Chapter 1
When the real heiress came back, it just happened to be my Naming Day Feast.
My mother, full of affection, had made me a dress from the finest fabric.
But as soon as she turned her back, the real heiress showed up in plain, roughspun clothes.
Someone asked, "Who's that rude little maid?"
My second eldest brother, Peregrine Ashworth, snickered and asked, "Was this your plan all along?"
My eldest brother, Alaric Ashworth, gave me a look full of disappointment.
"Liana, you shouldn't have made such a spectacle of yourself," he said.
Even my fiancé, Caspian Peverell, outed us in front of everyone, making me feel so small.
In a moment of utter discouragement, a barrage of comments suddenly flashed before my eyes.
[Little Darling, don't cry. They just want you to learn to behave. They don't actually hate you!]
[Your fiancé just lost his memory. Give him some time, and he'll come around!]
I just smiled to myself and shrugged it off.
Because I'd already bought a ticket to leave in a month.
*****
When Rowena Ashworth, the real heiress, came back, I was in the middle of my Naming Day Feast.
After finding out I wasn't my parents' biological daughter, I didn't dare spend their money anymore.
I thought I'd just keep things simple.
But my mother wouldn't have it.
She carefully slid a fine filigree hairpin into my hair and insisted on having the best dressmaker make my dress.
"No matter if you're my blood or not, you're still my daughter, Liana. Don't be afraid," she said softly.
The silk dress shimmered in the sunlight.
Its radiant waves caught Rowena, who had just come home, and made her wince.
She didn't say a word.
She just slipped back to her room and reappeared in plain, roughspun clothes.
Eglantine, a girl from our close family friend’s house, was clearly annoyed.
She asked me, "Where did this ill-mannered servant come from? She’s actually sitting down."
I was about to explain, but Caspian, the boy who'd grown up with me, just glanced at me from across the room.
He let out a soft scoff and drawled, "The fake heiress is dressed even fancier than the real one. That's hilarious."
As soon as Caspian finished speaking, my second eldest brother—the one I'd always bickered with—stood up.
He grabbed Rowena by the arm and announced loudly, "Back then, Liana and Rowena were switched at birth.
"The truth is, Rowena is my real sister."
That was like dropping a rock in a still pond; chaos erupted instantly.
As everyone started whispering, Eglantine subtly put some distance between us.
She plastered on polite smiles while murmuring apologies to Rowena.
Rowena forgave her right away, and soon the two girls were huddled together, chatting warmly.
But their eyes kept flicking over to me.
They were mocking, like they were just waiting for the next scene in the drama.
And it wasn't just those two.
Pretty much everyone else was watching, waiting for more drama, their faces full of smug amusement.
I suddenly felt so ashamed, like I just wanted to disappear.
I got up, wanting to slip away to my courtyard.
But my eldest brother stopped me in the hallway.
He used to dote on me the most.
The moment I saw him, the tears just wouldn't stop.
"Alaric, as soon as Rowena came back, I sent her ten new dresses from Verdant Atelier. I didn't—" I said.
"I know you're not the kind of person who'd do something so cruel," my eldest brother said, cutting me off.
He didn't let me finish.
His gaze was somber, almost as if he barely recognized me.
"But you shouldn't have worn that moondrift silk today.
"You knew Rowena had just come back, and you still had to rub it in," he complained.
But Mom was the one who wanted me to wear this dress.
I almost tried to explain myself.
But when I saw the weight in his eyes, I just shrank back.
I suddenly understood that explanations only work for those who already favor you.
I lowered my head and whispered, "I'm sorry..."
My fingers gripped the soft fabric at my side, my nose stinging.
Alaric let out a sigh.
"You should leave the Ashworth family for now. Every day you stay, Rowena can't feel at ease," he suggested.
"I'll have someone take you to Hawksmoor Grange now," he added.
Before Rowena came back, I'd already tidied up my rooms and handed them over to her.
Was it now to the point that even the sight of me bothered him?
My throat was so tight I could barely speak.
There were so many things I wanted to ask Alaric, but in the end, I only managed one sentence.
"No need," I said quietly.
"I've got somewhere to go," I added.
When I packed my things, I just grabbed a few outfits and left everything else behind.
My maid Cicely was sobbing as she stubbornly stuffed all the 13 thousand dollars she'd saved into my bundle.
"How could she treat you like this, Miss? It wasn't your fault you got switched. Things were so chaotic back then..." she sobbed.
I stared off into space, my eyes landing on a corner of my bundle.
Fifteen years ago, when chaos broke out in the palace, my mother and several other noble ladies were trapped inside.
Two of them gave birth to daughters at the same time.
And in the confusion, the babies ended up in the wrong arms.
It wasn't until a month ago, when my mother went out to pray, that she spotted Rowena, a flower vendor, who looked so much like her it was almost uncanny.
After some investigation, the truth finally came out.
The other noble lady whose baby was switched lost everything after leaving the palace, leaving Rowena to grow up in hardship.
I pulled myself back to the present and took Cicely's hand in mine, holding it firmly.