Chapter 1

After Prince Alistair falls in battle, the grieving Queen Dowager decrees that his glory in life must be honored in death.

His intended bride, my sister, Charlotte Harper, is to join him in the afterlife.

In three days, she is to be burned alive.

When the news reaches Harper Manor, Charlotte scrambles to our stepmother, her sobs echoing through the halls.

"Mother, you have to find a way out of this! I won't be a sacrifice! The Prince is dead! Why should I have to burn for a corpse?"

Ruth Harper clutches Charlotte, their wails echoing in the hall. My father just stood there, frozen, while the color completely drained from his face.

Then, his gaze falls on me. A cruelly calculating light flickers in his eyes.

"Evelyn," he declares. "You are the trueborn daughter of this house. It is your duty to take your sister's place."

A wave of disbelief washes over me as I stare at him.

Three years ago, to ensure Charlotte's betrothal, they stripped me of my birthright, officially declaring me a secondary daughter.

Now that a sacrifice is needed, they remember who I am.

Ruth wipes her eyes and takes my hand, wearing a mask of maternal love.

"Evelyn, your sister has always been so fragile. Can you imagine what the flames would do to her?

"Just this once. Take pity on her. Take her place. I promise you, when you are in the next life, I will burn mountains of gold and silver in your name."

Charlotte chimes in, her voice shrill with hope.

"Evelyn, you've always been so kind. Please, just help me this one time! I swear, one day I will..."

I know it doesn't matter what I say. If I refuse, they will drag me there.

Late that night, in the cold solitude of the woodshed that has become my home, I write a letter by the light of a sliver of moon.

[Edward, you once swore you'd protect me for a lifetime. Does that promise still stand?]

*****

I fixed my gaze on my father, Neil Harper, as he put on a sudden air of noble self-sacrifice.

"Take her place? Father, have you forgotten your own words from three years ago?

"You were the one who had my name struck from the family records, who declared my spirit too wild for a prince. You groveled to have Charlotte recognized as the true daughter, all so she could marry into the royal house in splendor.

"Now that a sacrifice is demanded, suddenly you remember that I am the one with the noble blood?"

His face flushed and paled. He pointed a trembling finger at me, speechless. Finally, abandoning all pretense, he lunged for me.

"That was then, and this is now! Charlotte is destined for greatness, so she cannot be wasted as a sacrifice! You have a duty to this family, and this is merely fulfilling that duty!"

I recoiled, dodging his grasp.

Seeing her husband fail, Ruth released the weeping Charlotte and threw herself at my feet. I sidestepped, and she collapsed onto the floor in a heap, her sobs growing louder.

"Evelyn, my dear, I know we have wronged you! But Charlotte has been plagued by a cough since she was a child. In the winter, she coughs blood!

"How can her delicate body withstand the fire? Think of it as an act of charity! Save your sister!"

Charlotte's wails subsided.

"Evelyn, I know you despise me," she said deceptively sweetly. "But the sacrifice grants you a place in the royal tomb. You will be the Prince's bride in death. Surely that is better than rotting away in this woodshed..."

"Be quiet!" I snapped.

"A royal tomb? It's a funeral pyre! It is to be burned until not even bone remains! You wanted the glory of a royal marriage, Charlotte. You should have been prepared for the risks. Why in God's name should I die for you?"

Neil's face darkened. He snatched a cup from the table and smashed it on the floor.

"Insolence!" he roared. "This house raised you, and you dare speak back when asked to bear a burden for your sister? This is not a request. You have no choice!"

Charlotte peeked out from behind Ruth. The fear in her eyes was gone, replaced by a glimmer of smug satisfaction.

"Mother always said you were blessed by angels as a child, Evelyn. Perhaps the Prince will treat you kindly in the afterlife."

Her voice was as soft as silk, but her words were daggers.

"Besides," she added, her tone dripping with venom, "you are only the lesser daughter now. It is an honor for you to die in my place. A blessing, really."

Her words sent a chill through me as I stared at her. I remembered my mother when she was still alive.

Back then, I was the cherished daughter. She would embroider handkerchiefs with my favorite flowers and bring me warm milk when I grew tired of my lessons.

Once, when Charlotte tried to snatch one of my handkerchiefs, my mother didn't scold me. She simply stroked my hair and said, "Evelyn, you are the elder, and you must be patient. But that does not mean your sister can be unreasonable."

Less than six months after she died, my father made Ruth his wife and cast me aside. They said I was too willful, a disgrace. They said Charlotte was gentle, a better reflection of the family's dignity.

"A blessing?"

A bitter laugh escaped me, followed by a rush of hot tears.

"If being burned alive is such a blessing, why don't you claim it for yourself?"

Seeing my defiance, Neil, shaking with rage, raised his hand to strike me.

Ruth caught his arm. "My lord, not now," she whispered urgently. "Don't harm her. How will she be presentable for the sacrifice in three days? We will lock her away. In a few days, she will have no choice but to agree."

Neil took a shuddering breath, his eyes boring into me with pure hatred.

"Guards! Lock her in the woodshed! No food! Only water until she comes to her senses!"

Two servants seized my arms and began to drag me away. I struggled, screaming my refusal, but my words were lost to the wind. The woodshed door slammed shut with a deafening crack, and the bolt slid home.

I sank onto the dirty straw, my stomach aching with hunger, but a deeper cold had settled in my heart.

In their eyes, I was not family. I was a tool to be used and discarded.

So my birthright was a matter of convenience. I was the heiress when they could profit from it, but I was just a lesser daughter when they couldn't. And now that they needed a scapegoat, suddenly, my duty was all they could talk about.