Chapter 1

When the butler came to me for the third time, I finally ordered the gates opened.

Ned Vaughan was covered in snow. His face was pale and drawn from spending too much time outside.

When he saw me, he tried to rise, but his legs gave way after so many hours in the cold, and he tumbled back into the snow.

The first time around, without even stopping to put on a coat, I had rushed outside and thrown my arms around him.

This time, I merely stood inside the doorway.

The smile faded from Ned’s face.

“Flo, are you still mad at me? Susie’s condition flared up yesterday. That’s why I couldn’t make it. She could barely breathe. I couldn’t just leave her to die.”

He took out the locket my mother had left me.

Half a month ago, it had fallen into a frozen lake.

Ned had spent two hours searching the icy water for it. He was bedridden with a fever for days afterward.

The first time around, I had believed that a man willing to risk his life for me would never betray me.

That thought quickly vanished when he placed a cup of poisoned wine in my hands and sacrificed my life to save another woman.

I accepted the locket and had a servant pass him the betrothal contract.

“I’ll keep the locket. You can have the contract back.”

Ned stared at me in disbelief.

“Didn’t you say that you’d say yes if I came to ask for your hand?”

“I did say many things. You needn’t take every single one of them to heart, Your Highness.”

At last, panic flickered across his face. He stepped forward quickly.

“Did Susie say something to you? She protected me from an assassin when we were children and suffered lasting damage to her lungs.

“I’m only caring for her because I owe her my life. Once we’re married, I’ll send her to recuperate at an estate in the countryside.”

He had made the same promise the first time around. But whenever Susie fell into a lake, suffered an injury, or became dangerously ill, he abandoned me to rush to her side.

In the end, even my life became something he was willing to sacrifice to repay his debt to her.

Just then, the system’s warning alarm blared.

“Warning. The target’s affection for you has dropped significantly. Current affection at 38%.”

Ned panicked and grabbed my hand.

“Flo, I’ve been waiting out here in the snow for two hours. What else do you want me to do?”

“Go home. Never come again.”

I ordered the servants to close the gates.

In my father’s study lay a letter recommending Ned for appointment as Royal Overseer of the Northern Legion.

I had spent three days pleading with my father to write it.

If the letter reached the king, Ned would gain access to the Kirke family’s army.

The first time around, that was how my family began surrendering control of its forces to him, little by little.

I tossed the letter into the fireplace.

My father, General Friedrich Kirke, rose abruptly from his chair.

“Flo, are you certain about this?”

The flames quickly consumed Ned’s name.

“I’ve never been more certain.”

Only as I lay dying the first time around did I learn that the royal consort, Josephine Vaughan, had given birth to a daughter.

Ned was a baby boy she had secretly brought in from outside the palace, but I died without ever discovering what had become of the true princess.

This time, I was not going to help an impostor usurp the throne.

“Father, find out which families in the capital welcomed a child on the day Lady Josephine gave birth.”

Just then, the butler’s voice came from outside.

“A messenger has arrived from the palace.

“Her Grace, Lady Josephine, is hosting a garden party in three days. She has specifically requested Lady Florence’s attendance.”

I accepted the invitation.

Josephine was clearly growing anxious since Ned had failed to secure our betrothal.

The garden party took place at Josephine’s residence, Rosewood Palace.

I had barely taken my seat when in front of all the noblewomen present, Josephine slipped a pearl bracelet onto my wrist.

“Ned waited outside the Kirke estate for so long that he fell ill after returning home. No matter how angry you were, surely you’d have forgiven him by now.”

Holding my hand, she announced that she had already asked the king to approve our marriage.

As congratulatory wishes filled the hall, she beckoned Susie Pugh over.

“Susie has always been frail, but she did save Ned’s life. Once you marry Ned, she’ll move into the estate as well as his mistress. You’ll be his lawful wife, Flo. Susie will always be beneath you.”

The first time around, after accepting Ned’s proposal, I had stood by and watched Susie become his mistress, telling myself I was being “gracious”.

Just as I was about to remove the bracelet, Susie suddenly rose to her feet.

“I refuse.”

She took out a black signet ring from her small purse and placed it on the table.

“Prince Ned promised to care for me for the rest of my life. I took him at his word, so I will not move into his estate without a title of my own, and I will certainly not become any man’s mistress.”

The hall fell silent.

Then, whispers broke out all around us.

“How did Prince Ned’s personal signet ring end up in her possession?”

“Since he’s promised himself to her, why did he ask the Kirke family for Lady Florence’s hand?”

“Lady Florence hasn’t even married him yet, and Josephine has already chosen his mistress. This is an insult.”

Josephine’s face darkened with fury.

I stared at Susie as well.

The first time around, she had readily accepted Josephine’s arrangement.

This time, however, she would rather expose their affair in public than allow the marriage to proceed.

I removed the pearl bracelet and placed it in front of Josephine.

“Since Prince Ned has already pledged himself to Lady Susie, our family won’t stand in the way of true love.”

When Ned arrived, his personal signet ring was still lying on the table.

The moment he saw Susie, his expression darkened.

“Who gave you permission to bring that here?”

The system immediately issued an urgent alert.

“Engagement with the target at risk. Take immediate corrective action and regain the target’s trust.”

Ned stiffened before turning to explain himself to me.

“Flo, I’ll take back the signet ring, and Susie won’t be moving into our place after we marry. Forget everything that happened today.”

I glanced at the signet ring Susie had treasured so dearly.

“If you can take back a promise of lifelong devotion so easily, Your Highness, how could I ever trust you enough to marry you?”

“Warning. Recovery attempt failed. Current affection level at 24%.”

Ned clenched his fist.

I gave him no chance to speak again and walked out of Rosewood Palace.

After returning to the estate, my elder brother, John Kirke, handed me the list he had uncovered.

Seven families in the capital had welcomed babies on the day Josephine gave birth. The Pugh family was among them.

Remembering Susie’s odd behavior on that day, I asked John to investigate further.

Two days later, he brought me his findings.

The baby girl Josephine had secretly sent away from the palace was almost certainly Susie.

I stared at her name for a long time.

Before I could make sense of it all, another royal decree arrived.

A military exercise would be held before the king in the western foothills five days later.

Ned had been appointed Royal Overseer. He had been granted joint command of the Kirke Army alongside my father.

Since marriage failed to bring the Kirke family under her control, Josephine went straight for our army instead.