Chapter 1

Rumor had it that in the far west of Mistwater Kingdom, there was a secret ritual. If the shamans of the west joined forces, they could cross the boundaries of time and space.

Winston Stuart, the king, driven by deep longing, had finally obtained this ritual. He was determined to seek out his beloved, his 'white moonlight' who had left this world too soon.

The whole palace was on edge, everyone was freaking out, begging me to talk him out of it.

But for three years as queen, they had no idea I was just a stand-in.

Still, in the end, I went.

"Even you would stand against me?" Winston's voice was icy.

At the king's fury, everyone below the steps bowed their heads in fear. Even the tiles of the Everlasting Hall seemed to tremble.

I looked at the young king, gently shook my head, and walked toward him step by step.

"Your Majesty, your life is too precious. Let me be the one to test this ritual for you, to see if it truly works."

Before anyone could react, I stepped ahead into the ritual array as it activated.

It was funny. I also had my own 'white moonlight' hidden deep in my heart.

I was coming to find Nelson Samson.

*****

In the third year of the Era of Prosperity, Winston blindly put his faith in the shamans and became obsessed with their secret arts. Word on the street was, once the ritual was triggered, one could actually return to the past.

The ministers, terrified the dynasty was on the brink of collapse, literally got on their knees and begged me, the queen, to stop him.

I made my way through the snow to the Everlasting Hall late at night. Inside, the bronze lamps flickered in and out, casting shifting shadows. Winston sat tall on the jade steps, an old, unadorned box glowing with white light before him. Nearby, a ring of light quietly spun in silence.

"The shamans say that when the seven stars align, they'll join forces to start the ritual, and I'll finally be able to return to her side," Winston said, his voice rough, his eyes filled with a stubborn, almost desperate yearning.

The ministers prostrated themselves, begging, "Your Majesty, the nation cannot last a single day without its ruler. No one knows whether this ritual is genuine or not. Please, do not place your trust in the shamans so easily. You must not risk your life so recklessly!"

I stepped slowly into the hall, locking eyes with Winston from afar. Outside, the hush of falling snow seemed to muffle the desperate voices within.

Everyone in the palace would sigh and gossip, saying the king only cared for his queen, leaving the harem untouched for three whole years. They called it true devotion.

But they never knew Winston's so-called affection was never for me, Zora Ralph.

What Winston truly longed for was the maid who had served him for five years, the girl who lost her life during Prince Edmund Stuart's assassination attempt, on the sixth day of the first month in the seventeenth year of the Era of Luminance.

That year, the Silverpeak Kingdom sent me to marry Winston. It was his grand wedding, and Edmund set an ambush along the way. I, the princess, came out unscathed inside the carriage, but Rae Toland paid with her life.

Everyone congratulated me, saying I'd gotten rid of my biggest rival without any effort. But deep down, I knew Winston would never be able to let go of her, not in this lifetime.

And of all things, I just happened to have features that reminded people of Rae.

On our wedding night, the candles burned bright. Winston lifted my veil, and for a brief moment, he seemed lost in thought. But he quickly regained his composure.

His fingers were cold as he loosened my bridal robes, and he said in a detached tone, "Rae said, a new bride should never be neglected."

He treated her words like gospel, going through the motions with me that night. Even when he noticed I was inexperienced, he merely furrowed his brow, his gaze utterly unmoved.

Every year, on the sixth day of the first month, Winston would drown himself in wine, fixing his gaze on my face and murmuring that name softly: "Rae, Rae, Rae, hold me..."

By now, I was used to it. I'd wrap my arms around him gently and whisper, "Your Highness." Once he drifted off to sleep, I'd sit alone by the candle until morning.

Lily Stuart, my maid, would often try to comfort me. "Your Grace, even if His Majesty can't let go of Rae, at the end of the day, you're the only one he keeps close."

Lily actually knew Rae personally. I once asked her, "Do you really think I'm anything like Rae? Not just in looks, but in spirit?"

She shook her head. "Not at all. Rae wasn't born noble like you, and she never had your quiet grace."

I understood then. Rae was a blazing sun, and I was just the shadow she cast.

I asked her, "Is it just because I look like her that you treat me so well?"

Lily shook her head. "No, it's because you're you."

I let out a small smile. The thing about being a stand-in is, the longer I played the part, the easier it was to lose sight of who I really was.

But I was Zora Ralph, princess of the Silverpeak Kingdom, not just a shadow cast by someone else.

Inside the Everlasting Hall, Winston suddenly rose to his feet, his expression icy. The tension in the hall spiked. "Even you would stand against me?"

I looked at him and shook my head. "No."

I walked up to him, looked him straight in the eye. "Your Majesty, your life is too precious. Let me test this ritual for you, to see if it's real."

Winston was stunned, disbelief flickering in his eyes. "You..."