Chapter 2

My heart skipped a beat.

In my previous life, Harlen would have been lost in Ursula's embrace at this hour. There was no way he'd ever show up in my chambers.

I could see Shonda was flustered too.

She shot me a panicked look, worried that Harlen would catch her here complaining about him.

I forced myself to stay calm, motioned for Shonda to slip away to the back chamber, and then got up to greet Harlen.

When I laid eyes on Harlen, every cruel thing he'd ever done to me in my previous life hit me all at once.

Rage simmered inside me, making my whole body shake.

I lowered my eyes and bowed. "Harlen."

Harlen lingered, his gaze sweeping over me with a cold, calculating look that seemed to last an eternity.

He finally spoke, his tone edged with suspicion, "I heard Shonda is here."

I kept my voice steady. "Were you looking for her, Harlen? She did stop by, but just left. Would you like me to send someone to fetch her?"

"No need," Harlen said, his gaze cold and distant, locking onto me with that royal chill. "I'm here for you."

It was the same cold stare he gave me the night he killed me.

The moment he showed up, I realized he'd travelled to the past, just like I had.

I knew there was no way I could hide the truth. There was no way I'd follow the same path as last time.

Harlen was no fool. He'd catch on soon.

"Is that why you're here? Want me to cover for you?" I laid my cards on the table.

Harlen gave me a cruel, satisfied smile. "You're sharp."

He got straight to the point. "If you don't want to go through the pain and torment you suffered last time, you'd better know your place.

"You know I'm the only prince of the Rheinston Kingdom, and the future king. Do you really think you stand a chance against me?"

"I understand. I was wrong," I said, bowing my head. I let go of my urge to help others and said, "I'll never defy you again, Harlen."

"Be obedient, and I might grant you wealth and status in this life. But if you cross me..." Harlen's smile was icy and cruel. "Your fate will be even worse than before."

With those words, he strode away without a second glance.

He was convinced I couldn't do anything about him in this life too.

As soon as Harlen left, Shonda rushed out, her voice anxious. "Maria, what did Harlen want with you?"

"He wasn't here for me. He was looking for you. I got rid of him before he could find you," I lied. "Whatever's going on between you two is your business. I'm just an outsider. I can't interfere."

"But..." Shonda hesitated, her voice trailing off.

"Harlen is going to be the next king. He needs children and women to bear them. You'll have to try and be gracious about it, Shonda," I said.

Shonda didn't look happy about that.

But when she saw I wasn't taking her side, she stormed off in a huff.

I watched her walk away, a cold smirk on my lips.

I'd like to see how Harlen plan to claim the throne without Shonda's family behind him and after getting betrayed by his favorite woman.

Ever since Harlen warned me not to snitch, he got even bolder with Ursula, flaunting their affair right out in the open.

Shonda kept making a fuss, so I took it upon myself to play the peacemaker, constantly heading over to the crown prince's rooms to talk her into being more understanding.

With Harlen too busy losing himself in Ursula's embrace to bother with politics, I started handling the daily affairs Father assigned to him, taking care of everything behind the scenes.

Officially, all the credit went to Harlen, but my real aim was to earn his trust, to make him convinced that after our previous lives, I wouldn't dare step out of line again.

*****

Several months passed. In the previous life, I would've already reported him, and Father would've ordered Ursula's execution ages ago. There was no way she'd still be alive.

So Harlen almost let down all his defenses against me.

Early one morning, Father called Harlen and me in for an urgent meeting.

Just like in my previous life, Father looked stern. His eyes was filled with anger and a hint of panic he tried to hide.

He said coldly, "I got word from our spies that the Duke of Trudington has been drilling his troops outside the city, clearly up to something.

"And this morning in court, he didn't even bother to show me any respect in front of everyone. Looks like he's planning to rebel."

"Father, please calm down. If the Duke of Trudington wants to rebel, let him. It'll give us the perfect excuse to eliminate him once and for all. That snake's been a threat for far too long," Harlen said.

"Half the court is in the Duke of Trudington's pocket. How am I supposed to get out of this safely?" Father snapped, his anger boiling over.

Harlen fell silent for a moment, then suddenly turned to me. "Maria, you've always been clever. What do you think?"

I knew Harlen was still testing me.

In my previous life, it was my strategy that brought down the Duke of Trudington and his entire faction. That earned me Father's admiration. He even lamented that I wasn't born a prince.

When Harlen heard those words, his resentment toward me only grew deeper.