Chapter 2
I bent down and picked up the so-called proof of our love from the snow.
The pendant felt smooth in my hand, with my name, Casey, etched in an elegant, sweeping script right in the center.
The craftsmanship was exquisite—almost too perfect.
"Ms. Evans, you say I gave this to you after our supposed night of passion?" I asked.
I held the pendant and fixed my gaze on Lydia.
She ducked her head, intimidated by my stare.
But then, remembering Audrey behind her, she straightened her back defiantly.
"Of course, that night, in the heat of the moment, you unfastened the necklace from your neck and swore you'd never forsake me," Lydia said, her voice trembling with emotion.
She sounded so sincere, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment and a hint of shyness.
I scoffed and held the pendant up high for everyone to see.
"Folks, take a good look at this pendant. The craftsmanship is exquisite. It's made from the finest gem. See these vines and scrolls? That's royal workshop quality. Only the palace employs artisans skilled enough to carve details this fine," I said.
"I'm just a regular doctor with barely enough to get by. Even if I had a mountain of gold, I couldn't buy something like this. It's a royal gift. So tell me, how could I possibly have given this to Ms. Evans?" I challenged, my tone sharp.
Some elders in the crowd who knew their stuff squinted at the pendant, then nodded in agreement.
"A pendant like that? Only the royal family can use it. Dr. Parker's just a commoner. There's no way he'd own something like that," one of them muttered.
Audrey's face darkened.
She snapped sharply, "Nonsense! You're always hanging around the homes of the rich and powerful. Who knows? Maybe some noble tossed it your way. Or perhaps you stole it."
I raised an eyebrow, stepped forward, and fixed her with a cold stare.
"If this is a stolen royal gift, that's a crime. The punishment? Your whole family gets executed. Lady Evans, are you really willing to bring down Evans Manor just to cover up your daughter's scandal?" I shot back, my voice icy.
Audrey went rigid, left speechless by my sharp retort.
I turned and pointed right at Lydia's belly.
"And about this so-called pregnancy—Ms. Evans keeps claiming she's three months along," I said, my tone laced with disbelief.
"But everyone in the capital knows I was way down south sourcing medicine three months ago. I only got back at the start of last month. My clinic's barely been open for a few days," I continued, not backing down.
I locked eyes with Lydia, my stare practically burning through her.
"What, do I have some kind of magic power? Can I get a woman pregnant from a thousand miles away?" I shot back, full of sarcasm.
The crowd instantly erupted.
"Yeah. Dr. Parker really wasn't in the capital three months ago. I came by for treatment, but his clinic was closed," someone shouted.
"The timing just doesn't add up," another person chimed in.
"Wait, is Ms. Evans really just trying to pin this on Dr. Parker?" someone else blurted out.
Doubt started to spread through the crowd. The same people who were calling me a jerk just moments ago were now eyeing Lydia with suspicion.
Lydia panicked. Her eyes darted to Audrey, searching for help.
Audrey's eyes flashed with ruthless determination. She knew she couldn't win with reason, so she switched to shameless tactics.
"Casey, enough with your smooth talk!" Audrey snapped, stepping forward and jabbing a finger right at my nose.
"Who can prove where you really were? Maybe you snuck back to the capital for a secret meeting, got what you wanted and then pretended it never happened. Now you're trying to twist this around and blame us," she shouted, her voice sharp and accusing.
With a wave of her hand, the servants immediately advanced, swinging their clubs and forcing the crowd to disperse.
"The Evans family's reputation comes first. Today, you're admitting it whether you want to or not. Someone, grab him and haul him back to the manor. I refuse to believe he'll keep his mouth so stubborn once he's thrown into our cell," Audrey barked, her voice cold and ruthless.
Lydia screamed, her body suddenly going limp as she collapsed into the snow.
"My belly... Casey, are you really going to push me and our child to death?" Lydia wailed, clutching her stomach, her voice trembling with desperation.
The Evans Manor's servants immediately started shouting loudly.
"Murder! He's killing Ms. Evans and her baby. This quack is a murderer," they yelled, their voices echoing through the crowd.
The scene instantly spiraled out of control. In the chaos, a few servants lunged forward and tried to grab me.
Just then, a carriage with blue drapes slowly pulled up at the edge of the crowd.
The curtain was lifted. A girl in a butter-yellow cloak stepped out, still holding a meat pie she'd just bought.
That was Princess Grace Campbell—the one I'd been secretly treating.
She casually walked right through the crowd. Not a single one of those tough-looking servants dared to get in her way.
Grace grinned, "Quite a show you've got going here in the snow."
She strolled up beside me, her eyes flicking over Lydia with obvious sarcasm.
Grace said, "Lady Evans, is this how your family handles things? Forcing someone to marry right in the street?"
Audrey had no idea Grace was in disguise. To her, Grace was just some nosy rich girl butting in.
Audrey snapped at her, "Who do you think you are, little girl? Get lost. This is our business. Stay out of it."
Grace didn't get mad at all.
She had a bite of the meat pie and mumbled, "I just think Dr. Parker's pretty cute. I don't want you folks messing him up."
She suddenly turned to me, with a sly glint in her eyes.
"Dr. Parker, since she's already pinned this mess on you, if you don't own up to it, won't everyone think you've got no spine?" she whispered.
I blinked. Then I caught on.
She thought the scandal wasn't nearly entertaining enough. She wanted to stoke the fire higher.
Grace raised her voice, with a mocking edge.
She said, "Come on, Ms. Evans comes from such a noble family. How can she just air her dirty laundry right here in the street? For something this serious, why not take it to His Majesty and let him judge for himself?"