Chapter 1

Everyone in the city knew the truth about the Princess who had fallen from grace. She was trapped in the lowest of brothels, marked with the indelible brand of a common courtesan.

The King, crushed by guilt, would have handed her the entire kingdom if she asked. Yet, she wanted nothing―save for a husband to indulge her, night after endless night.

But she was the only one who knew the truth about him. He was no noble consort.

He was a monster in a man’s skin, a cruel phantom who broke her spirit and relished her ruin.

She was merely reaping what she had sown.

1

From the moment I had memories, I knew I was an outsider.

My mother told me that when they found me, I was wrapped in swaddling clothes with a small fortune in cash tucked away. A strange peach blossom birthmark sat on my forehead, and seeing how precious I looked, they brought me home.

Perhaps it was because of that money, but my adoptive parents treated me like a goddess. They even sent me to school to learn to read.

My tutor often called me bright, but whenever I talked back, he’d strike me with his ruler.

He always complained to my mother: “Evelyn acts like a sweet girl, but she has a stubborn streak. If she doesn’t learn to bend, she’ll hit a wall sooner or later.”

I stayed silent, but I hated him for telling tales. I did the opposite of what he asked. If he wanted me to write, I read. If he wanted me to grind ink, I painted.

I’d push him to the brink of a breakdown without saying a single word until he fainted from frustration.

Because I was small, the kids at school called me “The Stubborn Little Donkey.”

I had a brother at home, too―feeble, dim-witted, and incapable of speaking a full sentence. They called him “The Stuttering Donkey.”

I just stared at them.

My parents told me to keep an eye on him so he wouldn’t get bullied.

What a joke. Who would dare lay a finger on Evelyn Sterling’s brother?

Fine, let them bully him. I’d just make them regret it tenfold.

―

I thought someone would come for me eventually, but by the time I turned sixteen, I was still waiting.

That money I was found with had been spent on a grand house, but my parents were terrible at business. The money dried up quickly.

Then, the political tides turned, and a famine struck. Crops withered in the fields, and people were dying in the streets.

My adoptive father went to another town looking for grain and ended up starving to death there. His body wasn’t even cold when my mother fell deathly ill.

I had never worked a day of manual labor in my life, but looking at the starving woman in bed, I knew I had to find work.

I needed to put food on the table, didn’t I?

The Madam of the house sneered: “A girl’s beauty is worth a thousand pieces of gold. Doing this to save your mother isn’t a disgrace.”

During the famine, people were dropping dead every day. I didn’t care about myself, but I couldn’t let my mother die.

But I wanted a job, not to sell myself.

Looking into the Madam’s greedy eyes, a cold shiver ran down my spine. I felt like a lamb that had wandered into a wolf’s den.

But then... I looked at the tray of cakes and tea on the table, and I gulped.

Even a lamb needs to be fed before the slaughter!

Just as I finished eating and was wondering how to sneak a roll home, the Madam grabbed my wrist.

“Girl, you better think carefully. Your father is dead, your mother is dying. You can’t just walk away!”

My heart sank. I bit my lip and pried her fingers off. “I need time to think. I’ll send word tomorrow.”

I turned to leave, but the Madam shot a look at the men behind her. With a loud slam, the heavy doors were bolted shut by two shirtless thugs.

The Madam’s face twisted into a mask of cruelty. She slapped me across the cheek.

“Don’t pretend to be virtuous. I’m only asking because I’m being polite. We’ll handle this right here, and no one will dare stop us!”

“Get him!”

The hulking brute lunged at me, grabbing my throat and slamming me onto the table.

The ice-cold feeling on my skin paralyzed me. I knew it was over―I was truly in the dragon’s den now.

“Go find her family and get that contract signed, no matter what,” the Madam barked at one of the thugs.

I panicked. “Let me go! My family will never agree to this!”

The Madam rolled her eyes. “I’ve been in this business for years. A worthless wild girl like you? Getting a handful of silver for you is a gift!”

A handful of silver.

I shuddered.

In a famine year, that was a month of living. That was a mountain of bread.

I couldn’t help but wonder―which would they choose? A daughter they didn’t birth, or a bag of gold?

While I was stunned, a chill hit my lower half. I turned my head to see that brute yanking down my trousers, clutching a blood-red wooden stamp.

The brand of a courtesan.

Once marked, I would never be free of that life.

I thrashed against them. “This is kidnapping! I’ll report you to the sheriff! You’re spitting on the law, and you’ll pay for this!”

I fought with everything I had, but I was starving and weak. Against these men, my struggle was like an ant fighting a boot.

“The law?” The Madam cackled. “Once we have that contract, we’ll see who the law serves!”

I hissed, “Don’t get cocky! My mother won’t sign it! My brother won’t either!”

“Hmph,” the Madam spat. “Stamp her first. We can’t have her running off.”

As the seal moved toward the base of my spine, I cursed them with every breath.

A moment later, a freezing sensation seared my skin.

They released me as soon as the stamp was applied, and I collapsed to the floor.

The Madam walked over, nodding with satisfaction. “Not bad. A virgin. With this face and body, we’re going to be rich!”