On my deathbed, as illness consumed the last of my strength, the heir of the Valente Syndicate himself drove to the mountain clinic in the Silverpeak range to retrieve the experimental antidote that was supposed to save my life.

The whole world praised Aldric Valente for his devotion to me.

Yet this devoted man was, at that very moment, in the back room of our compound with my elder sister, debating whether they should marry during the mourning period after my death or wait a year for the whispers to die down before she moved into the Valente heir's compound.

Augusta's voice trembled, soft and frightened: "If anyone finds out we swapped the antidote with a lethal compound to kill her, I'm ruined."

"And now I'm carrying your child. What we've done to Camilla Falcone... it isn't right."

Aldric kissed her. "Don't be afraid. If anyone's to blame, it's her. She's the one who made the Proving Kill at the Selection. That kill was meant to be yours."

"She was nothing but a thief who stole your place as the heir's wife."

When I opened my eyes again, I had been reborn, back at the Selection. I shifted my aim.

……

Don Hadrian Valente's edict still echoed in my ears: "Whichever daughter of the allied families makes the Proving Kill today shall become the heir's wife."

The white fox stood just ahead, beside a great tree deep in the hunting preserve the Commission kept for occasions like this. One shot was all it would take. With my aim, I would not miss. The title of La Prima Donna would be mine for the claiming.

But the memory of that bone-deep, soul-shredding agony from my past life made me clench my teeth. In this life, I would never let myself become the heir's wife again.

I knew Augusta was close behind me. In my previous life, I had made the kill first and claimed the title, and that was what set everything in motion. That was why she and Aldric had conspired to poison me.

They had despised me for it. Because I made the Proving Kill, Augusta could never marry into the Valente household. So when I fell gravely ill, they switched my remedy and let me die choking on bitterness and regret.

What if, this time, I let her become the heir's wife instead?

But Augusta was petty to her core. The hatred from a past life's poisoning was not something I could simply forgive and forget.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of a rider galloping toward me at full speed. Augusta Falcone, right on my heels, just as she had been before.

I pretended not to notice and let out a startled cry. "The fox!"

Then I tilted my arrow just slightly and sent it sailing past the fox, into the tree trunk behind it.

"Out of the way!" A sharp shout made me dodge aside. Two feathered arrows streaked toward the white fox. One struck it dead center. The other went wide and lodged in the hind leg of a rabbit nearby.

I let out a sigh of feigned disappointment. "How did I miss?"

The riders trailing behind us broke into cheers. "Magnificent shot!"

One of the Valente soldiers leapt from his horse and retrieved the fox. He examined the arrow's fletching. The crest etched into it bore the Falcone name.

"A daughter of the Falcone family has made the Proving Kill!"

His voice carried through the trees and echoed across the grounds beyond.

Augusta sat tall in her riding clothes atop her horse, looking down at me with triumph blazing in her eyes. "Little sister, I'm so sorry. The heir's wife. That title is mine." She wheeled her horse around and rode off, radiating satisfaction.

Out on the hunting grounds, Lenora Valente examined the white fox presented before her, her face alight with pleasure. "As expected of a daughter from the Falcone family. Superb horsemanship, flawless aim, a killing blow straight through the eye without so much as a scratch on the pelt."

Then she turned to me with a warm smile, extending her hand. "Camilla, come here, dear. You've made the Proving Kill. I shall announce the arrangement myself and proclaim you the heir's wife before every family in attendance."

Below the platform, Aldric Valente watched me with a face carved from ice, and Augusta stood at his side, preening.

The moment Lenora's words left her lips, every daughter of the allied families turned to me with envy in their eyes. Augusta's gaze went red at the rims.

I looked at Aldric's expression, growing darker by the second. I turned my mother's gold ring slowly around my finger with my thumb. Once. Then I stepped forward and sank gracefully to my knees.

"Signora Valente, I must confess. The Proving Kill was not mine. It was made by my elder sister, Augusta Falcone."

