Chapter 2

The moment Annie finished speaking, Miya dropped to her knees in front of my mother and burst into tears. "Mom, if Willa doesn't want to go, then I'll go instead. The journey ahead is so long. I won't be able to fulfill my duty as your daughter anymore."

When my brother, Cedric Ellsworth, heard her crying, he stormed into the room and kicked Annie hard in the chest. "The mistress hasn't even said anything yet. Who gave you permission to butt in, you servant?"

The blow sent Annie stumbling into my arms, a thin streak of blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

My mother wiped Miya's tears and gently coaxed her. "Your sister is willing to go. When did she ever say she didn't want to?

"Look, she's already taken off her jewelry. You're the bride today. You should be happy. You'll ruin your pretty face if you keep crying."

With that, they took Miya to another room to get her ready, leaving Cedric behind to watch me and make sure I didn't take any of the jewelry or hair ornaments I'd worn for today's wedding.

Unlike in my previous life, when Miya had married into the Ravelle royal family, the Ellsworths gave me nothing for the journey this time. I was allowed to take only Annie with me to Ravelle.

When my nanny and the butler heard about it, they came to me with the few dozen silver coins they'd managed to save over the years.

Lorraine held my hand, tears streaming down her face. "It isn't much, but if you get hungry or thirsty on the road, don't deprive yourself. Buy yourself something to eat."

She still had more to say, but Cedric had already grown impatient. He pushed her aside and urged me to leave.

Miya would be leaving in half an hour, and he needed to hurry and hand me over to the Ravelle troops so he could return in time to see her married.

I boarded the Ravelle carriage without even changing out of my wedding dress, and the Ravelle troops escorted me toward their empire.

As evening approached, the convoy came to a stop.

I lifted the curtain and saw Cedric standing at the front of the procession, speaking with the soldiers.

Despite the injury she'd suffered from his kick, Annie excitedly got to her feet. "Miss, your brother still cares about you. He must be worried you'll be mistreated in Ravelle, so he came to give you some money for the journey."

I watched Cedric walk toward the carriage, but somehow, I knew it couldn't be that simple.

Sure enough, he didn't give me any money. Instead, he handed me a small bottle.

I opened it and took a cautious sniff. It contained a highly potent poison.

He said, "Mother said Miya is a princess now. If you marry well in Ravelle, then so be it. But if you're given to some unsavory person, you could bring shame upon our family and Miya. If that happens, this bottle will at least make things easier for you."

It was true. Ravelle had only sent word that they wanted to marry a daughter of the Ellsworth family. They hadn't specified whom that daughter would marry. Whether the marriage turned out well or badly would depend entirely on whom the emperor chose for her.

In my previous life, Miya had been given to the impotent grand chamberlain.

Yet when my mother heard that Miya had married an impotent man, she'd been heartbroken. She'd sent her plenty of money so she could live more comfortably.

When it was my turn, all I got was a bottle of poison.

I rolled the bottle between my fingers and let out a cold laugh. Then I splashed the poison across Cedric's face.

The corrosive liquid immediately ate away part of his skin, and he roared, "Willa, don't push your luck! If you don't have a good life in Ravelle, don't expect me to come save you!"

I threw the bottle to the ground. It shattered with a sharp crack.

"I won't expect you to save me. From this day forward, consider me dead. Whether I live well or suffer, don't come looking for me."

With those words, I completely severed my path home.

That was where Cedric and I parted ways.

…

That night, the Ravelle soldiers gathered around my carriage and whispered among themselves.

"Who do you think they'll give a girl abandoned by Belladale, with no family left to rely on, to?"

"Probably some lowlife. They only asked for a Belladale bride to humiliate Belladale in the first place. What kind of good ending could she possibly have?"

"That's true. She's pretty, though. Might as well let me have her."