Chapter 1 Before I turned fifteen , I was the spoiled little heiress everyone in Luminara knew by name . [] When I was eight , I was terrified of the dark. ] So Prince Alistair of Valtoria , my childhood best friend , braved a storm at sea just to bring back a glowing starstone for me . ] When I was twelve , I got my first period and stained the silk seat of the family's antique Rolls Royce . [ ] My usually stoic uncle panicked and rushed to bring me a heating pad , heartbroken that I'd have to deal with " the curse of womanhood " from now on . [ ] He didn't scold me . Not even once . ] But three years later , the real Heartford heiress returned . [ ] And all the warmth that used to surround me vanished overnight . ] By the fourth year of being exiled to the military labor camp , my fiancé came to take me home . [ ] He reached out his hand to me , his voice gentle as he said , " Come on . I'm taking you home . " [ ] Seven little words . [ ] I'd waited three long years to hear them . [ ] But just as he thought I'd throw myself into his arms with joy - I dropped to my knees and gave him a formal bow . ] " Your servant greets Prince Alistair of Valtoria . " [] Four years of hell had taught me this much : Don't cling to love that was never meant for you . [ ] -0 " Well … looks like you've learned your manners these past three years . " [ ] Prince Alistair stared at me for a long moment before finally speaking . [ ] And yeah , I had . ] Three years was enough to grind the old me - pampered , untouchable , raised in velvet - into someone who hauled shit buckets and chopped wood for food . [ ] Anything the other girls didn't want to do ? ] It landed on me . Everyone in the camp knew I was there as punishment . [ ] So they dumped their work on me just because they could . ] I was always the first one up and the last one back . [ ] Even though I'd always been afraid of the dark , on the walk back to camp I'd often get cornered by drunk officers . At first , I used to cry and scream for Prince Alistair . For my brother . [ ] Later , I stopped screaming . Stopped crying . I didn't even bother with tears anymore . Because I knew they weren't coming . [ ] Not since the day Seraphina Heartford walked back into that mansion . From that moment on , I was just the stand - in . The mistake . [ ] My cracked fingers were buried in the snow , burning with pain . ] But I didn't dare move until Alistair told me to . ] He turned and walked for a while - almost made it back to the carriage - before he realized I wasn't following . ] He sent someone to fetch me . ] So I knelt again , raised my arms above my head , and bowed deep toward the carriage . ] They Chase Blood Cheer Love Now The Cry at My GRAUE Chapter 1 " Your servant thanks you , Prince Alistair of Valtoria ! " ] My voice cut through the icy wind , sharp enough to make him flinch . ] His hands clenched at his sides . ] He'd imagined I'd cry and run into his arms like I used to . ] Or maybe scream at him , curse him , tell him I never wanted to see him again . But he didn't expect this . ] This cold distance between us , like a chasm across the stars . ] My knees had been on the frozen ground too long , so when I finally stood , I stumbled . [ ] Alistair stepped forward , took off his cloak , and tried to wrap it around my shoulders . ] 1 flinched and backed away , ready to kneel again . [ ] But he caught me . ] Staring at the snow under my feet , I spoke softly , one word at a time : [ ] " A servant like me doesn't deserve to dirty Your Highness's cloak . " ] He froze , brows drawing together . [ ] " Evelyn … do you really have to talk to me like this ? " What else did he expect ? ] Should I have thrown myself into his arms and called him Alistair like I used to ? ] He's Seraphina's fiancé now . [ ] What do I matter anymore ? ] I still remember the day the Heartford family said they were reinstating the original engagement . ] I'd thought - naively - that Alistair would fight it . [ ] He'd told me once he wanted forever . ] ] I remember the look in his eyes the day we got engaged . ] Eyes don't lie . ] But when he found out I wasn't the real Heartford heiress , ] he tore up our engagement papers with his own hands . He told me . " Not just anyone gets to marry into the Valtoria royal house . " He would only ever marry the true daughter of the Heartford line . [ ] Turns out , fifteen years of growing up together meant nothing compared to biood and status . ] I gave a bitter smile and shook my head . [ ] " A convicted servant like me has no right to speak to Your Highness . " [] " The weather's freezing . You should return to the carriage . " I had barely finished the sentence ] when Alistair suddenly flung his cloak to the ground , furious . [ ] " Really ? Evelyn Heartford , this is how you want to play it ? " ] " If it weren't for Seraphina begging me to come , you think I'd waste my time picking you up ? " ] So that was it They Chore Blood Over Love Now They Cry at My GRAVE Chapter 1 He came because Seraphina asked him to . ] The snow whipped across my face , stinging like needles . But I didn't feel a thing . The boy who once risked a storm to bring me a lightstone- now had nothing in his eyes but her . ]] Love really is that fragile . ] That easy to destroy . ] ] I stared at him blankly and bowed once more . " Your servant thanks Prince Alistair … and the future Princess of Valtoria . " They Chose Blood Over Love Now They Cry at My GRAVE