into the hidden passage behind the abandoned temple and vanished when he saw that things were going badly. Matthew instinctively ran toward me, as if he wanted to catch me before I collapsed. "Matthew, I'm so scared. I'm bleeding so much..." Sabella's pitiful sobs made him stop in his tracks. He hesitated for only a moment before turning around and lifting Sabella into his arms. As for me, blood poured from my shoulder blade as I collapsed onto the ground and lost consciousness. - In the darkness, memories surged like a tide. I remembered how Matthew had faced the two trials my father had set for him so that he could marry me. The first attempt was to gather one hundred thousand silver coins within seven days. I was the one who had secretly taken out the deeds my mother had left me as security and helped him gather that huge sum. The second attempt was to go to the snowy peak in the far north and bring back the legendary frost rose. He had nearly frozen to death on the mountain and barely escaped with his life. In the end, he had brought back only a few frost rose seeds. Although neither trial had been completed perfectly, he petitioned outside the estate for three days and nights in the snowstorm. I petitioned alongside him inside the gates for three days and nights too. Only then did my father soften and agree to our marriage. I had always thought marrying a good man was the greatest blessing of my life. Only now did I realize that I had spent all these years looking at nothing but lies. Chapter 4 A sharp pain in my shoulder blade woke me from my sleep. I opened my eyes, but there was no one beside me. Only the bronze mirror that connected to the future was safely placed beside my bed. The old woman in the mirror looked at my miserable state and chuckled twice. "Foolish child. Matthew ignored and tortured me for five decades, and I only learned the truth yesterday. Sabella never died. He kept her in another estate, hidden away as his mistress for fifty full years! "They lived happily together surrounded by children and grandchildren, while I lived with guilt and blame for hurting my closest friend. I spent my life with only a rosary and prayer books for company, alone and miserable." I listened quietly to her accusation. Every word was soaked in blood. However, my heart no longer stirred. "The one hundred thousand silver coins you gathered for him became the wealth he used to support Sabella. "And back then, it wasn't that he failed to bring back the frost rose during his trip to the snowy mountain. He gave the frost rose that could cure every poison and heal any wound to Sabella!" I walked out of the room in a daze. The sharp pain in my left shoulder reminded me that none of this was a dream. I ignored everyone who tried to stop me and went straight to the estate's main courtyard. It was time to end everything today. I saw Matthew bowing before his mother from afar. Sabella stood beside him, weeping pitifully. "Mother, I've decided. I won't ever fail Sabella again. Please allow me to make Sabella my second wife!" When they saw me arrive, both their faces froze as they hesitated. Still, I forced myself to show a faint smile. "Why go through so much trouble? Why not give Sabella my place as the lady of your household instead?" At my words, Matthew frowned and quickly walked up to me. "Gwendolen, stop this." He reached out to pull me close, but I avoided him in disgust. I hit his hand away and said, "Matthew, we'll have a divorce. That will make room for the two of you." The entire courtyard fell into dead silence as Matthew's face filled with disbelief. He thought I was only acting out in anger. "Gwendolen, I know you're upset about yesterday, but you're proficient in martial skills. You could take it. But Sabella is delicate. She would die." I looked at Matthew with red eyes. Did he know that his shove and his arrow last night had rendered me unable to ever fight again? Sabella began crying at just the right time. Then, she grabbed my hand. "Gwendolen, I was only upset that you wouldn't stay with me on your wedding night! I got a little jealous and went out to clear my head! Who could have expected bandits would abduct me? The situation was bad, and Matthew only came to save me for your sake! You must not be angry with him!" With those words, she made herself seem generous and made me seem petty. As expected, her words provoked Matthew. His brows furrowed, and he became extremely impatient with me. "Gwendolen, when did you become so heartless? Sabella is your closest friend. Last night, I held her in front of so many people, so of course I have to take responsibility for her. Do you want Sabella to spend the rest of her life without pride in Kingsport?" I did not want to waste another word on them, so I pushed Sabella away. I had barely used any strength, yet Sabella staggered and fell to the ground. "Gwendolen, are you truly unwilling to forgive us?" Sabella's tearful accusation enraged Matthew completely. Matthew helped Sabella up and walked over to me. His eyes were red, and he raised his hand to slap me. "Gwendolen. How dare you-" It was at that moment that a cold voice cut through the commotion from outside the courtyard's entrance. "That's quite an impressive display of power, Lord Matthew."