A MIRROR OF MALICE のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 31 - チャプター 40

Maybe I have Ricardo under my vagina and in my heart, but my happiness is still not complete. How can I be truly happy when my only brother, Leo, is living in a nightmare? Our lives were supposed to be better once we entered this royal house, but instead, it felt like we were walking on broken glass every single day.After that shocking breakfast where we left everyone stunned with our laughter, I watched Leo. He looked like a man whose soul had been drained out of him. He didn't even finish his meal before he stood up and walked toward the gardens. I wondered why they even spent the night in our house and not at their own place in the West Villa. Maybe the tension was so high that no one wanted to be alone in the dark.I tried to get his attention after breakfast. I wanted to pull him aside and ask, “Leo, who was that woman? Are you safe?” But by the time I wiped my mouth and stood up, he had already gone. He was like a shadow that vanished when the light hit it.Maria, however, was

PAULINEThe house felt different after the shooting in the woods. The celebration had ended with a tense, forced calm, but the air was thick with questions. Who was that girl? Why did she have Ricardo’s golden eyes? And why did she claim to be the reason Diana was sent away?I knew I couldn't wait for the truth to find me. I had to go to the source, Alexander, the old Alpha.But how was I supposed to confront a man who treated me like a stain on his carpet? He didn't love me. He barely acknowledged my existence. I knew Evelyn was the one behind his coldness; she had spent years whispering poison into his ear, making sure he saw me as a common village girl who had tricked his son.The opportunity came sooner than I expected. A message was sent to everyone: there was going to be a family meeting the next morning. Alexander wanted to speak to us all—Ricardo, Maria, Leo, and myself. My gut told me he was going to address the "stray shot" from the party, or perhaps something much deeper.I

PAULINEThe room was quiet, except for the soft sound of Noah breathing in his crib. Ricardo sat on the edge of our bed, his head in his hands. The air felt heavy, like a storm was about to break inside the house. I sat beside him, rubbing his back, waiting for the truth that had been rotting in his heart for twenty years."You want to know why my father is a ghost of a man?" Ricardo began, his voice sounding like he was swallowing glass. "You want to know why he looks at the door every night? It’s because Diana was the most beautiful woman in the world, Pauline. But she was a woman who couldn't be contained."I stayed silent, listening to the pain in his voice."She was a Luna, the wife of an Alpha," he continued, his eyes staring at the floor. "But she didn't care for the crown or the rules. She slept around, Pauline. Even while she was married to my father, she opened her vagina for anyone. It didn't matter if it was a high-ranking official or the guards at the gate. She walked aro

PAULINEThe doctor’s question hung in the air like a death sentence. I looked at him, wondering what sort of man he was to ask such a thing with so much ice in his voice. He didn't look at the ingredients or the kitchen staff, he looked straight at me.Then, the silence broke, and the room turned into a firing squad.The family looked at me all at the same time. It was a synchronized movement that made my stomach churn. The look in their eyes said it all: they believed I had poisoned the meal. They didn't care that I had eaten from the same pot. They didn't care that I had spent the whole afternoon sweating over that stove to bring them together. To them, I was the outsider, the village girl with a hidden dagger."You did it," Evelyn hissed, stepping forward. Her face was a mask of fake grief, but her eyes were dancing with a sick kind of joy. "You did it because Alexander has issues with Ricardo. You want to clear the path for your husband. You want to bring Diana back just to fight

PAULINEThe iron door to my cell stood slightly open. Freedom was right there, just a few steps away, but my feet felt like they were made of lead. I couldn't move with Leo."Pauline, why are you standing there? We have to go now!" Leo whispered, his voice trembling with a mix of fear and hope. He reached for my hand again, his eyes wet with tears. Big, heavy drops fell from his face onto the dirty floor of the dungeon.I looked at him, and my heart felt like it was being ripped in two. I didn't know what to do. My brother was here, offering me my freedom on a silver platter, but I couldn't take it."Leo, I can’t," I whispered, shaking my head."Why? Pauline, they will kill you here! Look at this place!" He gestured to the dark, damp stone walls."If I leave now, Leo, it looks like I’m guilty," I said, my voice gaining strength even though I was terrified. "I didn't try to kill Ricardo’s dad. I prepared that meal with love. If I run away, I will be a fugitive for the rest of my life.