Chapter 1
At the victory banquet, the Queen Mother, Roselyn Quinn, smiled and asked what reward I wanted, yet her eyes glinted with mischief as she glanced at Edward Grant, the promising official.
In my previous life, I bashfully asked the Queen Mother to grant me a marriage with Edward.
Edward's expression instantly turned cold, and he swept out of the hall, making me the laughingstock of the whole palace.
Later, he came to apologize, saying he'd had too much to drink that night and acted without thinking.
I brushed it off and forgave him, letting the past go.
Later, I finally married Edward, but on our wedding night, I was left all alone in our wedding room.
Edward spent the whole night next door, holding and comforting his sickly cousin, Lydia Swan.
He said, "Lydia is in poor health. She's very sensitive to emotional shocks. Charlotte, since you love me, you should be generous.
"Don't worry. All she'll get is a title, but my body and heart are yours."
I swallowed my pride and endured the shame, sharing Edward with Lydia, but in the end, she ended my life with a poisoned cup of wine.
She leaned in close and laughed in my ear, "Charlotte, you're really too naive. If Ed truly loved you, would he ever let you suffer at all?"
Now, with a second chance at life, I faced the Queen Mother's kind eyes and stood straight.
I replied, "I have no other requests, Your Majesty. I only ask that you take back that casual comment from years ago and let me call off my engagement to the Grant family."
*****
Inside the grand hall, everyone was holding their breath.
Edward's hand, gripping the wine cup, suddenly shook so hard that the wine splashed all over the front of his robe.
He looked up, and for the first time, shock flashed across those usually charming, carefree eyes.
The Queen Mother was stunned for a long moment, her smile vanishing as her expression turned serious. "Charlotte, are you sure about this? Your father pleaded for this marriage with his dying breath."
I bowed deeply. "I am sure, Your Majesty. A forced marriage never brings happiness. Mr. Grant has his sights set far beyond this, and I dare not hold him back."
"Well, well. You truly don't dare to hold him back," Roselyn said.
She fixed me with a deep, penetrating gaze, then issued the decree right there in the hall.
"Since that's your wish, I'll grant it. From now on, you and Edward will go your separate ways. There are no ties between you."
Edward locked his gaze on me, his face livid with fury.
After everyone had left, I was stopped at the palace gates.
Edward stood there in his crimson official robe, cutting a striking figure against the night, though his face was shadowed with brooding darkness.
"Charlotte, playing hard to get, huh? Aren't you taking it a bit too far?" Edward said, his voice laced with sarcasm.
He stepped closer, his trademark arrogance and confidence radiating from him.
"I know you hate having Lydia around. You broke off the engagement in front of the whole court just to make me beg for your love and swear to be yours alone forever, didn't you?"
I stepped back, pulling away from his reach.
"Mr. Grant, you misunderstand," I replied, keeping my composure.
"Misunderstand?" Edward sneered, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
He let out a mocking laugh, his gaze sharp and full of disdain.
He said, "We grew up together. You've loved me for ten years. You've done things for me. Don't tell me you're suddenly over it.
"And now you want to call off the engagement? Charlotte, don't make a scene. The Queen Mother's decree is already out, but if you admit you were wrong right now, there's still room to fix things."
Looking at how sure of himself he was, all I could think was how blind I'd been in my last life.
I straightened my sleeves, my expression cool and detached.
"Edward, I don't love you anymore," I said.
Those words were barely audible, but they struck him like lightning, right in the heart.
He froze, like he couldn't believe what he'd just heard. "What did you say?"
I looked up, met his eyes, and spoke each word slowly and clearly.
"I said, now that the engagement is off, you can spoil your cousin all you want, and I'll find my own happiness. From now on, we'll walk our own path."
With that, I turned and got into the carriage sent by the Sinclair family.
As the curtain dropped, I saw Edward still standing there, his face pale as a ghost.
But he quickly regained his composure and shouted after the carriage, "Alright, Charlotte. You've got some backbone. Let's see how long you can tough it out.
"When you come begging to me in tears, don't expect me to care about the past."
The carriage rolled away, the wheels rumbling on the road.
The maid, Rosie, glanced at me nervously. "My lady, did we really make Mr. Grant furious? What about Madam..."
I closed my eyes, a cold smirk curling at my lips.
"Chill, this is just the start," I replied, my tone sharp.
When I got back to the Sinclair Estate, I hadn't even set foot inside before the crash of breaking porcelain reached my ears.
Right after that came Rachel Sinclair, my stepmother's piercing wails.
"Heavens, what sin have we committed? How could such a good marriage just be called off like that? Are you trying to drive us both to our graves?"
I stopped in my tracks, then pushed open the doors to the main hall.
The place was a wreck. Rachel was sitting on the floor, making a scene.
Lydia Swan, my fragile cousin who always acted like she couldn't take care of herself, was crawling right there among the broken porcelain, tears streaming down her face.
As soon as I walked in, Lydia shuddered, then shuffled closer on her knees, reaching out to clutch the hem of my dress.
"Charlotte, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have had feelings for Edward," Lydia whimpered, her voice shaking.
"Please, don't let me be the reason you lose your chance at happiness."
She was sobbing like she was the real victim here, putting on the most pitiful act imaginable.
I looked down at her perfectly manicured hands, still hovering just inches from my dress.
Without hesitation, I lifted my foot and stomped down hard on them.
"Ah!" Lydia cried out in pain.