Chapter 4

Mother ordered the estate sealed off in fury and summoned the chief imperial physician that night.

His expression changed as he examined the medicinal residue. "Your Highness, someone added a large dose of very potent foxglove to this medicine. She was already terribly weak. The foxglove drove her blood through her body so forcefully that her veins ruptured. She's barely clinging to life now."

Mother drew a guard's sword and stormed toward Georgina's courtyard. The estate erupted into chaos.

Just then, my door opened. Two servants wheeled Lucian into the room. The look he gave me as I lay in bed was terrifying. "Get her out of here."

The servants hesitated. "My lord, she may not survive being moved like this. What if she dies on the way?"

"What are you afraid of? I'll take responsibility," Lucian said as he gritted his teeth. "That witch framed Georgina for poisoning her, and now, Mother wants to kill Georgina. I'll lock Jenine in the ice cellar and make her write a confession clearing Georgina's name."

I kept my eyes closed and let the servants drag me out of bed. My body had gone numb to the pain. All I felt was the bitter cold.

They took me to the abandoned ice cellar beneath the estate. There was no sunlight here, and the cold chilled through my bones. They threw me onto the freezing stone floor, and icy water instantly soaked through my clothes.

Lucian watched me from his wheelchair. "Jenine, stop playing dead. Sign the confession. Admit you poisoned yourself to frame Georgina, and I'll let you out."

I did not even have the strength to open my eyes. A faint sound escaped my throat.

When I failed to answer, Lucian grew furious. "Teach her a lesson!"

A bucket of icy water came down over my head. I convulsed as the cold swept through my body.

Footsteps sounded, and Georgina walked in. "Lucian, don't be so rough with Jenine."

She crouched in front of me with a smile as Lucian turned to her. "Georgina, why are you here? It's too cold. You'll make yourself sick."

"You were hurt so badly because of me. How could I stay away?" Georgina looked down at me and lowered her voice. "Jenine, you really are hard to kill…

"You survived the fall from the tower. You even survived the poisoned medicine. But that's alright. Now that you're in the ice cellar, you won't see tomorrow's dawn."

I forced my eyes open and stared at her. Her smile grew more triumphant as she gripped my chin. "You thought Mother could protect you? Look at you...

"Father doesn't want you, and neither do your brothers. I put that foxglove in your medicine. I had someone grease the tower steps too. Once you're dead, I'll be the marquis's only daughter again. All their love will be mine."

Carried away by her delight, she raised her voice. "You're just a sickly country girl. What makes you think you can beat me? Learn who you can afford to cross if there's a next time."

She let go of my chin and stood up, brushing the dust from her hands. "Lucian, Jenine looks like she's going to die soon. Let's go before her bad luck rubs off on us."

He nodded and was about to have the servants wheel him away when someone kicked the cellar door open from outside.

Torchlight flooded the cellar. Georgina's smile froze, and she turned toward the light.

Mother stood in the doorway, clad in armor with a sword in her hand. Roland and Adrian stood behind her. The whole household crowded at the entrance, blocking it completely.

Georgina fell silent.