I Choose A New Life Chapter 01
My sister, Anna Whitmore, and I died on the exact same day.
She was a duchess, the highest-ranking noblewoman in the kingdom. I was the Queen Dowager, a title given to me by the late king himself.
I’d outranked her my entire life.
But in the end, her coffin was placed in the royal tomb next to the old king. Meanwhile, I—a woman who had ruled as Queen for ten years and reigned as Queen Dowager for forty more—was buried in an ordinary graveyard.
The new king stood before my gravestone, his gaze lowered, his expression heavy with guilt.
“It was my father’s dying wish to be buried with the Duchess,” he said.
“You blocked him from his lover long ago. If you had not done that, he would not have been separated from her and died young of a broken heart.
“If there’s a next life… please, just let them be together.”
When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day Crown Prince William Cavendish was meant to choose his bride.
Just like before, Queen Marie Cavendish selected me as the future crown princess.
And just like before, William declared that he wished to marry Anna.
But this time, after a brief silence, I answered calmly, my expression blank, “As you wish, Your Highness.”
***
Silence fell over the room.
William looked up.
He looked at me for a short time, then turned his eyes away.
He clearly hadn’t expected me to give in so easily.
After all, the last time we lived through this moment, I had just stood there, quietly shedding tears.
Marie jumped in immediately, scolding him for being ridiculous.
“That girl’s mother was a mistress who knew nothing but how to seduce men. She is completely unacceptable,” she snapped.
“I have already arranged another marriage for her. You’d better stop hanging up on her.”
Her sharp words ended any chance for them to stay together.
Back then, neither Marie nor I knew the truth—William had met Anna long before this.
They first saw each other at the Midsummer Festival.
They met again later at the monastery.
Anna lost her handkerchief, and William ran through rain and mud to return it to her.
It was hardly befitting of a crown prince—yet he did it anyway.
He had fallen deeply in love with her at first sight.
Right now, Marie stared at me in disbelief.
Three different times, she asked me, “Isabella, are you sure about this?”
Each time, I gave the same answer. “A crown princess must not feel jealous.”
At last, Marie relented.
The king was gravely ill, living on borrowed time, so the wedding was scheduled for the tenth day of the following month.
Anna and I would enter the royal family on the same day—an arrangement meant to bring a semblance of joy to the otherwise somber palace.
After the selection, I ran into William.
He halted abruptly and said, “You’re as generous as a true queen.”
I looked up into his eyes, while he lowered his.
He was finally getting what he wanted—marrying Anna—yet there was not a trace of happiness on his face.
When I got back to my carriage, Margaret was very worried. “My Lady, how could you agree to this?
“What are you going to do if Prince William favors Anna over you?”
I slowly opened my eyes. “There’s always going to be a favorite in the palace eventually.”
Anna was beautiful, sure, but she was just a silly woman with merely a pretty face. If there had to be a favored woman, I would rather it be her than someone else.
More importantly, she was far too weak to ever bear children.
In our previous life, she had married an earl. She’d sought out physician after physician, yet never managed to conceive.
No matter how much William doted on her, a childless woman could never truly threaten my position.
If anything, keeping her around would keep him distracted and save me a whole lot of trouble.
Margaret just stared at me, completely stunned.
After a long pause, she asked softly, “But, you love Prince William. Are you truly unbothered?”
I kept my voice perfectly level. “So what if I’m not?”