Chapter 506:
Three days later. The central plaza of Valoria.
Aurora stood near the fountain. She wore a simple white dress, her hair loose. She looked peaceful, but her eyes were scanning the rooftops.
William had asked to meet her here. “To discuss the exit strategy,” he had said.
He walked out from the crowd, flanked by his personal guard. He wasn’t smiling. He looked like a man making a business deal.
“Aurora,” William said, stopping a respectful distance away. “The Harvesters are moving. They’ve put a bounty on your head. And your mother’s.”
“I know,” Aurora said. “That’s why we’re leaving.”
“You won’t make it past the border,” William warned. “They control the airspace. But I can protect you.”
He extended a hand. “Marry me. A political union. You become a Duchess. The Harvesters cannot touch a member of the Royal Family. It’s the only shield strong enough to hold them back.”
The crowd in the plaza watched, sensing the tension, though they couldn’t hear the words.
Aurora looked at his hand. It was a tempting offer. Safety. Power. A fortress.
“And what do you get out of it, William?” Aurora asked.
“Access to your network,” William admitted. “And the prestige of taming the Phoenix. It’s a fair trade.”
Aurora pulled out her phone. She initiated a video call.
“Put it on the big screen,” Aurora said to Cloud via her earpiece.
The massive digital billboard overlooking the plaza flickered. The ad for perfume disappeared.
𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗻 gⲁ𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀⫰⩸ℭ𝗈𝗺
Elias Thorne’s face appeared. He was in the hotel suite, packing bags. He looked up, confused, then saw the feed of the meeting. His eyes darkened.
Aurora turned the phone so William could see the screen.
“That’s a generous offer, Duke,” Aurora said into the microphone. “But I’m afraid my loyalty is already pledged.”
She held up her hand. She wasn’t wearing a ring. But she pointed to the screen.
“Elias,” Aurora said. “Tell the Duke why I can’t marry him.”
Elias leaned into the camera. His voice boomed across the plaza. “Because if she marries you, William, she’ll own you within a week. And I prefer her to be challenged, not bored.”
The crowd went silent. Then, laughter rippled through.
William’s smile froze. He lowered his hand. “You refuse a Duke? For a businessman?”
“I refuse a cage,” Aurora said. “Even a golden one.”
She turned to the camera. “I love you, Elias. Get the car. We’re leaving.”
“Already downstairs,” Elias replied.
Aurora walked away, leaving William standing in the shadow of the billboard.
As she pushed through the crowd, Tina Ziegler appeared, wearing a hoodie. She pressed a folder into Aurora’s hand.
“Take it,” Tina whispered. “It’s the DNA test. And the property deeds. Seraphina… Celeste… she didn’t just work in the garden. She owns it. The estate was put in her name twenty years ago by your father, before he ‘died.’ The Dowager hid the papers.”
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