As a child, I had blurry memories of a little girl standing in front of a grand mirror and threading a royal comb through her long dark hair.
These memories plagued me for decades, haunting me every night and leaving unrest in their wake.
So, as my grip on the image — the girl's image — the unmistakable face of the one who had haunted my dreams for years—tightened, I glanced up at George.
"Go on, whomever is she?"
Silence hung between us, threatening to fall with each breath.
George parted his lips to speak but the door slammed open at that exact moment.
"Your highness," The maid bowed. "T-The princess has arrived."
George froze. I glanced between them, barely standing before he bolted out.
"George!" I called after him, trying to catch up.
I had so many questions. Was this the same Charlotte that the Queen was speaking about?
George's true love?
I pulled to a halt at the same time as George and immediately understood why she was his first love.
She had skin, fairer than white, and her corset was useless, especially against her thin waist. Her siren eyes narrowed, washing over the palace before it rested on me.
My breath hitched.
"Charlotte?" George spoke first, "How could this be…? You are…?"
"I survived, George. I have returned to take my rightful place," She walked past him, stopping in front of me. "As the Queen, your wife."
My body stilled. "Shall I know your name?" she asked. "Whomever is she, George?"
George seemed to be speculating and thinking hard. For someone who was supposed to be in his heart, George's eyes refused to flicker with recognition at her.
Something was wrong.
"I believe Dear Charlotte deserves a warmer welcome," A voice called from behind and I turned to see the Queen.
"Your Majesty," Charlotte bowed, her dimples reflecting an elegant smile, features I could only dream of.
"Refrain from the formalities," The Queen smiled. She… smiled?
I had been in the palace for weeks, on the receiving end of her torture and abuse and now, she was smiling?
My fists tightened at my sides as I realized. I wasn't the bad person, I was the wrong one.
"I have yet to be introduced to…"
"Anastasia?" The Queen spoke, narrowing her eyes at me. "She's my new escort."
"Mother—" George began but she cut him off.
"Right, George?" She said, "Charlotte is our priority, right?"
I was not an escort. I was the Queen. I stumbled, my chest tightening as the weight of the situation sank into my chest.
I should be elated at the new development. I would leave in a few days and take Danielle along with me.
We would return to our small town and stay there. We would be a happy family, far, far away from George. From the man who murdered my father and married me without my consent.
"I… I request permission to retreat to my chambers," I said, glancing at George.
His eyes softened, saying more than his lips dared to say in that moment. Again, I should be relieved, so why did my heart feel like it was about to implode?
I turned, almost running to my chambers. Once I was inside, I shut the door, recalling George's conversation with the Queen.
Whomever she was, Charlotte was important. I was probably just a placeholder the entire time.
George's world stopped the moment he saw her.
I slid down the door, cursing myself for convincing my father to stop at Keyes. If he had never stopped, none of this would be happening.
He would be alive, Danielle would be here and I would have never become Queen.
Soft knocks filled the room and I sat up, wiping my tears. "Whomever is it?"
"Your Highness, the saffron has still not been found. Shall I…?"
I opened the doors before the person could finish. It was a dark-haired man.
I brushed past her, "Prepare the carriage, we shall look for it." I turned to her. "Together."
"Forgive me, your highness has said that you shall not leave—"
"Who is your Queen?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
She averted her gaze. "You, Your Majesty."
"Where is your king?"
"He must be—"
"He is nowhere to be seen and when the king is nowhere to be seen, whom do you listen to?"
"I cannot…" Her eyes filled with tears. "I shall be beheaded if I go against the king."
"You shall arrange a carriage for me or I shall slip out from one of the windows," I stepped forward. "Either way, you shall be beheaded. Choose wisely. If you choose right, you may have someone to plead for you."
Silence loomed over us for a few seconds before she whispered. "I-I shall arrange the carriage."
I started walking and she stumbled, struggling to catch up. I froze when I caught sight of Charlotte, she was laughing at the dinner table, her fingers grazing George's hands.
The Queen seemed to be telling a joke but only she and Charlotte must have understood it because George was glancing around, as if searching for something.
My heart stopped as we locked eyes. Every fibre of my being froze.
"Hurry up," I murmured to the maid, walking off before he could blink.
The sunlight hit my skin as we stepped outside, fresh air filling my nostrils. I had been trapped in the mansion for so long.
If Danielle were not in George's captivity, I would never return.
I could not understand him. On one hand, he killed my father and imprisoned my sister, and forcibly married me
On the other hand, he claims to love, burn, and ache for me. As if I were the only blooming flower in his dead garden. I should have known there was a reason he had a garden in the first place.
George could not be trusted.
The carriage moved slower than I expected, passing through the town's market. For some reason, I knew each pathway, section, and location of each market stall.
It was almost as if I'd lived there my entire life. My plan was simple — retrieve the saffron and leave.
Once the saffron and other items had been packed up, we headed home.
As the carriage pulled to a halt in front of the palace, my heart skipped a beat as I caught sight of the snake that had bitten me earlier.
I got down, walking over only to freeze at the sight of Charlotte… petting it.
Her gaze raised and we locked eyes. The easy smile on her face did not reach her eyes.
"You have returned," She announced. "Do you fancy my pet?"
"I have an aversion to snakes," I offered. "The king has a law against them, do you not know?"
"Really? George has not informed me, in fact, he personally asked me to bring over my pet," She stepped forward and I stepped back.
"Also, if my memory serves me well, the law was put in place to protect you," She grinned wider. "But you are leaving in a few days, once you are gone, my pet and I will have little to no problems, cohabiting with the king."
Ah. Her pleasant facade was beginning to crack.
"You are in my way, Anastasia," She informed me. "I waited for George for fourteen long years. Your marriage to him is a joke." How did she figure out the marriage?
"George has always been mine and will always be mine. Nothing will change, not the snake, nor my presence." She spat. "If I were you, I would listen carefully. You have a lot to protect after all, especially that sister of yours."
My eyes widened.
"What do you know about my sister?"
"I know how easily she can be silenced with a dagger if you do not vanish from the palace tonight."
My heart raced, pulse pounding through my veins. "The king promised to send me off with her. He would never—"
"I would. Anastasia." She gritted. "I am not the king and by now, you know, he will always listen to me."
"Anastasia?"
I turned to see George. He strolled over to me but raised an eyebrow as soon as he saw Charlotte.
"What are you ladies doing together?"