Blind Heiress Kissed The Mad Regent Chapter 04

Blind Heiress Kissed The Mad Regent Chapter 04

“By order of the Crown, Elara Voss, trueborn heiress of House Voss, is recognized for her virtue and grace. She is hereby betrothed to Regent Silas Thorne. The wedding shall take place in a fortnight.”

The Lord Chamberlain read the decree aloud. Crate after crate of royal gifts streamed into Voss Estate, fine silks, rare medicines, piling high in the courtyard.

Before anyone could catch their breath, another wave of servants from Thorne Manor poured through the gates, hauling an endless array of exotic treasures behind them.

The head steward bowed low. “His Highness sent these. Gifts for his bride-to-be. Please accept them, my lady.”

The lavish stream of gifts drew envious gasps from the staff and neighbors. “The King’s gifts are one thing, but the Regent’s going all out like this too? Lady Voss must be doing something right.”

“Everyone always said the Regent was terrifying, but look at him now, completely devoted to his future wife. Nobody else in the Capital’s ever gotten treatment like this.”

Marlowe stared at the treasures, her face twisting with envy.

Soon, her jealousy curdled into a sneer. “So you’re marrying into his estate. What’s there to be so happy about?”

“The Regent’s moods turn on a dime. Everyone knows he’s killed more people than anyone can count. You might be a glowing bride today, but tomorrow you’ll just be another body under his blade.”

Just as the mocking words left her lips, steady footsteps echoed from the courtyard gate.

Silas Thorne usually wore nothing but black, but today he wore a moon-white brocade robe. His scars had also faded considerably after weeks of treatment, lending him a gentler air.

He walked straight up to me, a hint of shyness in his eyes. “Do you like these gifts?”

I reached up and squished his cheeks. “Of course I do. I love anything you give me.”

Over that past month, we had spent a great deal of time together in private. Silas’s former twisted cruelty had simply been an obsession with the stares of others. But I had always treated him like a normal person, patiently coaxing him out of his shell until he finally let his guard down.

Marlowe was practically foaming with rage. She forced a fawning smile and tried to sidle closer.

Before she could get near, Silas’s face filled with disgust. He gestured to his guards. “Get her out of my sight. Flog her. I don’t ever want to see her face again.”

Marlowe was flogged yet again and spent half a month bedridden, finally keeping quiet for a while. She even came to apologize to me and helped with the wedding preparations. Mom and Dad assumed she’d turned over a new leaf and slowly let their guard down.

The day of my wedding to Silas arrived. Voss Estate was decked out in flowers and candlelight, every corner glowing.

The Queen Mother and the King themselves came to witness the ceremony. We had just finished our vows and the hall was erupting in cheers when Marlowe suddenly burst out of the crowd, sobbing.

“Sister! Even if you hate me, I can’t just stand here and let you commit a crime that’ll bring down this whole family.”

Before anyone could react, Marlowe lifted her tear-streaked face to the King and Queen Mother, her voice shaking with a sob. “Your Majesty, my sister hid a chest full of venomous snakes among her things. She’s planning to murder the Regent on their wedding night.”

The accusation of plotting to murder a prince of the blood landed like a thunderclap. The King’s and Queen Mother’s faces went stone-cold. They ordered the guards to pry open every single one of my wedding chests.

The first chests were opened, revealing only jewels and silks. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Then the very last chest was forced open.

Dozens of venomous snakes poured out, their tongues flickering. Screams ripped through the hall.

Marlowe pointed at the chest, wiping her tears. “I saw her do it. Last night, with my own eyes. She put the snakes in there. She was planning this whole thing.”

In an instant, every gaze fixed on me was filled with shock and horror. The guards drew their swords, waiting only for the King’s order to seize me on the spot.

No one expected my reaction to be more explosive than anyone else’s. I screamed, “What?! Those are snakes? Not cats?!”

I yanked up my sleeve, revealing a clear, savage bite mark on my arm.