In the year I came of age, my father, the King, intended to confer upon me the title of Princess of the State. My mother suggested that good things come in pairs, and proposed that a prince consort be named on the same day as my coronation.

The court selected four proper young nobles. I would decide my choice by drawing lots.

In my previous timeline, without hesitation, I had chosen Henry Lapointe, the heir to the Duke’s mansion, whom I had long admired, as my prince consort.

But after we were married, I learned that he had a beloved. She was a woman who was said to possess the beauty of a goddess. She slashed her face eighteen times and sold herself into servitude at the Princess’s residence just to stay by his side.

For years after our marriage, his heart would twist in agony every time he saw that woman.

He believed that I had used my power to force her to disfigure herself and become a lowly servant to prevent them from being together.

To seek revenge, he secretly poisoned me with a slow-acting toxin and conspired with his beloved to betray the capital’s defense maps.

This led to the Ubury empire’s territory being seized, and I was forced into prison.

He ordered men to force-feed me the poison day and night, which compelled me to serve dozens of perverted old guards. They literally tortured me to death.

When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day of the Prince Consort selection.

Amidst the uproar in the court, I drew the lot for Justin Yale, the hostage prince with the weakest political base.

But on the day the royal decree was issued, Henry broke down.

“Though Justin Yale is a prince of the Western Region, he was sent to Ubury as a hostage, which pretty much means he is being deposed. Are you truly going to choose him, Zenia?”

I held the slip of parchment aloft with both hands. “It’s God’s will. Please issue the decree, Your Majesty.”

Everyone in the court stood speechless. They were utterly stunned.

I walked out of the Halls of Governance while holding the royal decree. Four young men were waiting outside the door. These were the very candidates for Prince Consort to be selected by the court.

Zachariah Scott, the son of a military family, was not one to mince words. “Your Highness, which of us is this royal decree intended for?”

I instinctively looked toward Henry Lapointe. Not so far away, he was exchanging flirtatious glances with Margot Shea, a maid. His debonair and romantic demeanor far surpassed that of a mere male courtesan.

Yohan Walter, the son of the Grand Tutor, was refined and elegant. While fanning himself, he said, “That goes without saying. It’s obviously for Prince Lapointe. Everyone in the capital knows how deeply Her Highness is in love with him.”

Hearing this, Henry snapped back to reality. Our eyes met, and his smile froze on his face.

“Zenia Seymour, don’t even think for a moment that a royal decree can force me to love you.

“I, Henry Lapointe, have vowed to marry just one woman and remain devoted to her for the rest of my life. If you cannot fulfill that, I’d rather marry any random maidservant or handmaiden and never serve in court again.”

In my previous life, I did just that. I refused the male courtesans sent by high-ranking officials and nobles for Henry’s sake.

Not only did it fail to move Henry, but he also slandered me. He spread rumors that my body was unclean and that no man would be willing to serve me.

His words were an act of treason. Seeing my expression darken, Zachariah hurriedly chimed in.

“Your Highness, would you like to announce the royal decree?”

I looked at Justin, who stood silently in the corner. “It can wait until the day of the coronation.”

With that, I walked out.

Yohan was right. I had indeed liked Henry in the past.

He was the most handsome and dignified man in the capital.

But he had a haughty personality and believed that marrying a princess was akin to marrying into an ordinary woman’s family. He took that as an insult.

Moreover, he already had someone he loved. He was forced to remain mere inches away from that person without the hope of ever being together.

Even if I were a princess, I would never force anyone to do something against their will.

If only he had told me sooner, I would not have chosen him to be bound with resentment.

Just as I was lost in my thoughts, I suddenly heard footsteps behind me.

“Your Highness…”

I turned and saw Henry.

He looked awkward and sheepish.

“What is it?”

“Well…” Henry bowed toward me. “Let’s make a proper agreement. Once I become your prince consort, you may take any male consort you like, and I get to keep a mistress.”

I was completely stunned.

“Henry, where is your respect for the royal family?”

Henry’s face went stiff. “Why must you speak so harshly? We’re simply getting what we each want anyway.”

“Rest assured, if you don’t want to marry me, I won’t force you. You’re free to go find the woman you love and spend the rest of your life with her.”

Henry’s face flushed red, then turned pale. “What do you mean by that?”

Just as I was about to explain, a figure suddenly appeared and slapped herself in the face repeatedly till it was swollen.

“Your Highness, Lord Lapointe’s innocent. He did not mean to offend you. I beg you, please, do not hold it against him. If you must blame anyone, blame me! It is I, his maid, who failed to watch over my master properly.”

Her words were rather cryptic, yet for some reason, Henry suddenly flew into a rage.

