His Betrayed Crown,A Princess's Revenge

I hid my identity and lived as an ordinary wife with Chester Delgado.

The day I learned I was pregnant, he spoke without warning: The Grand Chancellor's eldest daughter and I are to be married in three days.

I'm actually the heir to the Delgado marquisate. She and I are a proper match in status. The betrothal gifts have already been delivered to her estate, and... she and I have already consummated our union.

When he saw me frozen in place, he added, "I'll set you up in a residence. You and the child will want for nothing."

I stared at him in disbelief. "So I'm to be your kept woman, hidden away for the rest of my life. Is that it?"

Chester turned his face away. "She's a proper and virtuous wife. As long as you don't cause a scene in front of her, I can give you and the child everything except the title."

A sharp sting hit the bridge of my nose. I never imagined I meant so little to him.

"What if I told you my status could match yours?"

Chester went still for a moment. A long silence passed before he spoke.

"Stella Henson, I know it was wrong of me to hide my identity and take another wife. But there are no what-ifs in this world. The only woman in all the capital who matches my standing is the Grand Chancellor's eldest daughter."

"You and I lived as husband and wife at the foot of this mountain for three years. I know exactly who you are."

But he had hidden his identity. How could he be so certain I hadn't done the same?

I looked around. The cabin we'd built with our own hands. The fields we'd tilled together. I wanted so desperately to believe all of it had been real.

"Chester, I'm carrying your child. Can't we go back to the way things were? Please don't marry her."

My eyes locked onto the man before me. If he would just say yes, I was willing to forgive everything.

But all he did was press his lips together and say, his voice flat, "She and I have already consummated our union. I have a duty to her."

My eyes burned red. My body wouldn't stop shaking. "And what about me? You don't owe me anything? You don't owe this child anything?"

Chester reached out and brushed the tears from my cheek, his eyes full of tenderness.

"Stella, listen. I'm only taking a wife. I'm not abandoning you."

"There's a three-courtyard estate on the outskirts of the city. I've already purchased it. If you like the country life, I'll have someone plant fruits and vegetables in the yard for you. Whatever you want, I'll make it happen. Trust me."

I stepped back, shaking my head over and over.

"I won't be locked away in some back house as your mistress. I won't let my child and me live in the shadows for the rest of our lives."

But Chester simply walked toward me, his expression unchanged, his tone calm.

"I've never thought of you as a mistress. As long as you don't make trouble in front of the lady of the house, you'll still be my wife there. Isn't that enough?"

I kept shaking my head. "No. I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying right here."

This place held every tender moment Chester and I had shared over three years. I wanted to wait here for our child to be born.

"Stella, you know this. My wedding cannot have a single flaw. I have to erase every trace of our past. It's the only way you and the child will be safe."

Before the shock had even left my face, he raised his hand. The guards behind him stepped forward with torches and set the courtyard ablaze.

In an instant the fire roared to life, swallowing the bamboo cabin, the fence, the entire yard.

I clutched my belly and screamed. "No! Stop! Make them stop!"

Chester pulled me to him and pressed my trembling body against his chest.

He held me there and let me pound my fists against him.

"Be good. When the time is right, I'll make you my equal wife. The child can carry the name of a legitimate heir. Everything will be the way it was before."

But Chester, I am a princess of the realm. How could I ever be your equal wife?

The courtyard was gone. And we could never go back.

Three years ago, I had a fight with my father and stormed out of the palace in a fit of anger, determined to chase my dream of a quiet life in the countryside.

I shook off every one of his scouts along the way and settled at the foot of this mountain.

That was when I met Chester Delgado. He was on horseback, his cloak whipping in the wind, a smile playing at the corner of his mouth. One look was all it took. I fell for him completely.

I hid my identity from him, and he told me only that he was a wandering swordsman. We exchanged vows beneath the open sky, with heaven and earth as our witnesses.

We had no silk robes or lavish feasts, but we had each other. He tilled the fields while I worked the loom, and we were happy.

Now the cottage was destroyed, and I was locked away in a side manor.

The only glimpse of the outside world I could steal was through a crack in the wall.

A few women passing by were whispering about the Delgado wedding.

"Did you hear? The Young Lord petitioned the King himself for the marriage. He traded his military honors for the jeweled phoenix crown reserved for princesses!"

"Well, his bride is the Grand Chancellor's legitimate daughter. She deserves that kind of ceremony."

"They're perfectly matched in status. What a handsome couple they'll make."

The phoenix crown they spoke of had been my favorite treasure in the palace. I'd never worn it only because I hadn't yet come of age to marry, so my father never bestowed it on me.

On my own wedding night with Chester, the only thing on my head had been a wreath of wildflowers he'd woven with his own hands.

He'd said to me then: "My Stella deserves the finest things in this world. Even a princess's crown wouldn't be too good for you."

And now he had traded his military honors to give that very crown to Shelagh Fox.

