Chapter 72 - 71 - A Lesson in Seduction
Brigitta sat gracefully on a rattan chair adorned with golden carvings, an old book resting open on her lap. Her slender fingers turned the pages carefully, her lips mouthing the words in silence. The golden light of the afternoon sun streamed through the window, dancing across the polished wooden floor.
But the tranquility shattered in an instant.
Click.
Her door swung open without a knock.
Brigitta turned her head—and immediately, her blood ran cold.
Standing at the threshold was a woman with long, blood-red hair cascading like a cloak of hellfire. Her eyes were dark crimson, her gaze vacant yet sharp, like a blade lurking behind a soft smile.
Ashtoria Belmore.
The Queen.
That madwoman.
Horrible memories surged through her mind—the day of her wedding, when she stood at the altar beside Armand... and then that woman appeared, dragging her away like a doll. And later that night, when she tried to share her first night with her husband—only for that same woman to bang on their chamber door, disrupting everything.
"Y-Your Majesty...!" Brigitta shot up from her seat, bowing in a panic. The book slid from her lap and hit the floor with a thump.
"Forgive me... p-please, come in! Please have a seat...!" she stammered, hastily clearing the cushion and pulling out a chair for her guest with trembling hands.