Chapter 4
As I walked in, everyone looked up at once.
Alexander's expression darkened. He saw Edward behind me, covered in blood, but didn't even bother to check on his injuries.
Instead, he shot me a cold glare and snapped, "Cecilia, what kind of trouble have you stirred up now? Did you hurt Edward?
"Evelyn hasn't been able to eat or sleep properly for three days because of you.
"You come back and stir up chaos in the house. What are you after?"
Evelyn put on a frail act as if she were about to rise and offer a proper greeting.
"Alexander, Leonard, Julian, please don't blame Cecilia," she said. "It's all my fault. I'm not blessed enough to hold this position. I shouldn't have made her angry."
Her eyes reddened, and tears rolled down her cheeks.
I stood in the doorway, arms crossed, watching from the sidelines like a total outsider.
Honestly, I even felt like giving her a slow clap for that Oscar-worthy performance.
The System spoke up. [Host, detecting an abnormal drop in your dopamine levels.]
Its cold, emotionless mechanical voice sounded a little somber.
[Are you feeling sad right now?]
My throat tightened, but I fought back the sting in my eyes. Instead, I raised an eyebrow coolly.
Sad? Please. I only wanted to kick all these idiots out of here.
Edward hobbled over to stand next to me, about to speak up for me.
Just then, Evelyn darted over, moving so quickly she didn't look the least bit like someone with a racing heart.
"Edward, how did you get so badly hurt? There's so much blood.
"Was it to save Cecilia?" Evelyn cried, her voice quivering with exaggerated concern.
Tears streaming down her face, Evelyn tried to reach for Edward, but her legs buckled and she toppled right onto him.
Her sudden weight slammed into him. A sharp gasp escaped Edward's lips, his already injured leg buckling beneath them both.
Still, he reflexively caught Evelyn, his voice soft as he reassured her, "Careful. I'm alright."
Evelyn kept sobbing, turning to me with a look that was equal parts pitiful and accusing.
"Cecilia," she choked out, "how could you treat Edward like this?
"He's the prime minister. If his leg is ruined and he ends up crippled, how is he supposed to hold his place in the court?
"Do you hate us that much?"
Before she could finish, I stepped forward and slapped her hard across the face.
The sharp crack of the slap made the whole hall go dead silent.
Evelyn clutched her swollen cheek, staring at me in utter disbelief.
She clearly hadn't expected someone as timid as me to slap her.
Almost at the same moment, a sudden gust whipped past me.
Alexander, a seasoned warrior, struck with only a fraction of his strength, but it still sent me flying.
I crashed hard into the shelf behind me, sending priceless vases shattering to the floor. Shards of porcelain bit into my back, stealing my breath.
Alexander jabbed a finger at me, his face blazing with fury, veins popping on his forehead.
He snapped, "Cecilia, we really have spoiled you rotten.
"You dared to slap Evelyn right in front of us. God knows what you've done to her when we're not around.
"Apologize to Evelyn. Right now."
I lay battered on the ground, spat out blood-tinged spit.
The pain was sharp, but it only fueled my desperation to leave this world.
I braced myself, looked up at them, and grinned.
"Fine, I'll apologize," I said. "But what exactly did I do wrong?
"I got publicly dumped and became the laughingstock of the city.
"I haven't even had a chance to catch my breath, and now I have to watch the other woman put on her little act.
"So what if I slapped the side chick? Ashford Kingdom's law gives wives the right to do that."
"Enough!" Julian glared at me, his eyes cold and full of contempt. "Who's the wife, and who's the side piece here?
"Evelyn and I grew up together. If it weren't for my late grandmother's decree forcing my hand, I would have never even looked your way.
"Cecilia, our engagement is done.
"Thank God I don't have to marry a scheming, infamous woman like you."
Leonard stepped forward, shielding Evelyn behind him and shooting me a look of pure disgust.
His voice was cold. "Cecilia, you've completely disappointed us.
"Apologize, or I'll shut your mouth for good with needles."
I kept quiet, scanning each of their faces one by one.
Alexander's stare was icy, Leonard looked at me like I was some poisonous bug, and Julian seemed like he'd be thrilled if I dropped dead right now.
Edward was the only one who seemed different. He frowned, eyes lingering on the blood at the corner of my mouth.
His lips moved, like he wanted to say something.
But when he caught sight of Evelyn's swollen cheek, he turned away, not saying a word.
The scene was exactly the same as last year.