Diamond Tears | Book 2 of The Champagne Chronicles

T W O - Shadows Of The Throne

The lecture hall was filled with the soft hum of students murmuring as they settled into their seats. Daphne sat near the middle, her notebook open in front of her, pen in hand, but her focus drifted in and out. The professor's voice droned on, discussing theories of child development and early education techniques, but her thoughts were elsewhere.

It wasn't the course material that she found difficult—if anything, she enjoyed the challenge of learning something new, something meaningful. But no matter how hard she tried to stay present, her mind kept wandering back to her family. Or rather, the lack of them in her life now.

Being completely cut off from the Arnault name, from the wealth and privileges she had grown up with, was still a strange and unsettling reality. Daphne had chosen this path, she had stood up to her grandfather and rejected the life that had been planned for her, but the consequences weighed on her more than she expected. She had accepted losing her inheritance and the comfort of her old life, but the silence from her family—especially from Benoit—was harder to bear.

Not hearing anything from her brother since that day gnawed at her. Benoit had always been overprotective, meddling even, but he was still her brother. They had their differences, but they shared a bond she thought couldn't be broken. And yet, here she was—alone, with not even a word from him. It stung more than she wanted to admit.

Daphne sighed quietly, her pen tapping absentmindedly against the edge of her notebook. She glanced out the window, watching the autumn leaves fall from the trees, their colors vibrant against the overcast sky. It was still strange to her how much her life had changed in such a short amount of time. A few months ago, she would have been in Paris, attending some high-society event, smiling for the cameras with her family at her side. Now, she was a student, living in a dorm, working part-time at a café, and no one knew her name.

But as much as she missed certain aspects of her old life, she tried to remind herself of the positives. She was free now—free to make her own choices, to carve out her own path. She no longer had to live under her grandfather's thumb, forced into a life she didn't want. She had chosen this life, and even though it was hard, it was hers.

She smiled slightly at the thought of Fenna. If it weren't for her, Daphne wasn't sure how she would have made it through the first few weeks. Fenna had been a rock—always there to lend a hand, to joke around when things got tough, to remind her that she wasn't alone. Daphne didn't take that for granted, not for a second.

But there was a small pang of discomfort that came with Fenna too. It wasn't Fenna herself—it was the fact that she was with Levi, one of Riley's best friends. Seeing them together was a reminder of everything Daphne was still trying to sort through. She was happy for Fenna, truly, but it wasn't easy watching them laugh and joke around, knowing that Riley was still in her heart, still occupying a part of her mind she hadn't fully dealt with.

The professor's voice pulled her back into the present, and she scribbled down a few notes, trying to stay focused. She had chosen this new life, and she had to make it work. Yes, it was hard—being cut off, being on her own—but she wasn't alone. She had Fenna, she had new opportunities, and despite everything, she had hope.

Daphne took a deep breath, straightened in her seat, and forced herself to pay attention to the lecture. There was no going back now. All she could do was move forward, one step at a time.

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The cameras were already rolling by the time Vincent Grimaldi stepped up to the podium. The polished marble of the palace gleamed in the backdrop, a symbol of Monaco's enduring legacy, but the tension in the air was undeniable. The reporters had fallen into an anxious silence, their pens poised, microphones held steady, waiting for Vincent to address the nation.