Mated To The Barbarian King Who Is My Ex-husband's Father.

Chapter 1: Reborn

"Do you want Ethan as your husband? Is that what you want?" King Zain roared, his voice shaking the entire hall.

Arianna could not answer. Her mind was still trying to understand what was happening around her.

Everything felt so familiar.

Her eyes slowly moved around the hall. The grand pillars, the noble families gathered inside, the worried look on her mother’s face, and the anger burning in her father’s eyes. She had seen this before.

Then it hit her.

This was the day.

The day she turned seventeen.

The day she made the choice that destroyed her life.

The day she rejected Prince Casper’s marriage proposal and eloped with Ethan.

Arianna’s breath caught in her throat.

Slowly, she turned her head and saw Ethan standing in a corner of the hall. Beside him was Selena, her best friend...the girl he cheated on her with.

A chill ran through her body.

It was exactly the same.

Every detail was the same.

Her heart pounded wildly against her chest as a shocking thought filled her mind.

Had she really been given another chance?

Had fate turned back time for her?

Tears almost gathered in her eyes.

Life had given her a second chance, and this time she would not waste it. She would not repeat the mistakes that ruined everything. She would fix it all.

"Will you calm down, Your Highness?" her mother, Queen Lara, said softly. Worry filled her voice as she glanced between Arianna and the king. "I am sure Arianna is confused. She will come back to her senses soon."

"What senses?" King Zain snapped. The lines on his forehead deepened as anger flashed in his eyes. "She lost those senses a long time ago, and none of you noticed."

"Because she chose me?" Ethan asked as he stepped forward.

Dressed in his princely clothes, he carried himself with confidence, as though he already belonged beside the princess.

"Your Highness, I disagree with you," Ethan continued boldly. "The princess should be allowed to marry whoever she wants. She chose me. Everyone here knows how much she loves me. She cannot live without me. Why should anyone stop her from marrying me?"

The hall fell silent.

No one dared speak.

What Ethan said sounded reasonable, and many of the nobles secretly agreed with him.

But that was not why they were shocked.

They were shocked because he was speaking to the king in such a manner.

Very few people in the kingdom would dare challenge the king openly, and almost none would do it in front of the entire royal court.

Only someone from the powerful House of Stormborn could stand before the king without fear and speak as though they were equals.

Ethan was feared throughout the kingdom because he came from the Barbarian Tribe. His father was not just a ruthless king. He was a tyrant whose name alone was enough to make people tremble. Stories of his cruelty traveled from one kingdom to another, and nobody dared cross him.

In her previous life, Arianna remembered how Ethan escaped punishment for countless wrongs simply because he was the tyrant’s son. No matter what he did, people looked the other way.

But when his father finally disowned him and cast him out, everything changed.

Ethan became nothing.

The people who once feared him no longer cared about him. The power he had always relied on disappeared overnight.

"Y... yes. She loves him and practically worships the ground he walks on," Selena said confidently. A small smile played on her lips as she looked at Arianna. "Princess Arianna will definitely choose Ethan. She has always chosen him over her family."

"She can’t even live without him," another noble whispered.

Arianna was not surprised by their words.

After all, they were right.

That was exactly who she had been in her previous life.

A foolish girl who had given Ethan all her love, all her trust, and her entire future.

Tears burned her eyes as she looked at Ethan.

He stood beside Selena with complete confidence, not even bothering to hide it. He truly believed she would once again turn her back on her family for him.

Just like before.

Neither of them knew that the Arianna who loved Ethan blindly was already gone.

"You will not go against your father again, Arianna. Do you understand?" Queen Lara said. Her voice trembled with worry.

"Let her speak," the king said firmly.

He turned toward his daughter, his sharp gaze fixed on her face.

The entire hall held its breath.

Arianna swallowed hard.

This was the moment that had ruined her life before.

This time, she would choose differently.

Slowly, she lifted her head.

"I want to marry King Kane of the north."

The hall fell completely silent and not a single sound could be heard.

For a moment, Arianna wondered if they had even heard her.

Then she looked around. The horror on their faces answered her question.

They had heard every word.

Her decision had shocked them into silence.

Every person in the hall had expected her to choose Ethan.

But there was no chance she would make that mistake again.

She would never spend another day beside the people who betrayed her and led her to her death.

"A... are you sure about what you just said?" the king asked slowly.

The anger on his face had disappeared, replaced by pure confusion.

He stared at his daughter as if she had suddenly become a stranger.

"Do you even understand what you are saying, Arianna?"

"Yes, Father. I am not mad, and I have not lost my mind," Arianna said firmly.

"You want to marry the King in the North?" Queen Lara hurried to her side, staring at her daughter in disbelief. She placed a hand on Arianna’s forehead. "Are you running a fever?"

Arianna almost laughed.

"No, Mother. I know exactly what I am saying."

The smile on her face only made everyone more worried.

Whispers quickly spread through the hall.

"The King in the North is a devil. Why would she choose him?"

"The princess must be unwell."

"Just a moment ago, she was obsessed with Ethan."

"She acted as if she couldn’t survive without him."

"And now she wants to marry his father?"

The hall buzzed with gossip.

Arianna ignored them and turned her eyes toward Ethan.

For the first time in a very long time, she felt peace.

The shock on his face was priceless.

He looked completely lost.

He had expected her to choose him without hesitation, just as she had done in her previous life.

But choosing his father?

That possibility had never crossed his mind.

"Have you lost your mind, Arianna?" Ethan demanded.

His face had darkened with anger.

For the first time, he was not getting what he wanted, and he could barely hide his frustration.

Arianna looked at him calmly.

"Yes, I am sure," she replied. "Your father requested another noble lady from our kingdom. I read the letter carefully. It never stated that I could not take her place."

Ethan’s eyes widened.

"No. No, that is impossible." He shook his head. "You love me, not him. What are you trying to do? Are you playing hard to get?"

He stepped closer.

"You want me to beg you, don’t you?"

Arianna rolled her eyes.

Even after everything, Ethan still believed the world revolved around him.

His arrogance was exhausting.

"I think she’s trying to make you jealous," Selena said with a confident nod.

The moment those words left her mouth, relief spread across the hall.

The nobles exchanged knowing looks.

Some even laughed. It suddenly made sense to them.

Of course, Princess Arianna was simply trying to get Ethan’s attention.

What other reason could there be?

"I knew it," someone said.

"She’s trying to force him to chase her."

"Typical lovers’ quarrel."

The laughter grew louder and Arianna could only stare at them. How blind these people were.

"I see," Ethan said, finally relaxing.

A smug smile appeared on his face and his confidence returned immediately "That was a stupid joke, Arianna."

He folded his arms and looked at her as though he had already won.

"Now go ahead and correct your mistake" His voice sounded more like an order than a request "I don’t like these silly games at all."