The morning arrived beautifully, and inside the guest room, all the maids were gathered together, busy preparing Evelyn.
Evelyn looked exceptionally happy, a bright smile on her face.
The head maid, Maria, looked at her with admiration and said, “My lady, you look incredibly beautiful.”
Evelyn smiled warmly and replied with a lot of love, “Thank you so very, very much.”
Hearing this, another junior maid couldn’t help but speak up, “My lady, you are so very fortunate that your engagement has been fixed with Lord Rosenberg.”
Evelyn blinked and murmured softly, “Is that so?
Truly?”
But inside her mind, she secretly thought to herself, ‘If only these people knew the truth.
They have no idea that all of this is just for a contract.
It isn’t real at all.’
Meanwhile, in the master bedchamber, another scene was unfolding.
Killian was standing in front of his mirror, wearing the exact royal tailored suit that Evelyn had personally selected and purchased for him.
He adjusted the jacket and looked at his reflection in the mirror.
Sebastian, who was standing right beside him, bowed his head and said, “My lord, you look exceptionally handsome.”
Killian paused, looking at his butler through the glass.
“Do I truly look good?”
“Yes, my lord.
Absolutely,” Sebastian replied deadpan.
Killian smoothed down his jacket, a subtle softness appearing in his eyes.
“By the way, Evelyn’s choice is remarkably good.”
“Indeed, my lord,” Sebastian agreed.
Killian then turned around and commanded calmly, “Very well.
Go down and check the foyer, the guests must be arriving by now.”
“Yes, my lord.
I shall go immediately,” Sebastian said.
He opened the heavy double doors and walked out of the room.
Downstairs, the grand hall of the Rosenberg mansion was alive with a massive celebration.
The ballroom was completely packed as guests from every city and various royal families gathered together to witness the event.
Sebastian stood near the grand entrance, welcoming all the noble guests.
A high-ranking royal couple walked up to him, looking around with immense curiosity.
“Where are Lord Rosenberg and his fiancée?” the noble lord asked.
Sebastian adjusted his spectacles and replied smoothly, “They are just about to arrive.”
Right at that moment, the orchestra played a grand fanfare.
At the top of the grand staircase, Killian and Evelyn appeared together like a perfect couple.
Evelyn was holding Killian’s arm securely.
The entire crowd in the hall erupted into loud applause, clapping enthusiastically for them.
“You both look absolutely magnificent together!” a noble lady cheered from the crowd.
“May no evil eye ever touch your beautiful union!”
Hearing the roaring crowd, Evelyn became extremely nervous.
Her heart hammered against her ribs, and in her anxiety, she tightened her grip, holding Killian’s arm with intense force.
Killian felt the sudden pressure, looking down at her trembling hands to provide silent support.
Standing before the crowd, Killian performed an elegant royal bow—something the guests had never seen the proud Monster Duke do before.
The entire crowd was completely stunned to see Lord Rosenberg bow before them.
Within seconds, several noble couples swarmed around them, offering endless praises about their match.
A waiter stepped forward, handing Killian a crystal glass of fine wine.
As they were conversing with the guests, a wealthy nobleman stepped dangerously close to Evelyn, his eyes locked onto her with intense admiration.
“My Lady Evelyn,” the man spoke smoothly, “Your beauty is completely otherworldly.
You look like a beautiful Apsara descended directly from the heavens, an angel straight out of paradise.”
Hearing another man pour such poetic praises upon Evelyn, an intense, uncontrollable rage erupted deep within Killian’s chest.
His midnight-blue eyes turned incredibly dark and murderous.
The pure jealousy and anger made him clench his fist with absolute violence.
CRACK!
The delicate crystal wine glass shattered completely inside his bare hand.
The dark red liquid splashed across the polished floor, and sharp shards dug deep into his palm.
The nobleman took one look at Killian’s terrifying, demonic expression and instantly stumbled backward, scrambling away into the crowd to save his life.
Dark red blood began to ooze rapidly from Killian’s palm.
Evelyn gasped in pure, wide-eyed shock, instantly grabbing his bleeding hand.
“What on earth have you done?!
