For a mont, Liselotte faltered, the weight of Roxanne’s scrutiny leaving her uncharacteristically at a loss for words. But just as quickly, the fire in Liselotte’s gaze reignited, her desperation fueling a newfound boldness. "I can offer you so much more than Vivianne ever could, Your Grace," she declared, her voice laced with a feverish intensity.
Stepping closer, Liselotte’s slender fingers reached out. "I am far more obedient, more..pliant," she purred, her erald eyes glittering with calculated seduction. "I would submit to your every whim, your every desire, without hesitation."
Liselotte’s gaze flicked towards Vivianne, a flicker of malice dancing across her delicate features. "Vivianne is too headstrong, too willful. She could never give you the absolute devotion that I can." Her lips curled into a smug smile. "I would be the perfect oga for you, Your Grace."
Liselotte’s hand moved to rest against Roxanne’s chest, her touch feather-light yet laden with unspoken promises. "Please, choose ," she breathed, her voice dripping with desperation. "I will prove my worth to you, I swear it."
Roxanne’s expression remained carefully neutral as Liselotte’s desperate pleas filled the air. The young oga’s words were laced with a calculated seduction, her slender fingers daring to caress Roxanne’s sleeve in a bold display of submission.
Roxanne’s crimson gaze narrowed slightly as Liselotte’s gaze flicked towards Vivianne, a flicker of malice dancing across her delicate features. Roxanne could sense the underlying resentnt and envy that fueled the elder Rothschild sister’s actions, a stark contrast to the familial concern she had initially claid.
When Liselotte pressed herself even closer, her hand coming to rest against Roxanne’s chest, the Grand Duke flinched in disgust. "You speak of obedience and devotion, my lady," Roxanne murmured, her voice low and asured. "But true loyalty is not born of desperate ambition."
Roxanne’s fingers gently grasped Liselotte’s wrist, guiding her hand away with a firm yet gentle touch. "I sense your heart is divided, torn between your own desires and the bonds of family." Her crimson gaze swept over the young oga’s flushed features. "That is not the kind of oga I seek."
Turning her attention briefly to Vivianne, Roxanne’s expression softened imperceptibly. The older sister of the Rothschild’s quiet acceptance and unspoken devotion had captured her attention in a way that Liselotte’s overt pleas could not.
"Lady Vivianne de Rothschild has already proven herself worthy of my regard," Roxanne declared. "I will not be swayed by your empty promises, Lady Rothschild." Her grip tightened ever so slightly on the younger oga’s arm. "My choice has been made."
Liselotte’s erald eyes widened in disbelief as Roxanne’s firm rejection echoed through the grand foyer. Her slender fingers curled into trembling fists at her sides, Roxanne’s words striking her like a physical blow.
"No, no, this can’t be," Liselotte breathed, her voice shaking with a mixture of anguish and fury.
Fury igniting within her, Liselotte’s features contorted with a malicious scowl. "You would choose her over ?" she spat, her voice dripping with venom. "I am the superior oga, the one who truly deserves your affection!"
Genevieve Rothschild watched in mounting horror as her daughter Liselotte descended into a fit of uncontrolled fury, her delicate features twisted with a malicious scowl.
Her heart raced as Liselotte lunged forward, clawing desperately at the Grand Duke’s sleeve in a futile attempt to pry Vivianne from Roxanne’s protective embrace.
Unable to bear the shaful spectacle any longer, Genevieve surged forward, her maternal instincts overriding all else. With a firm grip, she seized Liselotte by the arm, yanking the younger oga back with a sharp tug.
"Liselotte, stop this at once!" Genevieve’s voice rang out, laced with a mixture of horror and unbridled fury. Without hesitation, she raised her hand and delivered a resounding slap across Liselotte’s cheek, the sound echoing through the estate.
"How dare you show such insolence in the presence of the Grand Duke!" Genevieve’s erald eyes blazed with a righteous anger, her grip on Liselotte tightening as she fought to regain control of the situation.
Valdemar watched the scene unfold with a growing sense of dread. Realizing the gravity of the affront his family had committed, he dropped to his knees, his aging body trembling with a combination of fear and desperation.
"Forgive us, Your Grace!" Valdemar’s voice was thick with emotion as he bowed low, his forehead nearly touching the polished marble floor. "We have failed to properly instruct our young one, and I beg your rciful pardon for this unforgivable display."
The Grand Duke observed the spectacle with an air of cool detachnt, her grip on the trembling Vivianne never wavering. Valdemar’s fra shook with desperation as he begged for her rcy, while Genevieve’s erald eyes burned with a mixture of sha and determination, her firm grip on the defiant Liselotte a testant to her efforts to regain control of the situation.
Roxanne’s full lips curled into a subtle, humorless smile as she regarded the Rothschild family’s display of contrition. "Your pleas for forgiveness are noted, Lord Rothschild," she stated, her rich, velvety tone brooking no argunt. "But it is not I whom you should be seeking to appease."
