The decision was finally made. The news of Isabella Stark being permanently banned from the palace spread like wildfire. Prince Karl was also temporarily banned for a few weeks due to his negligence of certain royal duties—something he didn’t really care about.Aura couldn’t help but smile at the news on the television. She switched it off just as Prince Khalid suddenly walked into the room.“I can explain,” she started.“Save it! What in the world is wrong with you?” he snapped.She couldn’t help but scoff loudly at how hypocritical he was being. After leaving her alone yesterday, he had absolutely no right to ask what was wrong with her. He had no right to demand anything from her now.“You are what’s wrong with me, Khalid,” she fired back. “You’re like this evil drug in my system, triggering me to do stupid things—all because of the envy I feel for Isabella. You left me alone during my father’s funeral visit just because you couldn’t bear to see Isabella, while she stood together w
Back at the palace, Prince Khalid—freshly drunk from the bar—frowned deeply as he staggered into his brother’s room. He was heavily intoxicated and coughed loudly when his gaze fell on Isabella’s packed bags in the corner. The king had ordered that Isabella’s belongings be packed and sent to her father’s estate.Khalid wandered over to one of the bags and unzipped it, revealing her neatly folded clothes. His eyes darkened with longing.“So beautiful,” he whispered, pulling out a delicate piece of lingerie—black lace, the one meant for their wedding night. She was supposed to wear it for him. That night had never come.The ache in his chest deepened. Clutching a half-empty bottle of whiskey, he collapsed onto the bed, clutching the lingerie, bringing it to his face as he let his imagination run wild. But it wasn’t enough.Driven by obsession, he dug through the bag again and found one of her thongs. Slowly, almost reverently, he brought it to his face, inhaling deeply with a groan, his
What do you mean they went on vacation?” Prince Khalid snapped at Fabian, who had blocked him in front of the door just as he was about to enter.He had come to see Isabella, insisting he had something important to tell her—something that was a matter of life or death.“I told you, my sister isn’t here. Isabella and her husband went on vacation out of the country,” Fabian replied, his tone laced with pettiness. He relished the way Khalid’s emotions flickered when he referred to Karl as her husband. It was the least he could do instead of punching the man who had abandoned his sister at the altar.“She’s in the middle of a scandal, you fool! Why would you let my brother take her out of the country?” Prince Khalid shouted, his voice sharp with fury.Fabian stepped closer, unflinching. “You’ve got some nerve coming here and trying to tell me how to protect my own sister—especially after what you did to her. My sister and her husband can travel anywhere they please. Honestly, I should’ve
She had been locked in her room for days. Finally, Aura emerged, looking like the wreckage of her own life. Her hair was tangled in a loose knot, her eyes puffy and red from hours of crying. The scent of alcohol and cigarettes clung to her wrinkled clothes, and what remained of her makeup was smeared all over her face like war paint. It had been four days since she’d locked herself away—four days without food, surviving only on a bottle of whisky and a pack of cigarettes to numb the ache. Her father’s will had been read, and the rage that erupted within her was volcanic. He’d left Isabella his vacation home in Venice—a so-called token of apology on Aura’s behalf. Isabella had been handed the property, the money, the legacy—while Aura’s Uncle inherited the family company. She hadn’t wanted the business, but that house… that house was all she had cared about. And it had gone to Isabella. Why did Isabella always have to take something from her, even in her absence? Aura’s face twiste
A soft knock on the door woke Isabella Stark from her beauty sleep. She could hear the bustling of activities downstairs and in the courtyard. She remembered that today was her wedding day. She suddenly felt a tight nudge in her belly. In a few hours, she would be married to the crown prince of the Netherlands—her childhood betrothed and fiancé of over ten years. “Yes, come in,” she answered. The maid entered, smiling sheepishly at her. “Good morning, my lady. Hope your night was blissful?” “Good morning, Madina,” Isabella replied. “Night was fine. How was yours?” “Fine, my lady,” Madina replied. “Are you ready for your bath? The dresser will be here soon to get you ready,” she reminded her. Isabella covered herself with her sheet, grumbling. She didn’t feel like leaving her room today. Something just felt off about the day. She wished she could stay in bed the whole day. “Please give me five minutes,” she told Madina. “Of course,” Madina replied and continued whistling happily
Duke Stark’s eyes teared up as he saw his daughter in her wedding gown. She looked exactly like her mother on their wedding day. He reveled in nostalgia. Isabella could see the pride in her father’s eyes, and she almost started crying too. “He is lucky to have you, and so is the Netherlands…” “Oh, stop it, Dad,” Isabella blushed at her father’s compliment. “I mean every word, my beautiful daughter. You will make a great queen someday.” He kissed his daughter on her forehead. Tears started flowing from Isabella’s eyes, and her father quickly wiped them away with a brush of his finger. His daughter was now a grown woman—no longer his baby. It hurt him deeply to realize that fact today. The sweet father-and-daughter moment was suddenly interrupted by a knock on the door. Isabella looked out and realized her brother was ready to take her to the church. “I’ll be right behind you too,” her father said as he walked away, and she frowned deeply. She knew her family was still close by, b
