Reborn To Change My Fate-Chapter 258 - Two Hundred And Fifty Seven

"Become mine,"

It wasn’t a question. It was a demand. "I care not if you are married. I care not about the laws. I want you. I take what I want."

Marissa recoiled. She stepped back, her revulsion plain on her face.

She scoffed.

"How would your wife view this behavior?" Marissa asked sharply. "The Crown Princess. Does she know her husband hunts other men’s wives in? Does she know you are a predator?"

He smiled. "My wife understands power," He said. "And you... you understand power too. You wield it better than she ever could."

He looked at her with intense interest. He was getting more intrigued. Most women fawned over him. Most women threw themselves at his feet for power. Marissa fought him. She challenged him.

Marissa couldn’t take it anymore. The air in the room felt poisonous. If she stayed a minute more, if she listened to one more word of his arrogant, possessive nonsense, she would be tempted to slap the Crown Prince across the face. And that would be treason. That would be death.

She took a deep breath. She stepped back again, putting distance between them.

She curtsied. It was a sharp, quick, dismissive movement. A gesture of departure, not respect.

"I will take my leave," Marissa said. "Farewell, Your Highness."

She turned to leave. As she turned, she let the mask drop. Her smile vanished instantly. Her face twisted into a mask of pure disgust. She looked like she had just stepped in something foul.

She walked out of the room, her footsteps echoing.

Liam watched her go. He watched the sway of her hips, the proud set of her shoulders.

He laughed softly.

"None dare defy me so boldly," he whispered to the empty room.

He picked up the cup she had refused. He drank the water, imagining her.

"The more you resist," Liam murmured, his eyes darkening, "the more I must possess you."

He set the cup down. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"I happen to love a good chase," he said. "And I don’t let go once I have set my sights on something I want. You will be mine, Marissa. One way or another."

Marissa walked down the hallway. She kept her head high, her pace steady. She passed the empty rooms of the dancers.

But as she reached the top of the grand staircase, her legs suddenly gave out.

Her knees buckled. She grabbed the banister with both hands to stop herself from falling. She clung to the wood, her knuckles white.

Her breath quickened. It came in short, terrified gasps.

"Dead?" she whispered.

The word echoed in her mind. Liam had said it so casually. Derek is dead.

"Impossible," she murmured.

She shook her head violently, trying to dislodge the fear.

"In my last life," she reasoned, her voice trembling, "Derek came back safely from Strathmore. He won the war. He is supposed to live for years. He is supposed to die of old age, or sickness in the very far future, but not... not now. Not in battle."

She closed her eyes, trying to remember the past. The timeline had changed. She had changed things. Had she changed this? Had her interference, her medicine, her love... had it doomed him?

A wave of nausea washed over her.

"No," she said firmly.

She used all of her strength to calm herself down. She forced her legs to straighten. She stood up, gripping the railing.

"I’m sure this is His Highness’s plan," she convinced herself. "He said it deliberately. He lied. He wanted to hurt me. He wanted to see me break. Derek can’t be dead. He promised. He promised he would return safely."

She took a deep breath. She smoothed her fur robe.

She slowly walked down the stairs. Step by step. She forced herself to move.

She reached the bottom floor. The main hall was still empty and silent.

But then, the front doors burst open.

Lily ran in. Her face was flushed pink from the cold, but her eyes were shining. She was beaming with pure, unadulterated happiness.

"Your Grace!" Lily cried out, her voice echoing in the hall.

Marissa stopped. She looked at her maid. She braced herself for bad news.

Lily ran up to her, breathless.

"Your Grace," Lily gasped, smiling so wide it looked like it hurt. "A letter! A letter from the estate just arrived! The messenger rode ahead!"

Lily grabbed Marissa’s hands.

"They are back!" Lily exclaimed. "They have returned! The army is at the gates! I saw the banners!"

Marissa stared at her. Her heart stopped, then restarted with a frantic, joyful rhythm.

"Back?" Marissa whispered.

"Yes!" Lily laughed. "His Grace! He is back! He is home! He is waiting for you!"

Marissa felt the world spin again, but this time, it was with relief. The darkness that Liam had cast over her evaporated in an instant.

She smiled. It was a real smile. A smile of pure salvation.

"Derek is back," Marissa said. The words tasted sweet. "Derek is home."

She squeezed Lily’s hands tight.

"Come," Marissa said, her voice full of energy. "We must go home at once."

She pulled Lily toward the door.

"I don’t want him to wait out in the cold a second more," Marissa said. "I need to see him. I need to know he is doing. If he has been eating well. I will have to tell the kitchen to prepare his favorite dishes."

She turned to Lily, shaking her happily. "My husband is home!"

Lily nodded, laughing. "Yes, Your Grace!"

They ran out of the Golden Swan. They ran to the waiting carriage.

The footman opened the door, surprised by their haste. Marissa climbed in, pulling Lily in after her.

"Home!" Marissa beamed to the driver. Her eyes were shining with tears of joy. "Make it quick! His Grace is waiting!"

The driver smiled, tipping his hat. He sensed the joy.

"As you wish, Your Grace!" he called out.

He cracked the whip. The horses surged forward. The carriage rattled over the cobblestones, speeding through the winter streets, carrying Marissa back to the estate.