All Chapters of Your Greatest Mistake Was Me: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

The moment I stepped out of the cathedral, camera flashes exploded around me.Flash.Flash.Flash.Hundreds of reporters were already waiting. They didn't care how exhausted I looked or how ruined my makeup had become. They all shouted over one another. It was only natural. They had waited long enough to hear the verdict."Lady Ashbourne! Do you accept the Church's ruling?""Do you admit you were negligent as a mother?""Will House Vermont appeal the decision?"Lucien immediately began clearing a path through the crowd. Elanor deliberately answered questions that had nothing to do with the hearing, buying me enough time to escape.My parents, as always, remained calm. They simply smiled without saying a word. I was about to stay silent as well. But I needed room to fight back.Even if I had been forced to lose today's hearing, I refused to let public opinion be swept away by the narrative they had created. I had to speak. Or at least spark enough doubt for people to realize something

SERAPHINA POVI had just finished reading the report Lucien had sent when Abella knocked on my bedroom door. It was still early in the morning, yet the manor already seemed unusually busy."My Lady."She walked in carrying a stack of envelopes that nearly filled both of her arms."What's all that?""Letters. They're all for you."I set my tablet aside and walked over as she placed the pile neatly on the table. There were far more than I usually received.I had almost stopped receiving formal letters altogether. Not after becoming Lady Ashbourne. My days had revolved around nothing but the manor.Ah... I almost forgot. The letters had started arriving again ever since things between Vaeldric and me fell apart.How ironic. It had taken a catastrophe for people to remember I existed.But these letters were different. Even before my marriage, aside from urgent business matters, I had never received this many.Besides, wasn't messaging or email far more efficient these days? Paperless, con

SERAPHINA POVThe music began to play softly beneath the lingering whispers and relentless camera flashes. Adrian led the first step with ease. I followed without missing a beat."I have to admit something."I raised an eyebrow. "That's usually a terrible way to start a conversation."The corner of his lips lifted, clearly pleased with my response. His plan had worked. The awkwardness between us disappeared, and the conversation flowed naturally, despite the countless eyes silently judging us."Everyone thinks I chose you.""So that means you didn't." I tilted my head. "Then who did you actually choose?""Today?" He glanced around the ballroom. "Valerion."A quiet laugh escaped me. That sounded exactly like something a future king would say, though I doubted it was entirely true.Adrian didn't answer immediately."You weren't surprised when I asked you to dance," he said instead. "You looked like you were expecting it.""Of course I was surprised. My face is just calmer than I am."Od

Obstetrics DepartmentPatient: Lysara Varen12 weeksI read the words on the torn piece of paper over and over again. The document inside the envelope Magnus had given me was incomplete. Whether it had been cut on purpose or accidentally, I couldn't tell. All I had was this fragment."What does this mean?"I handed it to Lucien. My voice trembled. I still couldn't grasp what it was trying to tell me. But my mind had already started putting the pieces together.Obstetrics Department. Twelve weeks. Lysara's name. It could only mean one thing. Pregnancy.Lucien looked just as stunned as I was. We exchanged a glance, both searching for an answer. The difference was, he slowly smiled as if he had already figured it out, while I was still trying to catch up."How long have they been together?" Lucien tapped his fingers against the balcony railing."I don't know when it started. The oldest solid proof I found was at the inn a year ago. Maybe... maybe it had already been going on long before

"LADY ASHBOURNE..."Brita greeted me at the door as soon as I returned from the shooting range, opening it before I even reached the handle. "What's up?"I was still savoring the excitement of my little adventure earlier. It turned out that having something to do outside the house again made me feel more alive. More driven."...Lord Magnus came looking for you earlier, my lady."Brita spoke hesitantly. I turned and caught the uncertainty in her eyes."Take your time, Brita.""He waited for almost an hour. Since you weren't here, he asked me to tell you to come to House Ashbourne tonight."I knew it. Magnus really intended to negotiate, just as Lucien had predicted. He had even wasted his precious time coming here and waiting for me. That meant he was serious this time."Does he know where I went?"Brita nodded.Of course he did. He would dig until he found the answer. Damn. Hopefully, this wouldn't make things worse.***"Sit." Magnus said it as I stepped into his study. He slid a cu