Chapter 1

"Commander Foster, I bring dire news! Your sister was raped and committed suicide. Your mother wants you to swiftly return and take your sister’s place in the royal wedding!"

At the border of Nidora, several horses' hooves thundered across freshly melted snow. Water splashed in all directions.

Jane Foster's horse was in the lead. She wore a tight-fitting, plain dark battle robe. Her black hair was pulled into a ponytail that left loose ends which danced in the wind along with the hem of her dress. She looked aggressive and intimidating.

Although Jane and her sister Wendy were twins, she had been raised away from her family due to a superstition that twins brought bad luck.

Wendy was kind, gentle, and had never held a grudge against anyone.

Jane couldn’t figure out who would hurt someone as pure and kind as Wendy. She wanted to skin that person alive.

The royal guard soon realized he couldn’t keep pace with the speed she was setting.

"Commander Foster, two of our horses have already died from the journey. There's an inn up ahead. Why don't we take a break?" he called out.

Jane whipped her horse. "Get back to the barracks if you can't keep up! Hyah!"

He was an idiot. They had no time to take a break. Over a hundred lives of the Foster family depended on her right now.

The royal guard tried desperately to catch up with her, and failed. Jane was the fastest cavalry general in the northern camp. She was as fast as the wind.

-

Seven days later, in the Royal City, one of the Foster family's daughters was about to become the queen. It would bring great honor to the family.

People gathered around Foster Mansion to observe the grand occasion of the royal wedding. The groom’s representative arrived, but the bride still did not come out. The crowd murmured.

"I heard that Ms. Foster was abducted by a group of bandits and suffered greatly. The Foster family had to deploy their own guards to rescue her. She might not even be a virgin anymore. How can she still become the queen?"

"The women in the Foster family are all very lucky. For generations, they've always been the top choice for being queen. May Nidora be prosperous forever!"

"Could something bad have happened? Why hasn't the bride come out yet?"

The crowd stood on their tiptoes, eyes locked on Foster Mansion's front door.

Inside the main hall of Foster Mansion, Melinda, the groom's representative, waited. She had come to receive the bride, and had already drunk several glasses of wine while she waited. She couldn’t drink anymore. She waved her hand to reject the wine offered by Robin Foster.

"Mr. Foster, what's taking your daughter so long? Should I check on her in her room? I can't just wait here! I'll be blamed if we miss the golden hour for the marriage!" Melinda exclaimed.

Even the common folk cared about the luckiest hour for the marriage, not to mention that this was a royal wedding to Nidora's noble king.

Melinda was cross. Did the Foster family think this was a joke? If so, they had failed to realize how important the matter was.

At Melinda’s mention of checking on the room, Robin's expression changed abruptly. He quickly collected himself and stood up.

"Ahh! It must be because my wife can't bear to see our daughter get married. She's always been like this. I'll send someone to hurry them along. Melinda, please wait here. We definitely won't miss the golden hour!" He gave the butler a look.

The butler took the hint and immediately ran out. He made his way to the bride’s room, and knocked respectfully. "Madam Gloria, the people from the palace are urging us to hurry again!"

Inside the room, there was no sign of the bride at all.

Gloria Foster fidgeted and wiped the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief. "Go back there and tell them there's something wrong with the dress. We're getting the tailor to fix it."

The butler glanced around, then whispered through the door. "That won't do, Madam Gloria! Melinda has asked us to hurry along several times now. If we don't give her a specific answer, she'll barge right in!"

Gloria clenched her teeth, wondering what she could do.

Just as her heart started pounding, a silhouette gracefully leaped in through the side window.

Gloria was stunned, and then quickly backed away. "W-Who are you?"

"Mom, it's me."

Jane removed her mask, revealing her beautiful face. Gloria burst into tears of joy as she recognized her.

"Jane, my daughter! You've finally returned!"

Gloria stepped forward to hug Jane tightly as if she was hanging on for dear life. She could finally feel at ease.

"I'm glad to see you, Mom."

Despite the touching reunion, Jane was unemotional, and even seemed a little awkward. She knew they were in a hurry, so she quickly removed her coat and untied her hair. When Gloria saw this, she immediately helped Jane put on the wedding dress.

"Jane, I'm sorry for putting you through this. I know you enjoy your freedom, but you're being forced to marry into the royal family now-"

Jane lifted the hem of her dress and sat down at the dresser.

"Mom, you don't have to explain. I know everything. The most important thing right now is to protect our family."

If the Foster family failed to provide a daughter, it would ruin the royal marriage, and the entire family would be executed.

Gloria sighed. "I'm glad you've come back. It's been so many years. I miss you every day-"

"Mom, how's Wendy doing?" Jane's tone was eerily calm. Her hands were clasped tightly together.

Despite everything, she still hoped Wendy was still alive. She longed for her sister to suddenly show up like she often had when they were children. She would always say, "Jane, I'm here to see you!".

Gloria couldn’t hide the sadness in her eyes. It shattered Jane's delusion.

"Wendy-"

"We've buried her. To be honest, it’s for the best. She suffered too much. Being alive would have been worse than death.

"That night, she was tossed in front of our residence. She was covered in wounds, unclothed, and even had a brand on her chest-" Gloria couldn’t go on. She wiped away her tears and then looked at Jane, who seemed unfazed and cold as ice.

"Who hurt her? Are there any clues?" Jane asked.

"Yes...it’s the king’s favorite concubine, Lady Helena! That evil woman hurt Wendy!"

Crack!

The cosmetic box in Jane’s hand broke as her grip tightened. She made a mental note of what Gloria had said.

Gloria frowned and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Jane, I know you've been training in the military since you were a child, and you're an adept fighter. However, conflicts in the palace are different from the battlefield. Just protect yourself. Lady Helena is arrogant and domineering and has harmed countless people. However, the king still adores her despite her terrible deeds. Don't fight her."

Wendy was gone. Gloria didn’t want to lose Jane too.

However, nothing could stop Jane.

She draped the white veil over her head and prepared to leave the room. Just as she was about to do so, she heard a shrill voice from outside Foster Mansion.

"The wedding is suspended. We're here on business by Lady Helena's orders!"

Gloria put a restraining hand on Jane’s shoulder. "Let me take a look first."

-

The chamberlain outside Foster Mansion was extraordinarily arrogant. He didn’t seem to hold a high position, but he had a condescending look in his eyes.

"We heard that Ms. Foster was previously abducted by bandits," he announced. "Lady Helena has ordered court ladies to check her for the sake of the royal family's reputation."

"What are you checking for?" Gloria turned pale.

The chamberlain sneered. "We're going to check if Ms. Foster is still a virgin!"

"What?"

Examining a bride on the day she was to be married was unheard of.

It was humiliating!