Chapter 6
The engagement banquet took place at the most luxurious hotel in the Rivers Group portfolio, its exterior draped with the crests of both the Rivers and the Wynn families.
The media had begun gathering since the afternoon, with live-streaming cameras already set up along the red carpet.
I, meanwhile, was locked inside a villa by the sea.
Charles had left me a letter. [Sophia, once tonight is over, I will take you away from here.]
I tore the paper into shreds and flushed every last piece down the toilet.
As dusk fell, the royal guard, disguised as the cleaner, opened the back door. "Your Highness, the car is ready."
She handed me a black gown.
When I looked in the mirror, I barely recognized the woman staring back, thin to the point of frailty, my lips drained of colour, but my eyes hard as ice.
The pain in my abdomen had never truly faded, and each step felt like walking on broken glass.
I put on the gown and wore the sapphire earrings the royal guard had delivered.
They were substitutes for the royal insignia.
The original ring had been tossed into a storm drain by Vivian. But the guard had tracked down its remains using the positioning chip.
Only half the gem remained, yet that was still enough to unlock the royal database.
The convoy slipped away from the villa through the back exit.
*****
At the same moment, inside the hotel, the grand ballroom blazed with light.
Vivian walked arm in arm with Charles, posing for the reporters.
Her stomach was not yet showing, yet she had deliberately chosen a gown cinched tight at the waist.
Charles' father, Edward, sat at the head table, smiling with quiet satisfaction.
Vivian's father, Arthur Wynn, clinked glasses with the board members.
Everyone was waiting for the Rivers Group stock price to surge in the morning.
I was sitting in the car, watching the live broadcast.
The host asked Charles, "Mr. Rivers, you and Ms. Wynn grew up together as childhood sweethearts, and now that you're engaged, is there anything you'd like to say to your fiancée?"
Charles paused for a moment.
Vivian looked at him with a smile.
Then he spoke. "I just want to say thank you for standing by me when the Rivers Group was going through its hardest days."
Applause followed, and I turned off the screen.
The hotel was getting closer outside the car window.
Beside me, the royal guard lowered her voice. "Your Highness, His Majesty's convoy arrives in five minutes."
I gave a nod. "Put out the evidence first."
On the hotel's giant screen, the couple's wedding photos were still playing when it suddenly went black.
A heartbeat later, Vivian's voice filled the entire venue. "Your baby is more developed than mine. So that baby can't be born."
What followed was footage of the nurses holding me down, the needle sinking into my arm, and me collapsing onto the floor with my dress turning red beneath me.
The hall went completely silent.
Vivian's face drained of every last drop of color. "Cut it! Turn it off, now!"
Charles didn't move. He just stood there, rooted to the spot, his eyes fixed on the screen.
The video kept playing.
Vincent's voice came through next. "The doctors will call it a natural miscarriage."
Arthur shot to his feet. "Who did this?"
Outside the hotel, the press was already pressing their shutters like mad.
On the livestream, the comments had erupted beyond control.
I stepped into the hall in my high heels, and every single camera swung toward me in unison.
The moment Charles saw me, it was as if someone had slapped him right across the face. "Sophia..."
Vivian's voice rose to a shriek. "Security! Throw her out."
The guards rushed toward me, but the royal guard stepped in front of me and raised the Silver Rose insignia for all to see.
From outside the hotel came the sound of ceremonial salutes.
A convoy of black-and-gold vehicles had pulled up at the end of the red carpet, and the banner of the House of Rhine was now unfurling in the night wind.
A gasp went through the crowd inside the hall. "That's the King of Rhine's convoy!"
The doors swung open once more.
My father walked in wearing his black ceremonial robes, flanked by the royal legal team and his personal guards.
He came straight to me, took off his coat, and draped it over my shoulders. "Sophia. Sorry, I'm late."
I clutched his sleeve and finally let the word out. "Papa."
Every last trace of color drained from Charles' face.
My father raised his eyes to him. "Mr. Rivers, I've heard a great deal about you. You've taken wonderful care of my daughter."