Chapter 3

What Victor could not abide was the defiance Charles clung to, a pride that stood unwavering amidst ruin.

In Victor's eyes, killing such a self-righteous man would be a form of mercy.

True victory lay in stripping him of every shred of dignity, until he surrendered that unbending will.

So when Charles, refusing to surrender, caused a scene before Graham Manor, Victor drew me close and whispered, "Anna. Make him crawl away from here in the dirt, and I will spare his wretched life."

To keep Charles alive, I would have agreed to anything, even if it meant he would come to hate me.

The grand gates of Graham Manor swung wide open.

I stood on the highest step, draped in finery threaded with gold. In my hair rested a golden pin, a gift Victor had given me.

I looked down, my eyes filled with contempt. "Charles, have you finished making a spectacle of yourself?" I asked, my voice icy. "No one forced me. I chose this path.

"What? Is the pursuit of wealth a sin in your eyes? Is poverty a virtue? I only wish for comfort. Why must you stand in my way, again and again?"

In the swirling snow, I watched Charles's face turn ashen. A tear traced a path down his cheek.

His lips trembled as if to speak, but no words came.

Just as I hardened my heart to leave, he lunged forward and seized the hem of my mantle.

"Anna, there is no shame in wanting riches and honor. The fault is mine, I am useless," Charles said. "I will abandon my studies. I will work, I will do business. I will do anything. Whatever you desire, I will give it to you.

"I beg you, Anna. Don't go," he pleaded, desperation in his eyes. "Anna, I love you. I cannot live without you."

Listening to Charles's pleas was like a knife twisting in my heart. I dug my nails into my palms, shut my eyes, and held back the tears.

When I opened my eyes again, only coldness remained.

"Whatever lay between us has ended," I said, my voice final. "Victor can give me all I desire. Do not seek me out again. From this day forward, we are nothing to each other."

Charles stood in the snow the entire day, until his strength failed and he was carried to an infirmary.

*****

That night, Victor came to my chamber and dragged me into the bedchamber.

I didn't resist. But before he could push me onto the bed, I claimed I wished to freshen my makeup and sat at the dressing table.

I took the pot of lip rouge and carefully painted my lips.

What he did not know was that I had mixed deadly arsenic into the rouge.

From the day I agreed to Victor's terms, I never intended to live.

I had to take Victor with me, to remove any future threat to Charles.

Just as Victor pinned me down on the bed.

The door was smashed open, and an icy wind rushed in, carrying the scent of blood.

Outside, flames leapt into the sky, and the clash of arms filled the courtyard.

Edward stormed in at the head of the Royal Guard, raiding Graham Manor.

It turned out the Grahams had backed the losing faction in the court intrigues, and tonight was set for their downfall.

Victor was run through by Edward's blade, charged with defying an imperial order.

Amid the flames, I stared in disbelief at Edward, whom I had not seen in eight years.

Edward walked to me and, with a conflicted gaze, wiped the blood from my face. "Anna, I came too late," he said softly.

I later learned that Edward had sold himself into service at the palace, all to avenge my father.

Step by step, he climbed until he reached the powerful position of Royal Attendant. Only then could he uncover the truth of the past.

The entire smuggling case had been a fabrication: the Grahams had pinned their crimes on an innocent commoner to absolve themselves.

My father had been made a scapegoat, a casualty of the Grahams' power struggles.

The ruin of the Sinclair family was merely a game for the powerful.

Edward saved me.

But I had swallowed half the poison on my lips.

Though a doctor fought to save me, my life was barely preserved. The toxin had already seeped deep into my organs.

The doctor said my constitution was ruined. I did not have many years left.

I drifted in and out of consciousness. When I finally awoke, I learned of Charles from others.

He had abandoned the Civil Service Exam and entered the service of Prince Nathan as an advisor.

He was betrothed to the youngest daughter of Lord Marcus Sterling, the Minister of Ceremonies.

Edward, fearing my distress, wanted to confront Charles and reveal the truth.

I looked at my pale reflection in the mirror. "Edward, please don't," I said. "I have so little time left. Why trouble him with this? He has a bright future ahead. To learn the truth now would only bring him sorrow."

*****

Edward had risen to become the King's favourite and trusted right hand.

When the King heard Edward was sheltering a woman from the Graham household, he found it curious. On a whim, he issued a decree.

He bestowed me, this so-called damaged woman, upon Edward as his partner.

After that, rumors spread throughout the capital.

They said I was a seductress, weaving my way between men.

I found the rumors laughable and paid them no mind. Edward, however, was furious and punished several attendants. After that, no one dared to gossip near me again.

I was prepared to die, but Edward would not concede defeat. He sought out every doctor he could find, clutching at even the faintest hope.

Yet everyone who examined me came to the same conclusion.

I had, perhaps, less than three years to live.