Chapter 425

"Sophia Evans appearing on that flight was pure coincidence."

Ethan Roscente's knuckles rapped against the desk. "I thought she was tailing me, but she accidentally crossed paths with you instead. I take full responsibility."

Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, the Kingdom of Eudora glittered like scattered stardust.

"I misjudged her character before." His Adam's apple bobbed. "Vivian, give me a chance to make it right."

The steak knife gleamed coldly in Vivian Laurent's grip.

"I swear." Ethan suddenly leaned forward, candlelight flickering in his eyes. "I never had feelings for Sophia. If you want, I'll lay out every truth for you to see."

Even his elder brother Alexander Roscente's secret lineage was laid bare in that moment.

Vivian kept her gaze lowered to the dinner plate.

"I don't have time for this right now."

"Then another day!" Ethan's eyes brightened instantly. The clinking of silverware betrayed his eagerness as he added, "My door is always open whenever you're ready."

He fussed over refilling her water glass and serving dishes. After dinner, he insisted on showing her around Central Plaza. Street performers levitated glass orbs, casting prismatic reflections across Vivian's lashes.

"Watch your step."

Ethan's hand hovered protectively behind her back. When the fountain erupted unexpectedly, he instinctively shielded her with his suit jacket from the spray.

The night breeze carried the scent of roses.

Vivian paused abruptly before an antique shop. A medieval copper mirror in the window reflected her faint smile. The realization struck her—it was never palace walls that confined her, but the prison of her own making.

"We're here."

The palace gates shimmered cobalt under moonlight. As Ethan prepared to say goodnight, Vivian's skirt flared like a night-blooming flower as she turned.

"Thank you for tonight."

Her crescent-moon smile startled the doves nesting by the fountain. Long after her silhouette vanished behind gilded doors, Ethan remained rooted in place. Rose petals drifted from his pocket onto the cobblestones where she'd stood.

Passing guards found the Roscente Group heir grinning foolishly at the empty night air.