Come with me quickly, I need to bandage this right now!
Let’s go!”
Without waiting for his response, she forcefully dragged the towering Grand Duke away from the ballroom, heading straight into a private parlor.
Inside the private parlor, the door was firmly locked to shut out the noise of the party.
Killian sat silently on a velvet sofa while Evelyn knelt in front of him, carefully washing the blood away and wrapping a clean white bandage tightly around his palm.
As she was tying the knot, Evelyn looked up at him and scolded gently, “Why on earth did you do this, Killian?”
Killian looked away toward the far wall, his voice flat.
“The glass…
was simply far too fragile.”
Evelyn let out a soft chuckle, a beautiful, knowing smile appearing on her lips.
“You did this entirely because of me, didn’t you?
I know the truth.
The moment he began praising my beauty, you became entirely furious.
Am I right?”
Killian’s posture stiffened completely.
His tongue felt strangely twisted, and his words stuttered slightly as he spoke with intense shyness.
“N-No…
it is absolutely nothing like that.”
“Oh, really?” Evelyn teased, her amethyst eyes dancing with amusement.
“But our engagement is merely a temporary act, a drama.
Even so…”
Killian turned his head completely away to hide his burning cheeks, his voice dropping into a deep, stubborn murmur.
“Even if it is just a contract…
in the eyes of everyone out there, you are my fiancée.
I will absolutely not tolerate any other man praising you or looking at you like that.
I do not like it.”
Hearing his possessive words, Evelyn couldn’t contain her joy and burst into a beautiful, ringing laugh.
“We should return.
The guests are waiting.”
Evelyn rose from the floor, but as she looked down at her gorgeous dress, her smile faltered.
A few dark drops of blood had stained the fabric near her waist.
“You should proceed ahead, Killian.
I need to change my clothes briefly, as some blood has gotten onto my dress.”
Killian looked at the stain and nodded firmly.
“Very well.
Do not take too long.
Come back quickly, understood?”
“Yes, Killian,” Evelyn replied softly.
Killian turned, unlocked the door, and walked out into the corridor, closing it behind him.
Evelyn sat on the edge of the bed, a soft, beautiful smile gracing her lips.
‘He truly isn’t a bad person at heart,’ she thought sweetly.
A few moments later, Killian walked down the grand marble stairs, returning to the bustling hall.
But before he could even reach the center of the room, a massive, violent commotion violently erupted from the outer courtyard of the mansion.
The frantic sounds of shouting guards, clashing weapons, and angry screams cut through the heavy walls, completely drowning out the music.
The guests froze in sudden panic.
Killian marched toward his head butler, his voice dropping into a freezing, dangerous tone.
“What is the meaning of this?
What is all this noise about, Sebastian?”
Sebastian’s deadpan expression turned incredibly grave as he bowed.
“I am uncertain, my lord.
The disturbance is coming from the outer gates.”
Deep within his mind, Killian’s eyes turned dark with a chilling realization.
‘Have they truly arrived?’
Upstairs, Evelyn had just finished changing into an alternate dress when the violent roars from the courtyard reached her ears.
Panic seizing her chest, she sprinted out onto her private balcony, leaning over the stone railing to see what was happening.
Her amethyst eyes widened in absolute, paralyzing dread.
The outer perimeter was a complete battlefield of shouting guards.
Standing directly on the other side of the breached barrier, surrounded by a heavy battalion of imperial soldiers, was Evelyn’s mother—the Empress of Eldoria—alongside her biological brother, the young Prince.
They were creating an absolute storm at the gates.
The Empress’s face was completely contorted into a demonic mask of pure, unadulterated rage.
She pointed her fan directly toward the grand mansion, screaming at the top of her lungs with a piercing, murderous fury.
“Where is she?!” the Empress roared hysterically, her voice echoing through the entire estate.
“Where is that useless, magic-less piece of filth?!
Surrender that useless girl to me this instant, Rosenberg!”
Standing high above on the balcony, Evelyn clutched the cold stone railing, her entire body shaking uncontrollably with pure horror as her past arrived to destroy her peace.
Thank you for reading!
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