Chapter Ten

Summer

I sat alone in the room, scrolling through Elena's phone to pass the time. The more I looked through it, the more I realized just how wild and carefree her life had been.

Video after video filled the screen. Most of them were taken in crowded clubs with loud music blasting in the background. There were countless clips of Elena and Amelia dancing together, laughing without a care in the world. In one video, Elena was twerking while Amelia stood behind her, cheering her on and hyping her up. In another, they were both laughing so hard that neither of them could keep the camera steady. It was obvious they had been extremely close.

I continued scrolling through pictures and videos, watching moments from a life that seemed so different from mine. Elena had lived freely. She had done whatever she wanted without worrying about anyone's expectations.

For a moment, I found myself wondering what it would have been like to live that way.

I became so absorbed in the contents of the phone that I completely lost track of time. By the time I finally looked up, the room had grown darker. Ethan still hadn't returned, after storming out of the room earlier, he hadn't come back once.

A soft knock sounded on the door, before I could respond, the door opened and a maid stepped inside carrying a tray of food. The delicious smell immediately reached me, and my stomach growled in response.

"The king's mother asked me to bring this to you," she said as she placed the tray on the small table beside the couch.

Without another word, she turned to leave.

"Stop," I said. I plugged Elena's phone down on the bed and walked toward the table. My eyes dropped to the food, the meal was simple. The kind of meal that wouldn't even be given to the pets in this palace. I stood there staring at it.

Suddenly, memories came rushing back, the endless days of being treated as if I was worth nothing. The way my sisters and I had been forced to accept whatever was thrown our way.

A painful ache spread through my chest, I swallowed hard and blinked rapidly, refusing to let the tears fall. I lifted a hand and scratched my nose, trying to hide the emotions threatening to overwhelm me.

"Take the food back. I won't be having it," I said. I knew exactly what Fiona was trying to do, this pathetic excuse for a meal wasn't about food, it was a message. Her way of reminding me that I wasn't welcome in this palace. Unfortunately for her, she had no idea who she was dealing with this time.

"I would advise you to eat it," the maid said carefully. "You might not get anything else to eat."

A sweet smile spread across my face. "Don't worry, sweetheart. I will be fine," I said. "Take it away."

The maid hesitated, clearly unsure whether she should obey me or insist further. After a few seconds, she finally picked up the tray. Without another word, she turned and left the room.

The moment the door closed behind her, I walked over to my bag.

I pulled out my hairbrush and slowly ran it through my hair, smoothing out every strand until it fell perfectly over my shoulders. Once I was satisfied, I unplugged my phone from the charger and slipped it into my hand.

I walked toward the mirror and examined my reflection. gaze traveled over my appearance, I was wearing Ethan's shirt. The oversized fabric hung loosely over my frame, stopping around mid-thigh. There was nothing underneath it. Not because I wanted to make a statement, but because I simply didn't have anything else. When Amelia packed my things, she purposely didn’t remember to pack a pant and bra.

I studied myself for another moment, then I smiled. I loved everything about this new body, the smile, the hair, the curves, the height. Every single detail, Elena was the definition of perfection.

Not that my original body hadn't been beautiful, it had been.But Elena's beauty existed on an entirely different level. She was the kind of woman who turned heads the moment she walked into a room.

And if fate had handed me a body like this, then I intended to use every advantage that came with it. No one in this palace was going to look down on me again.

I walked out of the room and headed downstairs, the moment I stepped into the dining hall, I realized the entire family was already gathered around the table for dinner.

Ethan sat at the head of the table while Fiona occupied the seat opposite him. Tamara was seated beside him, and his siblings were quietly eating their meals.

The conversation around the table died the second they noticed me. Fiona's expression darkened immediately. "Why are you here?" she asked sharply. "I already sent one of the maids to bring your food upstairs."

Before I could answer, my gaze collided with Ethan's. For a brief moment, neither of us looked away. His eyes slowly traveled down my body, taking in the oversized shirt I was wearing. The familiar shirt hung loosely against my frame, exposing far more of my legs than Fiona would ever approve of.

A muscle ticked in his jaw. Then he abruptly lowered his gaze to his plate and continued eating as though he hadn't been staring at me seconds ago.

"I came to join you all," I said with a sweet smile. "As a member of this household."

"You must be moving mad," Tamara snapped. "First, you forced yourself into this house. Then you forced yourself into his room. And now you think that makes you worthy of breathing the same air as us?" she asked furiously. Her eyes swept over me, then they widened in horror. "She's even wearing his favorite shirt, Mom," she said, sounding close to tears. "The one you made for him."

I watched Fiona's face carefully, the veins in her forehead became visible almost instantly. The sight nearly made me smile.

"There is no need to upset yourself over a riffraff," Fiona said. Her voice was calm, but the hatred in her eyes was impossible to miss. Then she turned to me. "If you want to join us, there is a place for someone like you to eat." She lifted a finger and pointed toward a corner of the dining hall.

My smile faltered, the exact place where I had been forced to sit before. I remembered that the last meal I had eaten before I died had been served to me in that exact spot. took a deep breath and ignored the looks being thrown my way.

Instead of heading toward the corner Fiona had pointed at, I walked straight to the dining table. The room fell silent as everyone watched me. I stopped beside Ethan's chair.

For a brief second, I could feel Fiona's glare burning into the side of my face, but I pretended not to notice. I pulled out the empty chair beside Ethan and sat down comfortably.

Without asking for permission, I dragged the plate of food sitting in front of Ethan toward myself and took the cutlery from his hand. His jaw tightened immediately. I knew exactly how much he hated being disturbed while eating.

The tiny twitch in his expression told me he was already losing patience.

"Since I live under the same roof as you, that practically makes us family," I said as I cut into the steak on my plate. "None of you will die if you treat me nicely."

I picked up a piece and placed it into my mouth, the moment I tasted it, my eyes widened. The food was unbelievably good, a loud moan escaped before I could stop myself. "Holy fuck, this tastes so heavenly, like a big fat cock," I said.

The reaction around the table was immediate, Fiona gasped loudly and clutched her chest as though she had just witnessed a murder. Her eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets, Tamara looked horrified. The siblings froze with their forks halfway to their mouths.

Everyone at the table stared at me with their mouths hanging open. Meanwhile, Ethan slowly buried his face in his palm. I had a feeling he was questioning every life choice that had led him to this moment.

"Holy shit," I said. The sharp clatter of metal echoed through the room, Fiona had dropped her fork onto her plate. Her face was turning an alarming shade of red.

"I forgot you are Polish people," I said. "Words like that are forbidden to you."

If looks could kill, I would have been dead several times over. The tension in the room was so thick it could have been sliced with a knife.

Just then, the dining room doors opened. Grace walked in carrying a plate of food. The plain meal balanced in her hands was clearly the one that had originally been prepared for me.

The second I saw her, excitement lit up my face. "Aunty Grace!" I screamed.