Reborn To Change My Fate-Chapter 287 - Two Hundred And Eighty Six

Marissa turned and began to lead them up the grand staircase.

The group moved slowly. Marissa set a dignified pace, her hand lightly touching the polished wooden banister. She kept her head high, acting the part of the gracious hostess perfectly. Princess Dahlia walked beside her, her steps heavy with exhaustion but still regal. Lady Edwina followed a step behind.

Their footsteps were muffled by the thick, red carpet runner that covered the stairs. It absorbed the sound, making their ascent feel ghost-like. As they ascended higher, the sounds of the city outside—the carriages, the wind, the distant chatter—faded away completely.

The upper hallway was silent. It was a long corridor lined with closed doors. Ornate sconces on the walls held flickering candles, casting long, dancing shadows against the wall. The air here was warmer, smelling faintly of lavender and beeswax.

Marissa’s heart beat a steady rhythm against her ribs.

She forced her breathing to remain even. She kept a polite smile on her face, but inside, she was calculating every second. She was walking on a knife’s edge. One wrong move, one suspicion from the Princess, and everything could collapse, the plan would fail.

But Dahlia seemed to trust her completely. She looked around the hallway with mild interest, trying to distract herself from her friend’s grief.

"The architecture of this building is quite unique," Dahlia said softly. "The arches are very old-fashioned. It reminds me of the summer palace in the south."

"You have a keen eye, Your Highness," Marissa replied, her voice steady. "The Golden Swan was built fifty years ago before my husband bought it. I tried to preserve the original style when I renovated it."

"It is beautiful," Edwina added from behind, her voice weak. "Very peaceful."

"Peace is what we need," Dahlia sighed.

They continued walking. They were halfway down the hall.

Suddenly, a figure turned the corner from the far end of the corridor. It was a maid in a grey dress, carrying a stack of linens. It was Lily.

Lily walked with her head down, moving quickly. She looked flustered, her face pale. As she approached the group, she seemed to stumble. Her foot caught on the edge of the carpet.

She pitched forward.

"Oh!" Lily cried out.

She bumped into Marissa. The linens in her arms shifted, and she grabbed Marissa’s arm to steady herself.

As she did, something fell from the folds of her apron.

Clink.

A small, heavy object hit the floor. It rolled across the carpet and stopped right at the feet of Princess Dahlia.

The group stopped.

Lily gasped. She immediately dropped to her knees, bowing her head low, terrified.

"I am so sorry, Your Grace! I am so sorry, Your Highness!" Lily stammered, her voice shaking. "I was clumsy. Please forgive me!"

Marissa looked down. She frowned, playing the role of the strict but fair mistress.

Marissa scolded gently. "You must be more careful. You nearly knocked into the Crown Princess."

Marissa bent down. She reached out and picked up the object that had fallen.

It was a token. It was made of solid gold, heavy and cool in her hand. It was shaped like a lion’s head, with small rubies set into the eyes. It was not a coin. It was a personal ornament, something used to weigh down papers or worn as a pendant.

Marissa held it up to the candlelight. She let the light catch the rubies.

"This item is quite valuable," Marissa said, her voice filled with feigned surprise. She looked at Lily, who was still kneeling. "Lily, where did you get this? This is not something a maid should have."

Lily looked up. Her eyes were wide with fear. She glanced at the closed door at the end of the hall, then back at Marissa.

"I... I..." Lily stuttered.

"Speak," Marissa commanded softly. "The Princess is waiting." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"The guest," Lily whispered, her voice trembling. "The guest in the private room gifted it to me."

Marissa raised an eyebrow. "Gifted it to you? Why would a guest give a maid such a treasure?"

"I... I went in to change the water," Lily lied, following the script Marissa had written for her. "The drapes of the bed were closed. The guest... he reached out a hand and gave it to me. He said I served him well. He told me to keep it a secret."

It was a lie, but it was grounded in a sliver of truth.

Ten minutes ago, while Liam and Ashlyn were lost in their drug-fueled passion, the drapes of the four-poster bed had been drawn to keep the heat in. Lily had used the master key. She had sneaked into the room like a shadow. She had seen the clothes scattered on the floor. She had seen Liam’s velvet coat lying on a chair. She had reached into the pocket and pulled out the first thing her fingers touched—his personal token. She had slipped out, leaving the door unlocked before they even stopped moaning.

