Swapped at the Altar

The matchmaker pushed open the door and her smile froze instantly. "Ms. Genevieve? What are you doing here?"

The guests outside erupted into chaos. Several women rushed into the courtyard, staring at me in disbelief.

"Good God! Then the one who just got into the bridal carriage for the Crown Prince was Cordelia?"

"Why is Genevieve still here? If this is a mistake, it's treason!"

My stepmother burst in, wailing loudly. "Genevieve, have you lost your mind? How dare you give up the position of Crown Princess? Even if you didn't want to marry the Crown Prince, you can't force your sister to take your place. Defying a royal decree is punishable by death!"

After my stepmother finished speaking, everyone's expressions changed. It seemed like I was seen as a cruel older sister who selfishly made her younger sister marry instead.

I watched her feign panic while barely concealing her triumph. It suddenly reminded me that in my previous life, she had twisted the truth in exactly the same way in front of everyone, pinning the crime of defying the decree on me.

In the embellished letters she and Father exchanged, she wrote that I was willful and fled the marriage, forcing my half-sister to take my place. She painted me as spoiled and reckless, someone who disregarded the family's reputation.

Father was serving as governor in the southern provinces. His duties kept him busy and he rarely came home. He knew about the destinies foretold for my half-sister and me, so for a time he actually believed her words.

Now she was using the same trick again. How could I let her get away with it?

I staggered backward, tears blurring my vision. "Mother, what are you saying? Last night you told me and Cordelia to share a farewell toast. After I drank it, I lost consciousness. When I woke up, Cordelia was gone and so was my wedding dress..."

The crowd's expressions shifted as they exchanged glances. Every woman there had been a daughter once. They immediately understood what I was implying.

"Genevieve!"

A sharp shout suddenly rang out. My aunt pushed through the crowd and steadied me.

She pointed at my stepmother and cursed. "You murderous witch! You must have drugged Genevieve to knock her out, then stole her destiny so your own daughter could marry the Crown Prince and live in luxury!"

My stepmother's face turned deathly pale. She said through gritted teeth, "I arranged this wedding out of goodwill and now I'm the criminal? I've treated you like my own daughter. How could I harm you?"

I shrank back. My sleeve accidentally slipped down, revealing a strip of dark red fabric.

Aunt Marguerite's sharp eyes caught it. She grabbed my wrist. "Why has this fabric changed color?"

Someone pointed at my sleeve and shouted. "His Majesty once gifted special fabric that changes color when exposed to sleeping drugs."

I had soaked that sleeve in the drug solution. Anyone with medical knowledge could tell with a single sniff.

After hearing this, Aunt Marguerite fixed her piercing gaze on my stepmother. "Someone go fetch Physician Hartwell from the Royal Medical College to examine it."

Physician Hartwell was Aunt Marguerite's husband. When he heard something had happened to me, he rushed over.

Sure enough, he only needed one glance at the color of my sleeve before frowning. After taking a sniff, he confirmed it.

"This is a potent sleeping draught from the western kingdoms. It damages the heart and would have killed her in her sleep. It's fortunate that Ms. Genevieve woke when she did. I'll write a prescription. After a few days, she'll recover fully."

I lifted my head, tears streaming down my face. "Mother, why did you want to harm me? Why didn't you discuss this directly with Father?

"Even though he's serving as governor in another province, he still holds considerable influence at court. It would only take one word from him before His Majesty to request a favor for my sister."