The Empress's Second Chance

The imperial selection, a grand affair that could secure a family' s fortune, was upon us.

But in the Thompson household, excitement was replaced by a chilling demand.

My mother, Mrs. Thompson, gripped my hands, her face a mask of strained concern.

"Sarah, you have to do this for us. For the family."

She wanted me to go to the selection in my cousin Emily' s place, "fail gracefully," and return home a nobody.

I looked at her, her words a haunting echo from a life I' d already lived.

The last time, I believed her.

I failed as instructed, but nobody ever came for me.