Deep Love Ultimately Betrayed

On the morning of the third day, before Edward attended the levee, I repeatedly reminded him to watch out when walking and not to bump into anyone.

After hearing this, Edward teased me with a playful look on his face, "What's wrong? Are you still worried that a coquette will bump into my arms?"

I smiled. I would know whether they bumped into each other when he came back.

It would be best if such a thing didn't come true.

But if it did happen...

My face turned pale at the thought of this.

Seeing that I didn't look good, Edward hurriedly said a few sweet words to comfort me.

Sure enough, men were full of lies. I had read almost every word he just said in plays.

...

Two hours later.

Edward came back with a guilty look on his face.

He didn't dare to see me but only ordered servants to prepare warm water for him to bathe.

I knew there was something wrong.

When I rushed over, he was already undressing next to the bathtub.

I strode forward, leaned to him, and sniffed at him.

As expected, he was stained with someone else's scent.

It was the fragrance of lotus, exactly what my elder sister liked to put on.

I froze there with a dazed look on my face.

Edward hastened to explain, "Listen to me. I did watch out when walking, but I don't know why your eldest sister bumped into my arms for no apparent reason.

"I directly pushed her away at that time!" Edward was still speaking anxiously.

But my mind went blank.

I stumbled and looked up at his clothes in disarray, saying, "You don't need to bathe. Just leave it at that."

I recoiled a few steps back in frustration.

Edward hurriedly caught up with me, still trying to explain humbly.

But I knew that the imperial decree giving Edward my sister's hand in marriage would be issued soon.

A moment later, someone announced, "Your Highness, the lord steward serving under His Majesty is here to deliver the decree!"

Edward reluctantly straightened his clothes and said to me in a gentle voice, "Winnie, I'm going to receive the decree."

With that, he walked away quickly, not noticing that I was standing there blankly as if I had lost my soul.

The imperial decree that granted their marriage really arrived.

Everything that was happening was just like what I dreamed about.

I leaned against the door frame alone, crying and laughing at times, worrying my maid so much that she was at a complete loss.

She comforted me softly, "His Highness loves you wholeheartedly. What happened today must be a misunderstanding. Please don't take it to heart..."

I shook my head, rejected her support, and walked forward myself.

After a while, I heard a few maids ahead of me whispering.

"Oh my god, did you hear the imperial decree? I can't believe His Majesty granted another marriage to His Highness! His Majesty wants our Crown Princess' sister to marry His Highness as a concubine!"

"There seems to be another mistress of the Crown Prince's Palace in the future..."

As soon as they finished speaking, the maid beside me walked over and berated them, "How dare you talk nonsense! The real mistress of the Crown Prince's Palace is naturally the Crown Princess. How can a concubine be considered a mistress? Go and receive the punishment yourself!"

The maid beside me whispered soothing words to me, but I couldn't hear a word she said.

The scenes in the dream kept invading my mind. Anxious and flustered, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my chest. The next moment, I blacked out and slumped forward.

The last moment before I fell into unconsciousness, I vaguely heard the anxious cries of the maid beside me, as well as a familiar yet unfamiliar voice.

That voice called my name in panic. His worried voice was entangled with my flashbacks to his indifferent voice in my dream before I fainted.

It was already the next day when I woke up again.

I turned my head and immediately saw Edward by the bed.

In just one day, Edward looked much more haggard. When he saw me wake up, he anxiously called my name. "Winnie."

I grunted in reply with difficulty and closed my eyes again.

I heard him calling for the imperial physician nervously.

"Her Highness the Crown Princess fainted due to an outburst of emotion and needs to rest for a while." The imperial physician lowered his voice and told Edward about my condition.

Their voices receded into the distance.

I slowly opened my eyes and stared blankly into space. It seemed that I suddenly didn't know how to face Edward.

During the day and night of coma, that nightmare began to haunt me again, unwilling to let me go.

The more reluctant I was to remember, the more details of the dream came to my mind. I remembered Edward's tenderness toward me, but I also couldn't forget how cold-hearted he was in my dream.

I sighed helplessly in my heart, "What should I do? I seem to be truly sick."

Afterward, Edward came to me to explain and apologize. I considerately expressed my understanding. After all, the emperor's order was difficult to disobey, so I couldn't let Edward be disobedient for the sake of me.

I didn't know if it was because of my nonchalance, but Edward suddenly lost his bearings while talking.

"Winnie, you can either reproach me or beat me, but... I feel uneasy when I see you like this," he said earnestly, his eyes overflowing with tenderness.

I whispered to him, "Edward, will you treat me well for the rest of your life?"

Edward nodded without hesitation and said, "Winnie, you are the one I love most in my life. I will value you like a treasure in my lifetime."

Staring at his affectionate look, I couldn't help but reach out and touch his cheek gently with my fingertips.

"If you lie to me, I will..."

I suddenly couldn't bear to continue.

"Please go out. I want to rest alone." I turned my head away and stopped looking at him.

Edward seemed to want to say some other words, but seeing that I was in a bad mood, he ended up saying nothing.

After he left, I hid in the quilt alone and shed a tear silently.

I knew what he would do even if he didn't say it.

The next day, he would welcome my elder sister, Janice Moore, into the Crown Prince's Palace to be his concubine.