Jewelry Box

Ch. 2 A Contract Offer

Victoria

“You look beautiful, my lady!” Nora and the other maids squealed.

I forced a smile, though the weight in my chest made their joy feel unbearable. Happiness was the last thing I felt. The memories of everything that had happened replayed relentlessly in my mind.

“Shall we go?” I suggested, feigning composure.

Nora and the rest guided me out of the bedroom.

Today was the so-called engagement party. A year before the wedding that would bind me to James, and the beginning of my misery. If I wanted to avoid this fate and make the Kendrick family pay, I needed a plan.

My only thought so far was to publicly cancel the engagement and humiliate them before the entire royal court.

But what excuse would I use?

Walking the familiar hallways, I gnawed at my nails. Nostalgia crept into my chest, stinging my eyes with tears I refused to shed.

“Remember, you’ll go in alone,” Nora murmured at my side. “Mr. Kendrick will meet you there.”

I hummed bitterly.

How could I forget? In my past life, I had entered alone, while Kendrick made his grand appearance late with a pathetic excuse about work. A lie, of course, he was with her.

My fists clenched. As I descended the stairs, a movement in the garden caught my eye.

A man stood there, half-shadowed.

“My lady?” Nora called, but I ignored her. A reckless idea sparked to life in my mind.

“I’ll be back,” I muttered before darting toward the garden.

It was mad, what I was about to do, but madness was the only weapon left to me.

“Hey!” I called out.

The man turned, and without hesitation, I rushed forward, throwing etiquette aside. My arms wrapped around his neck as I pressed my lips to his.

I expected rejection, a shove, anything, but instead, he kissed me back. Hungrily. Possessively. Passion spilling from his lips into mine until my knees nearly buckled.

“Lady Victoria!” the head maid’s horrified voice rang out. Breathless, I tore myself away only to meet a pair of striking blue eyes—cold, unreadable, yet devastatingly beautiful.

“Don’t you see I’m busy?” I smirked, leaning into his chest as the head maid and others stared, scandalized.

Their shock thrilled me. The gossip would spread like wildfire.

Perfect.

“My lady, what’s wrong with you?” Nora stammered.

They all looked confused.

I wasn’t.

This was reckless, impulsive, dangerous. I didn’t even know who the man was. Only that he was my opportunity.

“What’s happening here?” a familiar, venomous voice asked.

James’s mother, flanked by her flock of hypocrites.

I gripped the stranger’s coat tighter, my pulse quickening. This had to work.

“Oh my,” I said softly, lowering my head as though embarrassed.

In truth, I was calculating. One glance at the stranger, and I prayed he’d play along.

“What’s the meaning of this, Victoria?” the duchess snapped.

“It’s just as you see, Duchess,” the man’s voice cut through the tension like a blade. He pulled me closer, his arms firm and unyielding. “She is with me.”

Gasps rippled through the onlookers.

My lips curled.

“I’m sorry, Duchess. But I can’t marry James. I’m already in love with someone else.”

The duchess’s face twisted red with fury.

Then another voice pierced the silence.

“Victoria Lombardy!” James roared as he appeared, Melissa clinging to his side like the snake she was.

“You’re my fiancée!” he spat, raising his hand to strike.

Gasps erupted again, but before his hand could touch me, the man at my side growled, low and dangerous: “Don’t touch her.”

The menace in his voice silenced the courtyard.

Then came my father’s furious shout, cutting through the chaos.

“Victoria! What is the meaning of this?”

I straightened, my hands trembling but my resolve solid.

“I’m sorry, Father. But I can’t continue with this marriage. I can’t marry James.”

The crowd roared with whispers. The duchess fainted. James paled.

The king’s voice thundered next, calm yet amused.

“Duke Lombardy, perhaps we should listen to what this young couple has to say.”

My father’s stare lingered on the king before he finally turned his attention to the stranger.

“Explain yourself, Duke Graham. What is the meaning of this?” His words sent a shiver down my spine. Did I hear correctly?

My heart stuttered.

Duke Graham.

The infamous cold duke, feared, hated, and whispered about in every corner of the empire. And I kissed him.

“It’s exactly as Lady Victoria said,” Duke Graham declared with unnerving ease. “We are lovers.”

Shock rattled me, but I forced myself to keep still.

My father’s gaze bore into me.

“And you, Victoria? What do you want?”

This was my chance.

I drew a breath, held my head high, and declared, “I wish to cancel my engagement to the Kendrick family.”

Whispers turned to uproar.

“Very well. Doesn’t that answer everything?” the king’s voice cut through the silence.

I snapped my head toward him, catching the sly smirk curling on his lips.

A chill prickled down my spine. Why did his words feel like a trap?

“If Lady Victoria desires this, then surely you should grant it, Duke Lombardy.”

My father only hummed, stepping closer. Instinctively, my hand clenched at Duke Graham’s coat.

“We will speak of this later,” Father murmured, his tone carrying a quiet warning.

The duke stayed impassive, finally releasing James’s shirt.

I watched the silent exchange between the two men, uncertain what passed between them.

James suddenly lunged at me, but my father shoved him back with such venom that even James’s arrogance faltered.

“You bastard!” I hissed, slapping James hard enough for the sound to echo. “You dare question me while rutting with Melissa like a dog?!”

Gasps. Cries. Faces paling.

“Yes,” I sneered, pointing at the red-haired snake. “He’s been f*****g her behind my back.”

James refused, of course. Pathetically. My father’s fury confirmed the truth—this scandal would burn the Kendrick family alive.

When the chaos finally dispersed, I found myself face-to-face with Duke Graham once more. His gaze was sharp, his stance imposing.

“Care to explain, Lady Victoria?” he asked, arms crossed.

I bowed. “I’m sorry for dragging you into this mess, Duke. I only needed to end the engagement.”

“Then let’s make it official,” he said flatly. “A contract marriage.”

I froze, staring at him. “What?”

He tilted my chin, forcing me to meet his glacial eyes. A smirk ghosted over his lips. “It benefits us both. Think about it.”

And with a kiss to my hair, he left me trembling.

The path of my vengeance had begun. And it was already darker than I had ever imagined.