Chapter 99: Back From The Dead

Olivia’s POV

My heart was pounding as I rushed down the grand staircase, with Lucian following closely behind me.

Princess Annabel? How was that even possible?

I had held her lifeless body in my arms three months ago. So how could someone claiming to be Princess Annabel suddenly appear in Lucian’s palace?

Yet, as I reached the bottom of the stairs and stepped into the main hall, I stopped in my tracks. Standing near one of the couches, dressed in a beautiful blue gown, was Princess Annabel.

For several seconds, I stood frozen, unable to believe my eyes. Her long, chocolate-brown hair fell gracefully over her shoulders, framing the same beautiful face I remembered so well. She looked exactly as she had the last time I saw her alive, without a single sign of what had happened to her three months ago.

Goodness! Was I seeing a ghost?

Annabel turned toward me, and a gentle smile spread across her face. "Hello, Olivia," she said softly.

My eyes widened, and I stumbled backward, shaking my head. "No..." I whispered. "No, this can’t be possible. You’re dead. I saw you..."

"It’s me, Olivia," she replied gently, taking a step toward me. "I’m alive."

I stared at her, feeling as though my legs might give way at any moment. For six years, I had served Princess Annabel as her personal maid. I knew her face, her voice, and even the little things she did whenever she was nervous, like playing with the rings on her fingers, which she was doing right now. There was no way I could mistake her for someone else.

But I had seen her dead body!

I forced my trembling legs to move forward until I was standing right in front of her. Slowly, I raised my hand and touched her shoulder. She was warm, and I could feel her breathing. Still struggling to believe she was real, I touched her arm again, as though I needed to convince myself that the woman standing before me was truly alive.

"You’re alive?" I whispered, tears gathering in my eyes. "Princess Annabel, how? I held you in my arms! I thought you were gone forever!"

"I know, Olivia," she replied gently, her eyes filled with sympathy. "And I’m so sorry for everything you’ve been through."

I shook my head, completely overwhelmed. Just a few minutes ago, my biggest worry had been explaining my three-month agreement with Lucas to Lucian. Now I was standing face-to-face with someone I had believed was dead.

Annabel glanced past my shoulder toward Lucian, and I turned to look at him, too. He stood a short distance away, his arms crossed over his broad chest and his dark green eyes fixed on us. His expression was unreadable as he waited silently for her to explain everything.

"Olivia, please calm down," Annabel said gently, taking my trembling hands in hers. "Let’s sit down. I know this is difficult to believe, but I’ll explain everything."

She led me toward the velvet couch and sat beside me. I could barely concentrate on anything around me. My eyes remained fixed on her face, still searching for some sign that this was all a dream.

But it wasn’t a dream. Princess Annabel was really here.

"Do you remember the morning of my wedding?" she began quietly. "When I asked you to get me a glass of water?"

I nodded immediately. "Yes, Princess. I was only gone for a few minutes."

"Well, shortly after you left my bedroom, two unfamiliar guards entered my room. I was surprised because I had never seen them before, and I didn’t understand why they were there."

She paused briefly before continuing. "Before I could even ask what they wanted, one of the guards suddenly grabbed me from behind while the other pressed a cloth over my nose. I tried to fight them off, but whatever was on that cloth made me feel weak almost immediately. I could barely stand, and before I could defend myself, they began hitting me repeatedly on the head. I screamed in pain and tried to push them away, but my strength was fading. I could feel blood running down my face, and after several more blows, everything went black."

My eyes widened as I listened to her.

"When I finally woke up days later, I found myself in a secret clinic somewhere within our territory. There were healers taking care of me, and my father was there. At first, I didn’t understand what had happened or why I wasn’t in the palace anymore."

She lowered her gaze for a moment before looking back at me.

"My father eventually explained everything to me. He said that when they found me lying on the floor, everyone believed I was dead. I had lost a lot of blood, and my heartbeat was so weak that nobody noticed I was still alive."

I swallowed hard, remembering how cold her body had felt when I held her that morning.

"That was why my father decided to send you in my place," she continued. "He was afraid that if Alpha Lucian discovered I was dead, the peace agreement would be broken, and our kingdoms would go to war again."

Annabel took a breath before continuing. "After you left, my father ordered the healers to examine my body again before preparing me for burial. That was when one of them discovered that I was still breathing."

I immediately looked at her, hardly believing what I was hearing.

"They took me to a secret clinic and managed to save my life," she explained. "But by the time they realized I was alive, you had already crossed into Full Moon territory, and Alpha Lucian had already seen you."

She glanced briefly toward Lucian before continuing. "My father became frightened. He knew that admitting he had sent a maid to marry Alpha Lucian in my place could destroy the peace agreement. He was afraid Lucian would become angry and attack our kingdom."

I slowly turned toward Lucian, who hadn’t moved from where he was standing. His expression remained serious, and I couldn’t tell what he was thinking as he listened to Annabel’s explanation.

"So my father decided to keep me hidden," Annabel continued. "Only a few trusted people knew I was alive, and everyone involved in my treatment was ordered to remain silent. I wasn’t allowed to leave the clinic until my father decided what to do."

I sat in silence, trying to understand everything she had just told me. For three months, I had lived in constant fear of being exposed. I had struggled to adjust to life in Lucian’s palace, endured his rejection, and worried almost every day about what would happen if he discovered I wasn’t the real princess.

And all that time, Princess Annabel had been alive.

I didn’t even know whether I wanted to cry or scream. ℯ𝐥.

"Olivia," Annabel said gently, squeezing my fingers when she noticed my expression, "I know you’ve been through a lot because of this, and I’m truly sorry."

I looked at her, struggling to control my emotions as she continued.

"When I finally recovered, my father told me that you had already married Alpha Lucian and that everything was going according to his plan. He wanted me to remain hidden until he found a way to explain the situation without causing another war."

She took a deep breath. "At first, I agreed because I was scared. I had almost lost my life, and I still didn’t know why those guards attacked me. My father told me it was safer to stay hidden, so I listened to him."

Annabel paused, and I noticed that her eyes were beginning to fill with tears.

"But as the weeks passed, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. You served me faithfully for six years, Olivia. You were always there whenever I needed you, and I knew you never wanted to marry Alpha Lucian in my place."

I lowered my head, unable to argue with her. She was right. I hadn’t asked for any of this.

"I kept thinking about how frightened you must have been," she continued. "I knew you were living under a false identity, and I couldn’t stop worrying about what would happen if Alpha Lucian discovered the truth."

Her voice became quieter as she spoke. "I begged my father several times to let me come here and explain everything, but he refused. He kept saying it was too dangerous and that we needed more time."

Annabel reached for my hand again, holding it gently between hers.

"But I couldn’t continue hiding while you suffered in my place. Three months have passed, Olivia, and you’ve already sacrificed enough for my family. I couldn’t allow you to keep living a life that was never supposed to be yours."

I looked at her, feeling tears gather in my eyes as I listened.

"So I decided to take matters into my own hands," she continued. "I left without my father’s permission and came here to tell Alpha Lucian the truth. I know there may be consequences, but I’m ready to face them. I couldn’t continue hiding while you suffered because of my family’s decisions."

She gave my hand a gentle squeeze before looking directly into my eyes.

"That’s why I’ve come, Olivia. I’ve come to take my rightful place and free you from the life you were forced to live."