Chapter 1

My cousin, Margaret Howard, had grown weary of the confinement of palace life.

She leapt into the lake in the royal gardens, leaving behind a five-year-old child, Henry Stuart, utterly alone in the vast and empty palace.

After much back-and-forth, the elders in my family finally forced me into the palace.

For over ten years, I did everything I could to shield Henry as he grew up, making enemies of many concubines and ladies.

But on the day Henry ascended the throne, Margaret returned.

It was only then that I realized her faked death by jumping into the lake was all just a setup.

She couldn't stand the suffocating palace rules, but she couldn't bring herself to give up the luxury and privilege of palace life.

Henry, the child I had raised for over a decade, gave me a cup of poisoned wine, so his real mother could stay in the palace openly and rightfully.

Margaret took my place and lived it up as the king's mother, basking in all the glory and riches.

When I opened my eyes, I was back in the fifth year after entering the palace.

Ten-year-old Henry stood by my bedside, holding a bowl of warm chicken soup, gently urging me to drink it.

But last time, it was this very bowl of soup that took my own child's life.

"Lady Katalina, you've been sleeping all afternoon. Please get up and have some chicken soup to warm yourself up," Henry said.

As those familiar words echoed in my ears once more, it was as if I had been back in time.

*****

No! This really was my second chance in life.

Seeing I didn't respond, Henry pushed the bowl of soup closer to me, his voice carrying a gentle urgency.

"Lady Katalina? I tried it for you. The soup's just right. Go ahead and drink it while it's warm," he urged.

"Get out!" I said coldly, unable to hide the bitterness in my voice.

I turned my face aside, struggling to suppress the revulsion I felt as I ordered him.

Henry gathered his robes and knelt beside the bed, worry and confusion written all over his face, as if I was the one making a fuss.

He pleaded, "Lady Katalina, I don't know what I did to upset you. If you're angry, you can vent your anger on me however you wish, but please don't ignore your own health.

"I personally oversaw the soup simmering in the kitchen for two hours, and made sure it was good to drink. It's nourishing.

"Lady Katalina, please don't harm your health just because you're angry with me."

Indeed, Henry was Margaret's precious son.

He was only ten, but already had the knack for playing the victim and twisting things to make me look like the bad guy.

All I did was tell him to leave, and somehow he made it sound like refusing the soup was me hurting myself.

Last time, I never guarded against him. Seeing him bring me the soup with such care, I drank it before he could say another word.

But letting my guard down cost me dearly. I lost my baby, barely two months in the womb, and I'd never have another child again.

Half an hour after drinking the soup, the poison kicked in. I crumpled in pain, bleeding uncontrollably.

The maid, Myla Rice, rushed out to call for the royal physician.

After checking my pulse, the physician told me the child inside me had died, and the miscarriage poison was so strong that it ruined my womb for good. I'd never have children again.

The physician reported the news and hurried out, terrified. Then a palace maid came over and pressed on my belly, forcing out the last of the blood.

That night, I lay there like livestock, letting the maids and matrons handle me however they pleased.

The next day, the king, Edward Stuart, came to see me. His eyes were cold and sharp, sending a chill straight through me.

He asked me, his voice harsh, why I had drunk the abortive soup.

Back then, I still believed it was my own relatives behind it, thinking they feared I'd stop shielding Henry if I had a child of my own.

I couldn't tell him, and I didn't dare to say a word.

I couldn't risk dragging my whole family down with me.

Edward was livid.

There weren't many children in the palace. Only the fourth prince, Henry, and the fifth prince, Jameson, were still alive. Of course, Edward desperately wanted more sons.

But after Jameson was born, no one else in the palace ever got pregnant again.

Now, after finally getting me pregnant, I lost the baby, just like that. And for Henry's sake, Edward couldn't even punish me. It was beyond frustrating.

Edward buried what happened that day deep within Brilliance Palace, making sure not a single rumor escaped.

For years after, he never took me to his bed again, and at palace banquets, he never showed me a shred of warmth.

It wasn't until Henry turned eighteen and joined the court that Edward could finally sit at the same table with me, acting calm and collected as if nothing had happened.

Henry knelt forward, lifting the bowl of soup again.

"Lady Katalina, please, just take a sip," he pleaded.

I gave him a sarcastic smirk, my eyes full of mockery.

I sneered, "Oh? I had no idea I was so frail that I needed this soup to 'nourish' myself."

Henry pressed his lips together, his eyes flickering as he put on a sorrowful, helpless expression.

He said gently, "Lady Katalina, I never got the chance to be by my real mother's side when she was here, and that's something I'll always regret. I hope you can stay healthy and watch me grow up."

He choked up as he finished speaking.