.Chapter 1 Making A Mess Of It 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.
“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.
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 tornado 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.’
2.Chapter 2 Juliette Would’ve Had Me The day the Faulkner name was cleared, the king handed their old estate back to Edmund, along with a pile of fortune to make amends.
But the Faulkners were down to just him now. All that treasure was his, so few shiny trinkets wouldn’t tie him down.
“I broke your stuff, Princess Luciana,” Edmund said, standing tall like he was the last of the Faulkner line. “But don’t think you can trap me with it. I’ll sign an IOU, and when I’ve got the cash, I’ll pay you back, fair and square.”
Luciana smirked. “Big talker, huh? Camille, tally up everything Lord Faulkner’s eaten, drunk, worn, or smashed. Let’s see what he’s racked up.”
Edmund had wrecked plenty, and the bill wasn’t going to be chump change.
But he wasn’t worried—he’d cover it.
Still, Luciana remained as vile as ever in his heart. He could still see that day, after the Faulkner family’s name was cleared.
He’d called her out in front of the whole crowd, accusing her of taking him in with some underhanded scheme. And Luciana just stood there, bold as brass, denying it and snapping back.
He could picture her now, acting heartbroken, swearing she’d spent years fighting for the Faulkner name out of pure kindness.
‘She sure sounded sweet back then!’ he thought, a bitter edge to his musings. ‘Now she’s counting every cent like it’s her last.
‘Juliette called it—Luciana never cared to help me. She just swooped in for the glory once my family’s name was cleared!’
Soon, Camille handed over the list. From meals and clothes to the chairs and knickknacks he’d smashed, it was all there.
The total? A whopping t 1.7 million dollars. Half a month in the princess’s estate, and he’d burned through nearly two million.
Luciana glanced at the bill, half-sure Camille had flubbed the numbers. But no—five goblets of fine crystal at 45 thousand dollars, two cushions of exquisite damask at 140 thousand dollars, and those tattered tapestries cost 230 thousand dollars a yard.
Good grief. She’d treated him like royalty, and he didn’t even notice. No wonder he got comfy here later—a single cup cost dozens of crowns, and those plates and crystal bowls he broke? Worth a fortune.
He had to go. Time to show him the door.
Edmund snatched the bill, sure Luciana was scamming him. “This ain’t right, Princess Luciana!” he snapped, slapping the paper on the table.
He’d have money someday, and he could pay, but he wasn’t letting her pull one over on him.
Camille didn’t flinch. “What’s wrong, Lord Faulkner? You saying you didn’t smash five tea sets in three days? Or flip the table this morning? And that crystal vase—eight hundred crowns. That wasn’t you?”
Luciana grinned, her voice dripping with sass. “What’s that, Edmund? Trying to skip out on the tab? Guess you’re stuck here then. How about you work it off? Scrub a few chamber pots. Might take a century or two, but who’s counting?”
Keep him around for grunt work? Perfect.
Edmund’s blood boiled. ‘So that’s her plan—trap me here. She’s not even hiding it anymore, tossing out that line about me “selling myself” to her. Bold as brass.’
“Fine, I’ll sign your stupid IOU,” he growled, grabbing a quill and scrawling his name with a flourish.
Luciana nodded to Camille, who stashed the note. That money was coming back, no doubt about it.
Edmund gave a sharp bow, ready to bolt, but Luciana’s voice stopped him. “Hold up, cowboy. Where’re you off to?”
“What, you chickening out now?” Edmund’s heart raced. He had to get out—Luciana couldn’t go back on her word.
“Nope,” she said, holding out her hand. “Just need those fancy clothes and that brooch you’re wearing. They’re worth a pretty penny, and I didn’t add ’em to the bill. Hand ’em over.”
She was set on sending him off with nothing. Every stitch, every pin—he wasn’t taking anything she could sell. And those weren’t cheap.
Edmund sneered, yanking out the brooch and tossing it aside. “Fine. Where’s the stuff I came in?”
Camille hesitated, whispering to Luciana. “Uh, those clothes? They were so rank we burned ’em.”
“That bad, huh?” Luciana waved a hand, like the stench still hung in the air.
Edmund’s face went red. He’d begged his way to Elarion City—course his clothes weren’t fresh.
Luciana shrugged. “Alright, find him something plain. My treat. But nothing fancy, just something basic.”
Edmund had been dressed like a lord here, every outfit worth a small fortune. Finding something “basic” in the princess’s estate was tricky.
Camille had to ask around, finally grabbing a rough set of clothes from a coachman.
Luciana pointed to a screen. “Go change. And listen while I talk.”
Changing in front of everyone, even behind a screen, stung Edmund’s pride. But to get out, he’d swallow it.
As he wrestled with the clothes, Luciana didn’t glance his way. “When you got to the city, you went to my granddad first, right? He served with your pa and agreed to look into your family’s case—but only if you stayed clear of him. True?”
“Yeah,” Edmund called back. “I won’t bother Lord Norman again, Princess. Don’t worry.”
Luciana’s tone stayed cool. “I told Granddad I’d take you in. Now you’re leaving, and I need it in writing that I didn’t kick you out—you’re choosing to go. I want proof.”
Luciana and Juliette were twin sisters, both princesses, born to the queen. Their mother was from the powerful Ingram family, and their granddad, Norman Ingram, was the king’s chancellor.
He’d had doubts about the Faulkner treason charge but didn’t want to get mixed up with Edmund if it was true. Nobody close to the Faulkners wanted him.
Luciana had stepped up, worried Edmund might get himself killed if left on his own, leaving the Faulkner name in the dirt.
Now that he was leaving, she needed it on paper that he was walking out by choice, not that she’d tossed him out.
Edmund’s jaw clenched. Juliette had told him that Luciana had all but stolen him from their granddad. If she hadn’t, Juliette would’ve taken him in. Luciana had lied, saying nobody else wanted him.
He wasn’t buying her act anymore. Proof? Fine. He’d write it.
He was leaving today because he wanted to—not because he owed her anything.
