8
‘It was you. You planned all of this!”
‘You’re the one who sent that alchemist to me, weren’t you?”
Forgetting all decorum, Damian lunged at Rhys, his fists raised. He was immediately restrained by the royal
Juards.
The noise was giving me a headache. I burrowed deeper into Rhys’s embrace. He stroked my back tenderly.
The sight seemed to drive Damian into a fresh frenzy.
Take your filthy hands off her! She is my wife!”
Beside him, Clara’s face went ashen, but Damian didn’t even notice her.
Seraphina!” he pleaded, struggling against the guards. “I was set up! Let me explain, please!”
On this joyous day, General Rhys,” the King said, his voice laced with regal displeasure. “I came to witness your union and find this spectacle instead. Lady Seraphina’s injuries look severe. I will send my own physici- in to attend to her. And while this may be a private matter for House Thorne, it has become a public disgra- ce, and cannot be so easily dismissed.”
The King’s quiet words changed the color of every face in the square. I finally succumbed to the pain and the
shock, and fainted in Rhys’s arms.
When I awoke, it was dusk. I was wrapped in a soft down comforter, the scent of lavender filling the air. My wounds had been carefully dressed. I turned my head and saw Rhys sitting by my bedside.
He still wore his crimson wedding doublet, now stained in several places with my blood. When he saw my eyes open, he leaned forward. “Seraphina, are you feeling any better?”
Looking at his face, a storm of emotions churned within me. I had so many questions, but I held my tongue.
His eyelashes fluttered, and his voice was thick with guilt. “Forgive me. I had intended to tell you everything on our wedding night. It was my oversight… I never imagined you would suffer such a thing…”
He looked at me, his eyes filled with an unmistakable tenderness. “I am sorry I deceived you. But my feelings for you are true. It was with a true heart that I sought your hand in marriage.”
Looking at his face, something stirred in my heart.
The truth was, I had known for some time.
The day Damian left the city, I had overheard his conversation with his squire. When I first met Rhys, though he had Damian’s face, I knew, instantly, that they were different men. But I said nothing. I watched him treat me with such gentle care, and I thought, Let it be so.
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Chapter 2
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Three days before the wedding, I had tested him, hinting at my suspicions. He had only smiled and said,
Seraphina, I am here. Leave everything to me.” And my heart, for the first time in a long time, was at peace,
“What happened to Damian?” I asked, remembering the King’s ominous words.
“Father has him in the family chapel, being disciplined. After how he treated you, he deserves a taste of pain “His body went rigid for a moment, but his tone was even.
After a few days of rest, I was well enough to walk in the gardens. There, I encountered an unwelcome gue-