Isabella, wake up!” She could hear low whispers that made her roll over and grumble until she finally opened her eyes. Wide awake, she realized she was in a small hospital room, still in her wedding dress, with her family gathered around her. That was enough evidence that her nightmare was real. She started crying again, and Fabian stepped forward. It was going to be hard for him, but he knew he had to comfort his sister. “Little sis, don’t worry. I will make sure the prince pays for humiliating you like this.”Isabella looked at him, her eyes filled with pain. “I don’t ever want to set my eyes on that prince again! I don’t want to see him ever again!” While she was still speaking, Prince Karl entered the room, looked at her, and then declared in front of her family: “I want to marry you, Isabella. With your consent, we can get married first thing tomorrow morning.” Isabella looked at him in shock. “How dare you?! Do I look like a joke to you? Can someone please tell me what in
Immediately after Aura and Prince Khalid left the church, they went to a hotel room. Smiling slyly, Aura poured a bottle of champagne and made a toast, clinking her glass against Prince Khalid’s. She was finally the winner. He was with her in the hotel, and he wasn’t leaving anytime soon. He was no longer going to marry her best friend. She couldn’t believe that her plan had finally worked.Yesterday, she had been so frustrated, wondering why Isabella always had the best of everything. She thought about it—she was also from an extremely wealthy and influential family. They were both educated and beautiful. So why was Isabella the one chosen to become the Crown Princess? In desperation, she had called Prince Khalid. “I love him,” she had told herself bitterly. She had been sleeping with Prince Khalid for the past three years without her best friend knowing. Now, Isabella was about to marry him, and Aura had to act fast before she lost everything. “Is everything okay?” Prince Khalid
She had been locked in her room for days. Finally, Aura emerged, looking like the wreckage of her own life. Her hair was tangled in a loose knot, her eyes puffy and red from hours of crying. The scent of alcohol and cigarettes clung to her wrinkled clothes, and what remained of her makeup was smeared all over her face like war paint. It had been four days since she’d locked herself away—four days without food, surviving only on a bottle of whisky and a pack of cigarettes to numb the ache. Her father’s will had been read, and the rage that erupted within her was volcanic. He’d left Isabella his vacation home in Venice—a so-called token of apology on Aura’s behalf. Isabella had been handed the property, the money, the legacy—while Aura’s Uncle inherited the family company. She hadn’t wanted the business, but that house… that house was all she had cared about. And it had gone to Isabella. Why did Isabella always have to take something from her, even in her absence? Aura’s face twiste
What do you mean they went on vacation?” Prince Khalid snapped at Fabian, who had blocked him in front of the door just as he was about to enter.He had come to see Isabella, insisting he had something important to tell her—something that was a matter of life or death.“I told you, my sister isn’t here. Isabella and her husband went on vacation out of the country,” Fabian replied, his tone laced with pettiness. He relished the way Khalid’s emotions flickered when he referred to Karl as her husband. It was the least he could do instead of punching the man who had abandoned his sister at the altar.“She’s in the middle of a scandal, you fool! Why would you let my brother take her out of the country?” Prince Khalid shouted, his voice sharp with fury.Fabian stepped closer, unflinching. “You’ve got some nerve coming here and trying to tell me how to protect my own sister—especially after what you did to her. My sister and her husband can travel anywhere they please. Honestly, I should’ve
Back at the palace, Prince Khalid—freshly drunk from the bar—frowned deeply as he staggered into his brother’s room. He was heavily intoxicated and coughed loudly when his gaze fell on Isabella’s packed bags in the corner. The king had ordered that Isabella’s belongings be packed and sent to her father’s estate.Khalid wandered over to one of the bags and unzipped it, revealing her neatly folded clothes. His eyes darkened with longing.“So beautiful,” he whispered, pulling out a delicate piece of lingerie—black lace, the one meant for their wedding night. She was supposed to wear it for him. That night had never come.The ache in his chest deepened. Clutching a half-empty bottle of whiskey, he collapsed onto the bed, clutching the lingerie, bringing it to his face as he let his imagination run wild. But it wasn’t enough.Driven by obsession, he dug through the bag again and found one of her thongs. Slowly, almost reverently, he brought it to his face, inhaling deeply with a groan, his
