I Woke Up as the Villainess Fated to Die, and Now the Emperor Can't Forget Me novel · Chapter 16 of 24

Chapter 16: The Crest

"Yes," I said.

Twelve old men leaned forward at once.

"It was my mother's scent bottle," I said. "It's the Montclair hawk."

The oldest councillor folded his spotted hands on the table.

"Lady Delmar has brought it to us tonight," he said. "She says she took it from your sleeve at the Midsummer Banquet."

I looked at Rose.

She lowered her wet eyes to the floor.

"I didn't mean to keep it," she said. "I picked it up without thinking. And then the Emperor was carrying her out, and everyone was saying she'd saved my life."

Her voice shook.

"I thought I'd misunderstood. I thought she'd taken the cup from me to protect me. So I hid it. I wanted to believe the best of her."

A councillor near the window grunted in approval.

"And now?" the old man said.

"Now I'm afraid." Rose pressed her hand to the bruise on her temple. "My girth was cut. I nearly drowned. Every time I'm hurt, she's right beside me."

"Lady Delmar came to me first," Prince Lucan said gently. "I told her she had to bring it here. I'm sorry, brother. I know what this costs you."

← Chapter 15 · All chapters · Chapter 17 →

Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend