Chapter 7
Thanksgiving arrived in the blink of an eye,
eye, and a g
a grand banquet was held at the palace, Socialites from all walks of life were invited to attend.
The moment Orion entered the banquet hall, he began searching for me.
Rowan supported me as we walked through the corridor. I wore a deep purple e chest, enhancing an ethereal and noble aura.
purple evening gown–simple yet elegant. A diamond brooch sparkled on my
Orion was momentarily stunned.
In contrast, Serena, though dressed to the nines, looked as though she were covered in a layer of dust. Her eyes were dull and lifeless.
Orion quickly strode toward me. “Claire!”
Serena was left standing awkwardly to the side, head bowed, too ashamed to meet the amused, mocking gazes around her.
“Claire, I was blind before. I mistook someone else for you. Can you forgive me?” Orion’s voice was low and pleading.
“You’re still in my heart!”
‘t you?”
“You love me too, don’t y
He sounded almost pitiful, cautiously testing the waters.
Seeing that I said nothing, he began pulling out a slew of objects from his bag–dozens of items, big and small–offering them to me like trophies.
“Claire, that day you got mad and threw away everything I gave you I found them all!”
“I found every piece out of that pond myself. I didn’t let anyone else help me!”
“And the dowry I shamelessly took I’ve returned it all to you. Please don’t be angry anymore, alright?”
The guests nearby watched us intently, waiting for a scandal to unfold.
Serena looked pale with humiliation. Unable to hold it in any longer, she suddenly covered her mouth and bent over, dry heaving. “Urgh!”
A few experienced ladles gasped in surprise.
“Could Serena be…pregnant?”
Serena’s eyes lit up instantly as she looked at Orion.
She had a vague fooling this child could be her ticket to redemption–her strongest anchor for the future.
Even if Orion was angry with her, surely he would soften for the sake of the baby.
But to her dismay, Onon didn’t look the least bit happy. On the contrary, guilt and panie clouded his face.
Iit out a soft chucide and raised a brow
“Orion, is this what you meant when you said you still had me in your heart?”
His expression darkened immediately as he scrambled to explain.
“Claire, she drugged me. It wasn’t my choice…”
I wowed him off and sat down with Howan
Serena, looking hurt, approached Orion, trying to gain a bit of his sympathy.
Instead, he shot her a fierce glare
“You planned this whole scene just to make a spectacle for Claire, didn’t you?”
Now that she’s angry with me, are you satisfied?”
skrena lowered her gaze, tears falling in large drops.
In the past, Orion could never bear to see her cry. But now, she sat weeping silently for a long time, and he didn’t even glance at her. His face was grim, his eyes unconsciously drifting in my direction.
After the banquet ended, Rowan wrapped his arm around me as we walked out of the palace.
Glaper 7
Orion, like a lingering ghost, followed us still.
During the banquet, every intimate gesture Rowan made–pouring wine for me, standing close–had cut into Orion like a knite.
He had held back long enough.
*Claire, you still refuse to forgive
- me. Does that mean… you’ve fallen for him?”
“Why? Just because he’s the future king?”
“If it weren’t for him, would you have come back to me?”
His eyes were bloodshot, his tone desperate, almost deranged. A cold shiver ran down my spine.
I raised my hand and struck him. A clear handprint appeared on his pale face.
“Orion! Are you insane?!”
Rowan merely cast him a cool glance, then led me away without a word.
But Orion’s words echoed in my ears, unsettling me long after,
Only
ly then did I realize I cared for Rowan far more than I had ever imagined.
He cradled me in his lap that night, whispering gently as he comforted me.
“Don’t worry, Claire, I’ll be alright…”
Chapter 8
But the unease in my heart turned out to be a premonition come true.
A rebellion broke out on the border. Orion, along with members of his maternal family, submitted a joint petition, requesting that Rowan be sent to the
front lines.
On the surface, it was framed as a way to help the future king build his reputation. But clearly, their intentions were far from noble.
I couldn’t rest easy, so I decided to go with the army.
Rowan, distressed for my safety, arranged a comfortable tent for me and assigned ten elite guards to protect me around the clock
Still, I wanted to contribute. So I volunteered at the infirmary, tending to wounded soldiers.
The days were hard, but they were fulfilling.
Half a year passed in the blink of an eye. With the journey back to Asteria drawing near and everything seemingly calm, I finally allowed myself to relax.
One day, just after I had finished bandaging the last soldier, a familiar figure burst into my tent.
“Clare, I finally found you.”
I froze in shock. In just six months, how had Orion become so haggard?
What was he doing here?
His clothes were tattered, no better than a beggar’s. His face was unshaven, dark circles marked his eyes, and bruises bloomed beneath them.
His voice was hoarse.
“Claire… after you left, I had a dream–a long dream…”
“In it, you wore a crown and married me. You became my wife. But ”
He trailed off, unable to finish. Then he slapped himselt across the face with brutal force.
I was too stunned to speak. How did he know what had happened in our past life?
Then I saw it–the rune on the back of his neck. It was an Asterian curse sigil
And it all made sense.
He has been cursed by one of the Asterians.
He recounted his experiences from the past half–year, face etched with torment
Since ! left, he had locked himself away in his chambers, drowning himself in alcohol. He ignored palace affairs. The king scolded him publicly as a useless disgrace. The entire court turned its back on him.
Waverly Serena, still his wife in name, had been abandoned in his indifference, Even the maids dared to trample on her. Eventually, she lost the child she was carrying
She never understood why the man who once loved her deeply now refused to even look at her.
She blamed it all on me, spreading rumors that I had cursed Orion, clouded his mind, made him pine for me day and night.
e an affair
But over time, even her slanders couldn’t soothe the growing bitterness and loneliness in her heart. She finally took a reckless step–having an Anight servant caught her in the act.
The royal family couldn’t tolerate such disgrace. They fed her poison and announced to the public that she had died of complications from a miscarriage. Orion remained trapped in his dreamlike stupor. By the time he stumbled to me, he was already a dying man.
A few days later, he passed away quietly in his sleep.
Only then did the name on his neck begin to fade,
“Becher, aren’t you going to come out?”
I had already recognized the curse–it was
tiny father’s work.
In this life, he and Orion had no personal feud. For him to resort to such a ruthless spell, there could only be one explanation: Father had been reborn too Chapter 8
too.
He was avenging the tragedy of our previous lives.
When his familiar figure emerged from the shadows beneath the trees, I couldn’t hold back my tears.
In our past life, I had heard the news of Asteria’s annihilation with my own ears. The grief had nearly destroyed me.
And now, Father stood before me, alive and well.
