“You called the reporters?” Aselin asked, squinting against the relentless camera flashes, shielding her face with her hand.
Suddenly, a black cloak draped over her, blocking her view.
In the darkness, a large hand gently cradled her head, pressing her cheek softly against Claude’s firm collarbone.
“You’ll understand in a few days, so rest for now,” Claude said, his usually sharp voice sounding oddly soothing today.
Come to think of it, she hadn’t eaten or drunk anything since morning.
Aselin licked her dry lips.
After a hectic day, was it okay to let herself relax like this for a moment?
And maybe it was better not to pry further about the reporters.
Claude seemed stable now, thanks to the medicine, but his condition was unpredictable.
She didn’t want to provoke him and risk his mood shifting.
Letting her tense body unwind, Aselin closed her eyes quietly.
Images from her past life flashed by—her gruesome death at her ex-husband’s hands.
The moment poison melted her organs, the pain was unbearable, like sharp awls scraping her insides and fire searing her.
She desperately wanted to forget that agony, but it was etched too deeply, raising goosebumps across her skin.
Her eyelids trembled.
Compared to the pain I endured, this is just the beginning.
I’ll make them feel a life worse than death, just as they did to me.
Closing her eyes again, Aselin let out a long breath.
In the silence, Claude’s steady heartbeat reached her ears, calming her racing pulse.
The clamor of the crowd and the flashing cameras faded, leaving only Claude’s scent filling her senses.
[Viscount Alex Wade’s Wedding Abruptly Canceled! Reason: Affair with Bride’s Sister?]
The headline blazed across the front page.
Sipping hot cocoa in the parlor, I skimmed the article.
Photos captured Alex tearing at his hair in rage and Rachel desperately hiding her face.
[Affair with the Bride’s Sister? Empire’s Women Outraged.]
The further I read, the more my lips twitched into a grin.
Seeing them publicly shamed like this felt like a weight lifted off my chest.
Savoring the cocoa’s sweetness, I flipped to the next page.
But then—
A huge photo of Claude carrying me, draped in his cloak, stared back.
I knew the reporters’ frenzy would make the papers, but seeing myself nestled in his arms made my face burn.
At least the cloak hid my face.
Still, after that spectacle, it was only a matter of time before everyone knew it was me.
[Don’t worry about it. I called the reporters.]
Claude’s words from the wedding echoed in my mind.
I’d questioned him, puzzled, but he’d only smirked and draped the cloak over me.
“You’ll understand in a few days,” he’d said cryptically.
A week had passed, and nothing significant had happened.
Curiosity gnawed at me, and I pressed my temples, speculating.
Did he call the reporters to publicly humiliate Alex and Rachel?
I shook my head.
Claude wasn’t some neighborhood fixer. Why would he care about my personal affairs?
Our contract was for one year—maintain the engagement, nothing more.
Dismissing the absurd thought, I lowered my gaze, only to freeze at bold text.
[Why Prince Claude Viar de Verta Enacted the R. Wade Law]
R. Wade Law? Since when did the empire have such a law?
Eyes wide, I devoured the article.
[Engagement is a sacred promise under Verta Empire law.
Regarding its dissolution, His Highness Prince Claude Viar de Verta has enacted a new law, dubbed the ‘R. Wade Law.’ It abolishes the rule prohibiting breaking an engagement even if the other party is at fault, introducing a new dissolution clause.
This shifts the empire’s rigid engagement laws toward practicality, especially benefiting women vulnerable to broken engagements. Approved by His Majesty a month ago, the law’s details are as follows.]
Claude enacted a new imperial law?
My curiosity deepened as I read on.
[Engagement Dissolution]
[If the other party is at fault, the engagement can be dissolved immediately with a high priest’s certification. A new engagement is also recognized upon dissolution.]
My jaw dropped.
He’d enacted this a month ago—when we got engaged?
Did he meticulously plan this from the start?
Canceling my engagement to Alex while securing ours, ensuring Alex couldn’t legally challenge it?
I rubbed the goosebumps on my arms, shaking my head.
Flawless looks and insane foresight—too perfect, almost ruthless.
I need to stay sharp.
Bound by this contract, I couldn’t afford to slip up.
Finishing my cocoa in one gulp, I nearly choked.
[Viscount Alex Wade’s wedding, canceled due to his affair with the bride’s sister, inspired Prince Claude Viar de Verta to name the new law ‘R. Wade Law, after the viscount.]
I burst out laughing, my lips curling uncontrollably.
This wasn’t just preventing Alex from contesting the engagement—it immortalized him as the poster child for infidelity.
Chuckling, I wiped the cocoa-stained newspaper and tucked it under my arm, leaving the parlor.
The dim corridor was silent, as if a storm had passed.
After Rachel fled with her jewelry, her maids scattered like cockroaches at the sight of me.
Well, Dana had always been my only dedicated maid.
Lately, the vast ducal manor felt like it housed just the two of us.
But the calm, quiet atmosphere suited me.
I could focus on research without distractions or rumors.
Click, click.
Walking the dimly lit corridor, Claude’s image from the wedding floated into my mind.
He’d cloaked me and put me in a golden carriage.
He’d said he’d punish me, taking me to the castle, but the outcome was unexpected.
He laid me on a bed, turned off the light, and left.
Hours passed, and he didn’t return.
I stared at the ceiling, then fell asleep, exhausted.
The luxurious bedding probably helped.
“Yawn, I slept so well…”
The next morning, refreshed, a maid served me a feast in the bedroom.
Claude was nowhere to be seen, so I ate heartily and returned to the manor.
It was an oddly pleasant morning for a “punishment.”
But I couldn’t fathom his intentions, leaving a nagging unease.
He’d acted like he’d impose a grand penalty, only to lock me in a room for a night.
And that anticipated… event didn’t happen, which was a relief.
But then—
A sudden thought stopped me in my tracks.
