Chapter 10
89%
20
Edmund hadn’t slept a wink. The grimy room was worse than camping out under the stars–no ear–splitting snores or sour, stale air out there
to choke on.
ནན བ བཀན།
Before dawn, someone shook him awake, barking at him to chop wood and fetch water for the kitchen’s morning rush.
Still groggy, Edmund froze, earning a sharp tongue–lashing from the head cook–a no–nonsense woman who shoved him toward the woodpile. Nobody was holding his hand here.
The kitchen was a frenzy, leaving no room for self–pity.
When the work was done, the cook flung two stale buns and a skimpy plate of greens his way. Breakfast, apparently.
Juliette had meant to send him home, but she was too busy to care. As long as he wasn’t starving, he could wait.
Days dragged on, and Edmund’s sturdy frame withered, his face growing gaunt.
“So, Juliette’s keeping him around? Guess he got what he wanted,” Luciana said with a sly smile, stifling a laugh behind her hand.
She liked how this was playing out. This time, she’d make sure everyone’s dreams came true–no regrets left behind.
‘Bet they’re all dying to chase after Juliette,‘ she mused with a sly smile. ‘Let them go, one by one. No hurry. Next in line’s that prince, right?‘
Time to head to the palace.
Lost in thought, Luciana barely noticed Donovan slink in, looking weary as he handed her a stack of papers.
“What now?” she asked, glancing down. Dorian’s schoolwork–same awful scrawl, though maybe a tad better than before.
Dorian was a restless soul, too antsy to practice his letters. Without someone watching, he’d slack off in a heartbeat.
Even with a hawk–eyed servant, it was no use. Luciana had sacked countless maids and footmen to keep him in line.
But his handwriting was still a mess–barely readable at best.
“I told you to stop bringing me this junk,” Luciana said, tossing the papers aside with a grimace.
She was done. She’d slaved away, only to be shipped off for some political marriage. No more.
Donovan shifted, uneasy. “I know, my lady, but His Highness dropped these off himself.”
“Where’s he now?” she asked, eyebrow raised.
“At Princess Juliette’s estate,” Donovan said, hesitating. “He took three chests of gifts–velvet tapestries, sapphires, emeralds, pearl ornament -all for Princess Juliette.”
Luciana let out a sharp laugh. “So, he sends the good stuff to her and dumps this trash on me? Wants me to fix his mess while she gets pampered? Fine. Those gifts he’s carting to Juliette–any of them mine? The ones gave him?”
She’d always shared her best treasures with Dorian, hoping to ease his studies, to spur him on.
‘Why do I even bother?‘ Luciana thought bitterly. “If he doesn’t care, and Mother won’t lift a finger, why should I keep playing the devoted
1/3
12:32 Thu, 7 Aug 5 O
Chapter 10
sister?‘
20
“Forget the palace,” she said, rising. “We’re going to Juliette’s place.”
Meanwhile, Dorian’s carriage rattled along, and he snapped at the driver to hurry up.
In his old life, he’d let Juliette down–not entirely his fault. Luciana had kept him on a short leash, piling on schoolwork that left no time for
his sister.
Only later did he learn how much Juliette had “cared“, watching over him quietly.
In his memories, she’d pitied his endless studies, sneaking him pastries she’d made herself.
He’d savored them, never knowing they were from her. When he was named Crown Prince, Juliette spilled it all.
She’d saved gifts for him–carved oak figurines, wax candles–kept safe from childhood to manhood.
He sensed she’d held back, scared Luciana would find out. Luciana hated him wasting time on such things, so they’d kept it hush–hush.
Now, Dorian wasn’t about to let Juliette hurt again.
At Juliette’s estate, he leapt out, banging on the gate and ordering his men to haul down the heavy chests.
Stuck in the palace for days by Francesca’s orders, he’d finally slipped out, nearly emptying his private stores to shower Juliette with gifts.
The estate’s servants let him in and sent word to Juliette.
She was puzzled–Dorian rarely visited. They were siblings, sure, but he’d always been closer to Luciana. ‘Why is he here?‘ she wondered.
Still, she greeted him with a warm smile. “Dorian! What brings you out? I was gonna drop by, but Mother said you were swamped with studies, so I didn’t want to bug you.”
Dorian’s grin faded, his mood souring. “Mother said that, or she did?” he grumbled.
“She?” Juliette tilted her head. “Luciana?”
“Yeah,” he muttered, rolling his eyes. “Sounds like her kind of line.”
To him, Luciana was always meddling, keeping them apart.
Juliette just smiled, letting it slide. Truth be told, she hadn’t had time to visit anyway–just polite talk. If he wanted to blame Luciana, so be it.
Not lingering on it, Dorian perked up and grabbed her hand. “Come on, check out what I brought!”
“What’s all this?” Juliette asked, confused.
Grinning ear to ear, he said, “All for you, sis.”
“For me?” Juliette started to ask, but her eyes caught on a coral sculpture, half a meter tall.
It was a pearl–encrusted ornament, nearly two feet high, the one Luciana had coaxed from Norman. Juliette had longed for it herself but never managed to claim it.
And yet, after all that fuss, Luciana just handed it to Dorian.
‘Why’d she go to all that trouble just to give it away?‘ Juliette thought, her blood boiling.
2/3
12.32 Thu, 7 Aug 3
Chapter 10
Juliette’s admiration turned to a spark of anger, Luciana had done it to get under her skin, no doubt.
20
Dorian noticed her stare and bounded over, beaming. “This coral? Uncle Norman brought it back from his campaigns. You love it, don’t you? it’s yours.”
She’d told him once, ages ago, how she adored that coral–before Luciana swooped in and claimed it.
Truth was, Luciana didn’t care for it. Dorian did.
He’d begged Luciana for it, clueless that Juliette wanted it too. Now here he was, crossing miles to lay it at her feet.
3/3
