Swapped at the Altar

My half-sister and I were both married on the same day.

She was supposed to be sent away to a distant kingdom as a peace offering, branded with an ill-fated destiny. I was supposed to marry the Crown Prince and become the future queen.

Yet the night before our weddings, my stepmother orchestrated a switch.

In my previous life, I stormed into the wedding ceremony desperate to expose the truth. My sister immediately threatened to kill herself to prove her innocence.

The Crown Prince caught her just in time, but the shock caused her to lose the baby she claimed to be carrying.

The Crown Prince was furious. He accused me of fraud and attempted murder of the royal heir. He ordered my head shaved and my face mutilated before having me thrown into the peace bride's carriage. I became the laughingstock of the entire capital.

My half-sister took my place as Crown Princess, gave birth to twins, and eventually became the beloved empress. Meanwhile, I died on the road to that foreign land.

When I opened my eyes again, drums and music thundered outside. The wedding procession was already waiting.

A voice rang out, "By royal decree, we have come for the bride!"

The matchmaker pushed open the door and her smile froze instantly. "Ms. Genevieve? What are you doing here?"

The guests outside erupted into chaos. Several women rushed into the courtyard, staring at me in disbelief.

"Good God! Then the one who just got into the bridal carriage for the Crown Prince was Cordelia?"

"Why is Genevieve still here? If this is a mistake, it's treason!"

My stepmother burst in, wailing loudly. "Genevieve, have you lost your mind? How dare you give up the position of Crown Princess? Even if you didn't want to marry the Crown Prince, you can't force your sister to take your place. Defying a royal decree is punishable by death!"

After my stepmother finished speaking, everyone's expressions changed. It seemed like I was seen as a cruel older sister who selfishly made her younger sister marry instead.

I watched her feign panic while barely concealing her triumph. It suddenly reminded me that in my previous life, she had twisted the truth in exactly the same way in front of everyone, pinning the crime of defying the decree on me.

In the embellished letters she and Father exchanged, she wrote that I was willful and fled the marriage, forcing my half-sister to take my place. She painted me as spoiled and reckless, someone who disregarded the family's reputation.

Father was serving as governor in the southern provinces. His duties kept him busy and he rarely came home. He knew about the destinies foretold for my half-sister and me, so for a time he actually believed her words.

Now she was using the same trick again. How could I let her get away with it?

I staggered backward, tears blurring my vision. "Mother, what are you saying? Last night you told me and Cordelia