BETRAYAL OF DIGNITY
Bonus Volume
Part 1 ~ 2
As the evening meal concluded and Alice disappeared to entertain her niece and nephew, Chloe cautiously approached Damien.
"Your Majesty, might you spare a moment for me?"
Damien's lips curved into a roguish smirk, his eyes alight with their characteristic arrogance.
"I am rather preoccupied, but for you, I shall make time. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Chloe hesitated, waving her hand in the air as if to dismiss her own request.
"Oh, if you were in the midst of pressing matters..."
But Damien closed the distance between them, bowing his head to murmur in her ear, "Just tell me what you wish to say, my love."
A blush crept up her neck as his breath tickled her earlobe.
Noticing the servants discreetly turning away, she hastened to explain, "I was hoping we could take a stroll. We haven't done so in a long while."
For a moment, Damien searched her face with a penetrating gaze. Then, with a smile that could charm the stars from the sky, he offered his arm.
"Then let us not delay, my Queen."
Chloe slipped her arm through his, their steps falling into a harmonious rhythm. Upon exiting the castle, they were greeted by the balmy touch of the summer breeze that had grown warmer over the past week. As they made their way to the rose garden, Damien laughed softly.
It was not difficult for him to guess why Chloe, who had been busy with her sister's visit, had sought his company. The choice of the rose garden made it particularly obvious.
It was in this very garden that he had first exploited her weakness to bring her to her knees. It was also here that he had erected her tombstone after Chloe, disillusioned by his deceit, had feigned her death and fled from him. And it had been Damien who, in his refusal to accept her passing, had exhumed that very grave.
So, Chloe, you wish to assuage your own guilt for our missed holiday by reminding me of my misdeeds.
Yet, unlike her husband, Chloe was guided by a heart untouched by cynicism.
Her wish was simple: to wander beside him amidst the roses in full bloom.
With Alice visiting, the memories of their fateful encounter in the ballroom became even more vivid, compelling her to retrace those moments-the bittersweet memories of a merciless lover who had dared to ask a disabled woman to dance.
Damien gently broke the silence.
"How is Alice?"
Chloe's face lit up at the mention of her sister.
"She flourishes wherever she is planted. Anna and Declan love their aunt's company. Father is overjoyed too, of course."
"And you?" Damien asked. As she met his gaze, he tenderly brushed a stray lock from her forehead and repeated his question. "Are you happy too?"
"Of course," she replied, her lips parting as his fingers grazed her cheek.
"That's all that matters."
He withdrew his hand from her face with a fluid motion before continuing deeper into the garden, which unfolded like a labyrinth before them. Though their arms were no longer linked, he maintained a leisurely pace, as if the thought of the distance between them growing was unbearable.
Observing Damien at her side, Chloe smiled quietly.
"Do you remember..." she began.
"Yes?"