"The true offense here was not against , but against the woman who is to be my mate, my Grand Duchess," Roxanne’s voice rang out, laced with a subtle edge of reproach. Her crimson gaze swept over the Rothschild family, her words cutting through the thick tension like a blade.
"I have accepted your choice and am taking Vivianne de Rothschild as my wife, despite her being the illegitimate daughter." Roxanne’s grip on the trembling oga tightened possessively. "And yet, sohow, this young" lady"—her eyes flashed with steel as she regarded the defiant Liselotte—"has" the audacity to make such outrageous demands in the presence of my future Grand Duchess?"
Roxanne’s full lips curled into a humorless smile, her regal bearing exuding an aura of absolute authority. "It is her forgiveness you must earn, not mine." Her words carried a weighted finality, leaving no room for argunt.
Vivianne felt a shiver run down her spine as Roxanne’s declaration echoed through the grand foyer. The young oga’s delicate features were etched with a mixture of trepidation and a newfound sense of purpose. In that mont, she understood the magnitude of Roxanne’s regard, the duchess having chosen her as a worthy mate above all others.
Subtly, Vivianne leaned into Roxanne’s embrace, her beautiful purple gaze eting the Grand Duke’s crimson stare with a quiet determination. She may have been the victim of her family’s abuse and ambitions for years, but now, in the shelter of Roxanne’s arms, she found the strength to face her torntors.
Liselotte’s erald eyes widened in disbelief hearing the Grand Duke’s words; the young oga’s dreams of securing the alpha’s affection and the power that ca with it now lay shattered at her feet.
"Impossible..." Liselotte breathed, her delicate features contorting with a mixture of outrage and raw anguish. She had staked everything on her desperate gambit, convinced that her beauty and promises of obedience would sway the enchanting alpha before her.
But Roxanne’s unwavering gaze had remained fixed on Vivianne, the older Rothschild sister cradled protectively in the alpha’s strong embrace. Liselotte’s heart sank as she realized her pleas had fallen on deaf ears, her sister’s quiet acceptance proving to be the decisive factor in Roxanne’s choice.
Genevieve’s firm grip on Liselotte’s arm was the only thing that kept the young oga from launching herself at the duchess, her desperation and jealousy overwhelming all rational thought. The matriarch’s erald eyes burned with a mixture of sha and righteous fury, her own failings as a mother laid bare for all to see.
Vivianne’s slender fingers tightened around the fabric of Roxanne’s coat, as if silently affirming her acceptance of the duchess’ choice. She was no longer a pawn to be bartered and traded but a cherished partner worthy of the alpha’s regard. In Roxanne’s eyes, Vivianne saw the promise of a future where she would be valued, not for her beauty or status, but for the very essence of who she was.
Genevieve’s erald eyes glistened with unshed tears as she pleaded, "Vivianne, please... Just forgive your little sister. She didn’t an it; she’s just upset."
But Vivianne’s beautiful purple gaze held a newfound resolve, her delicate features etched with a quiet defiance. "Aren’t you the one who’s so proud to be the Empress?" She spoke softly, yet her words carried a weighted reproach. "And then degrading my mate? My wife? Why are you doing this, Liselotte?"
Red can see Roxanne gulped many tis now, the Grand Duke’s crimson gaze fixated on Vivianne de Rothschild. A grin tugged at the corner of Roxanne’s lips as she held Vivianne tightly, the young oga’s pheromones enveloping her senses. The alpha in her yearned to claim Vivianne right then and there, her entire body tingling with the need to possess her mate.
Unable to contain her desire any longer, Roxanne interjected firmly, "Stop talking, my lady. We have a wedding waiting in the church." Without another word, she swept Vivianne into her strong embrace and swiftly guided her towards the waiting carriage.
Casting a stern glance over her shoulder, Roxanne addressed the Rothschild family one last ti. "You have all been forgiven today, but there will be no next ti." Her words carried a weighted finality, leaving no room for argunt.
As the carriage door closed behind them, Roxanne pulled Vivianne close, the young oga’s delicate fra molding perfectly against her own. With a deep, steadying breath, the duchess allowed her tense muscles to relax, savoring the comforting warmth of her mate-to-be.
A low, guttural growl rumbled in Roxanne’s chest as Vivianne’s intoxicating scent enveloped her senses. "You," the Duchess breathed, her crimson gaze burning with barely contained desire.
Vivianne couldn’t help but whimper, the alpha’s overwhelming pheromones sending a shiver down her spine. "Your Grace?" she uttered, her beautiful purple eyes wide with a mix of trepidation and anticipation.
Roxanne took a deep, steadying breath, struggling to rein in the primal urges of her alpha. With trendous effort, she managed to compose herself, knocking firmly on the carriage door. "Move it quick! Church!" she barked, her voice laced with a commanding edge.
"Right away, Your Grace!" the coachman replied, the horses springing to life as the carriage lurched forward.
The journey to the church was a tense affair, the air thick with the heady scent of arousal and the sound of labored breathing. Roxanne fought to maintain her regal composure, while Vivianne could barely conceal the trembling of her delicate fra.
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