Chapter 8

Julian looked at the shattered emerald on the ground, his brows knitting tightly.

I caught a flash of distress in his eyes, but it quickly turned into annoyance directed at me.

He pulled Evelyn up gently, his voice soft as he comforted her. "It's just a thing. No need to fuss if it's broken.

"Out with the old, in with the new.

"I'll have the palace staff bring over some nicer ones later."

Then he turned to me with a taunting gaze. "Cecilia, you heard what I said, right?

"Now that the emerald pendant is broken, it's fate.

"If you throw another fit because of this, I won't let you off easily."

I stood there like an ice sculpture stripped of its soul.

There was a time when seeing this would have driven me mad. I would have screamed, raged, even demanded to know how he could treat my heart like that.

But now, I glanced at the broken pendant, feeling nothing at all.

I laughed. The sound was raw and grating, making the silent snowy night quite creepy.

"Good thing it's broken," I whispered. "It was worthless to begin with. Even a dog would turn its nose up at it, but it suits Your Highness perfectly."

My voice was low, but it carried clearly to everyone in the courtyard.

"What did you say?" Julian snapped, his face contorted with fury as he lunged forward, about to kick me.

I raised my head, staring at him with hollow eyes, blood at the corner of my mouth.

"I said," I repeated, my voice flat. "I don't want that pendant anymore.

"And I don't want you anymore, either.

"Since it's broken, sweep it up. Don't let it dirty the snow."

Julian's foot froze in midair.

He stared into my eyes, searching for even a trace of defiance or jealousy.

But he failed.

There was nothing in my eyes, no love, no hate.

He saw only a kind of bone-deep chill that made him shudder for reasons he couldn't name.

"Cecilia," he muttered, a sudden, unfamiliar panic tightening in his chest.

It felt like trying to hold sand in his fist, watching it slip through his fingers no matter how tightly he clenched.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded at the courtyard gate.

*****

"Cecilia!" Alexander and Leonard's voices cut through the courtyard as they rushed in.

Behind them, Edward was being carried in on a stretcher.

Then the three Blair brothers were all struck speechless by the scene before them.

They remembered Cecilia had always been full of energy, sometimes even annoyingly loud.

But now, she stood in the snow, all the light gone from her eyes.

Her wedding gown was soaked in a deep, dark red with blood, its original color long gone.

Her face was ghostly pale, and the blood at the corner of her mouth was a jarring sight.

She looked like a withered flower, barely holding on in the freezing wind.

*****

"Cecilia!" Alexander was the first to react, rushing over in a few quick steps and trying to help me up.

But as soon as his hand touched my shoulder, he recoiled, as if shocked by how cold I was.

"Why are you so cold? Why aren't you channeling your energy to protect yourself? Where's your power?" he asked.

He held me up by the shoulders, my body swaying limply like a rag doll.

My power? Leonard made me exhaust it all a year ago to save Evelyn's life.

Had you forgotten, Alexander?

I was too weak to speak, only able to sneer inwardly.

Leonard rushed over to check on me, his face instantly turning pale as a sheet.

"How could this be?" he murmured. "Your heart's collapsing. This is a sign of impending death."

His hand shook, his voice trembling as he yelled, "Cecilia, what have you done? Why do you never care about yourself?"

Edward struggled to get off the stretcher, his face soaked with tears.

"Cecilia, I messed up. I shouldn't have let you come here," he cried.

Watching them suddenly put on a show of sibling affection made me want to puke.

First, they forced me to apologize in the snow, and now they told me to take care of myself.

Did they think it was fun to mess with me like I was some kind of joke?

I used up the last bit of strength I had and brushed Alexander's hand away.

With no support left, I fell heavily into the snow.

The cold snow pressed against my neck, but somehow, it felt strangely comforting.

Finally, was it over?

I lay in the snow, my voice a faint whisper. "I'm not getting up.

"Edward said I have to apologize until Evelyn forgives me. If she doesn't, I'll stay here until the end.

"I'm not dead yet."

"Cecilia!" Edward screamed, rolling off the stretcher. Dragging his broken leg, he began crawling toward me.