Chapter 1

When I shared the King's bed, he told me he was born unable to have children, so I never bothered to prevent conception.

I thought that once I became his woman, at least I wouldn't have to go hungry and sleep under the stars anymore.

But he made me take my sister's place in the marriage alliance. He said, "You and your sister look almost identical. I can't bear sending her off to a foreign land. You'll go for her."

But who's going to save me?

Born to be a pawn, I never had the right to refuse.

A month later, I concealed my pregnancy and set out on the road to fulfill the marriage alliance.

Halfway there, when they discovered I was pregnant, they forced me to throw myself into the river. My fate became a mystery to all. Everyone just thought it was a simple matter of swapping one woman for another.

But the King was suddenly frantic, overwhelmed with regret for not keeping me close.

He personally came to Silkvale to search for me, declaring, "I want her found, dead or alive!"

I knew my chance had finally come.

Later, heavily pregnant, I returned to the capital with him and was made the Royal Consort.

My sister, Myrtle, finally panicked. "You bitch, the King will never love you. He only wants you to give him an heir."

She thought I'd be heartbroken, but she was wrong. I never needed the King's love.

What I wanted was to gain status through my child, to become Queen, or even Queen Mother. I wanted power, so no one could ever push me around again.

*****

"Take Myrtle's place in the marriage alliance," Archer said to me right after I'd spent the night with him, before I even had a chance to put my clothes back on.

Just moments ago, he'd been holding me close, murmuring softly against my ear, and now his whole demeanor changed, like he was suddenly a different person.

"Why? Did I not please you, Your Majesty? Or are you simply tired of me?" I asked. I didn't cry or throw a fit.

After all, I'd long since gotten used to Myrtle taking everything that should've been mine. I looked up at Archer, my eyes brimming with tears, like a startled fawn—so pitiful, so helpless.

When we were kids, Myrtle snatched my only toy and carelessly broke it, just because she thought I was so low that she could bully me however she pleased.

At school, she stole my seat and made sure all the other noble girls ignored me, leaving me stuck by the window, exposed to the sun and wind.

Now, after finally clawing my way into the palace as a consort, I was still just another pretty face at the bottom of the pecking order.

Myrtle, meanwhile, had dazzled everyone with her dancing at a party and caught the eye of a foreign envoy. She was about to be sent off to marry in a distant land.

I thought I'd finally broken free from the Elledge family and Myrtle's torment, but in this moment, it felt like I was right back where I started.

She messed up, but it was me to pay the price.

Why is it always me? For once, I couldn't hold back. I had to ask why.

"You and Myrtle look almost the same. I can't bear to send her away to some foreign land. Vanessa, help her out," Archer said. When he heard my voice tremble, he paused, suddenly seeming too ashamed to look back at me.

Maybe it was guilt, maybe it was shame; after all, I was already his Royal Consort.

I'm supposed to help her, but who's ever going to help me?

For a split second, I wanted to scream my lungs out, to finally let all my bitterness pour out.

But I didn't dare. I was born at the bottom. If I pissed off the King, I wouldn't even make it to that foreign country—I could get myself killed before sunrise.

I was just another overlooked daughter from the Elledge family, nothing special, just another low-born girl. There were plenty like me, inside the palace and out.

To someone like him, crushing me would be no more than squashing an ant.

"I accept your decree and thank you for your favor, Your Majesty," I said, bitterness flooding my heart as I crawled off the bed, my clothes a mess, and knelt on the floor. My voice was perfectly respectful; whether punishment or reward, it was all considered a blessing from the throne.

"Get up. As compensation, I'll give you a thousand silver notes for your payment," Archer said, turning away as he saw me kneeling so obediently. He knew full well how unfair this was to me, but that didn't stop him.

He'd always been drawn to my sister, Myrtle, but she was too proud, always dreaming of freedom and adventure, refusing to marry him and become his queen. So he settled for me, a substitute who resembled her just enough to take her place.

But after I entered the palace, Myrtle grew anxious, terrified I'd win Archer's favor and finally break free from her shadow.

She made sure to steal the spotlight at the palace banquet, deliberately charming Archer until a foreign prince asked for her hand in marriage.

Once everything was settled, Archer was left brooding. He drank, then came to my chambers and summoned me to his bed.

But right after our night together, he suddenly came up with his clever little switch—using me as a stand-in for Myrtle.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," I said, bowing low in thanks, my eyes showing not a trace of resentment.

"The road ahead is long and hard. Is there anything you want to tell me before you go? Name one thing you want, and I'll make it happen," Archer said.

He watched me, my shoulders still marked with faint red bruises, yet I showed no sign of complaint. His guilt grew at the sight, and for once, he actually offered to grant me a wish.