"Sister. Sister," Zam's youngest son called out, pulling his hand away from his mother's. "Are you leaving me? Didn't you promise to stay by my side?" The little boy cried out.
Maybe he is the reason the villainess didn't want to marry, Ize thought.
Even though she isn't really into children, she squatted beside her little brother. "I will come back to take you with me. Behave well and don't stress father and mother, okay?" She raised her brow, patting his head.
"Yes. That is my big sister," the little boy pouted, wrapping his small hands around Ize.
Tears welled up in her eyes, reminding her of how her kid brother never wanted to let her go when she was about to move in with Anders. She had already buried that painful memory, why was it resurfacing?
"Hmm," she hummed before disengaging from the hug. She raised her gaze to look at her mother. "I will be back to see both of you."
Ize left the room, with two of her father's guards following her back to her chambers, leaving her parents who were bothered, their hearts heavy with their daughter's responsibility.
They wished their daughter didn't grow up, but they couldn't cheat nature. She grew up to be a beautiful lady the previous king betrothed to his son, and the elder of his family gave her the mission to spy on the royal family. If caught, death is the penalty, and no one has escaped that penalty in Oban kingdom.
"She will be fine. Ize I know won't disappoint us," Zam assured, patting his wife's back.
Later that day, in the evening, Ize remained in her room with the lady whose name she didn't know, coming in and going out, restless.
"Hey," she called the lady. "What is your name?"
The lady dug her nails into her hair before ruffling, feeling frustrated. "You must have lost your memory," she muttered before replying, "It's Mina."
"Mina, why are you pacing around restlessly?" Ize asked curiously.
"You are going to share a bed with the king tonight and probably discuss the concubine appointment tomorrow," Mina informed before leaving to make the bedding.
Ize heaved a deep sigh, wondering if she would end up with the same fate as the villainess. She can't! Dying once was enough, she thought.
A few minutes after Mina left to make the bedding, the door opened, revealing the face Ize desperately wanted to get out of her head.
Staring at Anders's face, the scene where she caught him cheating on her with her best friend replayed in her head.
"You must have been tired after the silly act you put up at the wedding hall, crazy queen," he addressed, keeping a straight face, making it hard to tell if he was joking or being serious.
"And—"
"Your Majesty to you," he corrected, cutting her off.
"Yes, your majesty," she nodded. "If you are here to discuss the concubine appointment, you are free to. It's your business, not mine," she replied calmly, instead of being jealous according to the story she transmigrated into.
She was supposed to be an evil and cruel queen who is jealous and can't stand anyone being with the king because they were childhood lovers, but for a reason which Ize couldn't recall, the king dislikes her.
But given what happened earlier and how her family wanted her to spy on the royal family, the Foix family was the reason he hated her.
"Really? I thought you were going to turn down the appointment since—"
"I am not marrying you because I want to. If you can, I would appreciate it if you don't see me as a woman. I don't care if you make a thousand women your concubine," Ize cut him off, drawing lines between them.
Right now, her urge to have her revenge on the poor man whose only crime is having a striking resemblance to her scumbag husband suddenly disappeared. What she wanted at the moment was to return to the world she was used to.
"So it is really true you went to the mountain to end your life?"
She chuckled at his question with an obvious answer. "Who would want to live as someone's hostage? After all, we are both each other's hostage," she replied calmly.
King Anders smiled darkly at Ize's response, wondering where the calm and naive lady he used to know went. This isn't Ize, the most quiet, calm, and innocent woman people of Oban kingdom used to know.
…
Ize spent half the night drinking after the king left for his chamber, cursing herself for trusting that jerk. He would be flaunting her insurance money with Cytilate after finding out she already saved his company with her shares. How foolish of her.
Not only did Anders murder her, he took everything from her. Her house, her car, the money she had, it would all be his after her death is confirmed.
"Milady, are you alright?" Mina, who hadn't gotten used to the formality yet, asked nervously, feeling Ize's pulse.
Ize managed to sit up before opening her eyes. "I had a nightmare," she replied, letting out a deep breath.
The pain from the stab wouldn't leave her. The heartbreak from the incident was vivid and felt like it just happened to her.
"If you allow me, can you tell me what kind of nightmare it was?" Mina asked calmly.
"I—"
"Your highness, the first royal concubine who has earned the king's favor is here," one of the house-ladies informed, interrupting Ize.
"It's the king's mistress," Mina whispered.
"Give me a moment," Ize muttered calmly, not wanting the king's mistress to meet her in this mess. Being a joke was enough; she couldn't make a joke of her position as the queen of this kingdom, especially since many lives depended on her role.
After she was done dressing up, her messy hair arranged, she muttered, "Let her in."
A woman in her early twenties walked in, elegant, yet with familiar walking steps, but Ize couldn't recall.
After the lady sat down, she brought down the veil covering her face, earning a loud yell from Ize.
No! It can't be Cytilate! What is she doing here? What if this really isn't something crazy like she comprehended?
Many thoughts clouded her mind, hoping this is a dream… if this is a dream, then she needs someone to wake her up from it.