Willow's Choice

More Than a Niece

The next day, Willow and her maid set off for the palace. The carriage ride was long, winding through the countryside and then into the capital city. I pressed my face against the window, drinking in every sight like a child seeing the world for the first time. In a way, I was.

The landscape was breathtaking in a way my old world had never been. There were no power lines cutting across the sky, no billboards advertising things nobody needed, no gray concrete sprawling endlessly. Instead, there were rolling green hills dotted with wildflowers, ancient forests that looked like they'd been standing since the beginning of time, and small villages with thatched roofs and smoke curling from chimneys.

As we approached the capital, the roads became more crowded. Merchants with carts full of goods, farmers bringing their harvest to market, nobles in fine carriages like ours. Everyone seemed to be heading toward the city, toward the beating heart of the kingdom.

And then I saw it.

"The palace is truly gigantic and beautiful," I breathed, unable to keep the awe from my voice.

Talia smiled at my reaction. "You always say that, my lady, every time we visit."

But Willow had never really appreciated it, not the way I did now. To her, it had just been her aunt's house, a place she'd visited since childhood. But to me, with memories of tiny apartments and crowded streets, this was something out of a fairy tale.

The palace rose from the center of the city like a crown jewel. White stone towers reached toward the sky, their tops adorned with flags bearing the royal crest—a phoenix rising from flames. The walls seemed to glow in the afternoon sun, and I could see gardens spreading out in every direction, carefully manicured and bursting with color.

When we arrived at the palace gates, guards in polished armor snapped to attention. They recognized the Vane crest on our carriage immediately and waved us through without question. The wheels clattered over cobblestones as we made our way up the long drive toward the main entrance.

A footman helped me down from the carriage, and I took a moment to smooth my new dress and take a steadying breath. This was it. My first real test in this new life. I needed to convince my aunt that I was serious about breaking the engagement, that I wasn't just being emotional or impulsive.

"Lady Montgomery," a palace attendant bowed deeply. "Her Majesty is waiting for you in the garden."

"Thank you," I said, trying to sound composed and noble, the way Willow should sound.

Talia gave me an encouraging nod as I followed the attendant through the palace corridors. The interior was even more magnificent than the exterior—marble floors polished to a mirror shine, tapestries depicting great battles and royal coronations, chandeliers dripping with crystals that caught the light and scattered rainbows across the walls.

We walked through a grand hallway, past portraits of previous kings and queens who seemed to watch me with stern, judging eyes. Past suits of armor standing at attention like silent sentinels. Past windows that overlooked the city below, where I could see the lives of ordinary people playing out in miniature.

Finally, we reached a set of glass doors that led out to the garden. The attendant opened them with a flourish, and I stepped out into paradise.

The royal gardens were legendary throughout the kingdom, and now I understand why. Roses of every color bloomed in abundance, their scent heavy in the warm air. Fountains bubbled and splashed, their water crystal clear. Peacocks wandered freely, their iridescent tail feathers trailing behind them like living works of art. There were benches positioned under weeping willows, and pathways that wound between carefully sculpted hedges.

And there, sitting at a small table beneath a pergola covered in flowering vines, was Queen Eliana.

"My dearest, how are you?" She stood as I approached, her arms opening to embrace me.

She was beautiful in a way that had nothing to do with youth and everything to do with presence. Her dark hair was streaked with silver and pulled back in an elegant style. Her eyes were the same shade of green as Willow's—as mine now—but they held a wisdom and strength that came from years of ruling a kingdom. She wore a relatively simple dress for a queen, though the fabric was clearly expensive and the cut perfectly tailored.

"Fine, Your Majesty," I curtsied, then corrected myself at her raised eyebrow. "Aunt Eliana."

"You look different... much more so, older, more mature... I like it, but please call me Aunt. You're the only one who can call me that." She pulled back from the embrace and studied my face intently. "Your eyes have changed too. There's something... harder in them. What happened to you, my dear?"

I thought about how to answer that. What had happened? I'd died and been reborn? I'd merged with her niece's consciousness? I'd decided to stop being a doormat and start living?

"Seeing that cockroach with another woman made me realize that I have to change if I want to be respected."

The queen's eyes widened at my crude language, and then she laughed—a genuine, delighted laugh that rang out across the garden and startled a nearby peacock into spreading its tail feathers.

"Hahaha, cockroach, hahaha, I never thought my niece had that sense of humor." She wiped tears from her eyes, still chuckling. "Oh my dear, I have missed you. The Willow I knew would never have said such a thing. She would have called him 'young Lord Fox' even after catching him with his tongue down another woman's throat."

I grinned at her, feeling a kinship with this woman I'd never really known in Willow's memories. "The old Willow is gone, Aunt. Or at least, she's changing."

"Good. It's about time." She gestured for me to sit, and a servant immediately appeared with tea and small cakes. "Now, let's discuss this engagement. You want to end it?"

"Aunt, do you think I can cancel the engagement?"

"Of course." She said it so simply, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You're the queen's niece. I can end any engagement you've entered into. The question is not whether you can, but how you want to do it."

She poured tea into delicate porcelain cups, the liquid steaming and fragrant.

"Now, do you want us to do it discreetly and quietly, or do you want financial compensation...?"

"Compensation?" The word was unfamiliar in this context. In my old world, you didn't get paid for breaking up with someone. But then again, in my old world, we didn't have formal engagement contracts either.

"Of course, my dear. Remember that a contract of engagement was signed at your betrothal." She added honey to her tea and stirred it thoughtfully. "That contract included terms and conditions. If either party breaks those terms—such as the requirement of fidelity—then compensation is due. Given the Fox family's current financial situation, I imagine they would find such a penalty quite... painful."

A slow smile spread across my face. "Yes, Aunt, please, give whatever you can get in compensation and donate it to the poor."

The queen paused with her teacup halfway to her lips. "Donate it? You don't want to keep it for yourself?"

"I don't need his family's money. But the poor could use it. Let some good come out of Jasper's infidelity."

"Excellent. Are you going to be involved with the Turners?" There was a sharp edge to her voice now. Lady Iris Bloom , the woman Jasper had been kissing, was also nobility. Going after her could create political complications.

I shook my head. "No, Aunt, the one who was engaged to me was the cockroach. He's the one who had to respect me."

The queen studied me for a long moment, her expression thoughtful. "Hmm, too much kindness, but oh well... I suppose you're right. The Turner girl is young and foolish, but Jasper should have known better. He had a responsibility to you."

I sipped my tea, enjoying the subtle flavors—nothing like the cheap tea bags from my old life. Everything here tasted richer, more real somehow.

"Aunt, do you think I could leave the kingdom for a while?"

"Leave?" The queen set down her cup with a sharp clink. "But, my dear, it's not necessary. I can protect you here. No one will dare say anything against you once I make my position clear."

"I want to see other places. Besides, I have a question…"

"Tell me, my dear."

I took a deep breath, knowing this next part would sound strange. But I needed to know. I needed to understand what would happen if my plan worked, if I managed to achieve the dream I'd carried from my old life into this one.

"Aunt, what would happen if I were to become pregnant?"

"Pregnant! What? Now!" The queen actually stood up, her eyes wide with shock and concern. "Are you—has that boy—did he force you—"

"No, no, no," I said quickly, holding up my hands. "I'm not pregnant. I'm sorry, I should have been clearer. I just mean...

hypothetically. If I were to become pregnant someday, as an unmarried woman, what would happen?"