“Enough!” he snapped, his face darkening with guilt.
“I was only giving you a chance to show goodwill toward Serena. In return, on our wedding night, I’ll visit your chambers to grant you the honor since you are the princess of Asteria. However I promised Serena I would never touch you‘
“After midnight, I’ll go to her room.”
He said it as though bestowing some grand favor, his arrogance knowing no bounds
I let out a cold laugh, my eyes reddening as I stared him down…
||
Chapter 4
“Orion,” I said, voice steady, “give me back my dowry.”
“I never agreed to marry you.”
Perhaps sensing that I wasn’t lying, Orion’s brows furrowed. Just as he was about to lose his temper, he caught sight of the trinkets cluttering my writing desk. He relaxed slightly.
“Claire, I know you’re upset, trying to provoke me…”
“But I know you still care about me. Otherwise, why would you keep all the little things I gave you?
Under his confident gaze, I walked slowly to the desk.
Then, without hesitation, I scooped up a handful of the keepsakes, raised my arm, and hurled them out the window.
“Claire! What are you doing?” he shouted.
They landed with a series of splashes in the pond below. Each one sounded like a slap across Orion’s face
“Claire! Those were gifts from me–how could you treat them like garbage?”
“Well, well, well.” He said in a furious tone, then stormed out of the room.
I collapsed to the floor, stunned and heartbroken, wiping away tears in silence.
Father… your daughter had failed you. I couldn’t even protect the dowry you gave me.
On the day of the wedding, Alice had me dressed and ready at dawn
Outside, there was the sound of celebration. Orion sat tall on horseback, looking dashing in his formal sult
He looked down at me arrogantly, “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t marry me? And yet here you are, waiting obediently for me to fetch you.”
His gaze fell on the opulent crown on my head. His expression darkmed.
“That’s not the crown assigned to you as my wife,”
“Claire, how dare you! Just to outshine Serena, you went and broke palace protocol?”
“Change her attire!”
