Devoted and Foolishly Paid Love

After ensuring that Edmund’s mother was settled safely, I removed my jewelry and ornaments, dressed in plain white, and made my way toward the estate gates.

But just as I reached them, a servant blocked my path.

From behind, Charlotte’s mocking voice rang out, dripping with contempt. “Sister, your mother was known for her loose morals, and here you are, following a man without any title or status for years. I doubt anyone would want you now. Why don’t I be generous and offer you some gold to ensure you’re taken care of for the rest of your life?”

With a flick of her wrist, the servant behind her poured out a pile of gold onto the ground, waiting smugly for me to grovel and pick it up.

The onlookers murmured amongst themselves, eagerly anticipating my humiliation.

I lifted my head, my eyes bright and clear, and calmly rolled up my sleeve to reveal a deep scar, one that cut down to the bone.

“The first year, when the Lander family’s estate was seized, it wasn’t you by Julius’s side in that wretched, rundown hut – it was me.

“During that winter, when he burned with fever and couldn’t afford medicine, it was I who lay by his side in nothing but my undergarments, using my own body to cool him.

“The second year, when Julius was attacked, it was I who took the fatal blow for him. My arm has never fully recovered.”

“The third year, when Julius finally began to gain some influence, he was poisoned by a rival. I swallowed poison after poison, testing each antidote myself to find the cure. My health has never been the same since.”

…

“Enough,” Julius’s voice cut through the air, cold and sharp. “Then be my mistress, Cleo. But I warn you – don’t push your luck.”

I shook my head, my voice steady and unyielding. “I am the lady of the House of James. I will never be anyone’s mistress.”

I bared my shoulder before everyone, revealing the marks Julius had left behind during his poison-induced rages, the countless bite marks etched deep into my skin, horrifying to behold.

“I only ask one thing, Chancellor – after all these years, grant me my freedom.”

Silence blanketed the courtyard, so thick you could hear a pin drop.

Julius’s eyes flared with rage, and I watched as his fingernails dug into his palms, drawing blood.

But this time, I didn’t rush forward to tend to his wounds as I once would have.

And it was then that he realized – I no longer loved him.

What he didn’t know was that from the very first day I walked into that rundown hut with him, I had only ever sought revenge.

Julius’s words, though seemingly casual, sent shockwaves through Charlotte’s heart. She caught the hint of his lingering feelings for me.

Desperately, she ordered the servants to throw me out of the estate.

I looked at Julius one last time and caught the fear that flickered in Charlotte’s eyes, knowing I had finally unsettled her.