Chapter 15
When Ethan arrived at the princess’s castle, Lena and Linden were nowhere to be found. Only Alice, the housekeeper, remained.
It turned out that after the festivities the day before, the two had immediately left the country for a trip, without a single thought for Ethan.
Hearing this, Ethan furrowed his brows and hurried to ask where they had gone abroad, only to be met with Alice’s scorn.
“Earl Sterling, I suggest you leave. When the princess treated you kindly, you never appreciated it. Now that she is married, you still come after her. Is it Earl Sterling’s hobby to chase married women?”
Alice had long grown tired of Ethan’s hypocritical attitude. In the past, he had done countless things that hurt Lena while hiding behind the princess’s favor. As a maid, Alice had felt nothing but heartache watching it all, yet Ethan’s heart had always belonged to Flora.
Now that the princess had the favor of Earl Gale, and Ethan was still chasing after her, it was truly disgusting.
Ethan’s handsome face darkened in displeasure at Alice’s tone.
“The princess has made many mistakes before. She always targeted Flora. It was only natural that I distanced myself. Now that I realize Lena is truly the woman of my dreams, I can forgive her past wrongs.”
He said this with such certainty, as if his forgiveness were some great favor. This made Alice despise him even more, and she vented all the truth about those past events.
“I’ve told you countless times—our princess would never frame Miss Vivian. Earl Sterling, you insist on not trusting the princess. Fine, then why don’t you find out the truth yourself? Also, the princess knew that you would come looking for her. This is a letter she left for you. I won’t keep you as a guest any longer.”
Alice threw the letter at him and slammed the door so hard Ethan nearly bumped his nose.
He didn’t have time to be offended by Alice’s rudeness; instead, he quickly picked up the letter Lena had left, a flicker of hope shining in his eyes.
He had always known the princess wouldn’t truly give up on him. Everything until now was just a tactic to draw him in.
Confidently, he tore open the envelope, but what he read stunned him beyond belief.
“Ethan: In our past life, I loved you wholeheartedly and was willing to be your widow for life. Yet you faked your death and escaped to live with Flora. This time, I followed your wishes–I didn’t choose you again, nor did I love you. When you asked me for the mandrake flower, you still owed me one thing. Now I have decided: I hope we part ways forever.”
The few lines were written so carelessly, the handwriting itself revealing her indifference. Yet the weight of those words crushed him like a thousand pounds.
She had been reborn too.
No wonder she hadn’t chosen him this time. No wonder she stayed with Linden. No wonder she watched silently as he married Flora. All of it was because she had already been heartbroken by him in their past life and chose to let go.
Only Ethan had fooled himself into thinking they still had a chance.
He staggered back two steps, trembling uncontrollably as if his blood had frozen.
Silent, he returned and sought out the doctor who had claimed Flora was poisoned. Under pressure, the doctor admitted the poisoning story was fabricated, beacuse Flora had bribed him.
On the day Lena fell into the water, a servant had witnessed everything from a distance–it was Flora who pushed Lena in.
At the hunting ground, the assassin who tried to kill Lena was also Flora’s arrangement.
The more Ethan investigated, the paler his face became.
He recalled how Lena had told him from the start that she could never have done those things, but at the time, his heart belonged only Chapter 15
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to Flora, and he had dismissed Lena’s words as lies–just desperate attempts to win him.
Later, when similar incidents occurred, Lena no longer bothered to explain. The light in her eyes dimmed day by day.
Now, looking back, he wondered if he had already broken Lena’s heart beyond repair long ago.
Ethan felt dazed, as if his soul had been ripped out.
Back at Sterling Castle, Flora wore only a thin blouse as she embroidered. When she saw him return, she immediately threw herself at him, eyes red and moist.
“Ethan, I knew you wouldn’t give me up. Don’t think about the princess anymore. Let’s be together happily, alright?”
Feeling the warmth of her body and hearing that familiar soft voice, Ethan’s anger surged. He raised his hand and slapped her hard, his eyes devoid of the affection they once held.
His voice was icy, as if he wanted to tear her apart with his words.
“Flora, how dare you lie to me? You were never poisoned, and you pushed Lena into the water yourself. With a heart as venomous as yours, you don’t deserve to marry me!”
