The night was cold and damp, and the red and blue lights of the patrol cars painted the street with intermittent flashes. The sound of sirens cut through the silence of the neighborhood as officers took positions around an old two-story house.

The sub-inspector took a deep breath behind the open door of the patrol car. The bulletproof vest weighed heavily on her chest, but not as much as the responsibility she felt. She had been on the force for ten years, and yet every major operation made her heart beat fast.

"Team one ready," she said on the radio in a firm voice.

Inside the house, an armed man was holding two people hostage. A neighbor and his little daughter. The subject was desperate, drugged, and completely unpredictable.

"Careful... When we go in, I'll cover the stairs."

Valeria nodded.

She had seen too many tragedies to hesitate now. If something went wrong, she knew she had to be the one to make the difficult decision.

The head of the operation raised his hand.

"We're going in three... two... one!"

The door was knocked down.

The police burst in quickly. The interior was dark, filled with old furniture and smelling of alcohol. A scream came from the second floor.

"Don't come up! I'll kill them!"

She advanced through the hallway with her gun steady.

"Police! Drop the weapon!"

A shot rang out from above.

Corporal Morales fell backward, wounded in the shoulder.

"Morales!"

But she didn't hesitate. She took the stairs two at a time.

When she reached the top, she saw the scene... the man was holding the little girl with one arm while pointing the trembling gun.

The little girl was crying.

"Don't come near!"

She slowly raised her hands, lowering her weapon.

"Listen to me... no one has to get hurt today."

The man was out of his mind.

"Lies! Everyone lies!"

The little girl sobbed.

And in that instant, she made the decision that would change everything.

She saw the movement of the gun. If he fired, the little girl was right in the line of fire.

So she lunged.

She pushed the man against the wall, pushing the girl away with her arm.

The shot exploded in the air.

Then another.

And another.

The world seemed to fall silent.

She fell to the ground.

From afar, she heard shouts, running footsteps, crackling radios.

The little girl was safe.

That was what was important.

The ceiling became blurred.

"It was worth it"

The last sound she heard was someone shouting...

"Call an ambulance!"

But the cold was already spreading through her body.

And the darkness came.

However... death was not the end.

First she felt warmth.

Then light.

A strange aroma, like herbs and wood smoke.

After that... voices.

"She's waking up!"

She frowned.

Her body felt strange... light... small.

She slowly opened her eyes.

The ceiling was not white or with fluorescent lights.

It was made of wood.

Around her were three women in long dresses and white bonnets.

One of them sighed in relief.

"Thank heavens... the young lady lives."

She tried to speak, but her voice came out weak.

"Where... am I...?"

The women exchanged surprised glances.

"In the Gray family mansion, miss."

She blinked.

"Gray family"

"Mansion"

The furniture was antique, the walls were lit by candles, and the windows had thick embroidered curtains.

There was no electricity.

There was no hospital.

There were no patrol cars.

Then one of the women said something that chilled her blood.

"Your carriage overturned this morning, Lady Sienna. We thought you wouldn't wake up."

She remained completely still.

"Lady"

"Sienna"

She slowly raised her hands.

They were smaller.

More delicate.

They were not her hands.

Her heart began to beat fast.

"This... can't be..."

But at that moment a surge of foreign memories invaded her mind.

A mansion.

Abusive uncles.

An aristocratic life.

And a time that was not her own.

She was... the policewoman who died saving a little girl...

and now...she had just woken up in the body of a young noblewoman from another century.

Even so, the room remained shrouded in soft twilight. Afternoon light filtered through the high windows covered by heavy curtains, and the air smelled of old wood, lavender, and herbal medicine.

For several minutes she remained still.

Not because she was weak.

But because she was thinking.

Keep calm. Observe first. Ask later.

That had always been her method.

In her previous life, she had spent years as a police officer. She had interrogated witnesses, suspects, and victims. She knew that information rarely appeared all at once... it had to be gathered little by little, like pieces of a puzzle.

Now... that instinct was the only thing she had.

