Chapter 1The Crown After the Scandal

Hooves pounded across the Royal Hunt grounds when Crown Prince Alaric’s arrow struck an orphan—Seraphina Moss, his disgraced mother’s niece.

No one predicted he’d fall instantly in love. “She’ll be my princess,” he declared.

Problem: he was engaged to me, Lady Evelyn of House Ashbourne.

Alaric came to my estate, jaw set. “I bound her wounds. We touched. She’s ruined—she must marry me.” His gaze flicked to me. “You’re the Queen’s niece. You have options. Must you steal from a helpless girl?”

As if a Ashbourne would fight for a man. Absurd.

Before the scandal spread, a royal decree arrived: I’d keep the title of Crown Princess—but the role would go to another.

…

Prince Alaric stood in the grand hall of my family’s estate, his posture straight and proud. But his gaze never left the delicate figure of Seraphina Moss beside him.

“Seraphina is fragile,” he announced to the assembled guests. “She has only just arrived in the capital, and she has already met with such a disaster. I injured her. If I do not marry her, how can she possibly go on?”

“Lady Evelyn, you must understand. For a woman, honor is everything. Seraphina now has no other path but to marry me.”

“If you have any compassion at all, you will agree to end our engagement.”

So this was it. He had been smitten with her since that first glance at the hunt. For two months, he had kept it hidden, only to choose my birthday—of all days—to publicly humiliate me and my family.

My father’s hands trembled, rattling the teacup he held. He cast aside all decorum. “Your Highness,” he demanded, “do you have any idea what this will do to Evelyn’s future? What of her honor?”

“You begged the Emperor for this match yourself! The entire capital knows of your betrothal to my daughter. To come here now and break it… what does that make of House Ashbourne?”

Seraphina, her face a mask of fear, tugged gently on Alaric’s sleeve. “Cousin, please, don’t argue with Lord Ashbourne on my account. I am not afraid of whispers and rumors. At worst, I shall take my own life. I could never bear to be a burden to you.”

Alaric wrapped a protective arm around her. “Do not be afraid,” he murmured. “I will not let you face them alone.”

Then, he looked at me, his expression a mixture of arrogance and disdain.

“Lady Evelyn, you come from a noble house. Surely you would not deign to compete with Seraphina for a man. You have your pick of worthy suitors. To cling to this engagement would only make you appear desperate.”

“Or perhaps,” he sneered, “you are just like all the other women in this city, greedy for the title of Crown Princess.”

“Since our betrothal, you have refused every invitation to ride, every poetry gathering I have hosted. You’ve been cold and distant. It’s clear you were never happy with this match. Annuling it should be a relief for you.”

The House of Ashbourne had never endured such an insult. I was speechless with rage. All I could do was retrieve the betrothal contract.

“Your Highness. Here is the contract. From this day forward, our paths diverge. You are free to marry whom you please.”

My gaze fell on Seraphina. “And Miss Moss, there is no need for such a sorrowful performance in my home. You have found a wonderful match. Soon you will hold the most coveted position in the empire. Shouldn’t you be happy?”

Seraphina swayed, her face turning deathly pale. “Lady Evelyn, I know my station is low. I would never dare compare myself to you, nor did I intend to steal your fiancé. Why must you mock me so?”

Alaric let out a scornful laugh. “You were very quick to end things, Lady Evelyn. Could it be you already have another man in your heart? Perhaps my actions have done you a favor?”

He swept his gaze across the guests. “Today is your birthday. Why not choose a new suitor right now? I will even provide a lavish wedding gift myself.”

With that, he wrapped his arm around Seraphina and left, a smug smile on his face.

The hall erupted in whispers.

“Has the Crown Prince lost his mind? Breaking his engagement for some unknown cousin!”

“But Lady Evelyn is the Queen’s niece! She’s his cousin too!”

“You haven’t heard? He shot this Seraphina girl during the hunt and fell for her on the spot. Now he insists on marrying her.”

“I’ve never even heard of this woman. The security at the royal hunting grounds is impenetrable. How did she even get in? There’s more to this story.”

“I heard she’s related to the Prince’s birth mother…”

“Hush! Don’t speak of that. The Prince’s origins are a forbidden topic. His mother was nothing but a lowly palace maid.”

My birthday celebration was ruined, ending in chaos and humiliation.

And overnight, the news that Crown Prince Alaric had jilted a daughter of House Ashbourne for an orphan girl became the scandal of the capital.