Chapter 1

"What about Elliot? He was with you for three years, and he loved you with everything he had. Are you really going to end it like this?"

Tiffany Porter frowned slightly. She slipped off her wool cloak and draped it over my shoulders, shielding me from the bitter wind. Her eyes were filled with disapproval.

Sheila Johnson, however, looked completely indifferent. Her voice was calm, without the slightest hint of emotion.

"The person who truly belongs with me has finally come back. Elliot was nothing more than a replacement. The farther away he disappears, the better. If you feel so sorry for him, then take him with you."

The casual words instantly silenced everyone around us.

Everyone there knew that the only reason Tiffany had become friends with Sheila was that she liked me. Back then, if Tiffany so much as looked at me for a second too long, Sheila would glare at her with jealous eyes and warn her to stay away from me.

However, now... Prince Keith, the third prince of the kingdom, had returned. Suddenly, Sheila did not care anymore.

From the very beginning... I had only ever been a stand-in.

Silence settled over the snowy road. Tiffany turned to me and slowly held out her hand. "Elliot... will you come with me?"

The feelings in her eyes were impossible to hide.

Standing beside her, Sheila let out a soft laugh. "How about we make a bet? I bet Elliot is so hopelessly in love with me that he'll never leave with you."

She looked at me with open amusement. The tenderness she used to show me was nowhere to be found.

I swallowed the ache rising in my chest and gently removed the cloak from my shoulders, handing it back to Tiffany.

She understood my answer immediately. A flicker of disappointment crossed her face before she gave a small nod. "I'm sorry. I overstepped."

Snow drifted endlessly from the sky.

Sheila smiled. "I knew it. You can't live without me. But Elliot, I'm tired of you. From now on, stay as far away from me as you can."

With that, she turned and walked toward the waiting carriage. Her heart had already flown to the man who had just returned to the royal capital.

Just before she stepped inside, I reached out and caught the edge of her sleeve. Looking up at her, I quietly said, "Just a few days ago... you wished that I'd stay by your side forever. If you want me gone now, could you count this as your 97th wish?"

Sheila slowly turned around. Her gaze was cold.

"I've been sick of you for a long time. Why would I keep playing that ridiculous game about having you grant me a hundred wishes?"

She yanked her sleeve free without the slightest bit of hesitation. The disgust in her eyes was impossible to miss.

"Besides, isn't this only wish number 97? You're still three wishes away from one hundred. You'll just keep showing up in front of me, but I have no interest in playing such a stupid game."

I stubbornly reached for her sleeve again and met her gaze. "It was never a game."

No one knew the truth. I was one of the Ageless.

According to the traditions of my people, I should be spending my life hidden away in our secluded valley, only setting foot in the outside world for the first time after reaching 100 years old.

However, an unexpected avalanche changed everything. I was separated from my clan at only 16. Alone in a frozen wilderness, I clawed through the deep snow with my bare hands, digging out a path just to stay alive.

Days passed without a single bite of food. By the time I finally emerged into the sunlight, my body was already at its breaking point. Darkness crept across my vision, and the ground rushed up to meet me.