Chapter 15

“Hah… It was a dream.”  

Alice let out a deep sigh and covered her mouth with her hand. Her body trembled.  

‘But what if it wasn’t just a dream…?’  

Daniel had been using work as an excuse to leave early in the morning, only to have an affair with Marie Anderson. He spent his time with her outside, indulging in her company, which explained why he didn’t touch Alice at night.  

Alice trembled with a sense of betrayal. Tears began to stream down her face again.  

“Sob, sob…”  

How could Daniel, of all people, do this to her? She couldn’t believe it. How long had it been since they got married? Not even a month.  

As she sat there crying alone, the bedroom door suddenly swung open.  

“Alice…!”  

Daniel, seeing her crying, rushed over to the bed in a single stride. Alice burst into loud sobs.  

“Alice, don’t misunderstand. I can explain everything. I’ll explain, so…”  

Daniel tried to grab Alice’s hands, but she pushed him away. Watching Alice cry uncontrollably, Daniel pleaded desperately beside her.  

“Please, Alice. Don’t misunderstand. I swear, there’s nothing going on between her and me.”  

His hands trembled as he nervously ran them through his hair. But Alice firmly rejected him.  

“Get out.”  

“Alice, please listen to me…”  

“I don’t want to hear anything. Just leave…”  

Alice covered her face with both hands and continued to cry. But Daniel instinctively knew that if he left as she wished, it would be the end of everything. He knelt before her and begged.  

“Alice, it’s true I’ve been meeting her lately, but it wasn’t my choice.”  

“I don’t want to hear it!”  

Alice covered her ears with both hands. But Daniel gently took her hands away and continued to plead earnestly.  

“His Majesty the King ordered me to. I had no choice.”  

“I don’t believe you!”  

“Alice, please…”  

“If you won’t leave, then I will!”  

Alice rose from the bed, intending to leave the room. Daniel, who had been kneeling, stood up abruptly and pulled her into a tight embrace.  

“Alice, no. Please. I can’t let you go without clearing up this misunderstanding.”  

“Let go of me!”  

“Alice, please…”  

Alice struggled in his arms, but Daniel held her tightly, refusing to let go. Then, she felt something warm drip onto her head—Daniel’s tears. He was crying.  

“Please, believe me… It really was an order from His Majesty.”  

Seeing Daniel cry, Alice hesitated. Her resolve to push him away wavered. She loved him, and her heart softened.  

“How can I believe that…?”  

Tears rolled down Alice’s cheeks, but Daniel, sensing that she was no longer resisting, held her tenderly.  

“Alice, please don’t doubt me. How could I ever betray you? If nothing else, please don’t question my love for you.”  

As Daniel sobbed while holding her close, Alice quietly watched his tears. Seeing her remain still in his arms, Daniel kissed her forehead and the top of her head repeatedly.  

“…What exactly did His Majesty say?”  

Finally, Alice asked. Daniel let out a deep sigh and buried his face in the crook of her neck.  

“You know that His Majesty wanted to take you as his consort, don’t you?”  

“Yes…”  

Alice had heard about it. But she thought the King had given up once her marriage to Daniel proceeded. 

“His Majesty was upset that we went ahead with the marriage, despite knowing he wanted you as his queen. Both Duke Mistry and my family fell out of his favor because of it.”  

What did that have to do with the courtesan? 

Alice frowned. Sensing her confusion, Daniel gently rubbed her furrowed brow with his fingers.  

“After we finally got married, His Majesty tried to exile me to a remote post. Duke Mistry, knowing this, introduced Marie Anderson to His Majesty.”  

My father?

Alice’s eyes widened in surprise. Finding her reaction adorable, Daniel kissed her forehead and continued.  

“His Majesty took a liking to Marie Anderson, but he still wanted to make my life difficult for taking you away from him. So, he ordered me to serve her.”  

“What?”  

Alice was dumbfounded. 

Serve a courtesan? Marie Anderson might have been elegant, educated, and sophisticated enough to mingle with high society, but she was still a commoner by birth. For the heir of the Lawrence family to be ordered to serve a courtesan—it was an immense insult to a noble family that had loyally served the crown for generations.  

“…I endured it because it was better than seeing you married to His Majesty.”  

Daniel spoke softly, pressing his lips to Alice’s hair. Tears welled up in her eyes again.  

“Don’t cry, Alice.”  

“But…”  

“His Majesty knows this is excessive, so he’ll soon rescind the order. It’s just a temporary tantrum. Please bear with it for a little while. I’d rather endure this than leave you behind and be sent to some remote province.”  

Daniel pleaded earnestly. Alice, tears streaming down her face, gazed at him silently.  

‘Could this really be true?’  

Even so, could the King really have issued such an order? Could His Majesty truly go so far?

It was hard to believe.  

‘Could he really have nothing to do with that woman?’  

Her doubts lingered. After all, Daniel hadn’t kissed her passionately in a long time. With anger in her eyes, Alice questioned him.  

“Even if His Majesty ordered you to serve her, how do you explain being in a lingerie shop with her, picking out women’s undergarments together?”