From the first glance, I didn’t see their faces—I saw their deaths.


    It was both terrifying and strange.


    As the four men sat conversing, I saw it all:


    One would die of starvation, the scene staged to look like a hanging.


    Another would be run through with a sword from behind.


    One would perish amidst the mournful cries echoing through the royal palace.


    And the last would be poisoned, forced to follow the king to the grave.


    I couldn’t speak of it.


    Just as I couldn’t tell Winter that one day, I might be the one to kill her. How could I say such a thing?


    Especially since, in every vision, I was always there when they died.


    Yet here, in this moment, if I didn’t speak, she wouldn’t relent. Even the palace attendants had started to take notice, though they didn’t interrupt. I understood—it was what the king wanted.


    “Stop crying. I’ll tell you,” I said after a long pause, my resolve firm. “Choose the chancellor, Corwin.”


    Her sobs ceased immediately. Her voice turned icy.


    “Autumn, should I trust you?”


    She wiped her tears with the back of her hand, her expression blank as she stood tall, took the jade token, and turned to leave.


    She moved quickly, as if trying to claim my turn before I could stop her. I reached for her sleeve, but she slipped away, and two attendants stepped between us.


    “His Majesty has granted Lady Winter the right to choose first,” they said.


    It all became clear. From the moment she sat beside me, she had calculated her move to deceive me and win my trust.


    She had played me perfectly.


    Winter didn’t believe me. She didn’t choose the chancellor. Instead, she gave her token to the young general, Elias.


    Elias stiffened the moment she approached, his fingers twitching slightly. He neither accepted the token nor looked at her. His gaze moved past the screen, locking on me, his expression unreadable.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    He was the only one of the four men not yet married.


    He cared for me.


    The ancestral home of Elias’s family was in the eastern district of the city, abandoned for years. When I was ten, I’d climbed the wall chasing a parrot that had escaped its cage. That was when I first met him. He climbed a tree and caught the bird for me.


    Three years later, after my mourning period ended, we met again.


    It was summer, by the lake. Amidst the vibrant green leaves and crimson blooms, he rowed his boat toward mine and handed me a lotus flower. The pale pink petals quivered gently, a beauty that left me breathless.


    If not for Winter’s schemes, I had planned to choose Elias.


    I picked up the jade token, tracing its smooth edges with my fingers. After hesitating, I rose and stepped out.


    As I passed the Crown Prince, he lifted his teacup and spoke.


    “Those who have been chosen may also choose again.”


    His meaning was clear—he wanted me to pick him.


    Since my father’s death, my sisters and I were the last of the seers, and my unique gift made me an invaluable ally. If I pledged loyalty to the Crown Prince, I could become his most trusted advisor.


    Across the hall, Elias accidentally bumped the table, making a small noise.


    If I chose Elias now, the world would think it was because I had calculated his destiny as the future king. That would only put a target on his back, marking him as a threat to the royal family.


    But choosing the Crown Prince would tie me to Summer’s abilities, making any lie I told harder to sustain and pulling me into dangerous court intrigue.


    I walked past them both, stopping before the chancellor, Corwin.


    He sipped his tea, his gaze steady as he glanced up at me and silently accepted the token.


    I had chosen him.


    A choice neither remarkable nor damning.


    The king arranged our marriages one by one.


    Elias refused several times, earning the king’s scorn before finally agreeing.


    Spring and Summer were made secondary consorts. Winter became the general’s wife, and I was named the chancellor’s concubine.


    <hr>


    At the palace gates, Elias followed after me.


    Corwin, ever perceptive, stepped aside, allowing us to speak privately.


    “Autumn,” Elias began, his voice strained. “What happened today—it wasn’t my choice. Even if I marry her, I won’t—”


    I cut him off sharply.


    “General, we are both bound by marriage now. Please don’t say such things to me.”


    He fell silent, disappointment flickering in his eyes.


    Winter approached swiftly from behind.


    “Sister, are you worried about my feelings?” she said mockingly.


    “What does it matter if I let you have him? He’s just a man. What I want isn’t him—it’s the future power he represents.”


    Her gaze shifted to Elias, cold and possessive, as though he were a prize she had claimed.


    “If you want, we can work together. Even if I’m his wife, I won’t overstep my place.”


    Elias turned away, his hand clenched tightly behind his back.


    “No need,” I said, meeting her gaze firmly.


    “You’re better suited to these games than I am.”


    I had no intention of joining forces with her—or fighting over him.