Chapter 1

The man I loved was General Pierce Thorne, the legendary protector of our northern borders.

He was a man who had renounced all romance. Even when my brother, the King, tried to force our marriage through a political alliance, Pierce refused to agree.

After I was sent away to marry a northern tribal leader for peace, a woman began to follow Pierce every day.

He didn't seem to hate her presence.

Later, my brother finally sent a carriage to bring me home.

But on that very day, I heard that General Thorne intended to marry Sydney Langford.

It makes sense. I should have known this would happen.

But much later, I heard he spent the rest of his life guarding that desolate border.

The very place where I died.

1 I am dead.

I died on the day my brother came to take me home, just outside the massive walls of the Empire's northern fortress.

The strange thing is, after my life ended, I finally saw the man I had longed for.

Pierce Thorne.

He looked exactly the same as he did five years ago. If there was any change, it was only that the woman sitting across from him was someone else.

I heard people say she was Sydney Langford, the daughter of the High Advisor.

I had met her once, many years ago when we were children.

She was just as delicate and charming as the rumors suggested.

Pierce's lips were pressed into a thin line, his face a mask of indifference.

But I knew him better than anyone. I knew he was happy right now.

To anyone else, he looked cold, but I could see the spark of joy in his eyes with just one glance.

Back in the capital, he didn't have many hobbies. He mostly just drank tea in the taverns or spent his time training with his bow.

A storyteller stood in the center of the tavern. I remembered him; I used to listen to him while I was busy following Pierce around.

The man was animated, his words painting a vivid picture for the crowd.

Right now, he was waving his fan, his face full of excitement.

"You all might not know this, but the story of the Second Princess and General Thorne was truly a spectacle!"

The patrons leaned in, many of them cheering and hollering.

"I heard the General didn't have a lick of interest in the Princess!" someone shouted from the back.

"Yeah, exactly," another person chimed in. "Everyone knows the Princess was just chasing a man who didn't want her."

"I even heard the General is already planning to propose to Miss Langford anyway."

The storyteller didn't flinch, shaking his head mysteriously.

"Everyone says he had no feelings for her, but what you don't know is..."

The crowd went silent, hanging on his every word.

But just as he was about to reveal the secret, Pierce suddenly stood up.