He had ridden straight from the border, screaming my name like a man possessed, tearing at the wood with bare hands–union’s archers turned him into a pincushion.
His blood seeped through the cracks, hot on my face. Hotter still on my soul.
That’s when I finally understood the love he’d burled for years.
Orion’s voice slithered up behind me. “Claire, why fuss over Rowan’s absence at our wedding? Since when did you two become… acquainted?”
Chapter 3
Serena quickly spoke before I could open my mouth.
“Your Highness, the Duke Ford is dashing and distinguished, and he’s shared a close bond with the princess since childhood. It’s only natural for her to treat him with a bit more warmth than others—”
Orion let out a cold snort. “Even so, he doesn’t slure royal blood. You must maintain proper distance and restraint–don’t go picking up the shameless habits of those with loose morals.”
I had had enough of their velled jabs. Raising an eyebrow, I replied coolly, “I merely exchanged a few polite words with the Duke. If we’re talking about distance and propriety, Miss Waverly might have more experience than I do after all, she pledged herself to you before she was even of marrying age!!
Serena’s face turned deathly pale. Fearing she might take it to heart, Orion immediately lowered his voice to console her.
I curled my lips into a faint smile and walked off swiftly.
Back at the palace, as I looked around the room filled with traces of Orion, a wave of hatred surged in my chest.
When we first met, he had gifted me a single rose. I couldn’t bear to throw it away and had pressed it between the pages of a book, treating it like a treasure.
But now, all I could see in those crimson petals was the blood of my people impossible to wash away from my heart.
I methodically gathered every item related to him within sight and packed them all away. Only when the sky turned pale and exhaustion overtook me did I finally collapse onto the bed
That night, I dreamed restlessly of my near–death experience from my past life–so vivid it made my skin crawl. When I awoke again, I realized three days had already passed.
“Your Highness, you’re finally awake!” Alice exclaimed. “At the Bacchus Festival, who did you end up choosing as your husband? There are rumors everywhere saying that you and Miss Waverly are both marrying Prince Orion–at the same time, no less!”
“You’ve been asleep these past days, so you wouldn’t know–Prince Orion has been doting on that Waverly girl like she’s made of gold. He built a grand fountain just for her inside the castle, and even went to the royal hatchery himself to transplant the water lily the late queen loved…”
“Miss Waverly hates cream, so Prince Orion actually decreed that not a single calor shall ever appear in his castle again.”
And do you remember that tribute silk from the East? All the noblewomen were desperate to get their hands on it, but Prince Orion sent carriage–load to Miss Waverly so she could make new dress with it!
I swallowed down the bitterness rising in my throat and forced a
