During the week that followed, Helia sought refuge in her work at the laboratory. Her days were filled with the care of her patients and intensive research on the venom. This routine helped calm the persistent anxiety that had been gnawing at her since her last meeting with Adrian. Despite her attempts to contact him, her letters had gone unanswered. She had even made the effort to visit his home, but the servants had politely informed her that he was absent.
It was only a few days later, as she returned from the laboratory to dine with her father and brother, that an unexpected piece of news illuminated the situation.
"Helia, have you planned to attend the young duke's birth banquet?" her father asked, his gaze serious, as he calmly cut his meat.
Helia looked at him, surprised. "A birth banquet?"
Lucian rolled his eyes. "Seriously, do you never read the newspapers? Spending all your time locked in that laboratory from morning till night, you'll soon be completely disconnected from reality."
Ignoring Lucian's remarks, the marquis added, "The banquet to celebrate the birth of the young duke's son. Didn't your fiancé mention it? We received the invitations this morning."
Helia furrowed her brows slightly, a mix of confusion and relief crossing her. Adrian's elder brother was known for his discretion. He lived apart from the capital, preferring the countryside of his duchy to the bustle of the city, so she wasn't so surprised to learn of the birth of an heir in this way. Recalling the stir she had noticed in the duchy the day of her visit, she assumed Adrian must have been caught up in the family celebrations, explaining his silence. Perhaps he had been taken by surprise by these events.
She replied calmly, "I will go, Father," avoiding any answer to the unspoken question about Adrian.
The marquis nodded. "Your brother and I will be at the marquisate that day to settle an urgent matter. We rely on you to represent the family and convey our congratulations to the young duke."
She silently agreed, knowing the banquet would take place in three days. This would finally give her a chance to see Adrian and clarify the situation. She had hoped it was all just a fleeting misunderstanding, but the strange unease that had crept into her remained unresolved.
Three days later, Helia crossed the grand ballroom's doors, where bursts of light illuminated the opulent decorations. At the far end, a raised platform highlighted the young duke and his wife, surrounded by their prestigious guests. Lavish flower arrangements adorned the elegant tables placed around a vast space filled with refined buffets. Helia felt a pang of apprehension, the same one she always felt when attending rare social events. Intimidated, she advanced, concealing her unease, while searching the room for Adrian's familiar figure. She was approaching the platform to greet the ducal couple when a voice too familiar made her start.
"Helia!" Elysia exclaimed, advancing toward her, elegantly dressed in a midnight blue gown, her hair perfectly styled in an elaborate updo. She wore a friendly smile, as though their last conversation had never taken place. "I'm so glad to see you. How are you? Last time, you seemed... troubled. I hope you're better now?"
Helia clenched her fists, a shiver of irritation running down her spine at the blatant hypocrisy of her former friend. She shot her a frosty glance, responding sharply, "Lady Elysia, I thought I made it clear that we are no longer friends."
Elysia raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise with a shocked expression. "But Helia..."
Helia didn't let her continue and, in a curt tone, cut the conversation short. "If you'll excuse me." With a subtle glance, she spotted Adrian from afar, seeming to watch them. As she moved away from Elysia to try to reach him, he quickly turned to exchange pleasantries with other guests.
She tried several times to approach him, but he seemed deliberately avoiding her gaze. While searching for an explanation for her fiancé's distant behavior, one of her father's associates, Lord Ferdinand, greeted her with a polite smile.
"Lady Helia, what a pleasant surprise! Is your father not accompanying you this evening?"
"Good evening, Lord Ferdinand. My father had an urgent matter at the marquisate, so he won't be present tonight." She exchanged a few polite words, trying to remain courteous.
The conversation ended quickly, and when Helia realized that Adrian had disappeared from the room, a bad feeling crept over her. She approached a passing maid. "Excuse me, have you seen Lord Adrian?" she asked urgently. The young servant replied with a smile, "Yes, Miss. I saw him heading toward the terrace."
Her heart racing, Helia headed toward the terrace, driven by a growing sense of unease. When she reached the door leading outside, she spotted Adrian and Elysia in a secluded corner under the flickering torchlight. She quietly slipped between the ornamental plants to observe the scene unfolding before her eyes.
Elysia, distressed, was gently leaning on Adrian's shoulder, her trembling hands resting on him. Between sobs, she whispered in a broken voice, "Helia… she's been so cruel to me. She's not the same anymore. If only you had heard her words…"
Helia felt a cold anger rise within her, a flash of clarity striking her mind. Adrian's distant behavior, which she had tried to understand, suddenly took on an entirely new meaning: it was tied to Elysia's manipulations. Lurking in the shadows, Helia clenched her fists, ready to step out and confront her former friend.
