Chapter 1

On the day of my arranged marriage, Gideon, my stepbrother who ruled the Northern Territories, led a massive army to intercept my carriage.

He claimed he couldn't bear to see me suffer in the harsh borderlands. He said he was risking everything to take me away.

But as soon as I stepped out of the bridal carriage, his sword was at my throat. He used me as a pawn to force my father, King Alaric, to abdicate the throne.

He laughed with arrogant triumph. "Since you've been obsessed with me for years, Elara, I'll give you a quick death once I've won!"

The soldiers surrounding him burst into mockery.

They all believed I had loved Gideon for fifteen years and was willing to sacrifice everything for him.

What they didn't know was that this wedding was nothing more than a trap to lure him in.

......

When Gideon dragged me back to his camp, the faint smell of blood still clung to my skin.

The grand wedding procession from this morning was gone. I was the only one left.

Gideon's lieutenants glanced at me, their faces twisted with greedy grins.

"Haha, our Lord is truly brilliant! With the little Princess as a hostage, we'll waltz into the palace by sunrise!"

"The Princess probably thought our Lord was actually here to rescue her!"

"My Lord, considering how crazy she is for you, why not just keep her as a concubine after we win?"

Their cruel laughter rang in my ears, but my expression didn't flicker.

Then, Gideon's voice rose, dripping with disdain.

"Keep her? A princess of a fallen kingdom? She isn't even worthy to be my servant."

The crowd erupted into laughter again.

I clenched my fists so hard that my manicured nails dug into my palms.

But I felt no pain.

A year ago, I would have been paralyzed by shame.

I would have screamed at them for their insolence.

I would have asked Gideon with tearful eyes why he was doing this.

But now, I just looked at him calmly and spoke in a soft voice.

"Gideon, are you trying to use me to threaten my father?"

Gideon seemed surprised by my reaction, but his sneer returned quickly.

"Little Princess, you've grown a brain after a year apart!"

He handed me over to some guards and disappeared into the main tent with his men.

He was busy.

Tomorrow was the most important day of his life.

Even with me as a hostage, his cautious nature meant he would spend all night planning every detail.

I was locked in an empty tent with guards at every corner.

Just when I thought everyone had forgotten about the fallen princess, I heard the guards outside bow.

"Greetings, Lady Lyra!"

I looked up to see a woman in a flowing white dress entering the tent.

Unlike my disheveled state, she looked as pure and fresh as a lily.

"Lyra pays her respects to the Princess."

She gave a mock curtsy, but her eyes were full of spiteful triumph.

I looked away, ignoring her existence.

She didn't care and kept talking.

"Princess Elara, did you ever think you'd end up like this?"

"Gideon's victory is inevitable. If I were you, I'd beg your father to surrender tomorrow. Maybe Gideon will have a soft heart and let you both live."

"Are you trying to tell me what to do?"

I finally looked at her and called her by the name she used when she was my servant. "Flora."

The name "Flora" was a stain of shame for the now-exalted Lady Lyra.

She was once just a maid who washed my feet.

If she hadn't happened to save Gideon's life years ago, she would never have been given a noble title.

Lyra's face contorted with rage for a second.

But she quickly masked it with a smug grin.

"Elara, how much longer do you think you can act superior?"

"After tomorrow, you'll be nothing. I'll make sure to enjoy every second of torturing you!"

She leaned in close to my ear and whispered.

"Let me give you some good news. Gideon and I are already married."

"When he replaces your father, I will be his Queen!"

She clearly thought this would break me.

But she was wrong.

I had known about their secret marriage for a month.