Chapter 5

Edward sat across from me, his eyes rimmed red, his voice low and earnest, his movements careful and restrained. In that moment, he looked almost exactly like the man who had once loved me so completely.

A warmth spread through my chest, softening something I had held tightly for far too long.

I found myself reaching for excuses on his behalf. Maybe this really wasn't his choice. Maybe he was only playing along because of the Princess Royal's position, forced into a role he couldn't refuse, while the person he truly cared about had never changed.

After all, we had shared a life together. There were so many tender, unguarded moments. Love like that didn't simply vanish overnight.

Once the thought took hold, it refused to let go.

I watched the strain in his expression, the redness in his eyes, and the quiet pain he seemed unable to hide. The bitterness and hurt I had carried began to loosen their grip, giving way to something dangerously close to sympathy.

I almost let myself believe him that his hands were tied, that some part of him still cared for me.

But then reason pulled me back.

I thought about what had happened earlier that day, the way he held Aurora's hand, the way he bent over backwards to please her, and the way he brushed past me like I didn't exist, right in front of her.

If I truly meant something to him and if he genuinely cared, how could he have been so openly affectionate with her?

If he really had no choice, how could he have stood there watching Aurora deliberately burn me, only to fuss over whether she had hurt herself?

None of it was ever about being forced. Those were just excuses he made up to justify his own betrayal.

At that thought, the brief softness in my heart was once again supplanted by a chill resolve.

I withdrew my hand gently, my voice betraying no trace of emotion as I held his gaze and said, word by word, "You're being too dramatic. It's nothing but a scratch. Hardly something I've ever given a second thought."

A flicker of surprise crossed Edward's face, as though my response had caught him completely off guard.

But that look soon gave way to a faint, relieved smile, and he let out a soft sigh. "Charlotte, you truly are the one who knows me best. Hearing you say that puts my mind completely at ease."

He opened his mouth as if to continue, perhaps to press further on the emotional thread he'd been trying to weave, but just then a servant's urgent voice sounded from outside the door, edged with impatience. "Mr. Payne!"

Edward's face shifted for just an instant, but he stopped himself mid-sentence and snapped toward the door, "What is it? What's all this panic about?"

The servant hurried inside, bowed, and spoke in a tone that was both respectful and eager. "Sir, a messenger has arrived from the Princess Royal."

At the very mention of the Princess Royal, every trace of tenderness drained from Edward's expression, replaced entirely by a desperate, fawning eagerness that even made his eyes light up.

"What did she say?" he pressed impatiently. "Go on. Tell me!"

The servant quickly answered, "Sir, the Princess Royal mentioned today, quite casually, that there is a gem from the Western Regions called the Celestial Tear Gem. She said its color is exceptionally beautiful and that it would flatter her complexion wonderfully.

"She asked whether you might be able to find such a stone and send it to her as a gift."

The Celestial Tear Gem?

My heart gave a small stir. I had heard of this gem before. It was extraordinarily rare, prohibitively expensive, and far beyond the reach of any ordinary family. Even many nobles and high officials would struggle to get their hands on one.

And our household was nothing more than the residence of an illegitimate son on the Payne Estate. Edward held no real power or influence, and the family's savings came entirely from the dowry I had brought from the Hughes family, nowhere near enough to buy such a priceless treasure.