I Survived My Father’s Test And Took His Throne Chapter 08
My shoes were left by the river.
When my father took them in his hands, he was trembling.
“These aren’t Laurel’s, are they? I’ve never seen her wear them.”
Evelyn, red-eyed, held him up.
“I think those are the shoes Sister wore in the laundry.”
My father’s breath hitched, and his body gave way.
“Search the river. Dead or alive, bring her back!”
The Royal Guard and the water rescue teams moved immediately.
Not long after, they found the body of a young woman downstream, wearing my clothes.
The river had bloated her face, but her build was strikingly similar to mine. My blood was on the coat, and my identity chip had already been revoked. No one at the scene was willing to wait for further verification.
And because my father wanted to conceal his so-called “heir’s trial,” he refused to allow an independent healer to conduct a public identification.
He dropped to his knees on the riverbank. His hand reached toward that lifeless face, then stopped in midair.
“Laurel…”
He called my name again and again until, at last, the tears came.
Julian arrived at the riverbank, too.
He reeked of alcohol. After learning I might be carrying another man’s child, he had clearly drunk all night. He had only just woken when he received news of my disappearance.