Reborn To Change My Fate-Chapter 281 - Two Hundred And Eighty

The long corridor leading to the Grand Duke’s private study was usually a place of quiet, disciplined silence. The guards stood like statues, the torches flickered with a steady rhythm, and the heavy carpets muffled every footstep.

But tonight, the silence was shattered.

Marissa ran.

She wasn’t running with the graceful, floating steps of a noblewoman in a ballroom. She was running with the desperate, heavy steps of a woman fleeing a fire. Her chest heaved with painful exertion. Her breath came in ragged, shallow gasps that tore at her throat. Her hair, usually pinned up in a style that could withstand a gale, was windblown and messy, strands escaping to stick to her flushed, sweating cheeks.

She ignored the startled looks of the guards as she passed them. She didn’t wait to be announced. She didn’t care about decorum or protocol. The memory of Prince Liam’s cold, dead hand touching hers, the threat in his smooth voice, was still burning on her skin like a brand.

She reached the heavy oak door. She didn’t knock. She pushed it open with both hands, using her body weight.

Bang.

The door crashed against the interior wall with a violence that made the crystal decanters on the sideboard rattle and chime.

Derek stood up instantly from behind his massive desk. His chair scraped loudly against the floor, a harsh sound in the sudden chaos. He had been brooding, staring at the white fabric lying on his desk, his mind a storm of jealousy, rage, and confusion. He looked ready to fight an army.

But when he saw her face, the anger vanished. It was replaced by a sharp, immediate alarm that tightened his chest.

"Mari?" Derek said.

He rounded the desk in two long, hurried strides.

Marissa crossed the room, stumbling slightly on the thick edge of the rug. She reached him and grabbed his arm. Her fingers dug into the fabric of his sleeve, clutching him as if he were a lifeline thrown to a drowning woman.

"Prince Liam," she gasped, the name tearing from her throat like a curse.

She looked up at him, her eyes wide with terror and realization.

"Prince Liam was the one," she said, her voice shaking. "He caused your accident in Strathmore. He sent Carlos. He wanted you dead."

Derek’s eyes narrowed. His body went rigid, turning to stone under her hands. He placed his own hands on her shoulders, his grip firm and steadying, grounding her.

"You met Prince Liam?" Derek asked. His voice was low, dangerous. "Where? Did he hurt you?"

Marissa shook her head, still struggling to catch her breath. "At the Golden Swan. He was waiting for me. He cleared the hall. He had guards. He trapped me there."

Derek cursed under his breath. It was a string of soldier’s profanities that would have shocked the Dowager, words born of pure, protective fury. He pulled her closer, his eyes scanning her face for any sign of injury, checking her wrists for bruises, checking her neck.

"I knew it," Derek said, his voice grim. "I suspected him, but now... now it is certain."

He looked over her head at the closed door, as if he could see the Prince standing there.

"The one who caused the Thompson army massacre years ago," Derek whispered, the secret he had held for so long finally spilling out. "It was Prince Liam. He is the rot at the heart of the kingdom. He killed Theodore."

Marissa froze. She stopped breathing for a second. She looked up at him, shocked. The revelation hit her hard. It wasn’t just a rivalry over a throne. It wasn’t just petty jealousy. It was a blood feud. It was murder.

"What?" she whispered. "Theodore?"

Derek nodded. He saw she was trembling. He realized she was close to collapsing.

"Come," he said gently.

He led her to the leather sofa near the fireplace. The fire was dying, but the embers still cast a warm, red glow, fighting back the shadows of the room. He sat her down and sat beside her, keeping a protective arm around her shoulders, shielding her from the darkness.

"My trip to Strathmore," Derek explained, his voice low and serious, "wasn’t only on the war. The war was the cover. The supplies, the plague... those were real, but my true mission was to find witnesses. Survivors. Someone who could testify against him."

He looked into the fire, his expression haunted by old ghosts.

"I found one," Derek said. "Captain Nigel. He was Theodore’s lieutenant. He was there that day. He told Ian everything before he... before we had to move him to safety."

Derek’s hand tightened on her shoulder.

"Liam betrayed my brother," Derek said, the words heavy with pain. "He sold out the army’s position to the Mercians for political gain. He wanted the throne secure, and Theodore was too popular. Theodore was a hero. Liam couldn’t have a rival, so he had him butchered."

Marissa stared at him. The scale of the betrayal was staggering. Liam wasn’t just a cruel prince; he was a monster who traded thousands of lives for a crown.

