Reborn at the Royal Banquet I Let My Arrow Miss on Purpose

On my deathbed, as illness consumed the last of my strength, the Crown Prince himself rode to the Silverpeak Mountains to gather snow lotus for the remedy that would save my life.

The whole world praised Crown Prince Aldric for his devotion to me.

Yet this devoted prince was, at that very moment, in the side hall with my elder sister, debating whether they should marry during the mourning period after my death or wait a year for the scandal to die down before she moved into the Eastern Palace.

Augusta's voice trembled, soft and frightened: "If anyone finds out we swapped the snow lotus with poisonous spirit-mallow blossoms to kill her, I'm ruined."

"And now I'm carrying your child. What we've done to Camila Henson... it isn't right."

The Crown Prince kissed her. "Don't be afraid. If anyone's to blame, it's her. She's the one who shot the Ivory Fox at the bride-selection banquet. That kill was meant to be yours."

"She was nothing but a thief who stole your place as Crown Princess."

When I opened my eyes again, I had been reborn, back at the bride-selection banquet. I shifted the aim of my arrow.

……

The Emperor Hadrian's decree still echoed in my ears: "Whichever noblewoman brings down the Ivory Fox today shall become the Crown Princess."

The white fox stood just ahead, beside a great tree deep in the forest. One arrow was all it would take. With my aim, I would not miss. The title of Crown Princess would be mine for the claiming.

But the memory of that bone-deep, soul-shredding agony from my past life made me clench my teeth. In this life, I would never let myself become the Crown Princess again.

I knew Augusta was close behind me. In my previous life, I had shot the fox first and claimed the title, and that was what set everything in motion. That was why she and the Crown Prince had conspired to poison me.

They had despised me for it. Because I shot the Ivory Fox, Augusta could never marry into the Eastern Palace. So when I fell gravely ill, they switched my remedy and let me die choking on bitterness and regret.

What if, this time, I let her become the Crown Princess instead?

But Augusta was petty to her core. The hatred from a past life's poisoning was not something I could simply forgive and forget.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of a rider galloping toward me at full speed. Augusta Henson, right on my heels, just as she had been before.

I pretended not to notice and let out a startled cry. "The fox!"

Then I tilted my arrow just slightly and sent it sailing past the fox, into the tree trunk behind it.

"Out of the way!" A sharp shout made me dodge aside. Two feathered arrows streaked toward the Ivory Fox. One struck it dead center. The other went wide and lodged in the hind leg of a rabbit nearby.

I let out a sigh of feigned disappointment. "How did I miss?"

The riders trailing behind us broke into cheers. "Magnificent shot!"

A guard leapt from his horse and retrieved the fox. He examined the arrow's fletching. The character etched into it read Henson.

"A young lady of the Henson Ducal Estate has felled the Ivory Fox!"

His voice carried through the trees and echoed across the grounds beyond.

Augusta sat tall in her riding clothes atop her horse, looking down at me with triumph blazing in her eyes. "Little sister, I'm so sorry. The Crown Princess title is mine." She wheeled her horse around and rode off, radiating satisfaction.

Out on the hunting grounds, Queen Lenora examined the white fox presented before her, her face alight with pleasure. "As expected of a daughter from the House of Ironhold. Superb horsemanship, flawless aim, a killing blow straight through the eye without so much as a scratch on the pelt."

Then she turned to me with a warm smile, extending her hand. "Camila, come here, dear. You've taken the Ivory Fox. I shall issue the decree myself and proclaim you Crown Princess before all the realm."

Below the platform, the Crown Prince watched me with a face carved from ice, and Augusta stood at his side, preening.

The moment the Queen's words left her lips, every noblewoman in attendance turned to me with envy in their eyes. Augusta's gaze went red at the rims.

I looked at the Crown Prince's expression, growing darker by the second. Then I stepped forward and sank gracefully to my knees. "Your Majesty, I must confess. The Ivory Fox was not my kill. It was felled by my elder sister, Augusta Henson."

"I would not dare claim credit that is not mine. I beg Your Majesty to see the truth."

"The title of Crown Princess rightfully belongs to my elder sister, Augusta. I would never presume to take what is hers."