Because she was no longer a police officer.

Now she was Sienna Gray.

When she was finally able to sit up a little in bed, a young maid ran to her.

"Miss Sienna! You shouldn't move so much. The doctor said you should rest."

Sienna barely inclined her head, observing her calmly.

The girl seemed sincere. Nervous, even.

"How long... have I been unconscious?"

The maid was a little surprised by the question, but she answered quickly.

"Two days, miss. Since you arrived at the mansion."

Two days.

Sienna registered the data.

"I arrived... from where?"

"From the countryside, miss... Your uncles sent a carriage to bring you to town..."

Sienna pretended to think for a moment, as if trying to remember.

"Ah... of course..."

But in reality, she was analyzing every word.

So she didn't live here originally.

"Is this... the Gray mansion?"

"Yes, miss. The family's main residence."

Confirmed.

Sienna continued to ask small questions over the next few days. Never too many in a row. Never too direct.

Sometimes she asked the maid.

Sometimes the butler.

Sometimes she simply listened to the servants' conversations when they thought she was asleep.

It was a patient job.

But it worked.

Little by little, the truth began to form in her mind.

First... her new identity.

Her name was Sienna Gray.

A young noblewoman of nineteen years.

Her parents had died years ago in an accident while traveling by sea. Since then, Sienna's guardianship had passed into the hands of her father's brother... Lord Sarco Gray.

Her uncle.

And his wife.

However, Sienna soon understood something disturbing.

The memories that appeared in her mind... fragments of the real Sienna's life... were full of sadness.

Of loneliness.

Of fear.

Because although the Gray family was noble...

Sienna was not treated as such.

After the death of her parents, her uncles sent her away.

Far away.

To a small rural property of the family, almost forgotten.

There she grew up with the bare minimum.

Few letters.

Few visits.

Almost no affection.

Meanwhile, in the main mansion in the capital grew the true jewel of the family.

Her uncles' daughter.

Sage Gray.

Sienna saw her for the first time three days after waking up.

And she understood immediately.

Sage was about her same age.

Shiny hair.

Elegant dresses.

Proud posture.

Everything about her screamed favorite.

The servants treated her with adoration.

Lord and Lady Gray looked at her as if she were the most precious treasure in the world.

When Sage saw Sienna in the living room, she simply raised an eyebrow.

"So you woke up."

Her voice had no joy.

No worry.

Just a slight annoyance.

"I thought the blow had left you useless."

Sienna lowered her gaze discreetly.

Not out of submission.

But because she was observing.

Analyzing.

Arrogant. Accustomed to being the center.

Sage sighed.

"I hope you recover soon. Father needs you to be presentable."

"Presentable?"

Sienna didn't respond.

But that word stuck in her mind.

The last piece of the puzzle came two nights later.

Sienna had quietly gone out into the hallway to get some air.

And then she heard voices coming from the study.

Her uncles' voices.

The door was ajar.

"The proposal is too good to turn down," Lord Gray was saying.

"But Julian Bridge... His previous two wives died."

Sienna remained completely still.

"Accidents... That's what they say."

"Even so... Sage..."

There was silence.

Then Lord Gray spoke in a firm tone.

"Precisely for that reason."

Sienna felt her stomach tighten.

"I won't send my daughter into that marriage."

The woman hesitated.

"But the duke specifically asked for a wife from the Gray family..."

Lord Gray let out a small laugh.

A cold laugh.

"And he will have one."

"Sienna Gray is also a Gray."

The silence that followed was heavy.

"The duke is offering a huge dowry... Titles, lands, influence."

"And if she also dies?"

Lord Gray responded with utter indifference.

"Then it will be a tragedy... but Sage will still be safe."

Sienna felt something very familiar rise inside her chest.

Not fear.

Not sadness.

It was something else.

A feeling she knew well.

The same one she felt before arresting someone despicable.

Cold rage.

Now everything was clear.

They had gone to get her in the countryside for one reason only.

Because Duke Julian Bridge had asked for a wife.

