Chapter 3

After the scene Coralia caused at the feast, my marriage to Hayden was, of course, put on hold.

Now that he was no longer a monk, his family kept him at home. I hadn't seen him in a long time.

The Thorne family was old money, and Hayden had once been a celebrated scholar. I was just the illegitimate daughter of a duke. His family had never approved of me.

Before, they were polite to me because I had convinced Hayden to leave the monastery.

But now that Coralia was back, they wanted me out of the picture even more.

A few days ago, an offhand comment from my stepsister reminded my father of my existence. He was planning to marry me off to a rich, ancient merchant in exchange for a hefty dowry.

The carriage to take me back to the duke's manor should be at the foot of the mountain by now.

If it hadn't been for that fateful night with Caspian, I would have been on my way to marry that old man in just a few days.

This morning, Hayden escaped from his family's estate to celebrate my birthday with me.

"Elara," he said with a charming smile, placing a rhododendron-shaped hairpin in my hair. "You are as beautiful as this flower."

I stared at my reflection in the mirror.

For years, Hayden had said he loved me for who I was, but he had slowly been molding me to his own tastes.

He said he loved rhododendrons, so I learned to love them too.

I scented my clothes with their fragrance and wore dresses with their pattern.

He said he liked vibrant, outgoing women, so I shed my simple clothes and wore fiery red.

It wasn't until I saw Coralia at the feast last night that I realized the reason behind all his preferences.

When Coralia saw me, her spitting image, the mockery and ridicule in her eyes were like a knife to my heart, utterly humiliating me.

That's why she was so sure Hayden hadn't forgotten her, why she put on such a dramatic show to win his sympathy.

Suddenly, it all felt so meaningless. I took the hairpin out. "I don't like rhododendrons," I said flatly.

Hayden was stunned. "But you always loved them before," he blurted out.

I just smiled sadly.

His eyes darkened. He tossed the pin aside. "If you don't like it, then we'll get rid of it. Tell me what you like, and I'll get it for you another day."

He leaned in close, his voice as gentle as ever. "It was my fault for not noticing your tastes."

I clenched my fists. "Hayden, do you know that today…"

Before I could finish, a maid rushed in, crying. "Sir Thorne, my princess is missing!"

She crawled forward and grabbed his clothes. "Princess Coralia holds you in her heart. Even if she made a mistake in the past, you can't just let her die!"

Hayden was shocked. He grabbed the maid and pulled her to her feet. "Let's go, quickly!"

"Coralia is so fragile. How can she survive on this mountain in the middle of winter?"

He was in such a hurry that he bumped into my shoulder as he turned.

I hit the corner of the table. A red, swollen bruise immediately formed on my shoulder. The rhododendron hairpin was knocked to the floor and shattered.

My cry of pain, the sound of the breaking jade… neither was enough to earn even a single glance from Hayden.

All he said was, "Elara, I'll come back for you tonight."

Then he rushed off to his fragile, helpless first love.

I stared at his back, biting my lip until it bled. "In that case," I laughed bitterly, "we don't need to say goodbye."

I got into the duke's carriage. At the foot of the mountain, I passed Hayden on his way up.