“Margot, there’s no need to beg for mercy from her! If she hadn’t abused her power to seize your shop, you wouldn’t have been forced to work as a maid in the Duke’s mansion.”

I laughed in exasperation.

In my previous life, Henry was convinced that I had instigated the Magistrate of Jehvale to shut down Margot’s shop. He made me bear the blame for the rest of my life.

As I lay dying, Henry confronted me. Yet at that time, I had not even heard of Margot.

I tried to explain. I produced the original court documents from the Jehvale District as evidence.

But he claimed that I had fabricated the evidence in advance, just in case he ever discovered the truth.

Seeing Margot’s face swollen from all the slapping, Henry helped her up with a look of pity. His gaze toward me was tinged with disgust.

I had been given a second chance this time around, and I was not about to put up with him anymore.

“With her bookkeeping skills, it’s a miracle she hasn’t been driven out of business already, let alone managed to run a shop.”

I turned to leave. Then, I bumped into a group of noblewomen from the capital on their way to the palace.

Before I could greet them, Henry hurried after me. Disregarding their presence, he shouted angrily, “Zenia Seymour, who do you think you’re insulting? I’ll marry you if you want, but I’m taking Margot as my mistress!

“Margot said that for a man of my standing, having multiple wives is perfectly normal. Even as a princess, you cannot disregard the principles of human relations and the law. If you truly love me, you should let me enjoy the pleasure of having multiple partners.”

A sharp pain stabbed at my heart. My face burned as if I had been slapped.

Henry did not care about my reputation even in the slightest. He could trample on my dignity right in front of the capital’s noblewomen.

I could barely catch my breath. It took me a long time to force the words out through gritted teeth.

“Take as many mistresses as you like. It’s none of my business.”

Henry was not joking.

Back at the Duke’s mansion, he immediately began making frantic and loud preparations to take a mistress.

Cartloads of silk and crates of gold, silver, and jewels were all delivered to Margot’s quarters.

Henry was foolish, but Lady Lapointe was not.

She ordered Margot to be bound and sent to me to do with her as I pleased.

I did not want to get involved in this mess anymore. So, I rushed over to stop it.

Just then, I saw Henry standing in front of Margot. He was crying his eyes out.

“If you send Margot away, you’ll not find me alive.

“Don’t think I don’t know what you and His Highness have been up to! You forced Margot to close her shop. You see her as a nuisance and are trying to kill her.

“If you dare lay a finger on her, I’ll go to the Queen tomorrow and report you.”

Margot hid behind him and wept pitifully. She looked every bit the picture of a woman with a love as deep as the sea, yet utterly powerless.

I stepped forward at the right moment to stop Lady Lapointe.

“Enough! Let her stay with him.”

Lady Lapointe panicked. She slapped Margot and sent her reeling.

“Apologize to Her Highness at once!”

“There’s no need!”

I hurriedly stopped Lady Lapointe.

I took out a pair of rings and said to Henry, “I won’t be attending your wedding, so consider these rings a wedding gift.”

He rolled his eyes and scoffed.

“Stop pretending to be so kind! You’re just afraid I’ll go tell the Queen about you!”

No matter what I did, he always took it in the most malicious way possible.

I felt a sharp, stabbing ache in my heart once again.

I gave him a bitter smile. “Lord Lapointe, you’ve seen right through me.”

Henry paused for a moment. Then, he pulled Margot to her feet and continued decorating their new bridal chamber.

His bustling, joyful demeanor was a far cry from the aloof and indifferent prince consort from my previous timeline.

He had once said that if two people were in love, they must personally furnish the small courtyard where they lived to make it feel warm and cozy.

That was when he tidied my bedroom every day. I foolishly believed that was what he meant by “furnishing.”

Little did I know that he used his visits to the bedroom to study the city’s defense maps, which he then sold to others.

I did not understand it till today as I watched the sight of both him and Margot furnishing their place. I tried to keep my distance, yet I could not resist drawing closer. Only then did I finally understand what he meant by “love.”

They were inseparable. Lady Lapointe looked awkward.

“Your Highness, there are fireworks in the rear courtyard. Shall I have a servant take you to see them to lift your spirits?”

Even Lady Lapointe could tell I was in a foul mood.

“No need. I’ll go see for myself.”

In broad daylight, bursts of small fireworks shot into the sky. They bloomed with a dazzling brilliance.

Yet the scene beneath the fireworks was sickening.

Henry gently wrapped his arms around Margot. The two looked up together. Their gazes were full of affection for each other.

“Margot, thank you for giving me these fireworks.”

“My prince, if you like them, I’ll make fireworks for you every day.”

