Lucien's gaze flicked to the spot where Ambrose had stood moments before. He frowned but said nothing, clearly unconvinced.
"Just be careful... And don't be an embarrassment. If you have really moved on from Nicholas... Make sure you stay that way."
She bristled at his condescending tone but bit back a retort. The last thing she needed was another argument. "I can handle myself," she said coolly.
Lucien hesitated, as though he wanted to say more, but finally, he gave a curt nod and walked away, leaving her alone once more.
Selena Whitlock descended the steps from the balcony with her head held high. The moonlit encounter with Ambrose still lingered in her thoughts.
She shook off the strange encounter, determined to rejoin the ball and salvage her evening—or at least make a spectacle that everyone would remember.
Her gaze swept across the crowded ballroom, searching for Alex. Relief washed over her when she spotted him near the far end of the room.
His posture was relaxed, but his keen eyes darted around as if assessing the room for threats.
Her path to him, however, was blocked by none other than the trio of irritants she had been avoiding all night: Adrien, Nicholas, and Clara.
Their long-drawn argument hasn't ended yet.
Selena considered taking a longer route to avoid them, but the temptation to eavesdrop was too strong. As she drew closer, she caught the tail end of their conversation—just enough to make her blood boil.
"You are still engaged, remember?" Adrien's voice was confident as if he made an unbeatable argument, his voice was tinged with a self-righteous edge that made Selena's lips curl in disdain.
She stopped in her tracks, turning her head sharply toward them. Oh, how generous of you to remind him, cousin, she thought with a bitter laugh. If he wanted a scene, she would give him a scene.
Decisive as ever, Selena stepped closer, drawing the trio's attention. Adrien's eyes widened slightly, surprised by her sudden presence. Before he could speak, Selena raised her voice, letting it carry across the room.
"Oh, I didn't know you were so concerned about me, dear cousin," she said, her voice filled with mockery.
Adrien did not expect her to intervene. He was shocked and before he could say anything, Selena cut him off, her voice growing louder for the benefit of the growing audience. "A caring cousin wouldn't ask me to stay engaged to a cheater, would they? What do you say?" Her sharp gaze shifted between Nicholas and Adrien, daring them to respond.
Nicholas's expression darkened instantly, his jaw tightening. He scowled at her, his tone dripping with venom. "I do not want to be engaged to a mannerless noblewoman either," he shot back. "Don't act as though you didn't beg for me to keep our engagement intact."
The room fell silent, the tension crackling like a live wire.
Selena arched a brow, her lips curling into a smile that promised trouble. So, he wants to play dirty? Very well. If Nicholas and Adrien thought they could humiliate her, they were in for a rude awakening.
"I didn't, though," Selena replied smoothly, her voice clear and cutting. "I was forced to be engaged to you. And everyone here knows why the Crown Prince insisted."
Gasps rippled through the crowd as Selena delivered the insinuation with the precision of a dagger. Her words hung in the air, thick with implication. The spectators, always hungry for scandal, leaned in closer.
Adrien's eyes blazed with fury. "Selena, what are you saying?" he demanded, his voice rising.
"Oh, I'm just telling the truth," Selena said with a shrug, her expression deceptively innocent. She turned her full attention to Nicholas now, her eyes narrowing. "Because of you, I had to hide the man I loved and get engaged to this unfaithful, sorry excuse for a nobleman—the Northern Duke."
Nicholas's face flushed red, whether from anger or embarrassment, Selena couldn't tell. Clara, standing awkwardly between the two men, looked utterly mortified, her wide eyes darting from Adrien to Nicholas as though searching for an escape.
Selena turned to Clara, her voice softening just enough to sound sincere. "I'm sorry, Clara. I took out my frustration on you when I should have been directing it at the cheater and the Crown Prince." She spat the title with a mocking tone, her eyes glittering with defiance.
Clara opened her mouth as if to respond, but no words came out. She looked like she wanted to sink into the floor and disappear. She felt embarrassed that everyone looked at her. Selena would've mocked her if she heard her thoughts.
If she was so afraid of having everyone's attention on her, why was she okay with being paraded around by the Northern Duke?
Adrien stepped forward, his face a mask of barely controlled rage. "Enough, Selena!" he barked. "Have you no shame to spout those lies?"
She wanted to drag him down, he had a hand in her downfall, and she wouldn't let anyone go.
She smiled arrogantly, the only way to make people believe her was to speak with confidence, "You're only upset because I'm ruining your little narrative."
She gestured dramatically to the crowd, addressing them as if they were an audience in a theatre. "You see, dear friends, the Crown Prince wanted me to stay engaged to Nicholas because it was convenient for him. And I have to watch myself be humiliated by this man, who did not have the decency to cancel the engagement, what kind of a man are you?" Her question jabbed at Nicholas.
Nicholas's hands clenched into fists at his sides. "You're out of line, Selena," he growled.
"Oh, am I?" she shot back, her voice icy.
Nicholas's face contorted with rage. "I've had enough of your lies, Selena," he snarled.
Selena took a step closer to him, her gaze unwavering. "And I've had enough of your cheating ways," she said coldly. "This engagement is over. Consider it dissolved."
Another wave of gasps swept through the crowd. Adrien's expression darkened further, his hands balling into fists.
"You don't have the authority to end this engagement," Adrien said through gritted teeth.
"I am not asking for your permission." Selena turned to leave.