"I would not dare claim credit that is not mine. I beg you to see the truth."

"The title of the heir's wife rightfully belongs to my elder sister, Augusta. I would never presume to take what is hers."

Augusta immediately dropped to her knees. "La Regina, the white fox was indeed felled by my shot."

The moment our words landed, Aldric's expression shifted. He stared at me, his voice sharp with disbelief. "Camilla, there's no way you missed that shot."

"Your aim, your riding. You don't miss. What kind of game are you playing?"

Lenora's face changed the instant she heard the fox had been Augusta's kill.

Augusta caught Aldric's tone and turned to him, eyes reddening with wounded hurt. "Does the heir not believe I made the shot either?"

Aldric realized his blunder and quickly helped her to her feet. "Of course I do. I was simply so stunned I couldn't believe it at first. Your marksmanship has truly improved, my dear."

Lenora studied Augusta, still kneeling, then turned her gaze to me with a thin smile. "Camilla, you are the trueborn daughter of Don Falcone. No woman from any of the Five Families can match your skill. How could you possibly lose?"

This bride-selection gathering had been dressed up as a hunt, but every Family had received word beforehand. It was nothing more than a grand performance to crown me as the Valente heir's bride.

In all the Five Families, who could outshoot or outride me? But this time, I had no intention of winning.

I lifted my head and let out a regretful sigh. "I beg La Regina's pardon. My horse grew temperamental for reasons I cannot explain and threw me from the saddle. I injured my left shoulder and could not draw my bow with any force."

"But my elder sister's marksmanship was superb. I accept my defeat without reservation."

Augusta stood beside Aldric, tilting her delicate face up at him. "Are you not pleased that I brought down the white fox?"

Aldric smiled and took her hand. "Don't be silly. I'm delighted."

Lenora beckoned her attendant forward. "How did Camilla take such a fall? Go at once and see whether she's been hurt."

"If anything has happened to her, Don Falcone will hold me responsible for not looking after her properly."

Lenora's attendant helped me to my feet and led me away to be treated. She lifted the edge of my sleeve gently; my left shoulder was scraped raw and swollen red.

The attendant gasped. "What a terrible fall."

When the salve had been applied and I returned, the attendant gave Lenora a confirming nod. Lenora exhaled at last, but she was far from ready to let the matter rest. "Camilla is Don Falcone's trueborn daughter, unmatched in marksmanship and horsemanship. Today's loss came only because she was injured. The contest was hardly fair to her. Why not wait until she has recovered and hold a second match?"

The words had barely left her lips before Augusta's eyes turned red again. She bit her lower lip and looked to Aldric. "My sister is the Don's trueborn daughter. The title of the heir's bride was always meant to be hers."

"Does it even matter that I shot the fox? In the end, the position will go to Camilla regardless."

Tears rolled down her cheeks like pearls slipping from a broken string.

Her little speech had the opposite of its intended effect on the assembled women of the Families. Resentment rippled through the crowd. The selection was supposed to be fair. Why was Lenora so blatantly favoring me?

Discontented murmurs swelled. "This isn't right. Augusta was the one who made the kill."

"Exactly. Camilla got hurt. That's just how it goes. A loss is a loss."

Their reasoning was simple: losing to any other Family daughter would sting, but letting Augusta take the position was a different calculation entirely. An adopted daughter no one respected becoming the Valente heir's bride posed no real threat.

Aldric wiped Augusta's tears with a tender hand, clasped her fingers tightly, and stepped forward to face Lenora. "Mother, the rules of this selection were set well in advance. Every Family in the city knows them. Augusta brought down the white fox. She is the heir's bride."

"The Don's word is law. It cannot be undone."

"I care for Augusta, and I wish to take her as my wife."

Augusta flushed scarlet, her face tilted up toward Aldric. "I would gladly remain by your side, never to part."

Lenora Valente stared at Augusta, her expression darkening by the second.