A man whose reputation was surrounded by rumors.

A man whose previous two wives had died.

And her dear uncles... didn't want to risk their beloved daughter Sage.

So they would use the other one.

The forgotten one.

The replaceable one.

Sienna Gray.

At that moment Sienna quietly returned to her room.

She sat on the bed.

And took a deep breath.

In her previous life she had faced criminals.

She had survived life-or-death situations.

She had died saving someone.

And now they wanted to use her as a sacrifice?

A small smile slowly appeared on her face.

But it wasn't a sweet smile.

It was the smile of someone who had learned to survive.

"What bad luck for you..."

Her uncles thought they were sending a weak young woman into the marriage of a dangerous man.

But the truth was different.

In the body of Sienna Gray... lived the soul of a woman who had been a police officer.

And if that duke was hiding secrets... Sienna intended to uncover them.

Because if anyone in that mansion believed that she would be an easy victim... they were about to make the biggest mistake of their lives.

That same night, after hearing her aunt and uncle's conversation, Sienna Gray could not sleep peacefully again. She remained seated by the window of her room, watching the dark garden of the Gray mansion while organizing every detail in her mind.

She had learned something important in her previous life as a police officer... never act without sufficient information.

Impulsiveness killed.

Information saved lives.

And now her life was at stake again.

First she needed to confirm one thing... how much time she had.

During the following days she began to ask questions with extreme care.

She never interrogated directly.

She never showed excessive curiosity.

She did it as if she were a confused young woman trying to remember things after the accident.

One afternoon, while having tea with one of the oldest maids, she asked in a soft voice...

"Aunt said something about... an engagement... right?"

The woman nodded enthusiastically.

"That's right, miss. A great honor for the Gray family!"

Sienna tilted her head slightly.

"But... it's not official yet..."

"No, miss... First will come the final negotiations with the Bridge house. Then the formal announcement."

Sienna pretended to think for a moment.

"When will that happen?"

"Probably within about six months."

Sienna held the cup calmly.

But inside something relaxed.

Six months.

It wasn't ideal.

But it wasn't a short time either.

In six months she could do many things.

Investigate.

Prepare.

And above all... stop being weak.

The first reality she faced was her own body.

Sienna Gray had lived in the countryside with few comforts, but even so her body was fragile compared to hers in her previous life.

She lacked strength.

Endurance.

Balance.

But she had something in her favor.

Muscle memory.

Her mind perfectly remembered every exercise she had practiced as a police officer.

So she started with the basics.

Every morning before dawn.

When most of the inhabitants of the mansion were still asleep.

She went out to the back garden.

First she walked.

Then she ran.

The first days were terrible.

Her lungs burned.

Her legs trembled.

More than once she ended up sitting on the lawn trying to catch her breath.

"This body... is really weak..." she muttered one morning between heavy breaths.

But she didn't give up.

Because discipline was not something easily forgotten.

Day after day.

Week after week.

She began to do push-ups leaning against the garden wall.

Then balance exercises.

Self-defense movements... adapted to not raise suspicion.

And little by little something began to change.

Sienna's body responded surprisingly well to the training.

Her muscles strengthened quickly.

Her endurance improved every week.

It was as if her body had been waiting to be used correctly.

One morning, after finishing her routine, Sienna noticed that she was no longer breathing with difficulty.

A small smile appeared on her face.

"Much better."

But that was just the first step.

The second step was much more important.

The Gray mansion.

If she was going to survive what was coming, she needed to fully understand the place where she was.

So she adopted a role.

One that she had played many times during undercover investigations.

The silent and submissive young woman.

During the day she walked through the mansion with her head slightly lowered.

She responded gently.

She never argued.

She never questioned.

Her aunt and uncle seemed satisfied with that.

Especially Sarco Gray.

The man looked at her as one looks at a useful tool.

Nothing more.

One afternoon, during dinner, Sarco Gray commented in a cold tone...

"Sienna has always been a quiet girl. That's good for a wife."

Lady Gray nodded pleased.

