Chapter 9
Valerius looked at me as if he were seeing me for the first time. The expression was almost comical. “Lyra, we have been married for years. Must we end in such a bloody stalemate?”
I mimicked the sigh he had given me in my past life. “It is precisely because we are husband and wife that cannot show you favoritism. I know you are not an ambitious man. This is the only way to convince the King of your noble character. A man of such high principles would never abandon his King to chase after a pouti- ng mistress, would he?”
I nodded to the servants. “Begin. But remember to place several cushions beneath them. We wouldn’t want to stain the floor.”
I leaned back in my chair and waited for the show to begin.
Valerius finally understood. I would no longer be swayed by his empty words, no longer be a slave to my feelings for him. He looked at Elara, his eyes suddenly full of a deep, sorrowful affection.
“Elara, we grew up together. Our bond cannot be described in mere words. So… you will save me, won’t you? Just like before. You would give your own life to protect my honor.”
His words were laced with a hypnotic charm, just as they had been before he threw me to the beasts.
I clenched my fists and waited for Elara’s response.
As I expected, in the face of absolute life and death, all affection is a lie.
Elara’s loving expression vanished, replaced by a mask of raw fury. Her eyes were bloodshot. She glared at
Valerius.
“You bastard! I would have to be insane to trade my life for yours. I only pretended to be weak and pitiful
because I thought the King would favor such women. You have some nerve, to think I would actually die for
you.”
I raised an eyebrow, unsurprised. But Valerius stared at her in disbelief. “But… you love me. If you didn’t love
me, why would you become my mistress?”
Elara threw her head back and laughed. “Because you had power! Because you could help my family climb
the social ladder!”
She then turned to me, her face a twisted mask of fear and malice. “My lady, there is something you do not know. When I was with Valerius, he always said you were boring. He planned to kill you after you gave birth. Even the poison I gave you… it was his idea. Where else would I get such a rare and expensive substance?”
“And what’s more, besides me, he has several other mistresses. One of them even has a three–year–old child. When you kill him, my lady, remember to kill those children as well. Otherwise, they might grow up and seek
Chapter 2
revenge. They all know they have a rich father, and they are all waiting for their inheritance.”
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I was stunned. I had not known any of this, in this life or the last. If I had not learned of it today, it could have
become a serious problem in the future.
Valerius was furious that Elara had exposed him. He lunged at her, his hands closing around her throat. “You
venomous bitch! You lie to save your own skin! Do you think you are innocent in all this? If you hadn’t run off,
I would never have gone after you, and none of this would have happened! It’s all your fault!”