That evening, Chester came carrying a whole box of my favorite pastries.

He sat across from me, his expression perfectly composed. "Eat something. The baby must be hungry."

Only then did I pick up a piece and take small, careful bites.

But watching him act as though nothing had happened filled my mouth with bitterness no pastry could mask.

"When did it happen?"

Chester froze. He poured me a cup of tea to cover his discomfort, then said in a flat voice, "On your birthday."

The ground dropped out from under me. A month ago, on my birthday, Chester had vanished without a word. I searched for him the entire night, up the mountain and down, calling his name until my voice gave out.

He didn't come back until the next morning, dusty and disheveled, claiming he'd gotten lost looking for a birthday gift for me.

Then, like a boy presenting a treasure, he pulled a snow lotus from behind his back.

I hadn't slept all night, but seeing the effort he'd gone through, I couldn't bring myself to scold him. I took the flower and carefully potted it.

Now he was telling me that on my birthday, while I was searching every trail in the dark, he had been in Shelagh Fox's bed. My stomach turned.

Even so, thinking of everything we'd shared, I couldn't stop myself from offering him one last chance.

"Chester, can you just not marry her?"

He turned the teacup in his hands, over and over, his brow furrowed tight.

"Not marry her? Marry you instead?"

"Do you really have to force me to say it plainly?"

"She is the Grand Chancellor's legitimate daughter. And you? A peasant woman who knows nothing but watering crops and tilling soil. How could you possibly be fit to stand beside me as the wife of a Young Lord?"

The color drained from my face. I refused to let it go. "Do three years of what we had really mean nothing unless I have the right family name?"

A searing pain tore through my lower abdomen. I pressed both hands against my stomach, but I kept my eyes on him, waiting for his answer.

"In noble families, status and rank matter above all else. The line between a legitimate wife and a concubine is absolute."

He paused, guilt flickering across his face.

"Shelagh might be pregnant."

The room tilted. I stared at him, unable to process what I'd just heard.

"Stella, her child has to be recognized as the firstborn heir. That's the only way you'll be safe."

The pain in my belly twisted like a knife. Cold sweat beaded across my forehead. Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced at the box of pastries.

"Chester, this is your child too. How could you bear to..."

Chester's eyes reddened. He apologized again and again.

"I'm sorry, Stella. She knows you exist. By the timing, your child is further along than hers. She won't allow you to give birth to the firstborn..."

So he laced my favorite pastries with the drug, and I ate them without a second thought.

"Chester, my stomach hurts so much. I just ate them, there's still time. Please, go find a physician."

He didn't move. My voice cracked raw with panic. "I won't marry you, is that what you want? I just want my child. I'll take her and leave, go far away. I won't be in your way, I swear."

No matter how I screamed and begged, Chester didn't flinch.

He held out his arm. "Bite down on this. It won't hurt as much."

I shoved his arm away. "Go find a physician. I'm begging you, Chester."

"Stella, don't be ridiculous. No royal physician is going to treat someone of your standing."

"The drug's already taken effect. It's too late. Be good. Once Shelagh gives birth to the legitimate heir, we can have another child."

I seized his hand and held on with everything I had. "Chester, listen to me. I am a princess. Princess Stella Henson. Go get the physician. Save this child."

But he thought I was lying. He wrenched his hand free, anger flashing across his face.

"You've truly disappointed me. If you're going to lie, at least make it believable. This is the capital, not your little countryside cottage. One wrong word here can cost you your head."

He flicked his sleeves and stormed out.

"A miscarriage won't kill you. Look after yourself."

I watched his retreating figure until it disappeared. Every last shred of hope in me went with it.

I curled into the corner, the pain splitting me open. I could feel it, every moment of it, the child slipping away from my body.

The child I had longed for day and night, killed by its own father on the very first day he learned of its existence.

I was unconscious through the night. The skirt beneath me soaked through with blood.

The door crashed open with a kick. Shelagh Fox strode in, flanked by several older servants.

She glanced at me, drenched in blood from the waist down, then settled into a chair by the table and poured herself a cup of tea as if she had all the time in the world.

"Don't blame me. The child in my belly has to be the firstborn heir. That's the only way I'll have any standing in the Delgado household. Surely you understand."

I braced myself against the wall, barely upright. "So you had my child killed."

Shelagh let out a short laugh. "Now that's unfair. Chester was the one who laced the food. Chester was the one who didn't want it. All I did was mention it in passing."

I stared at her, unblinking. My nails dug into my palms until the skin split.

She rose and walked over to me, one hand resting on her belly.

"Besides, you should count yourself lucky. Even if your child had survived, it would have been taken from you and raised under the legitimate wife. Better this way, really."

"Bring the tonic over. Make her drink it. Help her recover."

The servants pried my jaw open and forced the liquid down my throat. I recognized the taste. Safflower. The sterilizing concoction.

I thrashed, tried to spit it out, but they pinned me down and held my mouth shut.

