CHAPTER 121: CHAPTER HUNDRED AND TWENTY ONE

The lantern light flickered in the night breeze, casting long, dancing shadows against the stone pillars of the pavilion. The tension that had been a physical struggle between two desperate women shattered instantly at the sound of the deep, booming voice.

Senna released Ashlyn’s wrist as if it burned her. Ashlyn stumbled back, clutching her bruised arm, her chest heaving.

They both turned to the entrance of the garden path.

Derek stepped fully into the circle of light. He was not alone. Marissa stood by his side, her hand resting lightly on his arm, her expression one of calm, icy judgment. Behind them, Lily stood like a silent sentinel, her face grim.

The sight of the struck fear into the hearts of the two conspirators.

Senna reacted first. Her survival instinct was faster than a viper’s strike. She smoothed her disheveled hair and dropped into a low, trembling curtsy, instantly shedding the skin of the murderer she had almost become and donning the mask of the victim.

"Your Grace," Senna cried out, her voice breaking with relief. "You finally came."

She pointed a shaking finger at Ashlyn, her eyes wide with unshed tears.

"The Second Lady..." Senna gasped, acting as if she were out of breath from terror. "She is mad. She framed the Grand Duchess with a fake miscarriage, and when her lie was exposed, she pinned the blame on me! She tried to force me to take the fall for her crimes!"

Ashlyn stood there, frozen in shock. Her mouth hung open slightly. She stared at Senna, unable to process the speed of the betrayal.

"Is she dumping it all on me?" Ashlyn thought, her mind reeling in disbelief. "She gave me the poison. She tried to push me down the stairs just seconds ago. And now she plays the innocent?"

Senna didn’t stop. She walked on her knees toward Derek, looking up at him with pleading eyes.

"Your Grace," Senna begged. "Please, I beg of you to uphold justice for me. I am just a guest. I have no power here. She dragged this doctor here to slander my name!"

The injustice of it snapped Ashlyn out of her stupor. The fear of Derek was momentarily eclipsed by a blinding, white-hot rage at Senna.

"You liar!" Ashlyn screamed.

She stepped forward, ignoring the presence of the Grand Duke. She looked down at Senna with pure hatred.

"This venomous snake, Senna, used me!"

Ashlyn shouted, turning to look at Marissa and Derek, desperate to be believed. "She used me against the Grand Duchess! She gave me a drug that nearly caused my miscarriage! She told me it was harmless, but she tried to kill my child!"

Ashlyn pointed at Senna, her hand shaking.

"Such a malicious person doesn’t deserve to stay here anymore!" Ashlyn declared. "She is a danger to us all!"

The garden fell silent. The wind rustled the leaves.

Marissa took a step forward. She didn’t look at Senna. She looked straight at her sister. A slow, cold smile spread across Marissa’s lips. It was the smile of a hunter who had just watched the prey walk into the trap.

"So," Marissa said softly.

She walked toward Ashlyn, her steps slow and deliberate.

"You admit it," Marissa stated. "You admit conspiring with her to frame me."

Ashlyn froze. The blood drained from her face.

She realized, too late, what she had just said. In her haste to blame Senna, she had confessed to the partnership. She had admitted that she was used against the Grand Duchess. She had admitted that there was a plot.

"No... no," Ashlyn stammered, taking a step back. "That isn’t what I meant."

"It sounded very clear to me," Marissa said, closing the distance. "You admitted that you worked with an outsider. You admitted that you took drugs to stage a scene. You admitted that your goal was to harm me."

"I was deceived by her!" Ashlyn cried, her voice rising in panic. "I was a victim! She tricked me! I was victimized by her lies!"

Marissa stopped in front of Ashlyn. She looked down at her sister with eyes as hard as flint.

"Colluding with an outsider to slander the lady of the house," Marissa said, her voice ringing with authority, "and endangering the family child with reckless schemes... these are grave offenses, Ashlyn. They deserve severe punishment."

Marissa glanced at the whip that one of the guards was holding in the distance.

"Perhaps thirty lashes were not enough to teach you discipline," Marissa mused.

