Chapter 6

Every word he spoke was like a needle stabbing right into my heart.

"I actually think this dangling hair accessory matches your face perfectly," he said.

As he spoke, he fixed the dangling hair ornament into my bun.

The icy touch made me shudder from head to toe.

"See? Isn't it just perfect?" he said.

He stepped back, admiring his handiwork, a cruel smile curling on his lips.

"Letting you, the impostor, wear the favorite thing of the genuine one. Don't you think that's amusing?" he said with a sneer.

I clamped my lips shut, determined not to make a single sound.

Tears threatened to spill from my eyes, but I desperately held them back.

I mustn't cry.

If I did, I'd lose.

Just then, a eunuch's voice rang out from outside the hall.

"Your Majesty, Lady Alondra is asking to see you," the eunuch announced.

It was Alondra Navarro, the Grand Marshal's daughter, and right now, the highest-ranking woman in the palace.

Even though Sheldon's harem was basically empty, to keep the political factions in check, he still brought in a few daughters of powerful officials, gave them low-ranking titles, and kept them around in the palace.

Alondra was one of them.

She always believed that with her pedigree and beauty, the throne was practically hers by birthright.

But she never expected someone like me to suddenly appear and mess everything up for her.

Even though I was just an ignored substitute, in her eyes, I was the biggest thorn in her side.

"Let her in," Sheldon said coolly.

Before long, Alondra, draped in lavish robes, entered with elegant poise.

She paid her respects to Sheldon first, then fixed her gaze on me.

When she saw the butterfly dangling hair accessory in my hair, a flash of jealousy and venom flickered in her eyes.

But she quickly hid it behind a graceful smile.

"Greetings to Lady Selene," she said softly.

"You look truly beautiful today, especially with that butterfly dangling hair accessory. It's exquisitely crafted and makes you seem even more... delicate and captivating," she added.

She deliberately stressed the words "delicate and captivating."

Everyone knew that back then, Selene was the very picture of heartbreakingly lovely.

Alondra was making sure Sheldon remembered I was nothing but a stand-in.

"Is that so?" Sheldon said, sounding like he hadn't noticed Alondra's subtle jab at all.

A playful smile curled at his lips.

"I think it suits her perfectly," he added. "Let her keep this dangling hair accessory from now on."

Alondra's face fell in an instant.

She'd pleaded for that dangling hair accessory over and over, but Sheldon never gave in.

And now, he was handing it to a nobody, a mere stand-in with humble origins?

She couldn't stand it.

"Your Majesty," Alondra said in a sweet, pleading tone, "this dangling hair accessory is so precious, and it's... a relic from someone important to you. Isn't it too inappropriate to give it to Selene?"

"Too inappropriate?" Sheldon interrupted, his gaze turning icy. "Do you think you have the right to question my decisions?"

"I dare not!" Alondra cried, dropping to her knees in fear.

"Then stay silent," Sheldon said coldly.

He didn't even bother looking at her; his eyes locked back onto me.

"From now on, this dangling hair accessory hair ornament stays on you," he ordered. "You'll wear it at every meal, even when you sleep. If I ever catch you taking it off, I'll see to it your hand gets chopped off."

His words were aimed at me, but his gaze slid over to Alondra, still kneeling on the floor.

In that instant, I got it.

He wasn't rewarding me at all.

He was using me to put Alondra on notice, or really, to make a point to the Grand Marshal backing her.

And that dangling hair accessory, which meant the world to me, was just another tool in his power play between the court and the harem.

My heart turned to ice.

So, in Sheldon's eyes, everything we once had was just a tool for him to use whenever he wanted?

I closed my eyes, and a single tear finally slipped down my cheek.

Wearing that butterfly dangling hair accessory, I became the thorn in every woman's side in the harem.

Everyone knew it was once the Emperor's cherished love's keepsake, the ultimate mark of favor.

They all burned with jealousy and resentment toward me.

They set traps for me at every turn, both in the open and behind my back.

One day, someone would dump salt into my coffee; the next, there'd be bugs crawling in my food.

Once, as I was walking through the imperial garden, someone shoved me from behind so hard I nearly tumbled into the lake.

Luckily, my maid Livia reacted fast and grabbed me just in time.

But I still twisted my ankle.

I endured it all because I knew Sheldon was always watching.

He wanted nothing more than to see me beaten down, humiliated, and bullied by everyone around me.

The more I suffered, the more he enjoyed it.

But to my surprise, things took a turn I never saw coming.

Anyone who messed with me always ended up paying the price the very next day, one way or another.