I Died In His Arms Now I’ll Marry Another Chapter 04
The people I hate most are the ones who let me down.
So in this life, I had no intention of ever seeing Adrian again.
And I wouldn’t be attending Emilia’s wedding, either.
But I couldn’t refuse Luna Queen Evelyn’s birthday charity event.
The daytime activities were spread across different sections of the Royal Castle. Queen Evelyn received guests in the east wing, while King Roland met on another floor with the Royal Guard and representatives from the various Packs.
According to the schedule, I wouldn’t run into Adrian.
To avoid Emilia, I offered my greetings and slipped out of the main event hall, wandering alone to the man-made lake in the old garden.
The lake water was cool and the air was quiet.
I rolled up my sleeve and trailed my fingertips through the water.
The surface shattered, then slowly stilled again, reflecting another cold face.
Dominic was standing behind me, disgust etched into his features.
He was Princess Grace’s only son, the man my mother had designated as the entire purpose of my life.
She’d made me study royal etiquette, piano, painting, and dance. She told me that marrying Dominic and winning Princess Grace’s approval was the sole meaning of my existence.
Whatever music Dominic liked, I practiced. If he preferred pale colors, my wardrobe contained nothing bright.
He said he wanted a future partner who was cheerful and poised, so I stood in front of a mirror practicing my smile, holding the corners of my mouth in place for half an hour at a time.
And in the end, Dominic told me he loved Emilia.
He had even asked me once, “Laurel, don’t you think you’re terrifying?”
I lowered my sleeve and kept a polite distance.
“Dominic.”
He looked at me warily.
“How did you know I arranged to meet Emilia here? It’s Queen Evelyn’s birthday. Don’t cause trouble.”
He spoke as if I were a bomb that could go off at any second.
The old me would have.
“You misunderstand. I just wanted somewhere quiet. I’ll leave you to it.”
I turned and walked away. I didn’t argue, didn’t show the slightest hint of resentment.
Even so, I could feel Dominic’s gaze nailed to my back.
I’d just reached the path winding between the rockery and the shrubs when I heard laughter from a group of women ahead. Emilia was most likely among them.
I didn’t want to see her.
But Dominic’s expression darkened instantly.
“And you claim you weren’t scheming? You deliberately lured them here?”
“Relax. I’m not going to ruin your marriage.”
Behind the grotto was a narrow maintenance passage. Heedless of my skirt catching on the stone, I squeezed into it.
My foot slipped. I didn’t fall, but I stumbled into a solid chest that carried the faint scent of ink.
The man immediately seized my wrist, pinning me to the stone wall.
“Who are you?”
His grip was steel. It hurt.
I frowned, keeping my voice as level as I could. “Laurel Jennings. I was invited to the event. There was no sign restricting this area, and I wandered in by mistake. Let go.”
I pretended not to know him.
At the sound of my name, Adrian froze.
The passage was so narrow we were nearly pressed together. I was about to pull back when a drop of water from a crack in the rock above landed at the corner of my eye, sliding down my cheek like a tear.
I looked up and found Adrian staring at me, his brow furrowed.
His expression was still controlled, but a single tear hung on his lower lash, refusing to fall.
Adrian was crying?
Just then, a soccer ball rolled slowly into the passage from the lawn.
Over Adrian’s shoulder, I saw Emilia.
A second later, her shriek echoed across the lake.
“Laurel, what did you do to my brother?”