The decision was finally made. The news of Isabella Stark being permanently banned from the palace spread like wildfire. Prince Karl was also temporarily banned for a few weeks due to his negligence of certain royal duties—something he didn’t really care about.Aura couldn’t help but smile at the news on the television. She switched it off just as Prince Khalid suddenly walked into the room.“I can explain,” she started.“Save it! What in the world is wrong with you?” he snapped.She couldn’t help but scoff loudly at how hypocritical he was being. After leaving her alone yesterday, he had absolutely no right to ask what was wrong with her. He had no right to demand anything from her now.“You are what’s wrong with me, Khalid,” she fired back. “You’re like this evil drug in my system, triggering me to do stupid things—all because of the envy I feel for Isabella. You left me alone during my father’s funeral visit just because you couldn’t bear to see Isabella, while she stood together w
In the midst of all the scandal going on in the kingdom, Isabella yawned loudly as she applied sunscreen all over her face. Thanks to Prince Karl’s private jet, they had arrived early in the morning, and now they were at the beach, sipping cold drinks and basking in the sun. She was right—coming back had been one of the best decisions she had ever made. The beautiful, tranquil surroundings helped erase every ounce of stress from her body and mind. “Help me, please,” she said to Prince Karl, who was swimming in his own thoughts. He snapped back into reality and nodded as he rubbed sunscreen on her back. It turned him on greatly, but he was determined to keep his self-control in check. They were here because she needed a break—not to make love, even though it was what he wanted more than anything.Isabella could feel her insides melting as his hands gently massaged her bare back. She wanted him too, more than she was willing to admit. “Can we talk about the new scandal?” Prince Karl
Prince Khalid, on the other hand, watched in stunned silence as Isabella went from Sophia back to Prince Karl, who was sitting on the couch. His mouth fell open in disbelief as Prince Karl kissed her on the forehead and held her hand. This was what he feared. It was just like the memorial scandal had brought them even closer. There were cameras everywhere, which meant they were proving the scandal wrong. They really did care for each other—as husband and wife. “I need to leave,” he muttered as he walked up to Aura. “You’re leaving now? I need your support, and you’re leaving?” Aura was almost going crazy. “I’m sorry, but I can’t stay here and watch those two.” “Why do you care?!” Aura snapped, drawing everyone’s attention—including Isabella and Prince Karl, who were starting to enjoy the drama unfolding. “Let’s take this conversation elsewhere,” Khalid whispered, looking embarrassed as everyone stared. “You’re causing a scene.” “I don’t care if I’m making a scene!” she screamed
Not long after, Isabella opened her eyes slowly and looked around. It didn’t take long for her to realize she wasn’t in the palace—she was in her own room at her father’s house. It almost felt like a dream.The door opened, and her father stepped in. Isabella looked around the room, a hint of sadness in her eyes. “Where is my husband?” she asked. “He went on an errand. He asked me to inform you that he’ll be back tomorrow to pick you up for the burial ceremony of Duke Miles ,” her father replied. “I think he’s trying to handle the people who were arrested—the ones that assaulted you at the grand memorial.”As he stroked her hair gently, she didn’t ask how he was doing or what he’d been up to. She only cared about her husband.He was aware of how deeply Prince Karl cared for his daughter . He could see the concern in his eyes and remembered how Prince Karl had begged for Isabella to be taken care of before he left. Prince Karl wasn’t a bad man—he truly loved his wife.Isabella was
The next day at the breakfast table, Isabella declared that she would love to go spend some time with her father. Prince Khalid scoffed. “Missing home already, huh? Don’t worry, I will go with you to see my father-in-law,” Prince Karl said, offering his support—which only angered Prince Khalid even more.“Send my greetings to your father,” the King told her, hoping the marriage between Karl and Isabella had softened the old man’s heart.“Sure, he will hear,” Isabella replied. After breakfast, she went to get ready.Prince Karl followed her into the room. “Are you okay, dear?” he asked with deep concern. This was the first time Isabella had requested to spend time at her family house since they got married.“Sure, I’m fine,” she smiled at him. “I just miss my family. I would love to spend some time with them.”Prince Karl ordered his driver to take them to Duke Stark’s residence. The journey was silent but comforting as Isabella rested on her husband’s chest, reminiscing about the even
*Three Days Later at the Queen’s Memorial*The grand courtyard of Redington Royal Palace was shrouded in mourning. Black banners fluttered in the breeze, and members of the royal family stood in somber silence as the Queen’s urn was placed atop the memorial altar. Dignitaries, royals, and citizens watched with solemn reverence. Every eye was on the ceremony… but Prince Karl’s never left Isabella.Karl entwined his fingers with hers in a gesture of support, and she nodded in gratitude. As they approached the chapel, the security guards pushed back the crowd that had come to pay their respects to the late Queen. The crowd cheered for the King and Prince Williams.“Ouch!” Isabella winced as a stone struck her shoulder.“Are you okay?” Prince Karl asked, instantly alert.“Yes… I think I’m fine. Someone just threw a stone at me.” She tried to downplay the situation, but it quickly escalated.Someone in the crowd suddenly yelled, hurling insults at her — “Royal whore!” — and chaos followed.