Chapter 1

Lydia Finch, the maid I had rescued from a brothel, later stole my identity and fell in love with Edward Sterling, the prince, who had been stripped of his title and placed under house arrest at an estate next to mine.

After Edward was pardoned, he came to my family estate to formally ask for my hand in marriage.

I agreed.

Lydia, utterly despairing, threw herself into the river and died.

Ten years later, with the full backing of my father and brothers, Edward ascended the throne.

But the first thing he did after his coronation was to fabricate charges of treason against my family and have us all wiped out.

"This is what you owed Lydia," he said. "You schemed to kill her just so you could marry me. This is the punishment you and your entire family deserved."

The punishment I deserved? But what had I ever done wrong?

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back on the very day he had come to my family estate to propose.

*****

I died on the night of the Harvest Feast, the one day meant for family reunion and warmth.

Edward's sword had been meant for me, but my mother rushed forward and took the blow instead. The blade pierced straight through her heart.

Her blood spilled over me, bright red and unstoppable, no matter how hard I tried to press my hands against the wound.

She clutched me tightly, her eyes wide open, refusing to close even in death.

But Edward showed no mercy. After pulling the sword free, he drove it into my belly all the same.

I was six months pregnant. He sliced me open without hesitation. Blood flooded the ground.

Still, he was not satisfied. He twisted the hilt, grinding the blade through my flesh again and again.

The pain stole my breath. My mouth hung open as I gasped like a dying fish. "Why?" I asked, barely able to speak.

I truly did not understand. We had been married for ten years. We had lived in harmony. My whole family had served the crown with absolute loyalty. My father and brothers had exhausted themselves to place Edward on the throne, giving him everything they had.

"Why? Why did you have to hurt us like this?" I cried out.

His face hardened with hatred. Grinding his teeth, he said, "This is what you owe Lydia. You stole her identity. Out of jealousy, you schemed against her and caused her death. When you married me, did you really think this day would never come?"

Stole her identity? I was the legitimate daughter of the Sinclairs. To marry an unfavored prince like Edward, why would I ever need to impersonate anyone? And Lydia—who was Lydia?

Before I could make sense of it, Edward pierced my heart with his sword.

After I died and became a wandering spirit, I saw the heads of my entire family were offered at Lydia's grave as tribute. Only then did I understand; the woman Edward had wanted to marry was my maid.

She had pretended to be me and fallen in love with him. By a cruel twist of fate, I was engaged to Edward. Driven by despair, she took her own life.

But what had I done wrong? What had my family done wrong?

Lydia had feared her fragile dream would shatter, so she never dared tell the truth.

Edward had coveted my family's power and influence, so he kept the truth hidden.

Their weakness and greed were their own. Yet we were the ones who paid the price.

The injustice burned through me. I hated him so deeply that I wished I could drag him down to hell with me.

Then, unexpectedly, I opened my eyes again. I had travelled back in time.

*****

I jolted awake, sitting upright in bed. The terror from my death still seemed to cling to my bones.

Sunlight streamed through the window and fell over me, warming my skin inch by inch. Only then did it sink in. I was truly alive again.

I clenched my hands so tightly my nails dug into my palms, already plotting how I might end Edward's life.

I knew today was the day Prince Edward was summoned back to court by royal pardon. And the very first thing he would do after receiving the king's decree was to arrive at my family estate in grand procession, asking for my hand in marriage.

Everyone said Prince Edward and Lady Sinclair were a perfect match. A union made in heaven.

I had believed it too.

Edward was handsome and refined, always courteous and proper in every way. He was not favored by the crown, which meant no deadly struggle for succession. Marrying him would keep the Sinclair family clear of court intrigue and political disaster.

But the greatest disaster had been Edward himself.

From the very beginning, the woman Edward wanted to marry had never been me. It had been Lydia, my maid. The girl I had once rescued and taken in.

After Edward was exiled from the palace, he happened to reside in an estate next to ours. When Lydia learned of this, ambition stirred in her heart.

She impersonated me and staged a chance meeting with him. They fell in love at first sight. Letters passed back and forth without end. Before long, she was with child.

That was why, once Edward was restored to favor, his first act was to come to my family and propose marriage. By a cruel twist of fate, I had accepted that proposal in my previous life.

But this time, I would not walk the same road again.