Azura Holt POV:
Gavyn did not return.
The next morning, sunlight streamed into the master bedroom, illuminating an empty, undisturbed bed. A small, cold smile touched my lips.
Clara brought my breakfast, her face etched with worry. "My lady, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Clara," I said, and for the first time in years, it felt true.
Before she left, I pressed the sealed annulment into her hand. "Deliver this to the Royal Magistrate's office. Have it filed under the civil docket." She nodded and tucked it into her apron, saying nothing.
I had her spread the rumors. Quietly, in the servant's quarters. How Lord Pace had kept Lady Isabela with him at the war camp. How they were inseparable. It was a violation of military conduct, a stain on the honor of a Dragon Lord. It wouldn't dethrone him, but it would plant seeds of doubt among the family elders.
While the whispers began to circulate, I turned to my own affairs. My dowry, my alchemy workshop—assets that Lady Pace had greedily absorbed in my past life. This time, I would secure them before the annulment became public.
That's when the steward burst in, his face pale. "My lady! Lord Pace has given an order... to uproot all the Duskroot from the gardens."
My heart stopped.
"He says... he says Lady Isabela is allergic to the scent," the steward stammered.
I walked to the window. Below, gardeners were tearing my precious Duskroot from the earth. The deep purple flowers, my one small joy in this cold fortress, were being tossed aside like weeds.
I had tended that garden for three years. It was the only place I felt a sliver of peace.
Watching the destruction, the last, lingering ember of affection I might have held for Gavyn was extinguished. It was ripped out by the roots, just like my flowers.
I felt nothing. No tears, no anger. Just a vast, cold emptiness.
I turned from the window. "Prepare my carriage. I'm going to visit my mother-in-law."
On the way to the main house, I could hear the servants whispering. The rumors were spreading faster than I'd hoped.
Lady Pace was in her private salon, sipping tea. She greeted me with a smile dripping with false sympathy.
"Azura, my poor child. You must have been so lonely last night."
She pulled me down to sit beside her, her hand cool on mine. "Men are thoughtless creatures. Gavyn was only worried for Isabela. She is your sister, after all, and so very fragile."
I remembered these same words from my past life. They had been a balm to my foolish, hopeful heart. Now, they were just poison wrapped in silk.
I bowed my head, playing the part of the grateful, chastened daughter-in-law. "You are right, my lady. It was petty of me to be upset."
Her smile widened. "I'm so glad you understand. Now, about the welcome banquet... I simply must have a new perfume. Lady Holt will be there. I cannot be outshone."
There it was. Her true concern.
I smiled back, a mirror of her own insincerity. "Of course, my lady. I've already prepared something for you."
I presented her with a small, elegant box. Inside were three bottles of my latest creation, "Flora's Divine." One of them, the centerpiece, was a heady, intoxicating magnolia scent.
She was delighted, praising the exquisite bottles and the rich fragrance, completely oblivious to the venom hidden within the gift.
The welcome banquet would be my present to Isabela.
After leaving her, I didn't return to my rooms. I had the carriage take me into the city.
The carriage rolled through the city gates, stopping before the gilded sign of the finest apothecary in the capital: Cloudmist Perfumery. I needed to replenish my supply of Duskroot.
And I needed to be seen.
