Chapter 1 Disguised as a Man to Join the Army for Her Father, but Tragically Died
The scorching heat of summer, with the blazing sun overhead.
Outside Emerald City, next to a building, stood a tall pole with a person tied to it. It had been three days already.
Her hair was matted and foul-smelling, her clothes in tatters. There was no trace left of her being the daughter of the Hamilton family, a noble household.
Beads of sweat rolled down Cressida Hamilton's nose as she weakly squinted through half-closed eyes.
"Water, water." She called out for help to the crowd of onlookers below.
But even with all her strength to scream, what came out was merely a faint whisper.
Because her own younger brother, Michael Hamilton, had already forced mute poison down her throat, leaving her unable to speak.
Suddenly, a blunt short arrow shot toward her, hitting Cressida right in the abdomen.
She let out a muffled groan of pain, fresh blood foam seeping from the corner of her mouth.
The crowd parted to make way when they saw the nobleman Michael arriving on horseback with his bow.
Michael looked at the surrounding crowd: "Everyone, this person used to be my sister. She was sickly since childhood and was raised by my parents at the manor, well-fed and well-cared for. Who knew that after bringing her back to Emerald City, her temperament changed completely."
"Not only did she speak crazy nonsense, claiming to be my deceased older brother General Hamilton, but she even dared to lie to Princess Russell at my mother's birthday banquet, saying she disguised herself as a man to join the army in my father's place."
"With just a few words, she turned my brother Cameron, who died in battle, into some improper woman, and claimed his achievements won for our country, for Novaria, as her own. Tell me, does she deserve this!"
When Michael brought up her impersonating Cameron, the crowd that had been merely watching suddenly became furious.
Who was Cameron? He was Novaria's only undefeated war god, who never lost a single battle in twenty-nine campaigns during his lifetime.
Not only did he recover lost territory, but he also avenged the humiliation King Doyle Russell suffered in Eldoria years ago.
"She truly deserves to die, daring to tarnish General Hamilton's reputation like this."
"Shameless! General Patrick Hamilton had such an outstanding son as General Cameron Hamilton, how could he have such a vain daughter like you?"
The angry crowd picked up stones and threw them at Cressida.
No! It's not like that!
Cressida wanted to explain, but she couldn't make a sound.
She was Cameron!
Ten years ago, Patrick broke his leg but was ordered to support the war at Novaria's border.
Cressida didn't hesitate to disguise herself as a man and go to war in Patrick's place. She was only fourteen that year.
At fifteen, she led a hundred knights in a surprise attack on the enemy camp, burned their supplies, and ended the conflict at Novaria's border.
At eighteen, she cut down the enemy leader's head among ten thousand men, crushed the enemy army, and recovered Novaria's territory.
At twenty, she commanded three armies, put down the rebellion in northern Novaria, and struck fear into other nations.
At twenty-three, she led troops in campaign, captured twelve cities in succession, took the king of the enemy nation Eldoria prisoner, forced him to commit suicide, avenged King Doyle's past humiliation, and earned the title of general!
After the wars ended, Cressida feared her disguise would be exposed. She had no choice but to fake her death and return to Emerald City with her female identity restored, thinking she could reunite with her family.
Who would have thought that the Hamilton family, afraid of being implicated by her, had already raised a new daughter, Rose Hamilton, who was using Cressida's identity.
At first, Cressida didn't understand, but Patrick said that Cressida disguising herself as a man to go to war was a crime of deceiving the king. Once exposed, it would doom everyone in the Hamilton family. The Hamilton family's daughter who could appear in public absolutely could not be Cressida.
Cressida's mother, Clio Webb, said that as the eldest daughter, Cressida should endure what must be endured. This was Cressida's fate.
Michael said that during the years Cressida wasn't home, it was the new sister Rose who stayed by Patrick and Clio's side being a filial daughter. Rose even cured Patrick's legs, and Cressida should be grateful.
After ten years of war, Cressida was already weathered and worn, longing only for family warmth.
Cressida watched helplessly as her new sister Rose took over her identity, claiming to be Cameron's only sister, and went to the palace to receive rewards.
King Doyle bestowed all the rewards that Cameron never got to enjoy upon the Hamilton family.
Patrick received a higher title with hereditary honors; Clio also gained higher status; Rose was arranged to marry the First Prince, Royce Russell.
Even Michael received respect because of his identity as Cameron's brother.
Only Cressida had nothing. Patrick and Clio wouldn't let her show her face, saying otherwise she would be the criminal who brought the crime of deceiving the king upon the whole family.
Even though she didn't fight or compete for anything, when Rose went out to attend noble gatherings, she would come back crying her heart out.
"Prince Russell, who returned from the battlefield, said I don't look anything like Cameron. Mother, I'm scared. If Prince Russell comes to our home to pay respects to Cameron and sees Cressida..."
Clio's face immediately turned pale with fright.
Within two days, they wanted to marry Cressida off to Silverpeak City, which was very far from Emerald City.
Cressida refused. Patrick pressured her: "The fiancé we found for you, his family is the wealthiest in Silverpeak City. If you won't marry him, are you clinging to the Hamilton family's honor in Emerald City?"
Cressida: "The honor was earned by my own hands in the first place."
As soon as she finished speaking, Patrick tried to hit her, but Cressida reacted quickly and blocked his wrist.
Patrick roared in anger: "Cressida! What are you so proud of? You just got lucky, went to a few battlefields, won some fights, and now you think you can disrespect your elders? We've really spoiled you!"
"Enough!" At the critical moment, Clio spoke up. "Cressida has suffered plenty on the battlefield all these years. We're the ones who've wronged her."
