Chapter 1

After my kingdom surrendered, I married Tristan Rowley, the king of Midanao, as the defeated princess of Tuicaea.

He showered me with affection and granted my every request. Gradually, I let go of past grudges.

Three years later, while Tristan left the palace for the spring hunt, his noble consort, Mabelle Patterson cornered me in Lakeview Court. I was eight months pregnant.

She stroked my swollen belly and laughed with the other consorts. She said, "Come, let's guess. Is Her Majesty carrying a boy or a girl?"

They all placed their bets.

Ignoring my desperate pleas, Mabelle cut open my abdomen. She smugly declared, "I was right. It's twins, a boy and a girl."

I held on for dear life, waiting for Tristan to return and give me justice.

Instead, he wrapped an arm around Mabelle and looked at the lifeless bodies of my children with a cold smile.

He said, "Why didn't you wait for me to join the wager. Shall we bet again? Let's see which of these two stillborn children weighs more."

My eyes blazed with fury. "Tristan, you beast!"

His eyes turned red as he shouted back, "Laura, your father colluded with Outrarean and slaughtered my entire family, leaving me an orphan. I pretended to dote on you for years all for the Sadcester region in Tuicaea.

"Now that the region is Midanao's, the debt your family owes must be repaid."

That was when I realized the three years of marital devotion were nothing but a scheme. He wanted me to lower my guard and make me willingly surrender the region to him.

On the day Tristan led his army toward Tuicaea, I climbed up the Starfell Tower.

As I fell, I thought I saw a lone horse racing toward the palace gates.

*****

I dragged myself over to where my children lay, blood leaking from the wound the royal physician had just stitched up.

I didn't even feel the pain. I shielded their bruised, lifeless bodies with my own, holding them as tightly as I could.

I said, "Your Majesty, it was Midanao who laid siege to us first. My father was forced to ally with Outrarean.

"Besides, it was the Outrareans who slaughtered your family, not my father."

The moment I brought up the past, Tristan's eyes instantly reddened.

He didn't care about my wounds. He just grabbed a fistful of my hair and jerked me off the ground.

"Your father may not have done it himself," he said coldly. "But if he hadn't conspired with the Outrareans, how could they have possibly breached the capital of Midanao?

"My family was nearly wiped out. Your father cannot escape responsibility!"

"But Your Majesty..." I tried to protest.

Tristan looked totally fed up, not even letting me finish. He snapped, "Enough with the nonsense. I've been pretending with you for years, and I'm sick of it.

"If you want your children's bodies, then crawl all the way to the royal garden!"

With that, he slammed me to the ground, then turned and took Mabelle's hand, his icy demeanor melting into sudden affection.

"I hunted a wild deer today. Let's head to the royal garden for some roast venison," he said, his voice softening.

Mabelle's eyes danced as she glanced at me, pretending to be troubled. "Your Majesty, is that really appropriate?

"The queen is being punished. I shouldn't indulge while she suffers. The people will start talking about me again."

Tristan let out a scornful snort. "People in Midanao can't stand Tuicaea. Why would they ever defend a Tuicaean princess?"

Mabelle still looked uneasy. "But what if Tuicaea hears about this and kicks up a fuss?"

Tristan smirked, eyes full of scheming. "Let them. That way, I'll have the perfect excuse to invade Tuicaea."

With that, Tristan stomped down hard on the back of my hand, looming over me. "So, are you going to crawl to the royal garden, or are you going to beg for help? It's your call."

As if he still wasn't satisfied, Tristan grounded his heel into my hand a few more times.

I could hear the sickening crunch of my bones breaking. I clenched my teeth, barely holding back a scream.

It wasn't until Tristan disappeared from view that I finally allowed myself to break down, collapsing in pain on the cold floor.

Pamela Foster, my maid, held me close, her tears streaming.

She sobbed, "Your Highness, I'll send word to our spies outside the palace. They'll head back to Tuicaea and bring an army to rescue you."

I clung to Pamela's sleeve, shaking my head in exhaustion. "No. Don't let anyone know what I've suffered here. And absolutely don't let them come to save me."

Pamela's reaction was nothing but a momentary impulse.

Having grown up in the Tuicaean royal palace, she was no stranger to intrigues and the complexities of power struggles between nations.

We both understood that, with Midanao's current might, wiping out Tuicaea would be as effortless as crushing an ant.

What Midanao lacked was simply a proper justification to launch their attack.

That was why Tristan allowed Mabelle's viciousness today. He was trying to provoke me.

He wanted to shatter my resolve so he could use my weakness as the perfect excuse to wage war on Tuicaea.

For the sake of all those innocent lives in Tuicaea, enduring was my only option.

To keep my injury from tearing open, I hastily snatched a piece of fabric from the drapes nearby and wrapped it tightly around my waist.

Facing the royal garden, I got down on all fours.