Chapter 3

Night fell, and the governor's estate blazed with light.

The governor was hosting a banquet for both brides-to-be.

I sat alone in the shadows of a corner, wearing the cheap, revealing white dress Lucian had forced on me.

At the center of the hall, Rosalie swept through the crowd in her priceless custom-made black gown, the undisputed star of the evening.

Lucian stayed glued to her side, his gaze lingering on her with barely concealed longing.

"The prince certainly seems devoted to the younger Ashford sister."

"What a pity. A perfect couple like that, torn apart tomorrow."

The murmurs around them were relentless.

Hearing these whispers, the grief in Lucian's eyes deepened. He gripped Rosalie's hand tighter, as though she might vanish at any moment.

I watched this pitiful melodrama from the sidelines, cold and unimpressed.

Without warning, the hall's glass windows exploded inward.

Three massive shadow demons, their bodies reeking of decay, came charging through the shattered glass with deafening roars.

The room erupted into chaos.

Screams, sobs, and the crash of overturning furniture filled the air.

The three shadow demons ignored the crowd entirely and barreled straight toward my corner, as if driven by madness.

My pupils contracted sharply.

Rosalie had actually unleashed shadow demons to kill me.

She must have reasoned that if I died at the banquet, no one could expose the bride swap. The next day, she could quietly take my place as Lucian's princess.

The shadow demons moved with terrifying speed, a gust of foul wind preceding them, their razor-sharp claws aimed at my throat.

If I still had my Heartstone, I could have crushed these low-level creatures with a flick of my finger.

But now, I didn't even have the strength to stand.

Bang!

At the very last second, a beam of silver holy light split the skull of the lead shadow demon.

Wardens from the Hunters' Order had arrived.

Several armored wardens subdued the other two shadow demons within seconds.

I clutched my chest, coughing violently, a thin thread of blood seeping from the corner of my mouth.

The hall's lights flickered back on.

The warden captain strode into the center of the room, his expression carved from stone.

"Shadow demons in the city center. How did they get past the wards?"

"Scan for magical residue. Now."

The wardens deployed their instruments.

Within moments, the needles went haywire, then locked firmly in the direction of Rosalie, who was cowering in Lucian's arms.

"Captain, the trace leads to Miss Rosalie Ashford."

The room erupted in shocked whispers.

Every eye turned to Rosalie.

Her face went white as chalk. She shook her head frantically.

"It wasn't me! I didn't do it!"

"I don't even know how to summon shadow demons! Someone is framing me!"

The captain regarded her coldly.

"Miss Ashford, the instruments don't lie. The summoning powder on your clothes is still active."

"Under imperial law, unauthorized summoning of demons within the city walls is punishable by death."

"Take her away."

Two wardens stepped forward to seize her.

"Stop!"

Lucian threw up his hand, and a crimson barrier materialized in front of Rosalie.

"I dare anyone to lay a finger on her!"

The captain's brow furrowed.

"Your Highness, are you protecting a criminal?"

Lucian clenched his teeth, veins bulging at his temples.

How could he possibly stand by and watch the woman he loved be dragged away?

More than that, in his mind, Rosalie was being sent to her death at the Order tomorrow.

He could not let her be thrown into a dungeon now.

Lucian's gaze swept frantically across the crowd and locked onto me.

He strode over and hauled me up from the floor.

"This was you, wasn't it?!"

He screamed in my face, spittle flying.

"You were jealous that Rosalie got to wear the black dress, so you planted the summoning powder on her to frame her!"

I looked at his contorted face and found it utterly absurd.

"Lucian, have you lost your mind?"

"The demons came after me. You think I framed her to have myself killed?"

Lucian didn't listen. He pressed his mouth close to my ear and whispered a threat only the two of us could hear.

"Iris, confess right now. Say you did it."

"Rosalie is going to the Order tomorrow. She's already as good as dead. How can you stand to see her locked up on top of that?"

"You're my fiancee. The Wardens will go easy on you for my sake. One night in the flooded cells and a few lashes. You'll live."

"Refuse to take the blame, and I promise you won't make it through the Vampire Court's gates tomorrow."

I looked into his eyes, saw the madness and the cruelty there, and felt the last ember of warmth in my heart go out.

To protect Rosalie, he was forcing the actual victim to take the blame for a capital crime.

I closed my eyes, concealing the tidal wave of hatred behind them.

"Fine."

I opened my eyes and turned to the captain.

"I did it."

"I was jealous of my sister, so I framed her."