The Price of Betrayal

"Don't worry, Ciara. After she gives birth, I will request an edict to depose her from her position as crown princess and let you in her place."

In the quiet garden, the crown prince Bryan Hamilton's voice appeared.

Chelsea Drake felt a sharp pain in her heart, her steps faltering as she nearly stumbled into the flowerbed.

Hearing the sound of snapping branches, both of them looked up simultaneously.

Ciara Burgess smiled smugly. "Oh, Ms. Drake, you're here too! What a coincidence."

One

Three years ago, the crown prince Bryan was seriously injured and left unconscious after an assassination attempt.

It took the combined efforts of all the royal doctors to finally bring him back to consciousness, only for him to be told that he had injured his lower body.

A crown prince who could not bear children meant that the throne would no longer be within his reach.

Suddenly, an overwhelming voice was calling for his removal from the position of crown prince.

Upon hearing that the leader of the faction requesting his deposition was none other than the father of the woman he loved, Bryan coughed up blood in fury and fell unconscious once more.

When he awoke, a day had passed.

He refused to believe what he had heard before losing consciousness and sent his trusted confidants to find the woman he had long adored since childhood.

But they told him that Ciara had fled the city in the dead of night after he was seriously injured, her whereabouts unknown.

His bleak future, his physical affliction, and the departure of the one he cherished...

There was a series of blows that even a healthy person would struggle to bear, let alone Bryan, who was severely injured.

He fainted again, his life hanging by a thread.

The royal doctors were at their wit's end, and the king, furious, caused all the civil and military officials to fall into silence. No one dared to speak of deposing the crown prince again.

The queen, driven by her love for her son, proposed a wedding to counter the ill fortune. It was a desperate and last-resort solution.

All she wanted was to preserve the crown prince's life.

Everyone's attention turned once more to Corbin Burgess, as his eldest daughter was not only childhood friends with the crown prince but also the woman the prince loved.

But Corbin, having led the calls to depose the crown prince, was not about to marry his daughter to a dying man.

He declined, citing the reason that his daughter was observing a mourning period for her foster mother, and therefore not fit to marry.

At that critical moment, Chelsea persuaded her mother to act, going against the will of her father, who was guarding the frontier, to marry the dying crown prince and bring him good fortune.

By the time her father Morgan Drake, General of the Northern Border, returned after hearing the news, she had already been the crown princess for a month.

Her father couldn't bear to see her become a widow, so he used the life-saving favor he had from the young master of Moran's Valley to ask his father Talon Moran to heal the crown prince.

The crown prince, learning what had happened, swore never to forsake Chelsea for the rest of his life.

Chelsea knew his words were an expression of gratitude, not genuine affection for her.

So she restrained her personality and behaved impeccably in her role as crown princess.

She was meticulous in everything she did, striving for perfection.

When it came to the crown prince's personal needs, she attended to him personally.

She just hoped that one day Bryan would fall in love with her.

Out of gratitude for her life-saving actions, Bryan treated her well.

In front of the servants, he gave her the full respect that befitted her status as crown princess.

Three years passed peacefully like this, and Chelsea almost believed that she had found a place in his heart.

But then Ciara returned, and upon hearing the news, Bryan, disregarding Chelsea's pregnancy, rushed to the Burgess's residence.

When he returned, Ciara was with him...

"Don't worry, Ciara. After she gives birth, I will request an edict to depose her from her position as crown princess and let you in her place."

In the quiet garden, Bryan's voice could be heard clearly.

Chelsea felt a sharp pain in her heart, her steps faltering as she nearly stumbled into the flowerbed.

Hearing the sound of snapping branches, both of them looked up simultaneously.

Ciara smiled smugly. "Oh, Ms. Drake, you're here too! What a coincidence."

Chelsea steadied herself and met Bryan's gaze.

"Your Highness."

Bryan nodded.

Bryan's eyes shifted evasively as he changed the subject.

"Why aren't you resting in your home? Why did you come out?"

Chelsea took a deep breath, steadying her trembling voice as best she could.

"I heard Your Highness brought a guest home, and as the crown princess, I felt it appropriate to come out and entertain her.

"May I ask, Ms. Burgess..."

Before Chelsea could take a close look at Ciara, Bryan stepped in front of her line of sight.

He was shielding Ciara behind him. His eyes were full of warning, though his voice was filled with affection.

"Ciara, why don't you stroll around the garden for a while? I have some matters to discuss with her."

"Alright, I won't disturb you then." With that, she turned and walked away.

Bryan glanced warily at the nearby maids. "Make sure to attend to Ms. Burgess well. If anything happens to her, I won't let you off."

The maids quickly hurried after Ciara.

Once they were alone, Bryan grabbed Chelsea by the arm, ignoring her heavily pregnant belly, and dragged her toward the main room.

From the moment he had shielded Ciara, Chelsea knew it.

All her efforts over the years had been in vain.

She protected her belly with her arm, trying her best to keep up with Bryan's pace to avoid falling.