Divorcing the Duke to Buy the World

Chapter 75: A Marriage Can Be Dissolved

Left alone, Evelina remained pressed against the dark blankets for a quiet minute. Her hands were trembling violently.

She raised a slender finger, lightly touching her lower lip, which was still tingling from the warmth of his mouth. Her neck was stained with an undeniable heat.

She checked the corner of her vision, but the System remained completely black, offering her no logical escape.

Sighing, she stood up, smoothed down her crumpled emerald gown, and walked toward the mirror to fix her hair.

...

The palace conservatory was an oasis of glass and exotic winter plants, illuminated by soft lanterns that cast long shadows across the marble paths.

Crown Prince Elian sat at a small iron table, a silver teapot steaming between two porcelain cups. When the glass doors slid open and Evelina stepped inside, his eyes immediately locked onto her.

His gaze traced over the the slight disarray of her hair and the faint flush on her cheeks. The sight of her so charming that it made his movements halt.

"You kept the me waiting, Duchess," Elian murmured, standing up to pull out a chair for her, "I was beginning to think the Duke had locked you away in the northern treasury."

"The Duke was simply ensuring my security, Your Highness. You shouldn’t take offense at him over his words," Evelina replied smoothly, taking her seat and immediately pulling a thin roll of parchment from her clutch. "Now, regarding the sixty percent tariff on the southern silk alternative..."

For the next half hour, the discussion was entirely focused on business.

Elian was brilliant, throwing counter-offers and regulatory hurdles at her, but Evelina dealt with all his challenges calmly.

"I have to admit... You are utterly smart, Evelina," Elian laughed softly, leaning forward across the table, completely dropping her formal title.

He reached out, his long, elegant fingers lightly resting near her hand on the parchment, "I am certain this empire has never seen a woman like you. If you tire of the cold borders of the North... the Capital has a throne that happily cherish a mind like yours"

It was a blatant flirtation. Evelina simply offered a shallow, amused smile, preparing to pull the contract back, "Your Highness forgets I am a married woman."

"A marriage can be dissolved for the right price," Elian whispered, his face moving closer to hers under the dim, romantic light of the lanterns.

From a distance, their proximity was so close their lips almost seemed to brush, their silhouettes completely overlapping against the glass panes of the conservatory.

Outside in the dark courtyard, standing hidden beneath the shadow of a grand stone archway, Ace watched through the glass.

...

The clock in the spare struck two in the morning.

Evelina sat at her desk, a single candle casting long shadows across her papers. The contract with Prince Elian was right under her hands, but she wasn’t reading it. For the last hour, her mind had been stuck in a loop, replaying the bedroom ’incident’, and the icy look Ace had given her through the conservatory glass.

Yes, she had seen him. It was very accidental but the moment she moved, she had caught sight of him standing there looking like he was ready to swallow the world whole.

Evelina glanced at the corner of her vision. The screen was still completely black. The system was dead, leaving her without any warnings or ratings. She was entirely on her own.

Suddenly, a loud crash came from the hallway.

Evelina sat up straight. Before she could move, the heavy wooden doors were kicked open, slamming against the walls so hard the inkwells rattled.

Standing in the doorway was the fierce Commander of the North.

The man did not look like a general tonight. His black uniform jacket hung open off one shoulder, his collar was torn, and he smelled heavily of alcohol and woodsmoke. His dark hair fell wildly across his eyes, which were bloodshot and completely unfocused.

He stumbled forward, his heavy boots dragging against the floor. His gaze locked onto Evelina, intense and dangerous.

"Your Grace," Evelina said, her voice dropping into a cold tone as she stood up, "You are drunk. Go to the room and take some rest."

Ace didn’t listen.

He closed the distance between them in a second. Before she could step back, his large hands slammed down onto the desk, right over her papers. He leaned in close, trapping her completely against the edge of the wood.

The heat of his body washed over her face. All his pride was gone.

"I saw you," Ace whispered, his voice breaking.

He gripped the edge of the desk so hard his leather gloves groaned. He looked down at her, his face twisted in pain. "I saw you with him through the glass, You smiled at him, Evelina."

Evelina forced her breathing to stay slow, "It was a business meeting, Ace."

"Why can you smile for him, but you look at me like I’m a corpse?!" he suddenly roared, his voice echoing in the quiet room. ƒгeewёbnovel.com

Then, his anger vanished, turning into a desperate whine as he leaned closer, his forehead almost touching hers, "Tell me the price, Evelina. Tell me how much gold it takes to buy your heart. I’ll tear the northern mines apart with my bare hands. Just give me a number!"

Evelina reached down, taking his shaking wrists and trying to push them off her desk, "You’re wrinkling my papers, Your Grace. You are acting like a fool. Go sleep it off."

Ace stared at her cold green eyes, and his drunk brain seemed to freeze. The tragic look on his face suddenly turned into stubborn confusion.

"Papers?" he mumbled, blinking heavily as he looked down, "You care about the paper more than me?"

"Isn’t that obvious enough?" Evelina replied coldly.

Ace let out a loud, dramatic gasp.

He stumbled back two steps, knocking a pile of books to the floor, and collapsed into a nearby armchair. He slumped deeply into the velvet seat, his long legs sprawling across the rug.