Chapter 3

But in reality, it was the most remote and neglected corner of the Prince's Palace.

This was the abandoned palace—Jamie's way of banishing me from his life.

Presley took off the heavy hair ornaments and wedding gown for me.

I lay awake on the cold bed, unable to sleep.

I slipped my hand under the pillow and drew out a small Command Seal.

It was forged from the Northlands' unique black iron, icy to the touch.

It was only half of the Command Seal.

I clenched it in my fist.

Jamie thought this marriage was a disgrace to him.

He thought locking me away in Lunarae Palace was how he punished me.

But he was wrong.

The woman he brought into the Prince's Palace wasn't some docile woman

I was the piece that could wipe out his entire family whenever I chose.

This game had only just begun.

*****

Three months slipped by in the blink of an eye.

By now, my wedding to Jamie was the talk of Valemont City. Everyone treated it like a running joke.

People said Michelle was Crown Princess in name only, with none of the real power or respect.

On our wedding night, Jamie walked out with a flick of his sleeve, not even bothering to look back.

And for three whole months, he never once stepped foot inside the Lunarae Palace.

As the Crown Princess, it was like I didn't even exist.

The servants in the Prince's Palace still bowed to me, but they couldn't even bother to hide the contempt in their eyes.

And the concubines and consorts sent by the other princes never missed a chance to make my life miserable, whether it was openly or in secret.

Today, Annalise Vasquez, the consort sent by Tommy, "accidentally" spilled an entire cup of coffee all over my skirt in the royal garden.

She feigned panic as she apologized.

"Oh no, Your Highness, please forgive me. My hand just slipped," she said.

The other ladies nearby covered their mouths, snickering behind their hands as they watched the show.

I just shot her a calm, unbothered look.

"No big deal," I replied.

Then, with everyone watching, I pulled out my scissors and snipped off the ruined section of my skirt.

Everyone's jaws dropped.

I dropped the filthy scrap right at Annalise's feet.

"If something's dirty, just toss it out," I said. "Isn't that right, Annalise?"

Annalise's face was a masterpiece of embarrassment, shifting from red to pale.

I left them behind and walked back to the Lunarae Palace with Presley.

Presley stomped her feet in anger.

"Your Highness, they're just bullying you," she said. "Why didn't you put her in her place?"

I sat by the window, wiping down a dagger.

It was a gift from my father on my coming-of-age day—sharp enough to slice through iron like butter.

"Presley, if a dog bites you, are you really going to bite it back?" I said. "Getting worked up over a bunch of clueless women would only lower our standards.'

Presley nodded, still a bit confused.

"But... are we really just supposed to keep taking it?" she asked.

I let out a small smile.

"Endure?" I said. "I never suffer in silence.

"I'm just waiting for the perfect moment, so when I strike, they won't even have time to regret it."

Those petty women in the back rooms were never what I was after.

This little corner of the Prince's Palace was never where my real battle would be fought.

As night settled in.

I dismissed Presley.

A jet-black messenger pigeon landed quietly on the windowsill.

I deftly took a tiny bamboo tube off its leg.

I unrolled the note inside.

There were only a few words, written in invisible ink from the Northlands.

[Northern Tribes are stirring. Alexander's orders: stand down.]

I held the note over the candle flame, watching it burn to ash.

The Northern Tribes, the Valemont Kingdom's northern nemesis, were always scheming for more.

My father spent thirty years guarding the Northlands and finally brought peace to the border.

But now, the King had just called him back to Valemont City with a cup of wine, pretending it was for his own good so he could "rest."

And right after that, the Northern Tribes started making trouble again.

I refused to believe this wasn't someone deliberately stirring up trouble behind the scenes.

I walked over to the wall and opened an inconspicuous secret compartment.

Inside was a detailed map of the Northlands' defenses.

The map was crammed with countless marks and symbols.

My father and I spent five whole years painstakingly drawing it.

My fingers traced lightly over the words "Northgate Pass."

This was the first—and most crucial—line of defense against the Northern Tribes.

If it ever fell, the consequences would be catastrophic.

My father told me to stand down.

I knew exactly what he was waiting for.

He was waiting for the moment when everyone would finally realize who the real guardian of the Valemont Kingdom was.

And he was also waiting for the perfect time for me—the piece on his chessboard—to make my biggest move.

I clenched the half of the Command Seal in my hand.

The other half was with Alexander.

This seal couldn't command a single soldier from the royal army.

But it could mobilize a force that belonged to no one.