Now, that stolen token lay in Marissa’s palm.

Lady Edwina leaned forward, squinting at the object.

"The color and texture of this token..." Edwina murmured. She looked closer. "It looks like a royal item. See the engraving on the back?"

Princess Dahlia frowned. She reached out her hand.

"Let me see it," Dahlia said.

Marissa handed the token to the Princess.

Dahlia took it. She turned it over in her gloved fingers. She traced the shape of the lion. She looked at the rubies.

Her breath hitched. Her eyes widened in sudden, sharp recognition.

She knew this token. She had seen it on her husband’s desk a thousand times. It was a gift from his father, the King. Liam never went anywhere without it. He used it to mark his place in books. He fiddled with it when he was thinking or bored.

Why did a maid have Prince Liam’s personal token? And why did she say a "guest" gave it to her?

Dahlia’s face changed. The exhaustion vanished, replaced by a cold, hard suspicion. Her lips pressed together into a thin white line.

"Which room?" Dahlia asked.

Her voice was no longer soft. It was harsh, vibrating with suppressed anger.

Lily pointed a shaking finger down the corridor.

"The last door down the hall, Your Highness," Lily whispered. "The VIP suite."

Dahlia didn’t ask another question. She didn’t wait for an explanation.

She dropped the token into her pocket. She turned and began to walk.

Her pace was not dignified anymore. It was fast. It was furious. Her heavy skirts swished violently around her ankles as she stormed down the hallway.

"Dahlia?" Edwina called out, confused.

Dahlia didn’t answer. She walked faster, her heels clicking sharply on the floorboards where the carpet ended.

Marissa stood back, watching. She signaled Lily with her eyes—Good job. Go.

Lily scrambled up and ran down the back stairs.

Marissa turned to Edwina.

"We should follow her," Marissa said, her voice sounding worried. "She looks upset."

Edwina nodded, panic rising in her chest. "Yes. Yes, we must stop her. She shouldn’t be alone."

Edwina ran after the Princess. "Dahlia! Dahlia, wait!"

But Dahlia wasn’t listening. The blood was pounding in her ears. She knew that token. She knew her husband’s habits. If his token was here, he was here. And if he was giving gold to maids in a place like this, he was not here for business.

She reached the end of the hall. She stood in front of the heavy oak door.

She didn’t knock. She didn’t hesitate.

She placed both hands on the wood.

She pushed it open with all her strength.

BANG!

The door crashed against the interior wall. The sound was like a thunderclap in the quiet room.

Inside, the air was thick with the smell of wine and sweat. The fire was roaring in the grate. The room was dim, lit only by the flickering flames.

The sound of the bang made the cheating partners stop.

On the large bed, behind the sheer silk drapes, there was movement. A gasp. The rustling of sheets.

Prince Liam, confused and disoriented by the drugs but jolted by the noise, sat up. He grabbed the sheet to cover himself. He was furious. He thought a servant had burst in without permission. He thought it was a guard interrupting his pleasure.

"Who dares?" Liam shouted.

His voice was slurred but filled with the arrogance of a Prince who had never been told ’no’.

"Who dares disturb my fun?" he roared. "I will have your head for this! Get out!"

He reached out and grabbed the silk drapes of the bed.

He ripped them open with a violent motion, wanting to glare at the intruder.

"I said get..."

The words died in his throat.

He froze.

Standing in the doorway, bathed in the light from the hallway, was a woman. She was wearing a noblewoman’s cloak. Her hood was down. Her face was pale, twisted with a mixture of heartbreak and fury.

It was Dahlia.

Liam blinked. He shook his head, thinking it was a hallucination from the wine. He thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.

But she didn’t disappear. She stood there, solid and real, staring at him. She stared at his bare chest. She stared at the woman cowering behind him under the sheets. She stared at the wine bottle on the floor.

Liam’s mouth opened and closed. No sound came out.

He looked at the woman beside him. Ashlyn peaked out from the sheets, her hair messy, her eyes wide with horror as she recognized the Crown Princess.

Liam looked back at the door.

He stammered.

"Da... Dahlia?" he whispered.

His face drained of all color. The heat in his blood turned to ice. The arrogance vanished. The lust evaporated.

He looked small. He looked caught.

His anger died instantly.