Reborn: Marrying The Cold Disabled Marquis

Gabriella Curtis was the illegitimate daughter of the Curtis family, a political pawn given to the King to secure her father's favor.

But the royal court was a viper's nest, and the paranoid King's rage eventually turned on her.

When the King decided she was no longer useful, she was thrown into a cold, damp palace cell.

Her own family stood by and watched with cold eyes as she was forced to swallow a bitter poison from a golden goblet.

As the poison burned her throat like shattered glass, she saw her half-sister Seraphina smiling triumphantly.

Seraphina had married the crippled heir of the Blackwood family and lived a long, quiet, and safe life.

A life Gabriella would have killed for.

Until her last breath, the tidal wave of betrayal suffocated her.

Why had her father sacrificed her so ruthlessly?

Why had she been blinded by the royal sapphire, choosing glory over survival?

Opening her eyes again, the familiar scent of lemon soap hit her.

She was back in her girlhood bedroom, on the exact morning the two marriage proposals arrived.

Seraphina barged in, snatching the royal betrothal gift to steal her glory.

"The glory of the royal court is something an illegitimate daughter like you could never deserve."

Gabriella lowered her head to hide her cold smile, letting Seraphina take the crown that was actually a death warrant.

This time, she picked up the other letter and chose the crippled Marquis of Blackwood.

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Gabriella Curtis's eyes snapped open. Before she could even gather her wits, her half-sister, Seraphina, lunged forward and snatched the brooch from her hands.

It was a deep purple velvet flower brooch.

"Give me your brooch, and I shall reluctantly yield the opportunity to marry Lord Dylan to you."

Having seized the brooch, Seraphina made no effort to conceal her intentions, adding a seemingly inexplicable remark. "Do not blame me, for the supreme glory of the royal court is something a baseborn daughter like you will never be fit to possess."

Gabriella's pupils dilated. A tremor coursed through her entire body.

Her gaze darted to the silver-framed mirror resting on the vanity. The face staring back had smooth, unblemished skin. This was not the haggard, hollow-eyed woman of twenty-four she remembered, but a young maiden of eighteen.

She had been reborn!

Seeing the ugly sneer on Seraphina's face, a sudden realization struck her: her dear sister must have been reborn as well.

In her past life, on this very day, a marriage proposal had arrived at the manor from Lord Dylan Lucas, the heir to the House of Blackwood.

Back then, Seraphina had long been infatuated with the Lord and eagerly snatched up the proposal, only to be left abandoned on her wedding night.

Shortly thereafter, an accident during a disaster relief mission left Lord Dylan crippled.

Filled with bitter regret, Seraphina began to vent her resentment upon the Lord's three adopted sons, subjecting them to endless abuse and beatings. Within a year, Lord Dylan cast her out of the house, turning her into the laughingstock of high society.

Gabriella, on the other hand, had attended the royal selection. Because of the deep purple velvet flower brooch pinned in her hair, she had caught the King's eye instantly. She was swept into the royal family and eventually became Queen, seemingly living a life of boundless glory.

But no one knew that the King's true love had always been another woman. Gabriella was nothing more than a living target, a shield meant to draw the jealousy and assassination attempts of other women away from his beloved.

Needles hidden in pillows, forced kneeling in the freezing rain, poisoned wine, being pushed into icy lakes... She had faced endless treacherous schemes, countering them one by one.

After ten years in the palace, she finally ascended to the throne as Queen, only to be fed poison by the King three days later, paving the way for his true love to take her place.

Since Seraphina wanted to enter that man-eating palace in this life, she was more than welcome to it!

Gabriella lowered her gaze, her lashes casting long shadows that concealed the cold, calculating gleam in her eyes.

Her shoulders trembled slightly, and a single tear slipped down her cheek, making her look utterly pitiful.

"Seraphina," she whispered, her voice choking. "How could you do this?"

Seeing Gabriella's weakness only fueled Seraphina's arrogance. She lifted her chin and said sharply, "This is for the good of the family. You should be grateful."

Her stepmother, Beatrice Curtis, appeared in the doorway. Her expression was icy, tacitly approving of the scene. She had always despised Gabriella, the living proof of her husband's infidelity.

"Gabriella," Beatrice said, her tone dripping with false sympathy. "Since Seraphina desires it, you should let her have it. A proposal from Lord Dylan Lucas is a highly respectable match for someone of your standing. It is far more than you could ever hope for."

Gabriella let out a muffled sob and collapsed onto the bed, her body shaking with 'grief', her cries smothered by the pillow.

She heard Seraphina's light, triumphant laughter, followed by Beatrice's approving whispers. They exchanged a knowing, satisfied glance over the broken, unresisting girl on the bed.

The moment the door clicked shut, Gabriella's sobbing ceased instantly.

She pushed herself up. Her eyes were clear and resolute-not a single tear remained, only a burning thirst for vengeance.

She walked to the vanity and picked up the remaining proposal from Lord Dylan Lucas. The thick parchment felt solid and real beneath her fingertips.

This was no dream.

A low, soft laugh escaped her lips. It was the sound of a woman who had walked through hell and returned, ready to burn everything to the ground.

She reached for the small silver bell on the nightstand and rang it firmly.

Her personal maid, Eliza, rushed in, her face etched with worry. But she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw her mistress, who looked anything but heartbroken.

"My lady, you..." Eliza stammered.

Gabriella handed her the proposal, her eyes shining with an intense light Eliza had never seen before.

"Eliza," she said, her voice steady and commanding. "Send a reply to Lord Dylan."

She paused, letting the weight of her next words fill the room.

"I, Gabriella Curtis, accept his proposal."