She had schemed and plotted for the heir, engineering this match so Aldric would marry me as his principal wife, binding the Falcone family to him as his most powerful pillar of support. She never imagined an adopted daughter like Augusta would ruin everything.

The distinction between trueborn and adopted was easy enough to say aloud, but in practice, the gap was as wide as the sky.

The Falcone family would move heaven and earth for its trueborn daughter. An adopted girl of no real blood consequence? No one in the organization would lift a finger.

Unwilling to concede, Lenora spoke up, her face the picture of tender concern. "Camilla, you and my son have known each other since childhood. You were sweethearts. I know it pains you that your injury today cost you the proving kill."

"I understand the bond between you and Aldric. Fate can be so cruel. Though you were injured and could not claim the kill, I would like to name you his secondary wife. A contractual arrangement, formalized before the Commission. What do you say?"

She leaned close and lowered her voice. "Principal wife, secondary wife, what does it matter? It's all for show."

"Once you enter the Valente compound, I give you my word: the seat beside Aldric will be yours."

She gripped my hand, her lacquered nails digging into my flesh hard enough to leave marks.

Behind me, Aldric let out a scornful laugh. "Camilla, my mother is graciously offering you the position of secondary wife. In plain terms, yes, that makes you a contractual mistress. But you should understand: a mistress of the Valente household outranks any common family's principal wife by a wide margin."

"You would be bound to me, the heir of the Valente Syndicate."

Augusta spoke softly from his side. "Aldric, please don't say any more. You'll upset my sister. She was raised like a jewel in the palm of the Don's hand. How could she ever agree to be a mistress?"

"Perhaps I should give up the position of principal wife to her instead. As long as I can stay by your side, titles mean nothing to me." Her fingertips drifted to the base of her throat as she spoke.

Aldric drew her closer with a gentle arm around her shoulders and smiled. "Silly girl. The position of principal wife is rightfully yours. Why would you give it up? I told you, I will make you the most honored woman in the Valente compound."

Then he coaxed her away, murmuring, "The Commission edict naming you as my wife will reach the Falcone estate soon. Let me take you to see the alliance tribute first, and the gown. You can choose whichever you like."

With that, he led Augusta away under the gaze of every person present. Two of his bodyguards fell into step behind them without a word.

I lifted my chin and addressed Lenora, my voice ringing clear. "I ask you to withdraw the offer. Augusta and I both come from the Falcone household. Two daughters of the Falcone family cannot both marry into the Valente compound."

"I humbly ask your forgiveness."

The warmth drained from Lenora's eyes. She set her wine glass down on the table beside her without having taken a single sip.

What good was an adopted daughter of the Don's household? Making a girl like that the heir's wife was a joke.

When the gathering concluded, I walked toward the waiting Falcone car to return home, but Aldric blocked my path. His hand smoothed the front of his tie once, then again.

"Camilla, I know the title of secondary wife stings your pride. But you should count yourself fortunate."

"Augusta put in every good word she could for you. She said that once she enters the compound, she would let you manage the household. She's too gentle and soft for it, not decisive the way you are."

"I will give her the title of my wife and nothing more. The real power will be yours."

"You are the trueborn daughter of Don Falcone, groomed from birth for exactly this. I trust no one more than you to run the Valente household."

"There is just one condition. If you agree, Augusta says she will allow you to bear children after you join the household."

I tried to wrench my hand free, but his grip held. I kept my composure and said evenly, "I have no intention of marrying into the Valente family, Aldric."

Irritation flashed across his face, coloring it with barely concealed anger. "Enough. I know you're upset. But I said there is one condition. Agree to it, and three days after the formal union ceremony, I will come for you."

"Augusta is adopted. Her dowry is modest. It would be humiliating for her to enter the Valente compound with so little."

"You are trueborn. Simply transfer your dowry into her name so she can be carried through the gates in proper splendor, and I will see to it that you become my secondary wife without a hitch."