"Ahh..." Dorothy scread as soon as she opened her eyes the next morning and found the prince lying next to her. They were both naked, and the mories of their night together flooded her mind.
Prince Edward opened his eyes when he heard her scream. Last night, he had been unable to resist her charm and had slept with her.
"Don’t worry, I will take responsibility for this," Prince Edward said. He could already guess what she was most afraid of; having lost her virginity to him, it would be difficult for her to find a suitable partner in the future.
"Your Highness..." Dorothy murmured, confused about how he intended to take responsibility. Even though she was not from a noble family, she understood that he could not simply cancel his engagent. Moreover, she feared that if news of what had happened the previous night spread, she would be blad and punished severely.
"Don’t you trust ? I will take responsibility for you," Prince Edward said, noticing that she was crying and had not taken his words to heart.
Dorothy swallowed hard. She wanted to trust him, but she doubted that anything other than keeping the incident a secret would not save her from disaster.
"Your Highness, it’s not that I don’t trust you, but you are already engaged to be married in a few days. Nothing can be done about this," Dorothy said hesitantly.
"Of course, nothing can be done about the engagent, but I can make you my official mistress imdiately after my wedding," Prince Edward said. He knew that his father would never allow him to take a mistress before his marriage, so he planned to fulfill the marriage first and then claim Dorothy as his mistress.
"Your Highness, thank you for your favor, but I think it’s best that I leave the palace. If what happened becos known, I am afraid I will be stoned to death for seducing you," Dorothy replied. She knew that the earliest the prince could officially welco a mistress was one year after his wedding. She did not want to take the risk of waiting that long. If the affair was discovered, his wife could use it as an opportunity to eliminate her.
"Why are you leaving the palace? Are you unwilling to be my mistress?" Prince Edward frowned. Given his status as the crown prince, even daughters of noble birth would eagerly accept such an offer, so he could not understand what dissatisfied her.
"Of course, I am willing, Your Highness. I am just worried that if our relationship is exposed before I beco your official mistress, I might be labeled a sinner and either stoned or hanged to death," Dorothy explained.
"Don’t worry. Just give a month. Within a month after I marry that woman, I will find an excuse to bring you in as my mistress," Prince Edward promised.
"Your Highness, can this really be done?" Dorothy asked, surprised by his assurance.
"You don’t have to worry about that. Just trust ," the prince said. He already knew that Anastasia had been poisoned and was staying in the palace for treatnt. He planned to use her poor health as an excuse to bring in a mistress earlier than usual.
"You are so good to , Your Highness," Dorothy said, touched by his words. She had not expected to win his favor so easily, but now that she had, she was determined to keep it. She hugged him to express her gratitude.
Feeling her softness against him, Prince Edward lost all reason. He convinced himself that bringing her in earlier or later made no difference. Besides, he liked her and did not want to spend a whole year sneaking around.
---
General Robert’s Residence
Duchess Anita had received word from her family the previous day at the celebration feast, inviting her to visit ho. Since Anastasia’s engagent to the crown prince, she had wanted to seek her father’s help. However, due to the Duke’s threat to divorce her, she had not dared to go. Now that her family had officially invited her, the Duke would not be able to stop her.
Early the next morning, she dressed up and decided to take Elizabeth with her. After all, earning her grandfather’s favor would also benefit Elizabeth.
By the ti they arrived at the general’s mansion, it was already lunchti.
"My dear daughter," Lady Robert greeted warmly, taking Anita’s hand as soon as she entered the receiving hall. A kind smile graced her face.
"Mother, I have missed you so much," Anita said affectionately. As the only daughter of the house, she had been spoiled since childhood. Her father, General Robert, was rarely ho and had never taken an official mistress, leaving the household entirely under her mother’s control.
"How old are you now? Still acting like a child?" General Robert, who was seated nearby, joked. He was also fond of Duchess Anita, as she bore a striking resemblance to his late mother.
"Father, no matter how old I am, I will always be your daughter," Duchess Anita said, walking over to greet him properly.
"Grandfather, Grandmother," Elizabeth greeted, noticing that the couple had not acknowledged her presence.
"My beloved granddaughter," Lady Robert bead, montarily forgetting about her daughter and turning to Elizabeth instead. Elizabeth smiled and walked over to her grandmother, while General Robert simply nodded in acknowledgnt.
"Co, sit down. Your cousins will be joining us soon," Lady Robert said. Elizabeth quietly took her seat, but she could not shake the feeling that sothing was different about the way her grandparents were treating her.
A short while later, Duchess Anita’s eldest brother, Anthony, arrived with his wife and daughter.
"Brother, Sister-in-law," Duchess Anita greeted as they entered.
"Cousin, you’re here too?" Anthony’s daughter, Isabel, said, noticing Elizabeth seated quietly. Usually, whenever she visited, their grandparents would engage her in lively conversation. This ti, however, she was surprised to find that Elizabeth was being ignored. But instead of feeling annoyed, she was pleased.
Isabel was a year older than Elizabeth. Though Elizabeth did not live in the general’s mansion, she had still received a great deal of care from their grandparents. Elizabeth was both talented and intelligent, making her the favored granddaughter. In comparison, Isabel’s skills were average, which often left her feeling overshadowed.
"Yes," Elizabeth replied with a smile. She had no idea what was going on. Although she had deliberately shown off in front of Isabel before, she had never done anything out of line. After all, Isabel was her uncle’s eldest daughter.
"Oh," Isabel smiled.
"Where are my other cousins?" Elizabeth asked. She and Isabel did not get along well. She preferred spending ti with her male cousins because they pampered her.
"Cousin, my brothers went out with Uncle this morning. Only a few of us are ho today," Isabel answered.
Just then, a maid entered to announce that lunch was ready, and the family moved to the dining area.
After lunch, General Robert invited Duchess Anita and Anthony into his study, while Lady Robert entertained the granddaughters in the music room.
---
Inside the Study
Duchess Anita sat down, waiting for her father to explain why he had invited her ho.
"Your stepdaughter is getting married to the crown prince in a few days, correct?" General Robert asked.
Duchess Anita nodded, even though the question hardly needed an answer.
"I was thinking," General Robert continued, "since her mother is already dead, how about you adopt her as your daughter? As the Duke’s wife, you have the authority to do so,"
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