Chapter 1

My childhood friend Joseph Knight once saved my life.

I never forgot it for ten years.

Then, ten years later, he showed up in his general's uniform.

I thought he had come to propose.

But he said, "Go marry for peace in place of the woman I love. That will repay me for your life."

The handkerchief I had been embroidering for three years fell to the ground.

He bent down, picked it up, and pushed it back into my hands. "Take it," he said. "If you get bored on the road, you can look at it."

That day, I agreed.

The moment I turned away, I burned that handkerchief to ashes.

*****

My name was Isabelle Moore.

The year I came of age, Riverside fell into total chaos. Rebels slaughtered the whole city.

Joseph carried me out of a pile of dead bodies.

He'd been shot by three arrows. His blood soaked through my dress.

He said, "Bella, stay alive."

I did.

He was unconscious for seven days and nights. I fed him, bit by bit, and brought him back.

Later, he went to the northern frontier with the army. I stayed in the capital city.

I spent ten years embroidering handkerchiefs, perfecting my needlework.

Everyone in the capital said that Isabelle, the heiress of the Moore family, was gentle, virtuous, and well-bred, the perfect example of a proper wife.

People offered me a fortune for my embroidery. I never sold a single piece.

Every stitch I made was for only one person.

That young general from the northern frontier. Joseph.

I waited for him to come back in his armor, on a tall horse, and marry me.

*****

Today, he finally came back.

He had reached the highest glory a general could achieve. The king made him a great general and granted him the title of Marquis of Northhold.

The entire capital was celebrating his triumph.

Matchmakers lined up outside my door.

I turned them all away.

I was waiting for him.

In my hand, I clutched a handkerchief.

On it were two swans, nestled close together. It took me three years to finish.

The stitches were fine and tight. They showed ten years of my hard work.

And ten years of my silent love for him were woven into every thread.

My heart raced. It felt like it would jump right out of my throat.

My maid, Penny Tucker, chattered in my ear. "Ms. Moore, what gift do you think Lord Knight will bring for the engagement?

"I bet it's the largest diamond from the northern frontier. And the finest sapphire from the far West."

I smiled and didn't say a word.

I didn't want anything.

I only wanted him to come.

I only wanted him to stand before me, safe and sound.

The sky slowly grew dark.

The hawthorn tree in the courtyard rustled in the evening breeze.

The scent drifted in, wave after wave.

And my heart sank, little by little.

Would he come?

Had he already forgotten me?

Just when I was about to lose hope, a servant called out from outside the gate, "Ms. Moore, Lord Knight... he's here."

My heart gave a sudden jolt.

I squeezed the handkerchief so hard that I almost wrung water out of it.

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself.

I said, "Show him to the parlor."

Penny was even more excited than I was. She helped me to my feet. "Ms. Moore, hurry. Go change your dress."

I shook my head. "No need."

The gown I was wearing, I had put it on just to see him.

I walked into the parlor.

He stood there in dark ordinary clothes, tall and straight.

Ten years had passed. He was no longer the shy young man I remembered. He looked gallant and cold.

His eyes were deep, like the cold nights in the northern frontier.

But the warmth I once saw in his gaze was nowhere to be found.

He watched me. His gaze was calm, as if he were looking at a stranger.

His look pierced straight through my heart.

I stepped forward and curtsied. "My Lord."

He did not help me up. He just said, "Mm."

The air in the room dropped to freezing.

My fingers turned white as I gripped the handkerchief.

I had thought he would say, "Bella, I'm back."

I had thought he would say, "Bella, I've come to marry you."

But he said nothing.

We just stood there, silent.

After a long moment, he finally spoke. His voice was low, with a hint of command that allowed no argument. "You know the king's order, don't you?"

I nodded. "Yes."

The Torgun tribe from the far West had asked for a royal princess to marry, to bring peace between their land and ours.

But none of the princesses born to the purple wanted to go to that cold, harsh place.

He would give her the title of princess. Then he would send her to marry in place of the real princess to seal the alliance.

"The candidate has already been decided," Joseph looked at me and spoke each word slowly and clearly.

My heart jumped into my throat.