The Lycan King and his Dark Temptation novel Chapter 345

KATHERINE

The carriage moved through the bustling streets.

I couldn’t stop looking through the sheer curtain at the people passing by, watching the lively sway of the night markets.

The air was thick with festivity. It was my first time visiting these lands, outside of Everhart’s Duchy and the territories of other nobles.

Suddenly, we came to a halt, perhaps because something was blocking the carriage’s path.

My attention fell on a pair of lovers standing in front of a trinket stall.

The man looked like a farm laborer, his skin tanned by the sun, but his face bore the foolish expression of a man hopelessly in love as he gazed at the petite woman beside him.

He picked up a few pendants, trying them on her.

The woman looked embarrassed, and then he whispered something in her ear, leaning in so close that it made her smile and blush like a tomato.

I sighed wistfully.

I had always been a hopeless romantic—so much so that a few sweet words and tender gestures were all it took for me to fall into bed with the house gardener and end up pregnant at a young age.

I lost my daughter, her father was possibly murdered, and then I was treated like an animal for years in that madhouse.

Now, I have to resort to deception, using tricks to sleep with a man who mistakes me for my twin sister.

What a colorful life I’ve had.

"Are you sad about losing your pendant?" A whisper suddenly brushed against my ear, the Duke’s soft breath tickling my skin.

"My pendant?" I lifted my head and turned slightly, meeting his beautiful blue eyes. "No, I hadn’t even remembered that."

I assumed he was talking about the old opal pendant I had given him.

"Then why did you look sad while watching them? Are you that unhappy by my side?" he asked, catching me off guard.

I hadn’t realized he was watching me.

His brow was slightly furrowed, his sensual lips were so close, his chest radiated warmth against my shoulder.

"I... no, why would I be unhappy by Your Grace’s side?" I couldn’t help but avoid his gaze.

The truth was, I wasn’t exactly unhappy, but I was carrying too many lies and secrets. The biggest one of all—I wasn’t the woman he thought I was.

"Duchess..." His fingers grasped my chin.

Elliot turned my face back toward him, so close I thought he might kiss me at any moment.

He leaned even further over my body, pinning me against the corner of the carriage. My heart trembled, pounding erratically. I was starting to feel a little nervous.

"I know our beginning wasn’t ideal. There are many things we need to... discuss," he paused, his intense gaze never leaving mine.

"But, Rosse... Duchess, I’m willing to bury the hatchet. Honestly, it’s exhausting to maintain a marriage like this, don’t you think?"

His words took me by pleasant surprise. I even fell silent for a moment, wondering if he was testing me, lying to me for some reason…

"Duke, I agree... I think—"

I heard them separate with huffs and low murmurs of hostility.

If I had felt uneasy before, now an ominous weight settled in my chest.

Why had Elliot brought me here? Did he truly wish to reconcile with Rossella? He climbed back into the carriage without a word.

His anger was almost tangible, so despite my swirling questions, I kept quiet, simply waiting to see what the night would bring.

The carriage moved again, the wheels clattering against the stone pavement. Fifteen minutes later, we came to another stop.

"We’ve arrived," he announced, moving to open the door, but then hesitated for a second, his hand resting on the handle.

"Duchess, there are many ill-intentioned people at this gathering. High society is a den of vipers and hidden currents," he warned, turning to face me.

"Whatever they tell you or insinuate, please, ask me directly first if you have any doubts, and I will tell you the truth," he assured me in a low voice.

His eyes, filled with countless thoughts, never wavered from mine.

"I brought you to this celebration to present you to everyone as my Duchess. I have no other motive. Whatever remains of the past, I will put an end to it tonight."

He spoke with unwavering seriousness.

Before I could process his words or respond, he descended gracefully from the carriage and extended his hand to me.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. Now that I was here, a sudden nervousness crept over me.

I extended my gloved hand, covered in black lace, and grasped his firm one tightly.