Chapter 20.
Chapter 20
Dashnell chuckled. “It doesn’t count, I offered it this time.”
“Your Highness is truly… gentle,” Margaery said softly, the words hanging in the air like a veil over unspoken truths.
Though they hadn’t spent much time together, Margaery felt that she had fallen for him..
She was a woman who had been through so much pain, with wounds both in her heart and body. She couldn’t handle a man’s roughness.
Dashnell, with his warm and measured demeanor, easily won her over.
She knew what she wanted. And she was genuinely attracted to him.
Dashnell’s eyes flickered–no one had ever called him gentle before. “If you think so, milady.”
Outside the carriage, Adam nearly toppled off his horse.
‘Gentle? The Wallen girl was the first living soul to ever call Prince Dashnell that.
‘One dared to say it–the other had the nerve to accept it. A match made in heaven… of sorts, he murmured inwardly.
Margaery had no idea what was happening to Adam outside; Dashnell heard his cough but pretended not to know.
The atmosphere inside the carriage felt warm and cozy, almost surreal.
Even the heavy snow outside seemed romantic.
At the fork in the road, Margaery didn’t want to be a bother anymore. “Your Highness, let me get off here.”
“Sure.” Dashnell nodded and watched her get out of the carriage.
Though he felt reluctant to part and his possessiveness stirred within him, he managed to hold back.
“Thanks for today at the Royal Medical Hall.” Standing outside the carriage in–rough–spun linen, Margaery looked every bit the stunning beauty–no coarse cloth could dim that radiance.
Dashnell looked at her and felt as if it wasn’t snow falling outside but blossoms drifting down endlessly. One glance felt like an eternity.
“See ya.” Two short words filled with endless hope.
Margaery felt a bit happier, knowing they had a chance to meet again. All she needed was to get the prescription from Craig, and all she needed was to learn medicine from him.
Taking a deep breath, she turned and walked towards the Chancellor’s residence. A flower bloomed in her heart that had been dead for so long.
Even though it was the coldest part of winter, she felt like she was coming back to life.
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Chapter 20
Dashnell and Adam watched as she left, neither moving for quite some time.
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“Your Highness, she just wrecked Lord Avery’s career today, cut clean through the ties binding the Chancellor’s faction to Lady Alicia and Prince Marcus. The backlash she’ll face… I wouldn’t want to be in her shoes.”
Adam looked towards the palace as he spoke, “The Chancellor will be cutting through state affairs any moment now.”
Whether Margaery just wanted her prescription back or not, she had already harmed the interests of the Chancellor.
With family interests above all else, Raul wouldn’t let her off.
Neither would Joshua.
Adam couldn’t help but worry.
Dashnell’s gentle expression vanished completely. His cold eyes now held nothing but sharpness and intimidating pressure. His voice sounded icy as he said, “In a moment, you’ll go to the Chancellor’s estate and give this to her.”
With that, he pulled out a purple sandalwood box from his robe and handed it over to Adam.
Adam was shocked. “Your Highness is going to give this to her?”
The contents of that box were extraordinary and not something just anyone could handle or deserve.
“This was meant for her anyway,” Dashnell replied indifferently. “It’ll be hers eventually, giving it early makes no difference.”
Adam’s face changed slightly at his words.
It seemed that in Dashnell’s mind, Margaery weighed much more heavily than he’d imagined.
“But if that was the case… With this thought, he couldn’t help but ask hesitantly, “Your Highness, since you’re interested in Lady Margaery, and I think she likes you too.
“If you express your feelings clearly, I’m sure she won’t refuse. Why haven’t you said anything?”
Dashnell fell silent for a moment before replying softly, “Not now; it’s not yet time.”
First off, Margaery had a pre–arranged marriage. If he were too obvious about his feelings, it would make her look bad.
Secondly, he wanted to be absolutely sure and didn’t want to risk rejection.
Even though deep down, he felt like the guy she talked about was him.
But what if it was not? This time around, he wouldn’t do anything without being certain.
He might as well take things step by step. No rushing or backing down.
But when Adam told him that Margaery liked him, he couldn’t help but feel delighted.
Seeing his mood improve, Adam asked curiously, “Your Highness, when did you start having feelings for Lady Margaery?”
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Dashnell didn’t answer that question.
—–
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Not long after Margaery returned to the Gracewind Garden, Paige came for her. “Miss, Lord Chancellor wants to see you.”
She stood at the door with a mix of hatred and schadenfreude in her eyes, waiting for something bad to happen to Margaery.
Margaery had expected this and just glanced at her before heading straight for Raul’s courtyard.
But at the entrance of Raul’s courtyard, someone s
stopped her.
“My lady, Lord Chancellor wants you to wait outside.” It was Astrid Dunham, who was currently serving Tessa.
Astrid said this coldly, and then went back inside, locking the door from within.
Margaery looked at the closed door and smiled bitterly.
In her previous life, Raul treated her this way countless times: calling her over only to leave her waiting outside until she broke down crying and begging for forgiveness.
Then, they forced her to accept false accusations before finally forgiving her with a sweet reward afterward. She had experienced this dozens of times before.
But now? Not anymore.
Margaery took one last look at the door before turning around to leave.
Meanwhile, Raul, Joshua, Avery, and Tessa were talking in Raul’s study.
Their faces didn’t look too good.
“What happened at the Royal Medical Hall has reached the King. I just saw him. The King agreed with Nolan’s statement and wanted Avery to resign.” Joshua looked at Raul with a heavy expression.
“Father, the King has said it’ll be hard for Avery to return with ordinary reasons.
“There’s only one possibility.”
Raul saw red, blood pounding in his ears. “That wretched girl–should’ve rotted in the lumber room!”
After cursing Margaery, he panted and said to Joshua, “Go on.”
Joshua nodded and continued his opinion. “Only if Margaery personally admits her mistake to the King and says she tricked Prince Dashnell by giving, those prescriptions to Avery and agreeing that he send them to the Royal Medical Hall.
“That whole scene at the Royal Medical Hall today? Pure spite–all because her apology to Tessa yesterday bruised her pride. So she’s taking it out on Avery.
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“Then, the King might allow Avery back into the Royal Medical Hall.
“We then apologize again to Prince Dashnell; then this issue will be over without really offending him.”
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Joshua looked at Raul as he spoke. “When that time comes, even if the King is still angry, he’ll probably just put Margaery in the Laundry Bureau for a few months. She’ll have to suffer a bit there.
“Anyway, he won’t really kick Avery out of the Royal Medical Hall over a girl’s tantrum; that would make him seem petty.”
Raul kept nodding in agreement. “That’s a good idea.”
Inside, Tessa was delighted.
But on the surface, she clutched Joshua’s sleeve with wide, worried eyes. “If it means suffering, maybe it’s not worth it? I worry they’d dare to bully Margaery in the Laundry Bureau.”