As their eyes met, their affection grew.

I sighed and turned to leave.

Suddenly, a spark from a firework landed right in front of me. In an instant, the dry grass before me caught fire.

I hurriedly backed up, only to realize there was a small raised hill behind me.

In the midst of the crisis, I shouted, “Henry, call someone to put out the fire!”

Henry nodded instinctively. “Someone, quick…”

Before he could finish, Margot’s eyes rolled back, and she fainted.

He was just about to call someone to put out the fire, but instead he said, “Quick, go get a doctor!”

In the brief moment it took to exchange those few words, the fire grew fiercer. The flames were licking at the soles of my shoes. A searing pain shot through my ankle.

I stared at Henry in disbelief. Even in a life-or-death situation, he prioritized Margot over me when it came to calling for help.

With nowhere left to retreat, I had no choice but to climb onto the small, artificial hill.

“Henry, do you want the entire Duke’s household to die with you?”

Before I could finish, Margot let out a soft moan. She clung to Henry and trembled. “Henry… I feel so ill…”

Henry quickly wrapped his arms around Margot and gently patted her back. He was completely oblivious to the flames rushing straight toward me.

I closed my eyes, but the searing heat never came.

I felt a tight grip around my waist. Before I knew it, someone had wrapped their arms around me and lifted me out of the fire.

I opened my eyes and took a peek. I saw Justin soaring through the air as he lashed out with his whip to haul me to safety.

Zachariah had arrived at some point. He was accompanied by servants and maids carrying buckets of water.

Soon, the fire was extinguished.

I felt angry and bitter. I thought Henry only disliked me, but he would still know his limits.

I never imagined that in Margot’s presence, not only would I be overlooked, but even the Duke’s mansion would take a backseat.

Justin had watched the entire scene clearly from a tree.

He glared at Henry.

Soon, Duke Lapointe learned of the incident and nearly fainted from shock.

He could not bear to punish Henry, so he took it all out on Margot.

That very day, in front of me, Duke Lapointe ordered Margot to be flogged fifty times. Then, he had her thrown into the woodshed and forbade anyone from visiting her.

Henry was so heartbroken that he nearly wept himself to death.

“Zenia, I never expected you to be so petty! Margot was right about you. You were just biding your time to get revenge.”

He thought I had ordered Margot to be beaten.

I sneered coldly. “Henry, do you even know that I nearly burned to death? What if—”

“What if? You’re a princess! Even if you’re injured, there will be royal doctors to tend to you.

“Besides, didn’t Justin come to save you? You have so many people by your side. Your scheming and harassment have made it so that Margot has no one but me.

“You’re going to tell the royal doctors to follow me to my residence to treat Margot.”

The wound on my foot stung. I sneered. “In your dreams!”

Henry’s face flushed red. Then, he went pale with rage.

“Zenia, I’m warning you! The day after tomorrow is your coronation ceremony…

“You don’t think I’ll refuse the marriage in front of everyone, do you?”

I stared at him. The expected wave of stabbing pain in my chest failed to materialize this time.

The Princess of the State’s coronation was no trivial matter. The Queen had even specially vacated her own Palace to host the ceremony.

Dressed in the Princess of the State’s regalia, I listened to the court ladies’ choir as I walked step by step to the front.

Henry stood in the section reserved for officials’ families. His gaze swept over me. He rolled his eyes.

Whispers rippled through the crowd.

“Who do you reckon the Prince Consort will be?”

“That’s a no-brainer. The one from the Lapointe family, of course! Haven’t you seen Her Highness running over to the Lapointe residence every day lately?”

“Actually, General Scott isn’t bad either. He comes from a military family and is dashing and heroic. Then, there’s Lord Walter, the capital’s foremost scholar. He’s sure to make a perfect match for the Princess.”

Someone chuckled. “Just hope it’s not that hostage prince.”

Someone, who did not catch the joke, asked, “A prince and a princess. They’d make such a perfect match.”

“Ha! Call him a prince if you like. But really, he’s just a discarded pawn. If the princess actually marries him, her life will truly be ruined.”

The murmurs grew louder. Henry’s face grew increasingly smug.

Zachariah and Yohan exchanged a glance. Then, they looked away in unspoken understanding.

Justin stood watching from afar. No one could guess what was on his mind.

After the elaborate rituals of the Coronation, the crowning ceremony, and the presentation of the Princess of the State’s seal were completed, a court lady produced another royal decree.

Henry suddenly rose to his feet and knelt in the center of the hall. He performed a grand bow.

“The King is truly wise. However, I am foolish and unworthy to serve as the consort to the Princess of the State.”