Chapter 4
A Northwatch Army of 300,000 answered to no one but the Gibson family.
This was the Gibson family's true trump card.
It was the reason the King both dreaded us and was forced to depend on us.
He thought that by recalling my father to Valemont City and marrying me off to the Prince, he could keep the Gibson family firmly under his thumb.
He was way too naive.
A true strategist never puts all their pieces on the board for everyone to see.
Outside, the wind was starting to blow.
The trees cast dancing shadows, haunting like spirits.
An even greater storm was about to hit.
I carefully rolled up the map.
My eyes grew colder than ice.
Jamie, the King, and everyone who thought I was a joke—they were about to learn the hard way that the woman they tossed aside and called a disgrace would be the one to shatter everything they held dear.
It was time.
The news that Jamie had called Annalise away spread through the Prince's Palace like wildfire.
Inside the Lunarae Palace, Presley was fidgeting restlessly, unable to sit still.
"Your Highness, maybe the Prince is finally going to stand up for you?" Presley asked.
Her eyes shone with a glimmer of anticipation.
I set down my book and blew on my hot coffee.
"You're overthinking it," I said. "He's not standing up for me. He's doing it for himself."
Presley looked confused.
"For himself?" she asked, her voice full of confusion.
I nodded. "Annalise is Tommy's woman. When she causes trouble on my turf, she's not just embarrassing me. She's making Jamie look bad.
"He can dislike me, despise me, or even humiliate me.
"But there's no way he'd let anyone mess with his authority in his own palace."
For Jamie, this was all about his pride as the Crown Prince.
Presley's eyes lit up in sudden understanding.
And sure enough, word came back not long after.
Annalise was put under house arrest for three months and had to copy the Women's Code a hundred times.
The official reason was that she had conducted inappropriate behavior and disturbed the peace of the palace.
The punishment wasn't severe, but it was a real slap in the face.
All those scheming women in the Prince's Palace instantly backed off and became obedient.
Their looks shifted from gloating to a mix of fear and curiosity, sizing me up like I was suddenly someone to watch out for.
That was exactly the effect I wanted.
I didn't even have to lift a finger. Jamie took care of the problem for me, though that was not his intention.
As dusk settled in, someone I never thought I'd see appeared at the door of the Lunarae Palace.
Jamie was still in his usual black, hands clasped behind his back, the sunset casting his shadow long across the entrance.
It was only the second time he'd come here since our wedding night.
Presley and the servants outside knelt in fear.
I got up, walked to the door, and looked at him calmly.
"Your Highness, what brings you here?" I asked.
He didn't come in—just stood at the doorway, his eyes icy as he stared me down.
His voice was chilly as he said, "Michelle, don't get the wrong idea. I'm not doing this for you.
"No one from Tommy's camp gets to throw their weight around in my palace."
I gave him a faint smile.
"Got it, Your Highness," I said. "Thanks for taking care of things today."
My obedience and sense seemed to surprise him.
He stared at me for a while, like he was trying to find some other emotion on my face.
But he came up empty.
All he saw was just the right touch of respect.
He snorted coldly, that look of disgust in his eyes never fading.
"You'd better behave yourself and don't make trouble for me," Jamie said. "Or what happened to Annalise today will happen to you next."
With that, he turned and left without a second glance.
He didn't hesitate at all.
Presley stood up for me, whispering quietly, "Your Highness, the Prince has really gone too far."
I watched his retreating figure, the smile on my lips growing even deeper.
Was that over the line?
No. This was actually pretty fun.
A guy who kept saying he couldn't stand me, but without even realizing it, he was actually helping me build up my reputation.
Jamie was turning out to be way more interesting than I expected.
The harder he tried to cut ties with me, the more tangled up we ended up.
This show was only halfway done. The real drama was just getting started.
The little drama at the Prince's Palace was quickly drowned out by shocking news from the court.
An urgent military report from the Northlands arrived in Valemont City overnight.
The Northern Tribes had gathered a hundred thousand troops at the gates of Northgate Pass.
As the news spread, it shook the entire court.
The next morning, the tension in the court was so thick you could choke on it.
All the officials were kneeling, not even daring to breathe.
The King sat on his throne, his expression grim.
He slammed the report in his hand down onto the floor.
"Useless fools," he roared.