Seraphina's POV
"Miss? Miss, you're scaring me. What's wrong?"
Lucy's voice sounds far away, like she's underwater. I can't stop staring at the letter in my hand.
I know what you are.
I know you remember.
The words blur as my eyes fill with tears. Someone knows. Someone at the imperial palace knows I've come back from the dead.
But how? How is that possible?
"Miss Seraphina!" Lucy grabs my shoulders and shakes me gently. "Please, say something! Should I call the doctor?"
I blink and focus on her worried face. Sweet Lucy with her brown eyes and freckles. She's only fifteen, three years younger than me. In my first life, my stepmother fired her right after the selection. I never saw her again.
I can't let that happen this time.
"I'm fine," I lie, shoving the letter under my pillow. "Just... surprised. It's nothing important."
Lucy doesn't look convinced, but she nods. "If you say so, miss. But you need to rest. Your stepmother wants you downstairs for breakfast in an hour, and you know how she gets when you're late."
My stepmother. Duchess Helena Ashford.
Just thinking about her makes my stomach turn. In my first life, I was so desperate for her approval. I did everything she asked. Worked in the kitchens. Cleaned the floors. Never complained.
And she rewarded me by sending me to die.
"Tell her I'll be down soon," I say quietly.
Lucy curtsies and hurries out, closing the door behind her.
The moment she's gone, I pull the letter back out and read it again.
Don't trust your family.
Your life depends on it.
A bitter laugh escapes my throat. Trust my family? I learned that lesson the hard way. My father ignores me. My stepmother hates me. My half-sister Vivienne treats me like dirt on her shoe.
But this letter... whoever wrote it knows things they shouldn't know.
I flip it over, looking for more clues. The paper is expensive, the kind only nobles use. The handwriting is neat and controlled, like someone who's used to giving orders.
And that symbol at the bottom—the crescent moon inside a circle. I've never seen it before.
Who are you? I think desperately. And what do you want from me?
A knock on the door makes me jump. I shove the letter under my pillow again.
"Come in," I call out.
The door opens and my heart sinks.
It's Vivienne.
My half-sister stands in the doorway, perfect as always. Her dark hair is styled in an elegant braid. Her dress is made of silk while mine is plain cotton. She looks at me like I'm a bug she wants to step on.
"Mother wants you downstairs now," she says coldly. "Don't keep us waiting."
I stand up slowly, keeping my face blank. In my first life, I would have apologized and rushed to obey. But I'm not that girl anymore.
"I'll be there when I'm ready," I say calmly.
Vivienne's eyes widen in shock. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me." I walk past her toward my closet. "Tell Mother I'll be down in fifteen minutes."
I can feel her glaring at my back, but I don't care. Let her be angry. I've already died once. What's the worst she can do?
"You're acting strange," Vivienne says suspiciously. "Did the fever damage your brain?"
I pull out a simple blue dress and turn to face her. "Maybe it did. Or maybe I'm just tired of being treated like a servant in my own father's house."
Her face turns red. "How dare you—"
"Get out, Vivienne."
For a moment, she just stares at me. Then she spins on her heel and storms out, slamming the door so hard the walls shake.
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. My hands are shaking again, but this time it's not from fear.
It's from anger.
All those years I let them walk all over me. All those times I stayed quiet and accepted their cruelty. I thought if I was good enough, sweet enough, helpful enough, they would finally love me.
But they never did. They never will.
And I'm done trying.
I change into the blue dress and tie my silver hair back. Looking in the mirror, I barely recognize myself. Same face, but different eyes. Harder eyes. Eyes that have seen death.
Good.
I need to be hard if I'm going to survive this.
Fifteen minutes later, I walk into the dining room.
My father sits at the head of the table, reading a newspaper. Duke Ashford is a tall man with gray hair and tired eyes. He barely glances at me when I enter.
My stepmother sits beside him, sipping tea. Duchess Helena is beautiful in a cold way, like a statue made of ice. When she sees me, her smile doesn't reach her eyes.
"Seraphina. How kind of you to join us." Her voice drips with false sweetness. "We were beginning to think you'd forgotten about breakfast."
"I was getting dressed, Mother." The word tastes like poison in my mouth, but I force it out. I've never called her Mother before—I always said "ma'am" or "your grace."
Her eyebrow rises slightly. Good. Let her be confused.
Vivienne sits across from me, still glaring. I ignore her and sit down.
A servant places food in front of me—plain bread and watery soup. Meanwhile, Vivienne has eggs, bacon, and fresh fruit. Father and Helena have even more.
In my first life, this made me sad. Now it just makes me angry.
