Chapter 2

Julia was wearing a teal cloak embroidered with white birds over a gown of cool ivory. With barely any accessories in her hair, she looked rather plainly dressed.

As she walked through the swirling snow, the wind cut across her like knives, yet she never once bent her back. Even her strides remained steady.

She had only one goal—never again would she surrender the military glory she had earned with her own hands for others to enjoy.

The heartless parasites of the Sewell family had feasted on everything she gave them. This time, they would spit back everything they had taken, repay it twofold, and pay for their actions with their lives.

This time around, she would ensure her own survival.

"Miss, wait for me!"

Yvette clutched the few belongings they owned and jumped straight down from the carriage. She hastily paid the driver for the carriage before running after Julia.

But when she saw Julia stopping to kneel after every step, she was dumbfounded. "Miss? What are you…"

"I'm guiding my older brother's spirit home. I will need to kneel and bow with every step. You should get the carriage to come back," Julia replied.

"I'll stay with you, miss." Imitating Julia, Yvette got down and bowed low until her head touched the ground.

Julia glanced at her, knowing that Yvette was truly a loyal maid. Yvette's own father had nearly sold her to a brothel. Julia had bought her moments before the young woman could smash her head against a wall and end her life. From then on, Yvette had followed her with unwavering devotion.

And with Yvette by her side, Julia was no longer completely alone.

She had already thought everything through. This time, she couldn't be hasty to reveal that she was the Apex General. Doing so would only doom her to die once more.

However, she wasn't going to let Rebecca claim the title of being the Apex General's only younger sister either.

The Marquis of Cavenlea wielded tremendous influence and prestige in the royal court. That was why the Sewells wanted to cozy up to his wife, the marchioness.

If Julia wanted to establish herself as the Apex's one and only true sister, she needed someone with even greater authority than the Marquis of Cavenlea to support her. The secret letter in her possession alone wasn't enough. She needed someone to solve her immediate crisis.

Based on her memories, when she had returned home in her previous life, she'd come across a carriage trapped in deep snow outside the city. She had helped free it before rushing off, disregarding the passengers' words of gratitude.

It was much later that she found out that a person of great status had been inside that carriage.

Julia continued kneeling and bowing through the snowstorm, slowly approaching Ashbourne.

"Miss, the North Gate of the city is just ahead," Yvette said, unable to hide her excitement.

Julia lifted her calm, dark eyes. Sure enough, beside the stone bridge in the distance sat an unassuming covered carriage. Several guards and maids were trying to find a solution to their situation.

Withdrawing her gaze, she continued to kneel and bow with each step.

Soon, the occupant of the carriage noticed her. It was hard to miss a young, plainly dressed woman kneeling in the snowstorm. But after only a few moments, the occupant saw the young woman sway before falling unconscious.

Yvette burst into tears. "Miss! Miss! Please don't scare me!"

"Helga." The elegant hand paused on the carriage curtain, and a dignified voice drifted out. "Go check on the situation over there."

Helga quickly approached Yvette while a pair of beautiful eyes watched with concern from inside the carriage.

Before long, Helga returned. "Your Highness, the unconscious young lady is actually the Apex General's younger sister!"

"What?" Gillian looked genuinely surprised.

Everyone knew the Apex General had a younger sister, but the Sewells kept her at home most of the time. Few had ever seen her in person. Why would she be out here in the snow, kneeling and bowing?

Helga reported, "According to her maid, Ms. Sewell has returned to the capital with the General's belongings. A revered monk told her that to guide the General's spirit home, she had to kneel and bow with each step. She also had to erect a cenotaph for him. Unfortunately, she was caught in the snowstorm. I believe she's fallen unconscious from the cold."

"Get someone to bring her into the carriage," Gillian instructed without hesitation.

Then she suddenly stopped Helga and lowered her voice to add, "Send someone else to inquire along the road. Find out which direction she came from."

A short while later, Julia was carried into the carriage. Her eyes remained closed as she felt a heated hand warmer placed in her arms. A maid gently fed her hot tea and wrapped thick quilts around her.

Gillian seemed to be observing her, and after a while, she said, "What a poor thing. Look at how frozen she is."