"The reason I didn’t tell you," Derek said, turning back to her, his eyes full of regret, "was fear. Fear of dragging you into danger. I thought if you didn’t know, you would be safe. I thought I could shield you from the darkness of my family’s past."

He reached up and touched her cheek gently. His thumb brushed away a bead of sweat near her temple.

"I didn’t expect Prince Liam to target you anyway," Derek admitted, his voice thick with guilt. "I was careless. I underestimated his obsession. I underestimated how far he would go to hurt me through you."

He noticed the sheen of perspiration on her forehead. He noticed her trembling hands.

"You are sweating too much," he murmured.

He took his clean linen handkerchief from his pocket and patted her face softly, wiping away the moisture.

Marissa leaned into his touch, closing her eyes for a moment. His hand was steady.

"Prince Liam came to the Golden Swan looking for me," Marissa said, opening her eyes. "He had leverage. He had... papers."

She swallowed hard.

"I saw my copy of the divorce agreement in his hand," she whispered.

Derek stiffened. His hand stopped moving.

"The agreement?" he asked, his voice sharp. "But that was hidden. It was in a book in your wardrobe. No one knew about it. We tore mine."

"He had it," Marissa said. "He waved it in my face. He wanted to test our feelings. He threatened to expose us. He said our marriage was a sham. He threatened to kill you if I didn’t submit to him. I tore it in front of him."

Derek’s jaw clenched. The veins in his neck stood out. "He is truly vicious."

He stood up abruptly. He couldn’t sit still. He walked to his desk.

The white silk chemise was still lying there, a ghost in the dim light. It looked innocent, just a piece of fabric.

He picked it up. He walked back to the sofa and handed it to her.

"He gave me this," Derek said, his voice flat with suppressed rage.

Marissa took the fabric. She recognized it instantly. The embroidery. The lace. The scent of her own perfume still clinging to it faintly. It was hers. It was the one she had worn on their first night together.

She touched the chemise, and a wave of disgust washed over her.

Liam had touched this. He had stolen it from her room. He had held it, perhaps smelled it. It felt violated. It felt dirty.

"He was trying to ruin our relationship," Marissa said, her voice shaking with anger. "He wanted you to doubt me. He wanted you to think I gave it to him. He wanted to plant a seed of jealousy in your heart so you would cast me aside."

She looked up at Derek, searching his face for any sign of doubt.

"I didn’t," she whispered. "I swear."

"I know," Derek said firmly. He knelt in front of her, holding her hands. "I never doubted you. Not for a second. I know you, Marissa. I know your heart."

Marissa chuckled. It was a harsh, bitter sound.

"So," she said, crumpling the silk in her fist. "To enter our room... to obtain such private items... to find a hidden document inside a book..."

She looked at the door, her eyes hardening.

"It seems like my dear sister’s handiwork," Marissa said. "Only Ashlyn would know where I keep my things. Only Ashlyn would be petty enough to steal underwear. Only Ashlyn has the access."

Derek nodded. "She actually latched onto Prince Liam. She sold us out to the man who killed my brother."

He shook his head, a look of profound disappointment on his face.

"She has chosen her side," Derek said. "And she will fall with him."

He stood up and sat back down beside her. He took her hand, interlacing his fingers with hers. His grip was strong, reassuring. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"Ian is bringing the witness and evidence back to Eudora secretly," Derek revealed. "They are traveling by night, using the old smugglers’ roads to avoid Liam’s patrols. It will take days and it’s dangerous, but it is the only way."

His eyes gleamed with a cold, determined light.

"When the time is right," Derek vowed. "When Nigel is safe within these walls... I will present him and other evidence to His Majesty and the court. I will force the King to listen."

He squeezed her hand.

"We will topple Prince Liam in one move," Derek said. "We will expose him for the traitor and murderer he is. We will finish what Theodore started."

He looked at her, his expression softening.

"But before that," Derek said, his voice dropping, "we need to be extra careful."

He stood up again. He went back to his desk. He opened a locked drawer.

He brought out a small, flat box.

It was made of polished wood, simple and unadorned. It wasn’t like the other gifts he had bought for her. It looked like it held something heavy.

He walked back to the chair and handed it to Marissa.

Marissa looked at the box. It felt substantial in her hands.

"What is it?" she asked.

Derek sat down on the edge of the sofa.

"Open it," he said.