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He Chose the Fake—So I Stopped Making Kings
Novelix
Completed
Serena spends her first life hiding her gift of prophecy and using every vision to make Adrian King. Her reward? He chooses the fake Seer, brands Serena a fraud, and kills her. Reborn with Adrian and Ivy remembering the same past, Serena refuses to build his throne again. Instead, she allies with Crown Prince Lucian and lets her enemies chase a future that no longer exists. This time, Serena won’t make another man King. She’ll claim the future for herself.
Chapters (2)
第1章
The High Priest once prophesied that a daughter of House Ashbourne would be born with the gift of seeing the future.
I hide the pale mark between my brows, while Ivy paints one there every morning.
Everyone believes she is the Seer, and the royal family matches her with Crown Prince Lucian. I choose his younger brother, Adrian.
For five years, I use my visions to help Adrian fight his way to the throne.
On the night I finally make him King, I wipe the powder from my forehead.
“Adrian, I’m the Seer.”
He sees my mark.
His face twists with disgust.
“You dare copy Ivy?”
He has me restrained and cuts the mark from my forehead himself.
“If you hadn’t chosen me, Ivy would never have married Lucian. She should have been my Queen!”
Blood runs into my eyes.
Hours ago, the kingdom bowed to the King I made.
Now he looks at me like I’m filth.
“Every time I touched you these past five years, I felt sick.”
“You stole her life. Now pay for it with yours.”
That night, I die at the hands of the man I made King.
I open my eyes again on the day the true Seer is supposed to be named.
Before the High Priest can speak, Adrian cuts him off.
“A mark alone proves nothing.”
He drops to one knee before the King.
“Father, I want to use the royal favor Mother left me to ask for permission to marry Ivy Reed.”
The hall goes silent.
Now I know.
Adrian remembers our previous life too.
The High Priest tries to speak, but I stop him with a look.
The King granted Adrian one royal favor after his mother died.
In our previous life, Adrian saved it for his fight for the throne.
This time, he spends it on Ivy.
The Queen seems more than happy to let him.
She turns to me.
“Lady Serena. What do you say?”
I bow.
“If Prince Adrian wishes to marry Ivy, I have no objection.”
Adrian studies me, clearly surprised by how easily I agree.
Then he turns back to the Queen.
“This has nothing to do with the throne. I love Ivy. That is all.”
The Queen frowns.
“But everyone in the capital knows you and Serena grew up together. We all assumed you would marry her.”
Adrian doesn’t hesitate.
“Serena has always been like a sister to me. Everyone else misunderstood.”
A sister.
Just like that, he erases everything we were.
Even the five years we spent as husband and wife.
If Adrian wants Ivy badly enough to spend one of his greatest political advantages on her, I won’t stop him.
This time, I want to see how far he gets without me.
I barely make it out of the hall before one of his attendants stops me.
“Lady Serena. His Highness wishes to see you.”
I am taken to a private room.
Adrian keeps me waiting while cup after cup of tea is forced on me.
When he finally appears, his first words are:
“How does it feel?”
I remember that day.
I made Ivy wait because Adrian’s army was walking into an ambush.
My warning saved his army.
Apparently, all he remembers is that Ivy had to wait.
He closes the door.
“I know you came back too, Serena.”
I look at him.
“So did you.”
“You were jealous of Ivy in our previous life. But we were married for five years. I won’t kill you this time.”
How generous of the man who murdered me.
“If you still can’t let me go, I can make a place for you at court after Ivy and I marry.”
I set my cup down hard.
“You chose Ivy. I accept that. From now on, you live your life, and I’ll live mine.”
I stand and walk past him.
Adrian catches my wrist.
“Your death went too far. I admit that.”
I almost laugh.
He carved the mark from my forehead and had me killed.
Now he calls it “too far.”
“But if you hadn’t copied Ivy’s mark and tried to steal her identity, I never would have lost control.”
I stare at him.
Even now, he thinks I caused my own death.