Julia had lived and fought on the frontier. Her skin lacked the softness of ordinary noblewomen. Even her slender fingers bore the thin calluses left by years of gripping a weapon. Her face and Yvette's were both flushed crimson from the cold, making them look thoroughly miserable.

Though Julia kept her eyes shut, she listened carefully as Gillian questioned Yvette.

"If your mistress is truly a daughter of the Sewell family, why wasn't she escorted home by the family servants?"

"We got separated from them."

"And the Sewell family doesn't know about that? They didn't even arrange for anyone to wait at the city gates?"

"Miss said the Apex General's death has left the whole family in grief. Understandably, they couldn't attend to everything."

Yvette repeated exactly what Julia had instructed her to say.

"The Apex General's passing is like the fall of a great star. It is a national tragedy. The Sewell family's grief is understandable."

Even so, she made no move to send Julia home, and Julia knew why.

Gillian was waiting for her people to verify Julia's identity.

Among the people of Danveria, Arthur and Gillian were the two who were most desperate to thank the Apex General for his contributions.

A few decades ago, Danveria had been a weak nation surrounded by powerful enemies. As children, the royal siblings had been sent abroad as political hostages to ensure peace for the country. They lived in constant humiliation, treated worse than animals.

But the Apex General had defeated that enemy kingdom and forced its ruler to shave his head before taking his own life, thereby avenging them.

However, Gillian had never met the Apex General's younger sister. No matter how grateful she was, she still had to verify the truth first.

Sure enough, after about 15 minutes, Helga entered the carriage and whispered something to Gillian.

Gillian let out a choked sob, and tears streamed down her face. "This poor child came back all alone from such a great distance! What would happen if she ended up freezing out here?"

Helga nodded. "The Apex General was a strong and indomitable man, and his sister, Ms. Sewell, proves to be just as resilient. It is no wonder that they're siblings."

"Take her back to my estate at once!" Gillian instructed. "Then enter the palace with my token to summon a royal physician to treat Ms. Sewell."

The carriage lurched over the snowy road, and Julia chose that moment to awaken.

She couldn't allow a royal physician to check her right now. Her body still bore countless old wounds from the battlefield. If the physician discovered them, there would be no way to explain how she'd gotten them.

She couldn't afford to waste Gillian's favor here either.

After coughing a few times, Julia opened her eyes.

Yvette hurriedly exclaimed, "Miss, you're awake! Her Highness, the Princess Royal, saved you. She even wants to summon a royal physician for you."

Julia looked toward Gillian, a woman nearing her 50s with graceful and dignified features.

Gillian gazed at Julia with genuine pity. "You've knelt in the snow until the cold has seeped into your knees. You can't keep walking. You need to recover first. Come with me to my residence so you can receive proper treatment."

Julia lowered her head, her face pale.

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. But I've been separated from my attendants for many days. My family must be worried. I only wish to return quickly with my brother's belongings."

Gillian had a look of understanding. "Alright. In that case, I'll give you a ride home."

Julia didn't refuse. "Thank you, Your Highness."

Once the carriage entered the city, Julia looked through the swaying curtains and saw white mourning banners hanging throughout the streets. The entire capital was draped in mourning, just like it had been in her previous life.

Arthur had ordered a nationwide mourning, banning all celebrations for three months to honor the death of the Apex General. The Sewells had exploited his sorrow over the loss to receive title after title.

Julia's dark eyes rested on the fluttering white banners. This time, no matter what happened, she would never let anyone else claim the honor that belonged to her.

The carriage turned into a narrow lane and arrived at the entrance to Sewell Manor, which was also decorated with white mourning banners. The plaque beneath the eaves had already been replaced with a gilded sign to mark the residence of the Duke of Winmere. It stood out brightly against the snow.

Julia instructed Yvette to knock on the door, and Helga accompanied her.

The gatekeeper opened the door and looked at them in confusion. "What business do you have here?"

Yvette replied, "Inform the Duke and Duchess that the eldest young lady has returned."

The gatekeeper blinked before snapping, "Are you some kind of con artist? The young lady of the Sewell family came back earlier this morning! She's inside having tea with the Duke and the Duchess as we speak!"