But I eat without complaining. I need my strength.
"The imperial selection is in three months," Helena says suddenly. "I trust you understand how important this is?"
I look up at her. "Important for whom?"
Her smile tightens. "For the family, of course. If you're chosen by the Emperor, it would bring great honor to the Ashford name."
Lies. She doesn't care about honor. She wants power.
"And if I'm not chosen?" I ask innocently.
"Then you'll have failed your duty." Father speaks for the first time, not looking up from his newspaper. "And failures have no place in this house."
The words hit like a slap, but I keep my face calm. In my first life, I would have cried. Now I know the truth—he never loved me. I was always just a tool to him.
"I see," I say quietly.
Helena leans forward. "The Emperor is said to be very selective. Only the most beautiful, accomplished young ladies will catch his eye." Her gaze flicks to Vivienne with pride, then to me with disgust. "You'll need to work very hard to even be considered."
Vivienne smirks. "The Emperor deserves someone worthy. Someone elegant and refined." She tosses her hair. "Someone like me."
I almost laugh. If only she knew. The Emperor chose me, not her. And Vivienne was so angry, she helped arrange my death.
But I can't tell them that. So I just nod and eat my bread.
"We've arranged for etiquette lessons," Helena continues. "And you'll practice your dancing every day. We can't have you embarrassing us at the palace."
"Of course, Mother," I say obediently.
She studies me with suspicious eyes, but I keep my expression blank.
The rest of breakfast passes in silence. When I'm finally dismissed, I practically run back to my room.
Lucy is waiting there, making my bed. She looks relieved to see me.
"How was breakfast, miss?"
"Wonderful," I say sarcastically, closing the door behind me.
I pull the mysterious letter from under my pillow again and sink onto the bed, staring at it.
Come to the selection. We need to talk.
Three months. I have three months to figure out who sent this letter and what they want. Three months to change my fate.
But how do I avoid becoming the Emperor's bride when the story says I have to marry him?
Maybe... maybe if I fail the selection on purpose? If I make myself look bad, act stupid, embarrass my family—the Emperor won't choose me. He'll pick someone else, and I'll be free.
Yes. That's it. That's the plan.
I just have to survive three months in this house without my family killing me first.
"Miss?" Lucy's voice breaks through my thoughts. "Are you sure you're alright? You seem so different today."
I look at her kind face and feel a pang in my chest. Lucy was the only person who was ever nice to me. The only one who treated me like a human being.
"Lucy," I say carefully. "If I asked you to do something that seemed crazy, would you trust me?"
She doesn't hesitate. "Of course, miss. Always."
Her loyalty makes me want to cry. I don't deserve her.
"Good," I say, squeezing her hand. "Because things are going to get very strange, and I need you to promise you'll stay by my side no matter what happens."
Lucy looks confused but nods. "I promise, miss."
Before I can say anything else, someone screams outside.
We both jump up and run to the window.
Down in the courtyard, servants are running everywhere. Something's wrong.
"What's happening?" I whisper.
Then I see them.
Men in black armor with red cloaks. At least twenty of them, riding horses through our front gates. They carry swords and wear the imperial dragon symbol on their chests.
Imperial guards.
My blood runs cold.
"They're from the palace," Lucy gasps. "But why are they here? The selection isn't for three more months!"
One of the guards dismounts and strides toward our front door. He's tall and intimidating, with a scar across his cheek.
A servant opens the door and the guard hands him something. From here, I can't see what it is.
"Miss, we should go downstairs," Lucy says nervously. "If the imperial guards are here—"
A loud banging on my door cuts her off.
"Seraphina!" It's Helena's voice, sharp and angry. "Get down here immediately!"
My heart pounds as I open the door.
Helena stands there, her face pale. For the first time ever, I see fear in her eyes.
"What's wrong?" I ask.
She grabs my arm hard enough to bruise. "The imperial guards are here. They have a direct order from the Emperor himself."
"What kind of order?"
Helena's grip tightens, her nails digging into my skin. Her voice drops to a harsh whisper.
"They're here to take you to the palace. Right now. Today."
The world tilts.
"That's impossible," I breathe. "The selection is three months away—"
"The Emperor has issued a royal decree." Helena's face twists with confusion and rage. "He's ordered that you, Seraphina Ashford, be brought to the palace immediately for... for..."
"For what?" My voice cracks.
She looks at me like she's seeing a stranger.
"For emergency early selection. He's requested you specifically by name." Her eyes narrow dangerously. "What did you do? How do you know the Emperor?"
I can't breathe. This didn't happen in my first life. None of this happened.
Everything's changed.
Everything's different.
And I have no idea why.