Elysia, still in Adrian's arms, looked up and met her gaze. A slight mocking smile crossed her face, concealed under her arm as she wiped her tears with one hand, so subtly that Adrian noticed nothing. Then, in a sudden, theatrical gesture, she leaned in and placed her lips on Adrian's.
Surprised, he froze for a moment, his eyes wide. Elysia pulled away just slightly, letting out a trembling whisper, "I... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..."
But before she could finish, Adrian, as if swept by an irresistible impulse, cut her off and returned her kiss, this time with passionate intensity. For Helia, it felt as if lightning struck her heart. Her throat tightened, and she took a step back, the pain clouding her vision. She stumbled against a flower pot, which fell with a sharp sound.
The couple turned abruptly, their gazes landing on her. Adrian dropped his hand, while Elysia concealed a satisfied smile that lasted only a brief moment before feigning innocence.
"Helia!" she exclaimed, surprised. "This isn't what you think, I can explain everything!" She pretended to approach, but Adrian stopped her with a gesture.
Adrian, visibly annoyed, interrupted, "Lady Elysia, don't waste your breath on her." These words were like a dagger to Helia's heart, and she could not understand how her own fiancé, who had just betrayed her before her eyes, could say such a thing.
Shaken, Helia whispered, "Adrian… how… why?" She stammered, lost, but he gave her no respite.
In a cold tone, he declared, stepping closer with an unfeeling expression, "In the end, it's better you saw it with your own eyes. It makes things easier for me." Adrian's words, full of contempt, struck Helia like a series of blows, leaving her stunned.
"Don't act so shocked, Helia," he sneered, his smile arrogant. "Did you really think I had feelings for you?" He stared at her, a look of disdain in his eyes. "If I got engaged to you, it was only so the marquis could ease my business deals. I thought you'd be an obedient wife, easy to live with. But even that, you couldn't manage."
Helia, frozen, felt crushed beneath the weight of his words. The man she had thought she knew seemed to have transformed into a cruel, calculating stranger. She relived the same heart-wrenching sensation she had felt when she discovered Elysia's hypocrisy. Her heart pounded in her chest, and her throat, choked with shock, prevented her from finding the words. She took a step back, trying to escape this brutal reality collapsing around her, but, unable to form a response, she turned away, attempting to return to the hall and flee this hell.
"Hey! Don't leave like that! I'm not finished saying what I have to!" Adrian's voice rang out coldly. She quickened her pace, trying to escape this confrontation. But Adrian followed her into the hall, and suddenly, a silence fell as he screamed her name, drawing the attention of all the guests. With determined steps, he grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop. "You're going to listen to me till the end!"
Helia, her eyes filled with tears, whispered, "Let go of me." But he gripped tighter, his gaze hard and merciless. With a booming voice, he declared before everyone, "Since you refuse to talk privately, let's settle this here!"
Whispers and murmurs spread through the gathering, captivated by the scene. Helia tried to break free from his grip, but he released her so suddenly that she lost her balance and fell heavily at his feet. Gasps of surprise and scandal rose from the crowd, while Elysia, in the background, wore a barely concealed satisfied smile.
Relentless, Adrian pronounced his sentence: "I'm ending our engagement, here and now." A chilling silence settled, as if the whole world had frozen. Helia, breathless, struggled to rise, trying to gather the little dignity she had left.A tear slid discreetly down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away, refusing to be brought low in front of all those eager eyes hungry for scandal.
She slowly straightened up, dusted off her dress with measured gestures, and, without a word, turned on her heel, ready to leave this hell. Her apparent calm seemed to provoke Adrian even more, and he stared at her with a mixture of irritation and frustration, clearly furious that she did not react to his public humiliation.
Determined to break her further, he spoke in a biting tone that made the assembly tremble: "This engagement was nothing but a mistake. You are a pathetic woman, unworthy, both in your character and your appearance!"
Helia continued to walk away, each step heavy with the weight of humiliation. She felt the harsh stares and the contemptuous whispers surrounding her, but she focused all her strength on keeping her head high. Adrian's words echoed behind her, growing louder as she approached the door, but she ignored them, treating them as background noise. She would not grant him the satisfaction of seeing her collapse. She then left the room, holding back her tears with all the strength she possessed.