Chapter 1

Edward Fairchild was a man famous across Jelasburg for his relentless pursuit of perfect fairness.

In his eyes, I, Victoria Windsor, held no more worth as the princess than any ordinary courtesan in the city's brothels.

He had decided to leave the choice of his legal wife entirely to a random draw of lots.

In my previous life, I loved and respected him deeply, so I openly agreed to his unusual arrangement.

When they drew lots, Charlotte Linwood got picked as his wife, and I was left with no choice but to be his concubine.

After we married, his obsession with being fair grew even more extreme.

Charlotte had grown up poor with very few assets of her own before marriage, so he broke into my personal treasury and split all my wealth equally between her and me.

Later, Charlotte had a miscarriage and found out she could never have children again. To even things out, he forced me to drink an abortion potion to end my own pregnancy.

I faded away slowly after that, growing thin and frail until I was barely alive.

Edward only stayed by my bedside when I was on my deathbed, his voice full of guilt as he said, "Victoria, I've spent my whole life chasing fairness and justice, but I cheated that day during the draw.

"I only put Charlotte's name in the box.

"Still, I'd do it again. Charlotte had no one to rely on in this world. If she'd been stuck as my concubine, you would have made her life miserable.

"I failed you in this lifetime. If fate grants us another chance, I will make you my one and only lawful wife."

Cold, burning hatred washed over me as I stared at him with bloodshot eyes.

But I could do nothing. I died drowning in pure rage, certain my suffering was finally over.

I never thought I'd wake up again, much less go back to the day I agreed to let him draw lots for his proper wife.

*****

As Edward's hand hovered over the lottery box, about to pick a name, I spoke up fast to stop him. "Wait."

Every head in the crowd turned toward me.

People saw the conflict written all over my face and started whispering suspiciously among themselves.

"Is Princess Victoria backing out at the last minute? She has no grace, not like Miss Linwood at all."

"Lord Edward's always lived such an honest life. He'd never have looked twice at Princess Victoria if she hadn't chased him relentlessly."

"His Majesty values integrity above all else. How will the public view the royal family if Princess Victoria goes back on her word in front of everyone?"

I heard every cruel, cutting remark.

I looked into Edward's cold, empty eyes, and the weight of my second chance at life finally sank in.

Charlotte clung shyly to his sleeve, hiding half behind him.

Annoyance flickered clearly across his sharp features. "What is this about, Your Highness?

"Yesterday, you said you hated people who abuse their power and act recklessly on a whim.

"Are you going to go back on your word in front of all these people?"

The crowd burst into praise the second he finished speaking, cheering his strict sense of justice.

I clenched my palms until my nails dug into my skin, holding back a cold sneer. When I looked over at him, my face gave away nothing.

Edward stepped forward, sounding genuinely upset. "You swore on your royal blood only moments ago. You said you'd swap lives with Charlotte and become a courtesan yourself if you broke your promise."

His words silenced the entire crowd in an instant. The place stayed dead quiet for a heartbeat before erupting into louder, more chaotic whispers.

A group of unruly young nobles who often hung around Edward sat among the guests. They stared at me with greedy eyes and threw around lewd, mocking comments.

"Sleeping with the princess would be the thrill of a lifetime. I'd have no regrets even if I died after one night with her."

"I'd consider myself lucky just to get close to her. Nothing else matters."

The crowd burst into loud laughter at their words, and another noble chimed in with a skeptical tone, "Lord Edward would never let any of you get your hands on her. He'd buy her freedom before she stepped inside a brothel."

Edward shook his head with a faint smile and fixed his gaze firmly on me. "That won't happen. If Princess Victoria breaks her promise and ends up in a brothel, I will treat her exactly like everyone else there.

"I will follow every rule of the brothel strictly, with no special treatment for her."

His words emboldened the normally timid nobles who never dared to look me in the eye.

One of them held up five fingers and waved them lazily, wearing a cocky grin. "If that day really comes, I'll pay five thousand silver coins for the princess's first night. Does that show you how serious I am?"

"That's lame. I'll put up ten thousand."

"Twenty thousand. I'd empty my entire fortune to get this chance."

Bids poured in one after another, and the crowd's crude jokes and loud laughter grew more offensive by the second.

I swept a cold gaze over the packed crowd below the stage.

Memories of my first meeting with Edward flashed through my mind.

I had been instantly drawn to his eyes back then, bright and clear as if they could wipe away every darkness in the world.

Now, all I could see was the fake remorse on his face when he stayed by my deathbed in my previous life.

I finally understood this flower appreciation event was a trap he had carefully set for me, just waiting for me to walk right into it.

I admitted I had misjudged him completely in my previous life, but things would be different this time. I would walk away safe and sound and smash every last one of his plans to pieces.

Hatred burned fiercely in my chest. I leaned over and whispered a quick order to my maid. Then I turned my head slowly to look at him and lifted my lips into a calm, cold smile. "Edward, I never said I was backing down from my word.

"Since we are drawing lots to decide your lawful wife, Charlotte and I can draw the lots ourselves. This way, it'll be far fairer."