Chapter 3

In the palace's imperial garden, the Queen sat at the head of the gathering, with Princess Sophia nestled beside her.

Princess Sophia was the youngest child of the King and Queen. They doted on her, and she had a playful, mischievous personality.

In my previous life, she had chosen me as her companion. Not because I was particularly talented. She simply thought I was pretty. That was all.

But through her thoughts, Lenny insinuated that I had schemed behind the scenes to keep her from being chosen.

As punishment, I was sent to church and ordered to "reflect on my mistakes."

Robert even subjected me to the family's disciplinary punishment, striking me again and again with a riding crop. He ordered me to "repent" and give up my place as the princess' companion.

No matter how much I tried to explain, he believed only what he heard in Lenny's thoughts.

But a companion personally chosen by the royal family wasn't a position I could simply give away, even if I wanted to.

In the end, Robert had no choice but to trade his military achievements for an opportunity to get Lenny into the palace.

Now, I watched Lenny perform onstage.

Dressed in a striking red outfit that billowed with every movement, she wielded a flexible sword with practiced ease. Her performance drew gasps of admiration from countless young ladies in the audience.

Princess Sophia, however, looked completely uninterested.

Everyone assumed that, given her mischievous personality, she would naturally be drawn to an unconventional girl like Lenny.

However, Princess Sophia happened to prefer delicate beauties who looked as though the slightest breeze might carry them away.

After Lenny stepped off the stage, I walked up in a flowing gown with wide sleeves, my brows curved like willow branches and my eyes soft and expressive.

At first glance, I looked like a celestial beauty descended from heaven.

I hadn't even begun my performance when Princess Sophia started tugging on the Queen's arm and whining coquettishly, "Mother, I want her!"

Just like in my previous life, Lenny's eyes immediately reddened.

When Daniel came to pick us up, she even congratulated me. "Congratulations, Jenna. The princess likes you, so you're going to become her companion."

But inside, she was choking back tears. 'The princess was clearly interested while I was performing. Why did she choose Jenna the moment she stepped onto the stage?'

Those vague words had been used as evidence to condemn me in my previous life.

This time, I couldn't be bothered to pretend we were loving sisters who cared about each other.

I replied lazily, "The princess likes me, so she chose me. There's nothing to congratulate me for."

Daniel frowned. "Lenny lost her chance to become the princess' companion, and you're actually bragging about it. You're disgusting."

I didn't even look at him. I simply lifted the carriage curtain and climbed inside.

My cool voice drifted out from the carriage. "Are you taking us home or not? If you aren't, I'll find someone else. I don't have time to argue with all of you."