Shelagh crouched beside me and patted my cheek, slow and deliberate, every touch a humiliation. "Can't have you bearing more children down the line. All that squabbling over heirs gets so tiresome."

"My wedding is in two days. I still need to go try on my jeweled crown. If you'll excuse me."

As she stood, she let her robe fall open just enough to reveal the jade pendant at her waist.

Chester's jade pendant. He told me once that his mother left it to him, the only thing he had of hers. And he had given it to Shelagh.

She was nearly at the door when she paused, as though something had just occurred to her. "Oh, one more thing. Chester transferred this property into my name. I hear you're fond of the simple country life, so by all means, keep living here. Just remember, it's my house now. My rules."

My whole body went rigid. When Chester burned down our cottage, he told me he bought this place for me. Told me I could fill the yard with fruit trees and vegetable gardens.

He never intended to give me anything. Not from the very beginning.

"Shelagh."

I called after her, my voice scraped hollow.

"Miss Fox, have you ever heard of Princess Stella Henson?"

Shelagh froze for a beat. "What, are you going to tell me that reclusive princess has something to do with you?"

I forced a bitter smile. "I heard the Princess adores colored sky lanterns. If we could make her smile and convince her to attend your wedding, wouldn't that bring honor to the occasion?"

Shelagh eyed me with suspicion. "How would a worthless wretch like you know what the Princess likes?"

"Believe it or don't. If it turns out to be false, it's no loss to you either way, Miss Fox."

After Shelagh left, I curled into the corner of the bed, my body burning with fever, my lower abdomen seized with stabbing pain. No one came.

Looking back now, meeting Chester Delgado was the single greatest regret of my life.

Through the haze of unconsciousness, I caught a blurred glimpse of rainbow-colored lanterns drifting past the window.

Only then did I let out a breath and smile.

Long ago, my father and I had made a pact: whenever colored sky lanterns were lit, it meant I was in danger, and someone would come to take me away.

At some point, Chester appeared. He sat at the edge of my bed for a long time.

When he saw me open my eyes, he touched my forehead. "The fever's broken. Come on, sit up and have some porridge."

I struggled upright. "Shelagh came. She forced an entire bowl of that sterilizing concoction down my throat. Did you know?"

Chester's expression faltered for a moment. He lowered his gaze. "I knew."

"You knew?"

I clenched every muscle in my body to keep the tears from falling.

He reached for my hand. I pulled away.

"Stella, she was only protecting herself. If you'd given birth, where would that leave her and her child? It's only human nature."

I let out a hollow laugh. Human nature. What a convenient excuse.

Chester set the bowl down and continued. "After Shelagh went home, she had terrible stomach pains. It's possible our child's spirit unsettled her..."

He looked at me, hesitating, then pressed on.

"There's a high monk at Serenity Abbey. Go to him and ask him to perform rites for the child's soul. Then climb all nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine steps on your hands and knees, one bow per step, and bring back a blessing charm for Shelagh. Do that, and we can put this whole matter behind us. Alright?"

I stared at him, my eyes burning red.

"Chester Delgado, you and I are finished. If you want a blessing charm, go get it yourself."

I dragged myself off the bed, trying to leave this wretched place.

He blocked my path.

He scooped me up, ignoring my thrashing, and threw me onto a horse. He rode hard until we reached the foot of Serenity Abbey.

"Take her up the mountain."

Two guards seized me by the arms, one on each side. I hauled my broken body forward, dropping to my knees and pressing my forehead to the stone with every step.

Two days without food or water, fresh from a miscarriage. I passed out and woke and passed out again along the way.

I don't remember how I obtained the blessing charm. All I know is that when I finally saw Chester at the bottom, my legs gave out and I collapsed.

He caught me and gathered me into his arms.

"Stella, you've suffered so much. I promise, even after I marry Shelagh, you'll be the only one in my heart."

I closed my eyes slowly. Three days ago, I might have believed those words. Now they made my stomach turn.

"I got you your blessing charm. Let me go."

He ignored my plea and carried me back to the cottage.

"Stella, don't be stubborn. The wedding is tomorrow. Shelagh has agreed to let you keep living in the cottage afterward. You'll stay out of each other's way. Alright?"

Before leaving, he added one last instruction: "The Princess may come to observe the ceremony tomorrow. Stay in the cottage and don't cause trouble."

Shortly after he left, my father's secret agents found me.

I looked in the direction he had gone, then at this little cottage that had never truly been mine, and a quiet smile crossed my lips.

I hope tomorrow, you won't regret this.

On the day of the wedding, the Delgado residence was draped in red silk, every corner bursting with celebration. Chester stood in his crimson wedding robes, Shelagh at his side.

They were about to begin the ceremonial bows when a voice rang out from beyond the gates: "Her Royal Highness, the Princess, has arrived!"

The red silk in Shelagh's hands trembled. A smile curled at the corner of her mouth. She hadn't expected the Princess to actually come.