Prologue:
I Could Never Replace My Sister
I WAS MERE MOMENTS FROM DEPARTING MY home to marry the man who’d proposed to my sister. Besides the fact that he was twenty-four—six years older than me—I knew nothing at all about Count Kyros Granado. Of course, I imagined he knew just as little about me. After all, I was nothing but my sister’s replacement.
My older sister, Anastasia, had been blessed with beauty. Despite hailing from a poor baronial house, prominent nobles and wealthy men had lined up for a chance to marry her, and the man who’d eventually been chosen as her future husband was none other than Count Granado. Just like any other noble lady, my sister hadn’t had any say in the matter, and she’d accepted our parents’ orders without any fuss. But fate had other plans, and while riding in the carriage our father had tasked with whisking her away, she’d met her untimely demise.
Once word of Anastasia’s passing reached my parents, they wasted not a moment before stuffing me into a dress and sticking one of the wedding veils they’d ordered for Anastasia on my head.
“I can’t! I could never replace her!” I screamed. But they paid me no mind.
“Don’t worry, Marie. We know full well you aren’t pretty.”
“Your father is right. Anastasia was special. We’re aware the count could never love you.”
Exactly the kind of comments I’d come to expect from my parents.
“Th-then…why?” I asked.
“We received a hundred thousand eiros as betrothal money, Marie. If the marriage falls through, we’ll have to reimburse the count,” my father explained.
“W-well, can’t we just do that?”
“We’ve already used it all to pay back part of our debt.”
I was at a loss for words. All I could do was stare at him, my mouth agape.
“We sold all the dresses and jewels he sent Anastasia too,” my father continued, tapping the floor with his foot in irritation. “We’d need tremendous funds to buy everything back, but House Chandelan has no such money.”
“I-in that case, we could take on more debt! We’ll all work hard to pay it back together,” I suggested desperately.
“We have nothing to borrow against,” my father said, shooting down my idea. “Even with the one hundred thousand eiros, we still owe tons of money.”
Once again, I was speechless.
My father seemed to be losing patience with me. He wiped away the cold sweat running down the sides of his face and let out a deep sigh. “That’s enough arguing,” he declared. “You will head to the count’s castle. There’s no doubt he’s devastated by Anastasia’s passing—it’s your perfect chance to strike. If you can worm your way into his bed just once, that connection will be enough to get us all through this.”
“You want me to…get in bed with him?” He hadn’t been asking me to marry the count—he wanted me to act like a prostitute…
“Get that look off your face, Marie,” my father scolded. “I’m sure he’ll treat you well, even if you likely won’t be there for long. Just think of this as a nice getaway, all right?”
“It’s not like you could ever find a husband anyway,” my mother added. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for you. Enjoy it while it lasts.”
“B-but… I…”
“But nothing, Marie!” my father roared. “The survival of our house depends on this!”
“Your father is right, Marie! If our house falls to ruin, it’ll all be your fault!”
Their shouting froze me in place. I wasn’t okay with this one bit, and I wanted nothing more than to object…but I was trembling so much the words caught in my throat. All I could do was clench my fists and stare at the floor in silence.
And so, today was the day I would leave to marry Count Granado—or rather, the day I would be sold to him like cattle.
I sat in the iron carriage as it rattled through the wilderness. The trip would likely take around four days, and my father was seated right next to me. I felt as though he was standing guard to make sure I didn’t escape, not that I had anywhere to run.
How did things end up this way? I couldn’t help but wonder.
Anastasia’s old dress didn’t fit me one bit. My chest was so compressed that every breath hurt. Even though I was just sitting, I already felt lightheaded.
The journey to the royal capital, where the Granado estate was located, would be a long one. I looked up at the ceiling of the carriage and started reminiscing.
Two months ago, at my eighteenth birthday party, the count had met my sister for the first time. The events of that day played in my mind…