"Exactly. Important men don't like problematic women."

Sage Gray gave a small laugh.

"Even less so the Duke Bridge."

Sienna simply lowered her gaze.

On the outside she seemed obedient.

On the inside she was observing every gesture.

Every look.

Every word.

And when no one was paying attention... she listened.

The servants talked a lot.

Especially when they believed that "poor Sienna" was not important.

Thanks to that she learned several things.

The Gray family had hidden debts.

Sarco Gray had lost money in failed investments.

The marriage to the Duke Bridge was not only convenient.

It was necessary.

She also discovered something about Sage.

The favorite daughter was not as perfect as she seemed.

She had a cruel temperament.

And more than one maid was afraid of making mistakes in front of her.

Sienna stored all that information carefully.

Like evidence in an investigation.

One night, while walking down the hall, she heard two maids whisper...

"Do you think Miss Sienna will survive the Duke?"

"I don't know... they say the second duchess died in strange circumstances."

"Shh... don't talk about that."

Sienna kept walking as if she hadn't heard anything.

But inside her thoughts became more serious.

The two previous wives of Duke Julian Bridge.

That was the greatest mystery.

And probably the greatest danger.

At the end of the first month, Sienna was clear about her goal.

She was not going to reject the marriage.

That would only cause problems.

Instead... she would accept it.

But she would do it prepared.

Strong.

Informed.

One afternoon, she paused by the side of the road, silhouetted against the horizon like a vision rescued from a dream of another time. Her hair, a light brown that caught the reflections of the sun, fell straight and silky to her shoulders, breaking into soft, rebellious waves just at the ends, which danced with the breeze. She wore her hair pulled back in a high ponytail, a hairstyle that, far from detracting from her elegance, accentuated the loftiness of her neck and the firmness of her features.

Her clear, bright and analytical eyes possessed a depth that seemed to see beyond the obvious... there was no trace of fear in them, only an absolute confidence in her own destiny. She wore an impeccable empire-waist design, a dress that fused the delicacy of pale pink with the freshness of mint green, a combination that highlighted her porcelain skin. Without a hat to hide her face or unnecessary ornaments to distract the gaze...

She seemed fragile.

Harmless.

Exactly as everyone thought she was.

"Six months..."

Six months to discover the truth.

Six months to prepare.

Six months to find out if Duke Julian Bridge was really a murderer... or if someone else was pulling the strings.

Her reflection in the mirror looked like that of a docile noblewoman.

But inside a police officer still lived.

And this time... the investigation had just begun.

The weeks passed with a discipline that few would have expected from the silent Sienna Gray.

Every dawn, before the sun fully illuminated the gardens of the Gray mansion, she was already awake. The cold morning air was her constant companion as she ran along the back paths, away from the main windows.

At first, her breathing was clumsy, and her legs refused to obey her.

But Sienna's mind did not know the word "surrender."

In her previous life, she had trained in rain, cold, exhaustion, and fear. Compared to that, the pain of a body that was just beginning to strengthen was only a temporary discomfort.

First, she ran short distances.

Then longer ones.

She practiced balancing on the stone edges of the garden.

She strengthened her arms and abdomen with exercises that would seem strange to any noble.

Sometimes she even practiced self-defense moves behind the tall bushes in the garden, making sure no one could see her.

And Sienna's body responded surprisingly well.

Her back straightened.

Her steps became firmer.

Her breathing more controlled.

Even her gaze began to change.

The servants only thought that the young lady from the countryside was recovering from the carriage accident.

But in reality, Sienna was rebuilding herself.

When she felt that she had regained at least part of her former physical condition, she decided it was time to take the next step.

To meet the man she was supposedly going to marry.

Duke Julian Bridge.

But she couldn't do it directly.

If Sarco Gray or his wife suspected that Sienna was interested in the duke ahead of time, they would begin to watch her more closely.

So she chose a simple method.

Going out to town.

The first time she asked permission, Lady Gray barely looked up from her embroidery.

"You want to visit the market?"