Ashlyn broke. She was sweating, her heart pounding against her ribs like a hammer. She couldn’t take another beating. Her body was still sore, her spirit fragile. And now she knew she was really pregnant.

She collapsed. She fell to her knees on the hard stone, clutching her stomach with both hands.

"Please!" Ashlyn begged, looking up at Marissa. "Please, sister. The baby isn’t stable. The doctor said I am weak."

Tears streamed down her face. She looked pathetic.

"Think about the child, please!" Ashlyn sobbed. "He is innocent. He is your nephew. Don’t hurt him because of my mistakes. I beg you!"

Marissa looked down at the weeping woman. She felt no pity, only a cold pragmatism. Punishing a pregnant woman physically would turn the household against her. It would make her look cruel. But she couldn’t let Ashlyn go free.

Marissa sighed, as if weighing a heavy burden.

"Considering your pregnancy," Marissa said slowly, "I will be a bit kind."

Ashlyn let out a breath of relief, her head bowing low.

"However," Marissa continued, her voice hardening. "You cannot be allowed to roam free to plot again. You are a danger to yourself and to the peace of this house."

Marissa gestured to the guards.

"You will be confined to your quarters," Marissa ordered. "Your meals will be brought to you. Your door will be guarded. Without my express, written permission, you do not leave that room. Not for a walk. Not for a visit. Not for anything."

It was a prison sentence disguised as bed rest.

"Rest well for the baby," Marissa said coldly. "Reflect on your actions."

Ashlyn nodded rapidly. "Yes. Yes, thank you. Thank you, Your Grace."

Marissa turned to the guard " Escort the Second Lady to her chambers."

The guard bowed. " Yes, Your Grace."

Ashlyn struggled to her feet. She offered a shaky, clumsy curtsy to Derek and Marissa. She didn’t dare look at Senna. She turned and hurried away, supported by a maid and led by the guard, fleeing the garden as if the devil were at her heels.

Marissa watched her go until she disappeared into the darkness. Then, she turned her attention to the person remaining on the ground.

Senna.

Senna was still kneeling, looking up with large, hopeful eyes. She thought she had won. She thought that by exposing Ashlyn, by playing the victim, she had secured her place. After all, she had "helped" reveal the truth.

"Your Grace," Senna said softly to Derek. "Thank you for saving me. That woman... she is unstable."

Derek didn’t answer. He didn’t even look at her. He stood beside Marissa, his face like stone, deferring entirely to his wife.

Marissa looked at Senna. There was no anger in her eyes, only a bored dismissal.

Marissa nodded to Lily.

Lily stepped forward. She held a small, heavy leather pouch in her hand. She didn’t hand it to Senna. She threw it.

The pouch sailed through the air and landed with a heavy thud against Senna’s chest. Senna caught it by reflex, her eyes widening in surprise. She looked at the pouch, then up at Marissa.

"That contains coins," Marissa spoke, her voice flat. "Enough for a carriage ride and a night at an inn."

Senna’s mouth opened. "Your Grace? I don’t understand. I..."

"Pack your belongings," Marissa cut her off. "And leave this instant."

Senna froze. "Leave? But... my home is burned. I have nowhere to go. You said I could stay..."

"That was before you turned my home into a battleground," Marissa said. "That was before I found you conspiring with my sister in the middle of the night. That was before I realized that having you here is more trouble than it is worth."

Marissa took a step closer and whispered to Senna’s ear.

"You claimed you were a victim," Marissa said. "But I saw you holding Ashlyn’s wrist. I saw you ready to push her down those stairs. You are not a victim, Senna. You are a liability."

Senna looked at Derek, desperate for him to intervene. "Derek... Your Grace... please. You promised to protect me."

Derek finally looked at her. His eyes were cold, stripped of all the affection he had once held for his childhood savior.

"I promised to protect you from my enemies," Derek said. "I did not promise to harbor you while you fight with my family. You have overstayed your welcome."

He turned his back on her.

Senna clutched the bag of coins. The humiliation burned her throat. She had tried to play the game, and she had been swept off the board like a piece of dust.