Chapter 1
Luciana Langston had tumbled straight into a book, and she was downright giddy about it.
She’d schemed her way in, firing off a fiery, thousand–word tirade tearing the novel to shreds.
All to tap into that odd little trick: sling enough venom under a character’s name, and poof–one was living their life.
And it worked like magic.
This wasn’t just any tale. It was a swoony romance where every heartthrob—the bold young general, the moody foreign prince, the disgraced noble’s heir–fell hard for the radiant heroine, Juliette Langston.
She was the darling of every man’s dreams.
And Luciana? She was the chump. The doormat. The one who gave everything only to be branded a villain and left to die alone in some far-
off land.
She’d rounded up wise advisors, trained fierce soldiers, and handed her little brother a crown on a silver platter. But who got the praise?
Juliette, of course.
The very folks Luciana had pulled from the muck turned on her the second they could.
Her brother, barely settled on his fancy new throne, had the gall to say, “Sis, the Duskwyn Empire only needs one princess–Juliette. You’re not my only sister anymore. How about I ship you off for a marriage deal?”
The foreign prince, who’d once begged for her help, sneered, “If I’d known what a snake you were, I’d have died before taking your hand.”
The noble’s son, finally free of his family’s shame, spat, “Juliette wanted to take me in. But you snatched me up, left me to rot, and ruined my
name.”
And the General of Harrowden? He growled, “War’s a brutal mess. If you hadn’t played me, I wouldn’t have been scarred for life, sent to the
front as a kid, nearly bleeding out.”
Those words were downright vile. After all, Luciana was the only one who’d ever bothered to save them.
Yet they all flocked to Juliette, ready to worship at her feet.
It was absurd. Juliette never once offered to lift a finger for any of them.
The day after her brother’s coronation, Luciana was packed off for a marriage alliance in some distant kingdom. Less than a year later, the “wicked” princess was dead.
When word of her death reached the city, they threw a bash. Over clinking glasses and lavish spreads, they swore that if they could do it over, they’d stick to Juliette and never give Luciana a second look.
Well, guess what? They got their chance.
One morning, Juliette’s fan club woke up back in time, back when they were just a bunch of desperate, broke nobodies. No titles, no finery- just a pack of strays scraping by.
And this time, no one was coming to their rescue.
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Charter 1
“Is Princess Luciana still out? Did she hit her head or what?” someone whispered.
“Yup,” Luciana mumbled, eyes shut, a dull ache throbbing at the back of her skull.
She’d conked out right after posting that scorching review. In her dreams, the gentle Princess Luciana appeared, her spirit broken, done with this world. She had no desire to relive her life with those ungrateful jerks.
“Want to take my place?” she’d asked.
Luciana didn’t miss a beat. Heck yeah.
She couldn’t wait to see it–how Juliette would “save” them, how far they’d get with her so–called help. She wanted to see how long they’d last without her.
“My lady, Lord Faulkner’s gone too far!” her maid, Camille Fields, fumed. “He’s been throwing fits for days, trashing everything, and now he’s gone and shoved you!”
Luciana touched the sore spot on her head, piecing together what happened before she blacked out.
Edmund Faulkner, the precious son of a fallen Grand Sage, was a big player in this drama. Eighteen years ago, his family, the Faulkners, got slammed with a treason charge and lost it all.
He’d survived by luck and showed up in Elarion City to clear their name. He’d been crashing at her mansion for two weeks, but three days ago, he lost it. Kept yelling about leaving, like a man gone wild.
Luciana worried he’d get conned or worse–his family’s honor was on the line. So she tried to talk him down, keep him safe.
But tonight? He’d gone full lunatic. When she stepped in to calm him, he pushed her, and she cracked her head on something hard.
So desperate to ditch her? Oh, he must’ve came back to life already, itching to run to Juliette. ‘Well, who am I to stand in his way?‘ she
thought, a wry smirk curling her lips.
Luciana sat up, a sly grin spreading. “Let’s go see what he’s up to.”
Edmund was holed up in Lilyshade Hall, a wing of her estate almost as grand as her own–gleaming wood floors, silk drapes, chandeliers
sparkling like stars.
When Luciana heard whispers that the Faulkners‘ treason might’ve been a setup, she’d taken him in, no questions asked. Gave him the best rooms, a dozen servants to wait on him hand and foot.
All she asked was that he keep a low profile while she dug up the truth and waited for the right moment to clear his name.
At first, Edmund was all gratitude, swearing he’d be loyal forever.
But then the rumors started. Elarion City’s gossipmongers whispered he was her kept man, her little toy.
To protect his cherished reputation, Luciana offered to settle him in a fine house far from prying eyes. But Edmund wouldn’t hear of it. ‘What, leave her grand manor? Give up the servants jumping at my every whim? Not a chance.‘
So he stayed. His choice. But once his family’s name was cleared, he turned on her like a viper. Claimed she’d forced him to stay, treated him
like dirt.
And when the gossip about their “relationship” wouldn’t quit, he acted like she’d trashed his honor.
Then Juliette, all sweet as honey, told him Luciana had taken him in with shady motives. That she’d had designs on him from day one.
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And Edmund bought it. To him, Juliette would never lie.
Now, back in this timeline, he was still in her mansion but desperate to bolt. Couldn’t stand the thought of being called her kept man again.
Unless it was Juliette doing the keeping.
The hall was a wreck–smashed vases, torn curtains, furniture flipped over. Servants knelt outside, trembling, eyeing Edmund like he was a
tomado in boots.
This guy was a one–man wrecking crew. At this rate, her estate wouldn’t last a week.
“Edmund!” Luciana snapped, storming in with fire in her eyes. “You’ve got some nerve!”
He stood in a sleek indigo doublet, its silver–stitched collar crisp, his hair neatly drawn back with an ivory brooch–a far cry from the ragged
wanderer he once was.
‘If he’s been alive and kicking for days, why’s he still parading around in my clothes, spending my money?‘ she thought, fuming. ‘What a spineless freeloader.‘
Edmund’s eyes blazed with defiance. In his eyes, it was Luciana who had kept him trapped, blocking every move to leave.
Juliette had told him, in that other life, that she’d wanted to save him. If Luciana hadn’t butted in, he’d have been with Juliette from the start.
And she was still at it–three days of him begging to go, and she wouldn’t give an inch.
He was certain luciana knew the Faulkners‘ loyalty to the Duskwyn Empire would shine through in the end. She’d played a clever game, banking on the day their name would be cleared, ready to bask in the glory as their savior. Fame and praise–all for her.
‘Not this time,‘ he thought. ‘I am done with her tricks. I’ll find Juliette, and she’ll save me–properly.’
“Princess Luciana,” Edmund said, voice cold as stone, “I’m not sticking around. Let me walk.”
Luciana smirked, glancing at the chaos around them. “You trash my place and think you can just waltz out?”
Edmund scoffed, lip curling. ‘Typical Luciana–always cooking up some scheme to keep me under her thumb.‘
As if he’d wanted to smash her stuff. But what else could he do? It was the only way to make her show up.
‘She thinks a few broken baubles will make me feel guilty?‘ he thought. ‘Yeah, right. Keep dreaming.’
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