“Behave this time,” Adrian says. “When I become King again, I’ll take care of you. You don’t need to be Queen.”
“You still think I want you?”
His face stiffens.
I pull my wrist free.
“I don’t want your crown. I don’t want your court.”
I meet his eyes.
“And I would rather die again than become your mistress.”
I leave without looking back.
By the time I return to Ashbourne Estate, a royal messenger is waiting.
My father smiles and waves me forward.
“Serena. Come.”
He clearly expects the royal betrothal to name me.
第2章
The messenger unrolls the decree.
“Duke Ashbourne, I’m afraid you misunderstand.”
“This betrothal is for Ivy Reed.”
By morning, the whole capital knows Adrian chose Ivy over me.
For years, everyone assumed I would become his wife.
Now they have a different story.
Maybe Adrian never wanted me at all.
“So Prince Adrian never wanted Serena at all?”
“Apparently not. He chose Ivy the moment marriage became real.”
“How embarrassing.”
Yesterday, everyone expected me to become Adrian’s wife.
Today, I’m the woman everyone thinks he finally escaped.
Before breakfast, ten carriages of gifts arrive at Ashbourne Estate for Ivy.
My father watches the servants unload them, his face tight.
“I don’t know what happened between you and Adrian,” he says, “but this will only get worse. Do you want to leave the capital for a while?”
I set down my pen.
“No. Leaving now will only make it look like I’m hiding.”
He sighs.
“I should never have brought Ivy into this house.”
The door opens.
Ivy stands there.
“You sent me away as a child. Now Adrian chooses me, and suddenly you regret bringing me back?”
My father says nothing.
Ivy lifts her chin.
“I may not have Serena’s blood or title. But I’ll prove I’m the daughter you should be proud of.”
She turns and storms out.
A servant follows her and later reports that she went straight to Adrian.
Let her go. I have a disaster to stop.
“Father,” I say, “there will be a major earthquake in the western provinces.”
He goes still.
“When?”
“Soon.”
“I’ll warn the King.”
I stop him.
“Adrian will do that himself.”
My father looks confused.
“He still wants the throne. He won’t waste a chance to look like a hero.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Prepare for what comes after. Ready grain, medicine, tents, and wagons. When the quake hits, people will need help immediately.”
He studies me for a long moment.
Then he nods.
Days later, the earth shakes.
Just as I knew it would.
Adrian is ready.
But when the court praises Adrian for acting so quickly, he reaches for Ivy’s hand.
“Don’t thank me.”
He looks at her with pride.
“Ivy warned me.”
Just like that, a disaster I saw coming becomes proof that she is the Seer.
Within days, the capital has a story.
Ivy Reed is the true Seer.
The High Priest’s old prophecy spreads again. Nobles who once ignored her now compete for invitations to see her.
People who mocked my broken betrothal now compare us openly.
“Ivy can see the future. What does Serena have?”
“A famous name and a pretty face.”
“Neither was enough to keep Prince Adrian.”
I let them talk.
While Adrian and Ivy enjoy the attention, Ashbourne wagons reach the disaster zone before most royal relief does.
Food.
Tents.
Medicine.
Clean water.
We do not put my name on any of it.
That evening, Ivy finds me alone in the library.
She presses her hand over the letter I’m writing.
“You’re very calm, Sister.”
I look up.
“Should I not be?”
“I’m about to marry Adrian. Everyone believes I’m the Seer. And you still sit here like none of it matters.”
“It doesn’t.”
Her smile disappears.
“Still pretending you’re above me?”
She raises her hand.
I catch her wrist before she can slap me.
The library door opens.
Adrian stands there.
He crosses the room at once and pulls Ivy behind him.
“Serena.”
His voice sharpens.
“I warned you. Hurt Ivy again, and whatever mercy I offered you is gone.”
I release her wrist.
“She tried to hit me.”
Adrian does not even look at me.
“Ivy wouldn’t do that without a reason.”
