Reborn To Change My Fate-Chapter 300 - Two Hundred And Ninety Nine

The afternoon sun beat down on the sprawling courtyard of Prince Liam’s private residence. It was a bright, clear day, but the light brought no warmth to the Prince. The air felt heavy, thick with the unresolved tension from the night before.

Prince Liam stood near the grand entrance of his manor. He was dressed in his finest clothes, a dark green tunic embroidered with silver thread, but he did not look regal. He looked tired. He looked anxious.

The left side of his face was still slightly swollen. The red mark from Dahlia’s hand had faded into a dull, yellowish bruise, but it throbbed with every beat of his heart. It was a physical reminder of his humiliation. He kept his hands clasped behind his back, trying to project an air of calm control that he did not feel.

He was waiting for his wife.

The heavy wooden doors of the manor opened. A footman in the royal blue uniform stepped out first, bowing low.

Then, Princess Dahlia emerged.

She looked immaculate. She wore a traveling dress of deep, rich burgundy, tailored perfectly to her figure. Her dark hair was pinned up neatly beneath a stylish hat. Her face was a perfect, unreadable mask of porcelain. There was no trace of the tears she had shed for her friend, and no trace of the screaming fury she had unleashed in the Golden Swan.

She looked past Liam as if he were a statue. She walked down the wide stone steps, her posture rigid and proud.

The footman hurried forward. He jogged down the steps ahead of her and rushed to the waiting carriage. It was a large, luxurious carriage bearing the crest of the Reed family, not the royal crest. That small detail alone made Liam’s stomach tighten.

The footman opened the heavy carriage door and stood to the side, bowing his head respectfully. "Right this way, Your Highness," the footman murmured.

Dahlia approached the carriage.

Liam knew he was being watched. The guards by the gate were watching. The servants in the courtyard were watching. He needed to show them that he was still the master, that his marriage was still intact. He needed to play the role of the doting, apologetic husband.

He stepped forward quickly, moving to close the distance between them.

"Dahlia," Liam said softly, trying to inject warmth into his voice. " My Love."

He reached out his right hand, offering it to her so he could help her step up into the high carriage. It was a standard gesture of courtesy from a husband to a wife.

As his hand came close to hers, Dahlia reacted.

She didn’t just ignore his hand. She raised her own gloved hand and swung it.

Smack.

She swatted his hand away.

It wasn’t a gentle push. It was a sharp, hard strike that echoed loudly in the quiet courtyard. It sounded almost like a slap.

The footman flinched, his eyes widening in shock. The guards at the gate stiffened. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Liam froze. His hand hung in the air, stinging from the impact. A hot flush of embarrassment crept up his neck and colored his cheeks.

Dahlia stopped and turned to look at him. Her eyes were like shards of winter ice.

"Don’t touch me," Dahlia said. Her voice was not loud, but it was sharp enough to cut glass. "Don’t bother. I can get into the carriage myself."

Liam slowly lowered his hand. He forced a smile onto his face, though it looked more like a grimace. He let out a nervous chuckle, a hollow sound meant to make the rejection seem like a small lover’s quarrel.

"Of course, my love," Liam said, stepping back to give her space. "As you wish."

Dahlia did not move to get in just yet. She stood by the open door, looking at him with open contempt.

Liam cleared his throat. He needed to know something. He had received an urgent message from his allies that morning, a message that had caused him more panic than the bruise on his cheek.

"My love," Liam began again, choosing his words with extreme caution. He kept his voice low so the servants wouldn’t hear the details. "I received a report this morning. I heard the spies in Strathmore and the spies in the West are packing up their camps. They are coming back to Eudora."

He looked at her, his eyes searching her face for a reaction.

Strathmore was already in support of Derek. It would be hard for him to find Captain Nigel without the spies. And the West was where the rebel factions were hiding, where he was planning his coup if he failed to take the throne. Liam relied heavily on the intelligence gathered there. But those spies were not his. They belonged to General Reed. They belonged to Dahlia’s father. If they were returning to the capital, it meant Liam was going blind. He would have no eyes or ears in the most dangerous parts of the kingdom.

"Are you responsible for this?" Liam asked, his voice tight with suppressed panic.

Dahlia looked at him steadily. She didn’t deny it. She didn’t try to hide her power.

"I am," Dahlia replied simply.

Her confirmation hit him like a physical blow. She was actually doing it. She was pulling her family’s support away from him.

"What is it to you?" Dahlia asked coldly.

Liam swallowed hard. He tried to maintain his composure. He couldn’t let her see how much this terrified him. Without her father’s intelligence network, his enemies could plot against him in the dark. Derek could raise an army, and Liam wouldn’t know until they were at the city gates.

"Nothing," Liam lied quickly. He forced another tight smile. "I was just asking. It is a sudden movement, that is all. I thought perhaps the General was reorganizing his people."

He took a small step closer, trying to look sincere and apologetic. He needed to repair this bridge before it burned completely.