There was only one way to see it—Hugh was innocent. The actress had tried to use him to get ahead, and that was what led to all that trouble.Hugh's driver had already left as he had done his job. Lucy, knowing when to bow out, followed suit.Before she went, Lucy could not help but say to Chelsea, "You know, I really admire you. I've never seen Hugh so upset before, but you made him cry."Chelsea gave a shy smile. "I didn't think he'd take it so hard."Once Lucy was gone, it was just Chelsea and Hugh left alone in the private room.Chelsea was about to speak, but Hugh beat her to it."Chelsea, you've got to believe me… But I guess I'm partly to blame too," Hugh said, reflecting on himself. "If I hadn't gotten so drunk that day, nobody would've had the chance to cause trouble, and I wouldn't have forgotten everything."It was a good thing that Hugh's driver knew all the people Hugh did. That was how they figured out what really happened."Forget about it. It's not really your
After sorting out things with Chelsea, Lucy was bombarded with messages and calls from Matthew telling her to come back ASAP.Lucy was fed up with Matthew's neediness. After bidding Chelsea farewell, she was ready to head out.Before she left, Lucy leaned in and whispered to Chelsea."I'm heading off, Chelsea. Just remember, if Hugh ever pulls something like this again, you tell me. And don't you ever see him again, okay?"Chelsea really trusted Lucy and thanked her for caring so much.Lucy left Chelsea and Hugh's hotel with ease, her mind set on getting to the royal palace in Charleston. However, just as she was about to leave, her phone rang. It was Matthew."Hey, why aren't you here yet? Oh, and I've got two tickets to a movie. How about we go see it? I'll send the driver to pick you up later."Lucy bit her lip, feeling torn. "Matthew, here's the thing... I just promised my mom and my brother that I'd go back to the palace with them, so I can't make it to the cinema right now
"Theodore, you tell me to watch over things and that some important guest is coming, but I don’t even know if that guest is a man or woman. Shouldn't you at least give me some information about them? "I don’t want to get flustered and embarrass myself in front of someone I’m meeting for the first time.”Lucy had a point, but Theodore seemed evasive and uninterested in the matter like he was only here because Juliana asked him to.Lucy had a hunch about who the guest was. While chatting with Theodore, the sound of car engines was heard from outside.The noise was a bit jarring, so out of curiosity, Lucy went out to look.She saw a vintage car parked at the entrance of the palace. The performance of vintage cars paled in comparison to modern ones, but their value lay in their historical significance.Vintage cars were only owned by certain members of the royal family in Charleston because of their historical value, making them a rarity among the people.It seemed like the guest w
The first step was to get on Theodore’s good side, and this pampered noblewoman who had never worked a day in her life was a well-known heiress in Charleston.She was not well-known for her beauty or talents but rather for the numerous feuds she had with other noble families and royals behind the scenes.Annabella’s glamorous appearance did not match her personality at all. She was not unattractive by any means as her features were well-defined, but her malice and tendency to one-up others had earned her widespread disdain.Instead of showing remorse for her actions, Annabella became even worse.However, her reputation was only confined to a small circle since she had not directly offended any larger families or the royal family. Thus, Annabella was still primarily known for her beauty throughout Charleston.People’s impressions of her were that she was a beautiful heiress, with few other negative connotations.Theodore had heard rumors about Annabella before, but he wanted to se
Lucy tried her best to remain inconspicuous because she knew that the focus of today was on her brother.Upon seeing Athur and Juliana's arrival, Annabella curtsied.“Your Majesties, I’m Annabella. I’m honored to be invited to the Royal Palace of Charleston. Thank you.”“You’re welcome,” replied Juliana gently before pushing Lucy forward.“Annabella, this is Prince Theodore’s sister, Lucy. You two should get to know each other.”Lucy did not know whether it was intentional, but Annabella had not thrown a look her way. Now that Juliana had pushed her forward, she had no choice but to go up to Annabella, lest she disappoint Juliana or embarrass her brother.“Hello, I’m Lucy. Nice to meet you.”Annabella was immediately struck by Lucy’s appearance. She had heard rumors that the legitimate princess of Charleston was exceptionally beautiful and talented.Although Lucy had been living among the people, the royal family’s genes ran deep within her bones.Even if she were to live in p
Noticing how gentlemanly Theodore was, Juliana thought that he might have a slight interest in Annabella. Little did she know, Theodore was just going through the motions. He was dying to leave, but he hid it so well that it was completely undetectable.Meanwhile, Lucy tried to minimize her presence as much as possible by sitting at the corner of the couch. She picked up a pastry from the table to nibble on, effectively blending into the background.During the Wine Festival, she had to put on a facade in front of the many cameras, and she could hardly recognize herself.Now that she had finally taken off that mask, Lucy was determined not to repeat the same mistake. She wanted to be herself when interacting with others instead of living her life with a mask.Fortunately, Annabella and her parents were focused on Theodore, so Lucy could successfully remain invisible. Not only did she concentrate on enjoying the pastries, but she also listened attentively to their conversation.Juli
As long as two people loved each other, they could overcome any obstacles to be together regardless of whether they were noble, royalty, or nobody. Why worry about these titles?However, from Annabella’s perspective, marrying into royalty was her priority since a union between royalty and nobility would be much more prestigious.In fact, it was rare for the royal family to marry the daughters of noble families as it was widely known that they often looked down on others because of their wealth.Of course, it was just a hasty generalization. Not all were like that, though very few were not.As the royal family of Charleston continued to grow, becoming the world’s second-richest family, many nobles became envious of their power. They might seem like they want to work with them on the surface, but they secretly think that the royal family means nothing to them.This was also one of the reasons why there were so few marriages between the royal family and nobility.“Theodore, I thin
Lucy and Theodore could tell from the way Annabella was behaving that she was not being her true self.However, it was only their first encounter with her, so they might have biased perceptions of her.While Annabella was talking, Lucy wanted to step outside for some fresh air. After sitting there like she was invisible for so long, she thought that the garden would be a nice place to be.Lucy was eager to leave, but Annabella would not let her go. “Lucy, I think we should talk.”Why did it feel like Annabella was hiding something?Lucy wanted to refuse, but Annabella grabbed her arm in front of everyone, putting her in a difficult position.She did not want to seem disrespectful, but she also did not want Annabella to shift the focus onto her.Theodore wanted to intervene until Juliana spoke. Smiling at Lucy, she said, “In that case, why don’t you take Annabella around the palace for a stroll, Lucy? It’s her first time visiting, so she might not be familiar with the place. "Y