Sienna nodded gently.

"Yes, aunt. It's been a while since I've been out."

Lady Gray seemed to think about it for only a second.

Then she shrugged.

"Take a maid with you and don't be too long."

That was all.

No warnings.

No interest.

Not even Sarco Gray commented on it.

To them, Sienna was not someone worth watching.

That made her invisible.

And for someone accustomed to covert missions... invisibility was an advantage.

Her situation within the mansion also made her position clear.

Although she wore elegant clothes, Sienna knew perfectly well that nothing she wore had been bought for her.

The dresses that arrived in her room were always the ones Sage had already worn before.

Some only once.

Others several seasons ago.

The jewels were the same.

Small earrings that Sage no longer considered interesting.

Necklaces that had gone out of style.

Even the shoes.

Always a little tight or slightly worn.

But Sienna did not complain.

In fact, it suited her.

If she seemed unimportant, no one would worry too much about her movements.

The town near the capital was lively.

The streets were filled with merchants, wooden carts, children running, and vendors shouting their offers.

The smell of freshly baked bread mingled with that of fruits, leather, and chimney smoke.

Sienna walked slowly, observing everything.

Listening.

Asking small questions as if she were just a curious young noble.

"Does the Bridge house have many properties around here?" she asked a baker one day while buying a small cake.

The man nodded respectfully.

"Oh, yes, miss. Duke Julian Bridge is one of the most powerful men in the kingdom."

Another time, while buying ribbons in a shop, she asked casually.

"Does the duke usually visit the town?"

The merchant lowered her voice.

"Sometimes."

"Sometimes?"

"Yes. Especially on the third day of the week. He has meetings with local administrators and representatives."

Sienna feigned surprise.

"How diligent."

But inside, she had recorded the information precisely.

Third day of the week.

She waited patiently.

She was in no hurry.

When that day arrived, she returned to town with the same maid as always.

She walked through the streets like any other visitor.

She bought a few things.

She observed the market.

And finally, she approached the central square where the duke's administrative building was located.

There was more movement than usual.

Guards.

Officials.

Messengers.

And then... she saw him.

Duke Julian Bridge had just left the building.

Sienna stopped without realizing it.

The man was tall.

Taller than she expected.

Probably close to thirty years old.

He had dark hair, slightly disheveled by the wind.

His eyes were also dark, deep, with an intensity that made few people dare to hold his gaze.

A short beard covered his jaw, giving him a rougher appearance than one would expect from a noble.

He was dressed completely in black.

A long coat with an elegant cut.

Dark gloves.

High boots.

But what caught Sienna's attention the most was something small.

A short scar on his eyebrow.

And the way he moved.

He did not walk like an aristocrat accustomed to salons and balls.

He walked like someone who knew danger.

With firm steps.

With attention to the environment.

With the posture of someone ready to react.

Sienna watched him carefully as he spoke to a group of men.

Interesting.

Because if someone had seen her without context, they probably would have thought the same thing she was thinking at that moment.

That man did not seem like one of the most important dukes in the kingdom of Bernicia.

He seemed... a veteran mercenary.

Or even a fugitive.

His presence was intense.

Dangerous.

And completely different from the nobles Sienna had seen in the Gray mansion.

As she watched him from across the square, the duke raised his head slightly.

His eyes scanned the crowd.

For an instant.

Just an instant.

His gaze passed over Sienna.

She lowered her eyes immediately, like any shy young noble.

But her mind was already working.

So this is the man they want me to marry.

When she looked up again, the duke was already getting into his carriage.

The black vehicle departed amidst the noise of horses and wheels on the stone.

Sienna remained motionless for a few more seconds.

Analyzing.

Comparing.

And finally, she murmured in a very low voice.

"You are definitely... not a normal noble."

At that moment, she understood something.

If she wanted to discover the truth about the duke's two dead wives... she would have to get much closer to him.

And that meant something dangerous.

Because Julian Bridge's gaze... was the gaze of a man who was also used to hunting secrets.