Chapter 1

I was born wrong. That was the only way to put it.

And somehow, I ended up in a family like the Coles—devout, charitable, the kind of people who donated to every cause in town and said grace before every meal.

My parents lived by discipline and moral rules. My older brother was the perfect public servant—clean record, flawless reputation, did everything by the book. My oldest sister was so gentle that she wouldn't even hurt an insect.

And then there was me. Ruthless. Vindictive. The kind of person who never knew when to let things go.

My parents worried themselves sick over me. "The Cole family has spent generations building up a clean reputation. At this rate, you're going to drag the family name through the mud."

I just waved them off. "Relax. Every time I do something wrong, I'll light a candle in the family shrine.

"If it stays lit, I'll take it as the ancestors' approval."

My parents hesitated. "Does it work like that?"

Why not?

But to ease their guilt, I always balanced every questionable thing I did with ten good deeds on the side.

Somehow, it backfired. I ended up with a reputation as calm and charitable, like the perfect role model.

Meanwhile, the Crown Prince was hopelessly in love with his favored concubine and convinced his future wife would make her life miserable.

So he decided the safest choice was to marry the most harmless, unremarkable noble woman he could find.

Unfortunately for him, he picked me. The wrong kind of harmless.

As soon as word got out that Wesley Blake wanted to make me his princess, my whole family went into panic mode.

The self-disciplined, duty-bound elder brother of mine, Gordon Cole, left the court early.

My sister, Catherine Cole, ever the proper one, didn't even have time to inform her mother-in-law before rushing home.

My parents couldn't stay in the little chapel any longer.

The four of them looked like they were facing a national crisis. "Absolutely not! This marriage is out of the question!"

Catherine had spent her entire life in the inner chambers, so she was always the first to hear what was going on—nothing ever slipped past her.

"Everyone knows the Crown Prince is head over heels for Elena Miles. If it weren't for the royal family's rule against outsiders becoming Crown Princess, no one else would even stand a chance.

"Since he can't give his beloved the title she deserves, he's wracked with guilt and decides to choose someone timid and harmless to be princess in name only. But out of all the noble ladies, who would've thought he'd set his sights on Angel?"

My parents, knowing exactly what I was like, exchanged a look and shook their heads in unison. "We absolutely can't let Angel marry the Crown Prince. If she does, we'll never have a peaceful day again!"

I awkwardly rubbed my nose, not sure how things had ended up like this.

I'd always been smart. Once I figured out the Cole family prized kindness and I was the odd one out, I learned to play along—pretending to be timid and harmless.

I figured if I kept my real self out of sight, everyone would get along and things at home would stay peaceful.

But then Gordon stepped in to help a poor orphan give her father a proper burial, only for her to turn around and accuse him of exploiting her and being responsible for his death.

Catherine used the money she saved to hand out free oatmeal, but somehow, someone died after eating it, and her engagement fell through.

My parents were so stressed they could barely think straight, but all the praying in the world wasn't going to save Gordon or Catherine.

I was the only one who could see them for what they really were.

Whenever my family ran into trouble, I could figure out what was really going on in a second.

It was clear these guys were just lackeys sent by Dawson Reid, Consort Sophie Reid's cousin.

Back then, Dawson had gotten his cousin pregnant, but he still shamelessly pursued Catherine, even though she was already engaged. He even showed up at our house with baby clothes, trying to ruin her reputation.

When I was six, I quietly had someone deal with him.

At a palace banquet with my mother, I innocently pointed at Sophie's pregnant belly and asked about the baby in front of everyone.

After Sophie miscarried and lost favor, Dawson had no choice but to keep a low profile and live in shame.

Now that Catherine was engaged to the Duke's household and Gordon's career was soaring, Dawson, that rat in the gutter, couldn't sit still anymore.

What was the best way to bury a scandal and shift the conversation?

Easy. All it took was just to throw out an even bigger scandal and give everyone something juicier to talk about.

So I had Dawson tied up and tossed, buck naked, right in the heart of Navington.

The hidden imperfection Dawson had fought so hard to conceal was finally exposed for all to see.

One couldn't walk down a street without hearing people talk about it.

"Tsk, no matter how high and mighty he was, without his manhood, he's as good as ruined."

"A nobleman's son turned into a eunuch? Tsk, tsk, that's what you get for all your wicked deeds."

"Damn, what kind of grudge would make someone do that? Just toss him out of a carriage naked like that?"

Dawson snapped and lost his mind. With their leader gone off the rails, his men quickly backed off and disappeared.

The orphan was sobbing her heart out. "I was reckless, I know, but it's all because I love Gordon so much. As long as I can marry him, I don't care if I have to be a servant or a maid—I'll take whatever I can get."

Was she willing to be a servant?

Piece of cake. I had her sign an indenture contract, then sold her for a nice profit and sent her straight to the Westfield coal mines.

The man who lost his family in the oatmeal incident saw things going downhill and tried to run. "I know better than to mess with the authorities. Ms. Cole, you run this place—I get it now."

The women I'd arranged stepped forward at once and seized them. The palace physician examined the body in public, prying open the dead man's hands and taking off his shoes and socks.

*****