From then on, Clio was especially considerate toward Cressida.
She even took the initiative to prepare a birthday party for Cressida.
That evening, the lights were warm, and the Hamilton family sat together with Cressida in the center.
Patrick rarely showed a smile. Clio and Michael raised their glasses in a toast.
"Cressida, you've suffered through those past days," Clio said. "Drink this cup, and leave the hardships of war behind. May the rest of your life be peaceful and stable."
Cressida looked at the cup of wine and her family's warm smiles.
Her nose tingled, and tears blurred her eyes.
At that moment, she thought, what could be more important than a harmonious family reunion?
But she never imagined.
They actually used the family affection she longed for most to numb her, making her lose all the alertness she had trained on the battlefield.
The wine she drank with tears of relief contained sleeping drugs.
When she collapsed on the bed, she saw Patrick, Clio, and Michael standing by the bedside, their eyes staring at her darkly.
"Don't cut her tendons. If she can't walk, her fiancé won't want her," Patrick said.
"Then, then break all ten of her fingers. She'll never be able to hold a gun or wield a sword again, and she won't be able to resist," Clio said with a sob.
Michael stepped forward: "I'll do it myself."
Cressida tried with all her might to resist, but her whole body was soft as cotton. She could only watch helplessly as Michael grabbed her fingers.
"Mother, Mother!" she called out weakly and desperately.
Clio turned away in tears, her voice firm: "Cressida, breaking your fingers is to prevent people from suspecting you if your martial arts are exposed in the future. We're saving your life."
Michael was brutal and forceful. All ten of Cressida's fingers were broken. The pain pierced her heart, and the abilities she was so proud of were completely destroyed.
Finally, when Clio's birthday came and Sophie Russell attended the banquet, Cressida broke free from the servants' watch. She knelt before Sophie and confessed that she was Cameron, hoping to seek Sophie's help.
But Cressida was treated as a lunatic and frightened Sophie badly.
Patrick immediately had her dragged away.
Afraid Cressida would talk nonsense again, Michael viciously forced mute poison down her throat.
"Ever since you came back, Rose has been terrified every day! Why didn't you just die on the battlefield!"
The mute poison was like a deadly toxin, burning Cressida's throat like fire.
Cressida rolled on the ground in pain, but Patrick said coldly: "Tie her to the flagpole outside Emerald City. Say she went mad and even hurt her own mother."
Cressida was tied to the pole for three days and nights. No one came to see her.
Passing citizens pointed and laughed, mocking her for impersonating Novaria's undefeated war god Cameron.
Anyone who passed by could spit on her.
Michael: "Father said if you admit your mistake, he'll let me take you down."
He knew she could never speak again, but in front of the crowd, he put on a good show for the Hamilton family.
Cressida's silence only enraged the crowd more.
Watching Michael and the crowd's disgusted faces, Cressida suddenly laughed miserably.
What exactly had she done wrong?
Patrick broke his leg. If he didn't follow King Doyle's orders, he would die. To protect Patrick, she didn't hesitate to disguise herself as a man and go to war in his place! Was she wrong?
To avoid implicating the Hamilton family, she was willing to remain unknown and never competed with Rose for anything. Did she deserve to die?
The glory she earned with her own hands, the honor she fought for with her life for the Hamilton family, had become her death warrant!
Where exactly did she go wrong, that she wouldn't fall under the enemy's cavalry, but would die at the hands of her family?
Cressida suddenly became so angry that she vomited fresh blood.
Having had no water for three days, when she felt moisture on her lips again, it was covered with her own blood.
At this moment, she suddenly understood.
What she shouldn't have done most was to hide her identity and hand over the achievements she earned to this family of heartless bastards.
Her heart was filled with regret and unwillingness. Sweat fell from her eyelashes into her eyes, causing a sharp pain. She closed her eyes.
"Miss Hamilton, Miss Hamilton?" The voice of the servant Emma Kate rang in her ears.
Cressida's gaze returned from the lamp candle on the table she had been staring at.
She had been reborn for three days now, but she kept thinking about the misery of her past life.
Cressida pressed her brow: "Where are we?"
"We're already outside Emerald City. In two more hours we can enter Emerald City, and you'll be able to see your family."
At this moment, she had just faked her death and returned from the battlefield, having restored her female identity. Emma was a poor girl she bought along the way, who knew nothing of her past life's suffering.
Cressida said nothing. She lifted the curtain to look outside. Cold wind rushed in, and the scenery outside showed it was winter.
The pain of being sunburned raw in her past life hadn't faded, and the current cold made her rebirth feel more real.
In her past life, on the day she returned to the Hamilton Mansion, news of Cameron's death in battle had already reached Emerald City.
Patrick and Clio invited Thalia Fairchild to visit their home, introduced Rose to her, and said Rose was Cameron's only sister.
By the time Cressida arrived home, Rose had already met with Thalia.
When Cressida returned to the Hamilton Mansion, the Hamilton family frantically told her to hide.
Cressida had wanted to arrive in Emerald City yesterday, but they encountered heavy snow, and the carriage moved with great difficulty.
Calculating the time, Thalia had most likely already arrived, but Cressida still needed two more hours to reach Emerald City. No matter how she calculated, she wouldn't make it in time.
Thinking about her stolen life and taken identity, would it be the same in this lifetime?
No, of course not. She wouldn't just sit and wait for doom.
Cressida took out a secret letter from her sleeve, read it once, and felt reassured.
"I'll get off here. You follow the carriage to the city gate of Emerald City and wait for me." Cressida tucked the letter back in her sleeve, then got off the carriage first.