Dorian didn’t notice how awful Juliette’s expression was. He was too caught up in his own excitement, spinning around and introducing
everything.
Most of these things were given to him by Luciana.
“What’s your problem?” Juliette’s face darkened, her voice laced with anger.
Dorian froze. Before he could react, a servant suddenly announced Luciana’s arrival.
Now Dorian was annoyed. Of course, Luciana had been keeping tabs on him. The moment he sneaked out of the palace, she came chasing after him. Every time she saw him, it was either nagging him to study harder or forcing him to practice archery and horseback riding.
As soon as Luciana stepped in, she saw the courtyard filled with treasures.
Some were gifts she’d given Dorian willingly, others he’d begged for.
“What’s all this?” Luciana smiled, feigning ignorance.
To Donovan, her smile was bright and her tone gentle, but to Juliette and Dorian, it reeked of mockery.
Juliette spoke first. “Dorian wants to give all this to me.”
Luciana raised an eyebrow in fake surprise. “Oh?”
The moment Dorian saw her, before she even said a word, his temper flared.
In his previous life, he hadn’t escaped Luciana’s control until the day he ascended the throne. If it weren’t for Juliette, he wouldn’t have
wanted to relive this nightmare.
“Didn’t I already give you my homework?” Dorian shouted, unable to hide his disgust.
Luciana rolled her eyes and handed the stack of useless papers back to him. “I told you, don’t bother sending it anymore. If you hate me checking your work, fine–I won’t.”
Dorian snatched it back, skeptical. He didn’t believe she’d let him off so easily.
Last time she said she wouldn’t check, it was just another one of her schemes.
Afraid she’d pull something, Dorian had deliberately turned in his homework first before coming to see Juliette. Yet here she was, still chasing
him down.
“You better mean it. Don’t go crying to Mother later!” Dorian spat, laying down the ultimatum.
Luciana exhaled heavily. “I won’t meddle with you anymore.”
Her gaze returned to the pile of treasures, immediately locking onto the coral. “You begged me to ask Grandfather for this, just so you could give it to your sister?”
Dorian’s face flushed red. He’d been so focused on what Juliette liked that he forgot Luciana was the one who got it for him. Getting caught
regifting her present was beyond embarrassing.
“I don’t need this. Take it back,” Juliette said coldly, thinking Dorian was ridiculous.
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Seeing her getting angry, Dorian panicked. He pointed at Luciana, questioning, “What’s your deal? Once you give me something, it’s mine. Even if I throw it away, it’s none of your business.”
Luciana stayed silent, blinking innocently at Juliette.
Juliette took a deep breath, even more furious. ‘What? He didn’t want it anymore, so he was dumping it on me?‘
Only then did Dorian realize his mistake. Frantically hopping in place, he tried to explain
Juliette while demanding answers from Luciana.
“What I mean is, if you don’t want my gifts anymore, return them all to me.” Luciana’s expression was calm, dead serious.
Hearing this, Dorian was so angry he burst out sneering, “To make me obey, you’d actually think of such a method? Fine, take it back if you want, but don’t regret it later. If you send me stuff in the palace again, I won’t accept it!”
Luciana looked disgusted. ‘Am I some kind of pushover? Why wouldn’t I keep good stuff for myself, but begging him to take it?‘
“Donovan, have someone take all my things back. Hmm… are there still some in the palace?” Luciana deliberately brought it up.
Juliette stood by, watching coldly, not understanding what they were doing.
Dorian, furious, snapped, “I’ll have someone send those in the palace back. From now on, stay out of my business!”
Luciana scoffed, “Not even you begged me to.”
As they were moving things out, Luciana spotted a god statue–it wasn’t hers or Dorian’s.
But Dorian had stolen it from the palace because he liked it.
Later, when the King found out, Luciana took the blame. To protect Dorian’s studies, she never even told him about this.
‘Since Dorian had been brought back from the dead, carrying over a decade of memories, shouldn’t he know better than to steal?
‘He wasn’t the King yet–the treasures in the palace weren’t his yet.
‘Did he just take whatever he wanted because he was spoiled and had people covering for him? Or did he think the King wouldn’t notice, so he could safely steal it to give to Juliette?‘ Luciana thought to herself.
This wasn’t Dorian’s first time stealing from the palace.
Before, he’d taken rings and necklaces–small things the King wouldn’t notice missing.
Luciana had covered for him countless times. From now on, he would have to deal with the consequences himself.
Once everything was moved out, Luciana didn’t linger, planning to return home and reorganize the storeroom.
Dorian glared at her back, thinking Luciana was truly despicable, just as everyone said.
She came here on purpose to stir trouble, ruining his and Juliette’s mood.
“You two…” Juliette almost laughed. “Got nowhere else to fight? Had to come here and make a scene? Sending stuff just to take it back? Fine,
take the rest too.”
“No!” Dorian hurriedly explained, now convinced Luciana was deliberately sabotaging their sibling bond.
As Luciana reached the door, Donovan whispered that Edmund was secretly watching from the corner.
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“Don’t call it ‘secretly.‘ He’s just curious when I’ll leave, worried I came to take Juliette back,” Luciana replied.
And honestly, that was exactly what Edmund was thinking.
He heard that Luciana had come and was worried if she was here to pick him up.
ନ ୪୪%–
Honestly, he had wavered for a moment. At Luciana’s place, he wouldn’t have to lift a finger–someone would even wait on him. But ever since coming to Juliette’s, he hadn’t even had a good night’s sleep.
Just as a hint of regret crept in, he quickly reminded himself that the hardship was only temporary.
If he really followed Luciana, he’d suffer even more in the future. Staying with Juliette was better–at least he’d be clean.
Lost in thought, he somehow wandered out and secretly watched Luciana from afar, curious about why she was here.
As Luciana left, he kept staring as she walked away.
‘Didn’t she ask for me? Didn’t Luciana even bother to ask Juliette about me?‘ Edmund suddenly felt a pang of disappointment.
But he quickly consoled himself, ‘It wasn’t regret. If Luciana had asked, Juliette might remember me.
‘Maybe Luciana already did ask? I’d wait a bit longer to see if Juliette would summon me.‘
Dorian stayed at Juliette’s place for a long time. Even though Juliette didn’t welcome him, he stubbornly stuck around, convinced that there was just a misunderstanding between them.
And all these misunderstandings? They started because of Luciana.
From now on, he’d avoid Luciana, and his relationship with Juliette would naturally get better.
He stayed for dinner, and as luck would have it, Edmund–dressed as a servant–came over with wine and placed it right in front of him.
AD
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