I nodded quickly. I had been reckless. Now that I knew who he was, I would certainly never strike a prince. But he seemed to misin- terpret my nod. He went back and told his mother that he would marry no one but me. The Dowager Consort was delighted with me as well and urged my grandfather to finalize the betrothal.
“He’s already on his way to the capital,” I told my parents. “He said he must first go to the palace and request a royal decree of mar- riage.”
Hearing how seriously Prince Adrian was taking this, my parents were overjoyed.
11
In the few days since my return, Julian had already appeared at our door several times under various pretexts. I hadn’t seen him once. But I couldn’t control where he went. Rumors had already begun to circulate in the capital, whispering that the House of Blackwood and the House of de Valois were to be joined in matrimony once more.
My parents were so agitated they couldn’t sleep, counting the days on their fingers until Prince Adrian’s arrival.
If I could have my way, I would never have anything to do with the House of Blackwood ever again,
The matriarch of the Lin family had passed, and after the forty–nine–day mourning period, a grand funeral procession was to be held. Julian and Eva were, of course, among the invited guests. No matter how much I wanted to avoid them, a meeting today was Inevitable.
Eva, at least, was dressed plainly. She wasn’t foolish enough to be ostentatious at someone else’s funeral, After paying my respects, I bid farewell to the host family. As I was about to leave, Julian blocked my path.
He looked down at me, his eyes filled with a deep, sorrowful grievance. “Seraphina, why won’t you see me?”
With so many mourners present, I couldn’t make a scene, I gave him a perfunctory reply. “As an unmarried woman, it would be imp- roper for me to meet privately with a man who is not my kin.”
Julian took an urgent step closer. “How am I a stranger? We were betrothed. If it had been you I married back then…”
Chapter 2
“My lord, watch your words!” I cut him off, the disgust in my own voice surprising even me. “Our engagement was dissolved three
have you forgotten? Your grand gesture of defiance for love is a well–known tale in the capital” years ago.
Unfortunately, my betrothal to Prince Adrian was not yet official, so I couldn’t use it as a shield.
Julian watched me silently for a moment, then looked away, his voice desolate. “Seraphina… I regret it. Can you not give me one more chance? All those years we had together they shouldn’t be erased because of one mistake I made!”
I turned my face away, unmoved. He moved to block my view again, his voice pleading. “Seraphina, I truly know I was wrong. I was young and arrogant, I didn’t understand what love was. I mistook a fleeting novelty for the real thing.”
His voice grew desperate. “You haven’t been betrothed to anyone in three years. Isn’t that because you couldn’t forget me? Weren’t you waiting for me to come to my senses?
“I know you resent me for the humiliation at your coming–of–age. I promise you, I will give you a wedding grander than any the capi- tal has ever seen. I will restore every bit of honor you lost that day!”
A bitter smile twisted his lips, as if he were about to pour out all the sorrows of the past few years. “And as for Eva, don’t you worry. I’ve been planning to divorce her for a long time! Since the day she married into my house, she has brought nothing but chaos. Her relatives are at our door almost daily, begging for money. Her brother and his wife are nothing but scoundrels, and she herself… she does nothing but bring shame upon my house!”
I couldn’t listen anymore. Abandoning my plan to leave, I quickly moved back into the crowd. Surrounded by the other guests, Julian couldn’t continue to harass me. He lingered outside the group for a moment, his eyes full of longing, before finally departing.
I scanned my surroundings, planning to slip away unnoticed, when Eva grabbed my arm.
I sighed. Would this day never end?
er eyes were red–rimmed, and she asked through gritted teeth, “You’re laughing at me too, aren’t you, Seraphina de Valois?”
Her
“I don’t have your birthright, or your talents, but is that my fault?”
1 want a better life! I don’t want to be bullied and looked down upon! What’s wrong with that?”
She must have seen the smirk on my face, because her voice rose. “Yes, I stole your fiancé! But Julian was the only path available
to me!”
“You have loving parents and a vast fortune! Even without Julian, you would have married well and remained high above everyone.
But me?”
“I only have Julian! We are married! Why did you have to come back? Why couldn’t you have just stayed in Lyria? Why did you come
back to steal my husband?”
Her rambling accusations were starting to wear on my patience. I cut her off. “If you only came here to complain to me, then I’ll be
leaving.”
Seeing my growing impatience, Eva seemed to regain some of her senses. She wiped the tears from her face, her eyes filled with a
venomous resentment.
*Julian said he shamed you because of me. He said I must personally apologize to you and tell you that he will demote me from wife to concubine, and then marry you! Marry you as his primary wife! Are you satisfied now?
I frowned. “And you agreed to this?”
Fresh tears welled in her eyes. “If I don’t, he will divorce me completely! He will cast me out! I don’t want to leave the estate! I don’t
want to go back to that life, never knowing where my next meal will come from!”
“If my brother finds out I’ve been cast out, they will surely sell me…” She shuddered, her voice turning desperate. “When you become
Chapter 2
the lady of the house, I won’t fight you! Just…just let me see the young lord every day, and promise you won’t throw me out!”
I sighed, looking at the wretched woman before me. She was clever in her own small way, she had aimed high and had indeed caught Julian. But she was also a fool. If, after entering the estate, she had humbly sought guidance from Beatrice, she could have
become a fine mistress of the house. If she had only put in the effort to learn, she could have eventually found her place among
the noblewomen of the capital.
