Chapter 4

I could barely remember how I had left the palace.

Prince Adrian insisted on escorting me home, but I turned him down, saying it was bad luck for us to see each other before the wedding.

By the time I got home, the sky had already gone dark. Seeing me return in my elegant gown safe and sound, Mira and Bianca rushed over to me.

I gulped down a large mouthful of cold water before the nausea finally eased. "Listen, everything we guessed before was wrong."

I leaned in and whispered a few words to them. After hearing me out, my sisters exchanged a glance, their expressions turning grave.

…

The next day, the three-day deadline arrived.

Prince Adrian held the glass slipper, his expression dark and threatening. "If no one can fit into this slipper—"

Mira and Bianca's knees nearly gave out from fear as they clutched each other's arms tightly. Neither of them dared to step forward. Sienna hid behind the couch and didn't even dare show her face.

I took a deep breath and walked forward, one step at a time.

Bianca gasped softly and reached out to grab me. "Ryla! Are you out of your mind?"

Mira frantically signaled to me with her eyes. "Don't go yet. You'll die if you do!"

I gave them a faint smile in return. I took the glass slipper, lifted my foot, and gently slipped it on. It fit perfectly, neither too big nor too small.

A look of pure joy instantly broke across Prince Adrian's face. "It really is you! I knew you were here!"

He swept me into his arms and even spun me around in front of everyone, completely ignoring royal etiquette. "Come! Return to the palace with me! We're getting married right away!"

He carried me into the carriage, and we rode toward the palace under the worried, conflicted gazes of Sienna and my sisters.

…

Night fell. Prince Adrian got down on one knee with a joyful expression, kissed the back of my hand, and looked at me affectionately. "My princess."

Suddenly, his expression shifted. He seized his sword and pointed it at me. "You don't love me at all. Why are you pretending to be her?"

As I looked at the sword raised against me once again, my heart thundered in my chest. Just as the blade was about to come down, I suddenly pointed toward someone outside the door and shouted, "Stop! I know where the person you're looking for is!"