Chapter 3

The system drove the carriage at breakneck speed, but by the time we reached the palace gates, an entire night had passed.

The pain of my nails digging deep into my palms did nothing to quell the panic clutching at my chest.

Every time I closed my eyes, all I saw was Eleanor covered in blood in this world.

In five years of dissecting countless corpses, I had never been this terrified of identifying a body.

I couldn't bear to imagine the horrors she must have endured.

As I stood before the palace gates, my heart hammered like a war drum.

Yet, a desperate part of me kept clinging to hope. Maybe the body wasn't Eleanor after all.

The real Eleanor would be overjoyed to see me back, smiling as she introduced me to her child.

Forcing down the murderous intent surging inside me, I pulled out the white opal pendant Eleanor had given me before I returned to the modern world.

Back then, knowing we might never see each other again, she had wiped a glistening tear from the corner of her eye and pressed the pendant into my hands.

"Isabel, remember to come back and visit me," she had said. "With this pendant, you can enter and leave the palace freely. Don't forget me."

How could I ever forget her?

Imperial guards barred the palace entrance. I held up the lustrous white opal pendant carved with a phoenix pattern.

"By Her Majesty's decree, no one enters the palace without a royal summons!"

The guard commander placed his scabbard in front of me, blocking my path.

"This pendant represents Her Majesty herself! Don't you recognize it?"

His pupils contracted sharply, but he didn't draw back his blade.

Instead, he slashed downward. I instinctively dodged to the side, but the wind of his blade struck the pendant.

With a sharp crack, the opal shattered into pieces across the ground.

Just as I was about to order the system to strike back, a maid hurried over. "General!"

After whispering a few words to the guard, she turned and bowed to me. "Her Majesty is awaiting you inside."

My eyes locked onto the familiar embroidery on her collar. It was Eleanor's favorite pattern.

Carrying the corpse wrapped in white cloth, I followed the maid into the inner palace, unimpeded all the way.

As the wind blew, palace maids sweeping the paths stole glances at what I held. A single look was enough to turn their legs to jelly.

Before long, the servants who sensed that something was amiss dragged them away.

I kept walking without stopping. Begonias lined the paths on both sides.

It was peak blooming season, but with every step I took, my heart sank deeper into ice.

Eleanor was allergic to pollen. After helping Declan take the throne, he had ordered every single flower in the imperial gardens ripped out.

Halfway there, a servant took over as my guide, leading me to a secluded courtyard.

I didn't get to see the imposter or Declan. Instead, I ran into their son, Jaylon Shaw, first.

A child in a royal-gold doublet peered through the crack in the door. It was none other than the crown prince.

When I left, he was only three, so it was normal for him not to recognize me.

Just as I tried to search for a flicker of familiarity in Jaylon's eyes, the courtyard door was thrown wide open.

Jaylon stepped into view. He was practically carved from the same mold as Declan. Yet, that young face was twisted with a cruel malice entirely unbefitting his age.

Eleanor's child would never have eyes like that.

"You wench! How dare you bring such a filthy object into the inner palace! Who gave you the nerve to defile sacred imperial grounds?"

He mimicked the reprimanding posture of an adult, but his words dripped with unvarnished venom.

The last flicker of hope inside me was utterly extinguished.

Eleanor would never raise a child to be like this.

I took a deep breath to suppress the murderous rage threatening to erupt. "Your Highness—"

"Shut your mouth!"

Jaylon whipped around toward the pale-faced old servant behind him and barked fiercely, "Morgan Hudson! This wretched woman is out of her mind! I command you to execute her on the spot! Do it now, or I'll have you beaten to death alongside her!"

The old servant stumbled from a kick and dared not hesitate any longer. "Guards! Kill this woman where she stands!"

Before the words fully landed, four imperial guards instantly surrounded me, their killing intent razor-sharp.

Every shred of sanity and restraint burned away in an instant.

The system's voice rang cautiously in my ear. [Isabel, you can't kill anyone! If you disrupt the balance of this world, you won't be able to go back!]

I couldn't kill, but beating Jaylon up to teach this inhumane brat a lesson on Eleanor's behalf should be well within bounds.

I carefully laid Eleanor's body beneath the shade of a tree.

"You brat, I should teach you a lesson on your mother's behalf!"

Just as I was about to strike him, a familiar voice echoed nearby, "Isabel, stop!"