CHAPTER 159: BROKEN VESSELS

Lydia lay fast asleep. Her face was still stained with tears. The skin around her eyes was swollen and red, proof that she had cried until her body gave in to exhaustion. Her breathing was soft, but there was no peace in it. Even in her sleep, she looked broken. Her shoulders rose and fell as if her chest carried something heavy that refused to leave.

Her body bore marks of her anger and despair. Her neck, her wrists, her shoulders, all showed small bruises from when she had pulled and torn at her dress and jewels earlier. Her underdress was loose and wrinkled, not meant to be slept in, but she had collapsed in it anyway.

Katherine moved slowly and carefully. She did not want to wake her. She reached out and pulled the blanket over Lydia’s fragile body, tucking it gently around her. Her hand lingered on Lydia’s hair. She stroked it once, slowly, with all the care of a mother soothing a child, but she pulled her hand back quickly, afraid that even a soft touch might disturb her.

Then Katherine knelt and began to clean the destruction Lydia had left behind. The pink dress, torn at the seams. The necklace, shattered, pink diamonds scattered across the floor like broken stars. The gloves and the feathers from her hair. The purse and shoes tossed aside. Katherine picked each piece up quietly, her eyes soft with sadness.

She carefully folded what could be folded, gathered what could be saved, and held them in her arms. But before leaving, she turned one last time. Her gaze rested on Lydia’s sleeping face. For a moment, Katherine’s lips trembled. She wanted to say something, to whisper that everything would be alright. But she knew her words would only vanish into silence. So instead she sighed, heavy and tired, and left the room, closing the door softly behind her.

As Katherine walked down the quiet hall with the bundle of ruined things in her arms, she ran into Tatiana. Tatiana’s sharp eyes went straight to the torn dress and the shattered necklace. A cruel smile curled at her lips.

"What is the point of wasting money on such expensive things when she will only destroy them?" Tatiana scoffed, her voice dripping with mockery.

Katherine kept her head bowed and said nothing. She simply walked forward, calm and steady, as if Tatiana’s voice were nothing but wind.

Tatiana stepped closer, her tone sharper. "I wonder why his highness kept you by his side despite you being a traitor. If I were you, I would start counting my days. Because once I give his highness an heir and become the true grand duchess, I will throw you out myself."

Katherine stopped. Slowly, she lifted her head and met Tatiana’s eyes. Her voice was soft, but it cut deeper than any shout. "You and I both know the only traitor here is you."

Tatiana’s eyes widened slightly, her breath caught.

Katherine took a small step closer, lowering her voice. "I wonder what will happen if his highness finds out all the things you are hiding." Then she paused, her eyes steady on Tatiana’s trembling face. "In your case, I think being thrown out would be a privilege."

Tatiana’s lips parted, but no words came. Her hands shook slightly at her sides.

Without another glance, Katherine turned and walked away, her steps calm, her arms still full of Lydia’s ruined treasures.

On the stairs, she handed the bundle to a servant. "Have the dressmaker mend the dress and the jeweller repair the necklace and jewels."

The servant bowed deeply. "Yes, my lady."

Katherine nodded once and continued her way down the hall.

She found Ivan in the lounge. He was lying on the chaise, dressed fully in his black coat. His hair was tied neatly, as though he had prepared to attend the ball. But instead he had stayed here, motionless, staring at the ceiling like a lifeless man.

Katherine stepped in carefully and knocked lightly. "Your highness."

His eyes moved slowly to her. His voice was soft, distant. "What is it?"

She walked closer. "Why did you not come to the ball? You know it will stir gossip."

Ivan’s lips curved in a faint, bitter smile. "I don’t mind the gossip. They have been gossiping about me for years."

Katherine frowned. "Still. She was waiting for you there. She is upset."

Ivan closed his eyes. "I know."

"Then why didn’t you come?" she asked, her voice gentle, almost pleading.

He said nothing. Silence stretched between them.

Katherine looked down, her hands tightening slightly. She turned as if to leave, but stopped. Her voice lowered. "Why did you let me live? Despite what happened."

Ivan didn’t answer right away. His chest rose and fell, slow and heavy. He kept his gaze fixed on the ceiling. "Please leave."

Katherine’s throat tightened. Her voice trembled softly. "I know you have no reason to trust me. You have no reason to believe anything I say. But I want you to know it wasn’t me. I have never thought of hurting you. And I never will."

Tears welled in her eyes. She blinked, and one slid down her cheek. She quickly turned and left before he could see her cry.

Ivan lay still, his eyes glassy. Part of him had always believed Katherine. Always. Deep down, something in him refused to see her as the one who tried to poison him. Yet all the evidence had pointed at her.

The truth was, the real reason he spared her back then was not logic or evidence. It was his heart. He could not bring himself to harm her. Because even if she had betrayed him, she was also the only one who had shown him kindness when he was a boy.

He remembered it clearly. How she used to sneak food for him when Olga locked him away in the dark. How she would whisper through the cracks of the door, telling him to hold on, that she would not let him starve. Those memories never left him.

So when the time came, when all fingers pointed at her, he could not do it. He could not end her life.

Now he sat in silence, alone, the weight of everything pressing on his chest like a stone.

Meanwhile, in Tatiana’s chambers, the walls echoed with her restless pacing. Her steps were quick, her breath sharp. Her hands shook as she clutched the edge of the table.

"I can’t let him find out," she whispered to herself, her voice cracking. "If he finds out what I have done... everything will be ruined."

She gripped her head, her hair falling loose around her face. Tears burned her eyes. "I can’t lose him. I can’t. He is the only person I love. The only one."

Her voice broke into sobs. She collapsed to her knees, clutching the fabric of her dress. "Please... please let me keep him. I can’t lose him."

The night in the palace was quiet. But in every corner, hearts were breaking, silently and alone.