Chapter 1

The pain of childbirth had barely begun to fade when, through a haze, I saw my mother lift the baby from beneath me and squeeze the life out of him.

She said, "Willa, we can't keep this child. If the King of Belladale learns you've given birth to a boy, he'll summon you back to the palace. Then your sister won't be able to come home."

I could only watch helplessly as she climbed out of the carriage and announced that I had given birth to a stillborn child. Then the carriage set off again, carrying me toward the Ravelle Empire, where I was to be exchanged for my sister's remains.

Resentment consumed me. Blood poured endlessly from between my legs, and in the end, the relentless jolting of the carriage caused me to bleed to death.

…

When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day I was supposed to marry Prince Elijah.

It was also the day the Ravelle envoy had specifically demanded that the Ellsworth family send one of their daughters to marry into the Ravelle royal family.

After the royal decree arrived at our estate, my younger sister, Miya, barely glanced at it before throwing herself into our mother's arms.

She sobbed, "Mom, I don't want to go to Ravelle. I don't want to leave you."

My mother looked at her with unmistakable tenderness. But when she turned to me, most of that warmth disappeared from her eyes.

I took the royal decree from her hands. "I'll go in her place. Let Miya marry Prince Elijah."

In my previous life, I hadn't taken the decree. With only an hour left before I was supposed to marry Prince Elijah, my family had gritted their teeth and sent Miya to Ravelle instead.

To make her life there easier, my mother had taken all my wedding gifts and half our family's fortune and sent them with her, hoping the Ravelle royal family would treat her well.

But the Ravelle Empire was powerful and had never taken our Kingdom of Belladale seriously.

When the Ravelle Emperor received Miya, he handed her directly to his chief chamberlain, Bowen Prembroke, a cruel and twisted man.

After taking possession of Miya's money and belongings, Bowen tortured her to death.

When my mother learned what had happened, her hair turned white overnight. She said that if she'd known Miya would meet such a fate, she should have sent me to Ravelle instead.

My father and brothers launched an unauthorized war against Ravelle in an attempt to recover Miya's remains. After suffering a crushing defeat, they fled back to the capital.

Prince Elijah had always loved Miya. He proposed using me as a hostage in exchange for her remains, but by then, I was already eight months pregnant.

After much deliberation, Ravelle agreed to exchange Miya's remains for me.

My parents personally escorted me to Ravelle. The journey was rough and exhausting, and when we reached the border, I unexpectedly went into labor and gave birth to a baby boy.

The King of Belladale had decreed that if I gave birth to a son, I would be summoned back and allowed to raise him in the heir apparent's household.

My mother wanted Miya's remains back so desperately that she cruelly strangled my son and told everyone I had given birth to a stillborn child.

This time, as I looked at the tears in Miya's eyes and at my mother, whose expression toward me had already begun to sour, I tightened my grip on the royal decree.

My mother was still hesitating when Prince Elijah suddenly barged into the room, completely disregarding proper etiquette.

He stepped in front of Miya and shielded her behind him. "Lady Ellsworth, the woman I've always wanted to marry is Miya. I only agreed to marry Willa because we'd been promised to each other as children.

"If you'll agree to let Miya marry me and send Willa to Ravelle, I'll report it to my father immediately and have Miya formally recognized as my princess and consort."

At Prince Elijah's promise, my mother's conflicted expression gradually hardened. "All right. Miya will marry Prince Elijah, and Willa will go to Ravelle."

She looked at me as though it were the most natural arrangement in the world. "You're the older sister, so naturally, you should give way to your younger sister.

"The journey to Ravelle is dangerous, and your sister is young and frail. How could we possibly send her there? Naturally, you should go instead."

But my mother had forgotten that Miya and I were twins. I was only one minute older than her, yet that single minute had made me the elder sister who was expected to yield to her in everything.

I didn't argue. I simply removed the gold hairpin from my hair, gathered my belongings, and prepared to leave the city.

Annie grabbed my hand tightly. "Lady Ellsworth, how is that fair? This engagement originally belonged to the elder daughter.

"She was only half an hour away from marrying into the heir apparent's household and becoming his princess. Why should she be sent to Ravelle, that den of wolves and tigers?"