Chapter 6
The steward’s words seemed to pull Sebastian back to his senses.
He gave a stiff nod and turned to another servant. “Go, check Lady Grace, she has just suffered a miscarriage. She is still weak.”
The man dashed off without hesitation.
Only then did Sebastian finally relax enough to step into the family chapel.
At the center of the chamber, Lady Seraphina was gently caressing her slightly rounded belly. Those usually stern and inflexible family elders were now all smiles, looking at her with uncharacteristic warmth and approval.
He’d barely arrived a few minutes late, and she had already won them over.
A perfect flower of the pleasure halls, trained to tame the coldest of hearts–how fitting that she could charm even these crusty old nobles.
Sebastian forced down the bitterness rising in his throat. “Uncle Reginald, forgive my delay. I trust the elders haven’t been waiting too long.”
The man he called “Uncle Reginald” wasn’t truly a close relation–distantly connected by blood, long removed from inheritance–but he’d once sponsored Sebastian when he first arrived in Crownspire, having passed the royal trials years prior.
Because of that early kindness, Sebastian had always treated him with a degree of respect.
Seeing the young man now bowing so politely, Lord Reginald’s smile deepened.
“Sebastian, you’re just in time. We’ve already discussed the matter.”
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“Today, we serve as witnesses. Let it be known: you shall officially take this lady as your consort. And the child she carries shall be named your firstborn heir.”
At those words, Seraphina’s eyes sparkled with joy. But before she could respond, Sebastian’s voice rang out. “Who said anything about taking her as consort?”
“Sebastian?” Seraphina looked stunned.
He didn’t even glance her way. “I told you the day I freed you from your contract I would never marry you.”
“This child will be registered under Grace’s name. As for you, Seraphina, I can give you anything… except a title.”
Her face drained of color, then flushed again in quick succession.
The elders exchanged uneasy glances.
After a moment, Lord Reginald cleared his throat. “It’s fine. Sebastian knows what he’s doing. And… considering her background, it’s not exactly fitting for her to be brought into the household formally.”
Seraphina paled even more.
A year ago, Sebastian had attended a banquet hosted by a peer. She’d been one of the entertainers invited for the evening–a performer, trained in charm and song.
From the moment she saw him, she’d set her sights.
But the man had been ice–cold, utterly unmoved. His heart, it seemed, belonged to Grace only.
Still, she persisted.
Eventually, she drugged his wine and seduced him, certain that once she’d shared his bed, her place at his side would be secured.
She hadn’t expected his first reaction upon waking to be… trying to kill her.
It had taken all her cunning to turn the tide.
And now, after all that scheming, a few words from these old men had sealed her fate–with no name, no title, just an unacknowledged belly. She clutched at Sebastian’s sleeve. “My lord, I don’t ask for status–I only wish to raise my own child…”
His expression flickered with impatience. But the mention of the child softened his tone.
“Enough. Don’t think too much. Just deliver the child safely, and you’ll be well taken care of.”
She forced a smile and opened her mouth to ask him to stay with her that night–only for a servant to come stumbling through the doors. Chapter 6
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“My lord! It’s the lady-”
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Chapter 6
