Chapter 3

Leonardo's gaze slowly swept over Serena and the people behind her, finally landing back on Serena's face.

"About what happened tonight," he spoke softly, but his words hit hard, "if anyone dares to go out and gossip, stirring up trouble, you won't need your tongue anymore."

Serena shuddered, and the noble ladies didn't dare to look up.

The atmosphere hung heavy for a moment before Leonardo spoke gently, "Serena, you should head back to the main hall. You're the star of the show tonight, and it wouldn't be proper for you to be gone for too long."

It was both a subtle dismissal and a graceful way out for her.

Serena bit her lip, then finally lowered her head and bowed. "Yes, I will take my leave."

She led her people out, and the door closed behind them.

Once again, it was just the two of us in the side room.

I knew the matron would soon bring Aurora Johnson over.

Leonardo turned and walked back to the bedside.

The candlelight flickered in his eyes, and beneath that warm facade, there was a depth I couldn't quite fathom.

He stopped and lowered his gaze to me.

"You've been wronged today, Annabella," Leonardo said in a low voice, meant only for the two of us. "I'll make it right."

I clutched the robe tightly around myself, my nails digging into my palm. "How do you intend to make things right?"

He bent down, picked up the hairpin I'd dropped, and gently set it on the edge of the bed.

"Wait for my word," he said.

Those four words seemed weightless, but they pierced my heart like iron spikes.

As he was about to leave, I suddenly called out, "why did you step in for me?"

Leonardo paused, turning his face slightly to the side.

The candlelight cast a sharp, straight shadow across his nose.

"If it hadn't been me who walked in tonight," he said slowly, "your reputation would've been completely destroyed."

"So, you just happened to show up at the perfect time?" I stared at him.

He gave a quiet laugh, not bothering to answer. "You'll see for yourself someday."

The door closed, and Leonardo's footsteps slowly faded into the distance.

I sat on the bed, wrapped in the robe, still trying to make sense of everything, when the door swung open again.

My mother, Aurora Johnson, walked in, a maid following behind, her head bowed, carrying some clothes.

Her eyes swept over the room—the scattered hairpin, the rumpled bed, and me wrapped in a man's robe.

There was no surprise on her face, just a calm, understanding expression.

I couldn't help but sneer to myself.

Turned out, being her real daughter means nothing compared to the one she raised herself, especially now that her adopted daughter was married to the Crown Prince.

"Get dressed," she said flatly.

I changed in silence while she waited, not saying a word, her gaze never lingering on me.

"The carriage is waiting at the back gate," she said.

No questions, no comfort.

I followed the maid out through the side door and got into an unremarkable carriage.

Staring out the window, my last bit of foolish hope was snuffed out completely.

For the next half month, the Johnson household was strangely quiet—almost unsettling.

I was locked away in my own courtyard. They said I was "recovering from illness."

Mom and Dad never visited me, not even once. Only the maids came by with meals every day, always avoiding my gaze.

I knew what they were waiting for—waiting for Leonardo to make a move, waiting for Serena and the Crown Princess to decide my fate.

On the afternoon of the fourth day, Serena showed up.

She wasn't dressed in her Crown Princess regalia, just a soft pink dress, accompanied by two matrons. She stepped into my courtyard with a bright smile.

"Annabella, are you feeling any better?" she asked, sitting down on the stone bench and pouring herself a cup of coffee.

I sat in the corridor, not bothering to get up. "Thanks to you, I'm still alive."

Serena's smile froze for a second, then softened again. "Annabella, are you still blaming me? I was genuinely worried about you that day, so I brought people along to check on you..."

"Oh, so your way of showing concern is dragging a whole crowd of noblewomen to watch me stripped bare?" I looked up at her. "That's a real special kind of concern."

Her face darkened.

She waved the matrons away, leaving just the two of us in the courtyard.

Serena set down her coffee cup, her voice turning icy. "Annabella, do you really think cozying up to Prince Fortunus is going to turn your life around?"

She stood up and walked over, looming above me. "Who is Prince Fortunus, really? He's nothing but lukewarm water. No matter how much the King dotes on him, he'll never outrank the legitimate son!

"The Crown Prince is the future King, and I'm going to be the Queen!"

I smirked lightly, and her brows instantly knit together.

"Serena," I said, slowly rising so I could look her straight in the eye, "you're right. The Crown Prince is the legitimate son."

I took a step forward, and she instinctively stepped back.

"But how many Crown Princes have been kicked off their thrones throughout history?" I took another step closer. "Sure, the legitimate son is supposed to be the heir. But rules..."

I stopped just inches from her, lowering my voice. "Rules can be changed."

Serena's pupils contracted sharply.