Chapter 1

Rumor had it that my fiancé, Edward, had a secret crush on someone he could never win over. But I just couldn't bring myself to believe it.

But then, one fateful day, bandits kidnapped both me and my sister, Charlotte. They forced Edward to make a brutal choice. "Pick one to live."

In that split second, Edward chose Charlotte.

That was the moment I realized that Charlotte was the girl Edward could never let go of, his unreachable love.

I was nothing but a stand-in for Charlotte; Edward only accepted our engagement because I happened to resemble her just enough.

I decided to step back, surrendering my place to them.

But later, Edward completely lost his mind. He rushed over, desperately blocking my way, begging me not to leave. He cried, "I chose the wrong person."

*****

At a life-or-death moment, the bandits had taken both me and my younger sister, Charlotte Rivers, hostage.

Seeing Charlotte's face go pale with fear, and even though we were not exactly close, I leaned in to whisper reassurance in her ear, "Don't be afraid. Someone will come for us."

In the distance, my fiancé, Edward Sinclair, appeared, leading a group of men, his face full of urgency as they hurried toward us.

Before I could say a word, Charlotte beside me called out urgently, her voice trembling, "Ed! Over here! Please save me."

Before I could even process how close she sounded calling him that, the bandit holding us sneered and asked Edward, "We're only letting one of you go. Who do you choose?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Edward chose Charlotte.

At the same time, the bandit yanked me hard. Just as the arrow was about to pierce my chest, reinforcements burst onto the scene and took the bandit down.

I collapsed onto the ground, still coughing and clutching my chest. When I looked up, I saw Edward and Charlotte wrapped tightly in each other's arms not far away.

"Ed, I was so scared. I thought I'd never see you again," Charlotte said, her voice shaking as she clung to him.

"Charlotte, you're not mad at me anymore?" Edward asked gently.

"You risked your life for me. How could I ever stay angry at you?" Charlotte replied, wiping away her tears.

The two kept whispering sweet words back and forth, so full of love and tenderness.

Charlotte was hurt, so Edward scooped her up in his arms and rushed her down the mountain without a second thought.

The rest of the guards looked awkward, glancing back and forth between us, not sure if they should follow Edward or stay behind.

I took a deep breath and tried to push myself up, struggling to get to my feet.

Turned out I'd twisted my ankle somewhere along the way, and as I stood, I lost my balance and tumbled backward.

But instead of the pain I was bracing for, I felt strong arms steadying me.

I turned my head and saw a tall, striking man. He resembled Edward, but there was a gentleness and warmth to him that set him apart.

This was William Sinclair, Edward's older brother.

Once he saw I could stand on my own, William released me, his voice smooth and gentle, like a soft stream. "You're injured. If you don't mind, I can take you down the mountain in my carriage."

I almost instinctively wanted to refuse, but with how badly I was hurt, walking was out of the question. Plus, most of the people left up here were with Edward, and I really didn't want to owe him anything else.

So I thanked William and joined him in the carriage as we went down the mountain together.

It wasn't my injuries that mattered now. What was really weighing on me was my engagement to Edward.

I just wanted to call it off.

My father was the pillar of the imperial court, having served three kings with unwavering loyalty and dedication, giving everything he had for the Kingdom of Avondale.

My brother spent all his years away at the frontier, protecting our borders, sacrificing his own family time so the kingdom could know peace.

As the eldest daughter of the Rivers family, I was raised from birth to one day become the queen and rule by the king's side.

Everyone knew that whoever the king chose to marry me was basically marked as his preferred heir to the throne.

So once my engagement to Edward was made public, it became an open secret that he was now the one everyone assumed would become crown prince.

That also meant breaking off the engagement wasn't just difficult; it was basically impossible.

Before I could even come up with a plan, Edward showed up at my house.

He spent a long time talking with my father in the main hall, and it wasn't until an hour later that he finally came to see me in my room.

There was a hint of weariness in his eyes as he gestured for the servants to bring in a bunch of tonics. "Elizabeth, I've been tied up these past few days. Sorry I haven't been able to come see you."

He was clearly just putting on a show. Anyone could see that he didn't actually mean it.

He said he was too busy. But was he really short on time, or just short on interest?

A few days ago, Charlotte had dropped by with some rare tonics, claiming she had extras, and wanted to bring me a gift out of respect.

It was clear that Edward had brought Charlotte tonics.

Edward insisted he couldn't spare a moment for me, but somehow managed to deliver those expensive gifts to Charlotte all the same.

To him, Charlotte meant a lot.

I wasn't interested in wasting words. I asked directly, "When did things start between you and Charlotte?"

Edward tried to act clueless at first, refusing to admit he'd been involved with Charlotte. But I wouldn't let up, and eventually, he finally broke down and confessed.

He explained, "Charlotte saved my life when we were little. I've always been grateful. So I picked her first last time.

"Charlotte's always had it rough, lost her mom so young and got left at the bottom of the pile. But you, Elizabeth, you grew up with everything. Your father, your brother, everyone loves and protects you. You never have to worry about a thing."

So now, just because my life'd been easy and smooth since the day I was born, that was something I was supposed to feel guilty about?

"So what?" I cut him off, my patience wearing thin. "You want to marry her?"

Edward paused for a moment before answering slowly, "She'd only be my concubine. That's all.

"You'll be my wife, and Charlotte would never try to compete with you."

I gave him a calm, almost distant smile. "That's fine."

"What?" Edward looked at me in utter disbelief, clearly never expecting I'd say yes to taking Charlotte as his concubine so easily.

I said calmly, "Jealousy isn't really my style. If that's what you want, I see no reason to stand in your way.

"And besides, just as you said, Charlotte is my sister. I naturally hope she gets everything she wants."

I was the eldest daughter of the Rivers family. There was no way I was letting some guy turn me into a pitiful, self-pitying mess.

I refused to become one of those bitter wives, sulking because their husbands only had eyes for their concubines.

I was still just me—Elizabeth Rivers. That was never going to change.