Chapter 4

He must have thought I was just some crazy consort banished to the cold palace.

But then I remembered Winston's harem was empty. So where would any other consorts even come from?

"Wait!" My voice was shaking. "What year of Luminance are we in right now?"

The boy glanced back, one eyebrow raised, sounding totally nonchalant. "Twelfth year of Luminance."

A thunderclap went off in my head.

The twelfth year of the Era of Luminance was ten years ago. That was the year I met Nelson.

I was supposed to be out in the snowy borderlands of Winston's realm, so why was I inside the palace?

This formation had dragged me back, body and all... So right now, Nelson should be at the border, meeting that eleven-year-old blind girl, Zora.

My head spun, my ears buzzed, and my legs turned to jelly. I suddenly collapsed backward.

Right above me, the boy leaned in, frowning slightly. "Are you alright?"

Flat on my back, I gazed up at him from below. Those eyes, that face, even that casual concern; it all felt so familiar.

I let out a laugh, both annoyed and amused. "You're... Winston?"

The boy's gaze turned icy, layer by layer. He pulled a dagger from his belt and held it to my throat. "You know me? You're not some lunatic. Who are you, really?"

I wondered, feeling lost.

If I told him I was his future queen, would he even believe me?

It was the twelfth year of the Era of Luminance, and Winston was only thirteen.

He wouldn't be named Crown Prince for another three years, and I wouldn't marry him for another five.

The icy edge of the dagger pressed against my throat, sharp enough to sting. The boy's eyes were wary, scanning for danger; he was already used to the deadly games of the palace, always ready for trouble.

"What are you doing? I just saved your life!" I protested, my voice trembling with urgency.

"Nobody ever comes here. How did you end up in this place?" He pushed the blade even closer. "Whose side are you on? Who sent you to approach me?"

How was I supposed to explain this? In the twelfth year of the Era of Luminance, I was still in the Silverpeak Kingdom. I wouldn't set foot in Winston's palace for another five years. I didn't know a single soul here, except for the boy in front of me, and Rae, who was long gone.

Suddenly, an idea flashed through my mind. I blurted out, "Isn't there a maid named Rae Toland who serves you? We're like sisters. When I heard you were missing, I helped her look for you everywhere."

I was taking a chance, hoping Rae was still with him.

Winston gave me a weird look. "You know Rae?"

I breathed out in relief, nodding quickly.

Given Winston's fixation on Rae, I figured my life was probably spared, for now.

Winston moved the dagger away, but his voice stayed icy. "Do you know how I fell?"

I shook my head and tried to get up. Before I could steady myself, he lunged at me with the dagger again, his gaze chilling. "She was the one who shoved me down."

My eyes went wide, and my heart stopped cold.

Wasn't Rae the one he was obsessed with? How could she have pushed him down the well? So all these years, I was just a stand-in, playing a part in some twisted scam?

I thought, feeling totally screwed.

Right at the critical moment, the dagger suddenly dropped to the ground. Winston grabbed his wrist, looked up sharply and shouted, "Who's there?"

He kept the blade pressed to me as he backed us into the rundown house. The place was empty, except for a woman hidden in the corner.

Her eyes stared wide, her neck broken, her body crumpled against the wall.

"There's a dead body! We need to get out of here now. If anyone sees us, we'll never be able to talk our way out of this!" I grabbed Winston's arm, trying to pull him away.

But he clamped down on my wrist, his grip so tight it felt like my bones might snap. He stared at me, suspicion written all over his face. "You don't know her? Didn't you say you were like sisters?"

I was floored, words stuck in my throat. That dead woman was Rae.

"You don't know her at all," Winston said coldly. "Who the hell are you? In this palace, anyone with an unknown identity doesn't get to live."

He wasn't bluffing. In Winston's palace, if I couldn't prove who I was, I was as good as dead.

The pain in my wrist was so intense I couldn't help but blurt out, "I'm your future wife. You have a red mole three inches below your right waist."

The air froze instantly.

Winston's face flushed bright red, teeth clenched. "How long have you been peeking at me while I was bathing?"

"I... I wasn't peeking," I stammered, flustered.

Why would I need to peek? After five years of marriage, I was so familiar with his body that it barely even registered anymore.