Her Gilded Revenge For Stolen Fate novel Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

77

5 vouchers

“Vivian? What is she doing up there?” Sylvia frowned. Her eyes held no worry for her “daughter,” only wary suspicion.

Celia had just saved Nicholas from the bear. It was a heroic act, one that might catch the favorable attention of the king and Queen Mother.

Now Vivian was getting involved, and she might just ruin Celia’s chance.

Beatrice peered into the basket. “Is that a bear cub?” she asked Flora.

“Yes.” Flora nodded. “They say the bear here recently gave birth. Even a beast won’t harm its own young. When the bear saw its cub, it forgot all about attacking. A clever plan indeed.”

Beatrice’s eyes held warm approval. “Vivian has grown more thoughtful.”

Compared to Celia’s reckless dash into danger, Beatrice much preferred Vivian’s way of saving the young nobles without putting herself at risk.

Sylvia smiled with what looked like genuine pride.

Just then, a royal attendant’s sharp voice announced the arrival of Enoch and Xavier.

Vivian heard the announcement but didn’t dare glance away. If the mother bear seized the basket, she would have nothing left to keep it at bay.

Enoch narrowed his eyes, and his guards moved to flank him, clearing the way. Then he stepped into the menagerie and lifted his shaken cousin Edward into his arms.

As soon as he saw Enoch, Edward began to cry. “I was so scared, Enoch,” he wept.

“Do not be afraid. You’re safe now,” Enoch murmured, smoothing Edward’s hair. His gaze drifted to Xavier, who was quietly comforting Nicholas nearby, and his eyes turned cold.

14:30 Tue, Jan 13

Chapter 13

:

5 vouchers

When the menagerie was finally empty, Vivian’s strength gave out. She slowly lowered the heavy basket to the ground.

The mother bear rushed forward and gently gathered its cub in its jaws. Then, as if it understood everything perfectly, it turned and walked back into its cage on its own.

“Find out who opened that cage,” Enoch ordered, his voice cold and final. “Execute them.”

He then fixed his gaze on Vivian, watching her intently.

His stare made Vivian deeply uneasy. She slumped against the cold wall, letting herself slide down to the ground to rest.

“System, I only told Enoch to have his men detain that attendant hiding in the pavilion. He shouldn’t suspect me, should he?” she asked the System in her mind.

“It’s hard to be certain,” the System replied. “You have twenty-nine Fortune Points. That’s above an ordinary person’s, but far too low to influence the judgment of the crown prince.”

In short, if Enoch was going to be suspicious, nothing would stop him.

She didn’t expect a reward for saving Enoch’s cousin. If anything, she thought she’d at least avoided his displeasure.

The System replied in its usual flat tone, trying to offer comfort. “Don’t worry. You know he never became king in your previous life.”

Vivian fell quiet for a second. “Even so, he’s still the crown prince,” she said at last, giving a humorless laugh. “And I’m nothing but an ignored daughter in the Snyder family. No one’s favorite.”

She spoke with bitterness, but it wasn’t how she truly felt. She had been granted a second chance, and she wasn’t about to let it go to waste.

Once she caught her breath, Vivian pressed her hand against the ground to rise. Before she could, a hand appeared in front of her, one with long, elegant fingers.

She looked up to see Enoch standing there,

14:30 Tue, Jan 13

Chapter 13

77

5 vouchers

Vivian turned her palm upward, revealing raw, bleeding flesh where the ropes had cut into her skin.

“I appreciate the gesture, Your Highness,” she said. “But my hands are in no state to touch yours.”

Enoch said nothing, his lips a firm line. He stepped forward, took her by the arm, and lifted her to her feet. The motion looked careless, but his grip was careful, almost gentle.

“Send for Damir,” he told a nearby guard.

The guard bowed and hurried away to obey.

Only the two of them remained in the viewing pavilion. Below, the crowd of nobles and their families still lingered.

Enoch quickly let go, as if mindful of the watching crowd below.

Vivian took a small step back, putting a careful space between them.

“You knew there would be trouble in the menagerie today,” Enoch said, his voice quiet but certain.

Vivian remained silent.

Enoch had been raised by wolves and was solitary by nature, his trust hard to earn. She understood that no explanation from her would ever be enough, so it was useless to try.

All she had done today was to repay a debt. Now that it was paid, they were square.

“Vivian.” Enoch’s voice rose slightly, a clear edge of anger in it now.

It was the first time he had ever called her by her personal name. Before, it had always been a formal title.

“Your Highness, your men detained the suspicious attendant. That was why I could take the cub and distract the mother bear,” she replied.

14:30 Tue, Jan 13

Chapter 13

He narrowed his eyes, considering her words.

“Then you were the one who saved that boy, Your Highness. Not me,” Vivian added quietly.

“Clever talk,” Enoch replied, his tone dismissive.

Vivian looked down, knowing it was pointless to say more.

77

5 vouchers

Enoch said nothing else. He waited until Damir had finished cleaning and bandaging her hand. Once the task was done, he turned and walked away without a backward glance.

The rest of the Snyders had no idea what had happened between them. They only saw Enoch storm out of the pavilion, his face dark with displeasure.

The meaning was clear to everyone. Vivian had saved a life, yet she had still managed to offend the crown prince.

“Celia,” Nina whispered, her voice thick with spiteful delight. “She tried to win the crown prince’s favor and only earned his contempt. Who does she think she is, a low-born girl daring to provoke him?”

“Vivian has a gentle nature,” Celia said, her face a mask of gentle concern. “I’m sure she meant no disrespect.”

Nina tugged gently at Celia’s sleeve. “It doesn’t matter what she meant. All anyone will remember is that a girl from our family offended the crown prince.

“Celia, you’re at the perfect marrying age, and so am I. If Vivian ruins this for us, it could even hurt our chances at a good match.”

Celia wasn’t worried about her prospects in the least.

Her mind drifted back to what Xavier had whispered to her, and a soft blush rose to her cheeks.

After all the commotion, the party ended early with little more than a light meal served.

14:30 Tue, Jan 13

Chapter 13

Sylvia rode home in the same carriage as Vivian.

Looking at the quiet girl who sat with her eyes downcast, Sylvia smirked coldly to herself.

After years of playing the game, she had never expected her own daughter to outmaneuver her.

It seemed to Sylvia that Vivian had pulled this cheap stunt just to get noticed by the nobility.

5 vouchers

Celia had bravely risked her life to shield Nicholas, saving the royal heir in a moment of true honor. Yet Vivian had stolen all the attention.

Still, Sylvia was relieved that Vivian had been too naive to use the chance to win Enoch’s favor.

Her mind then turned to Celia, who had caught Xavier’s eye. In Sylvia’s eyes, Celia, with her privileged upbringing and cherished status, was a natural match for royalty.

This realization soothed Sylvia’s earlier agitation.

“Vivian,” Sylvia said, her voice tight with suspicion. “Why did you go up to the pavilion?”

“It was a moment of panic, Mom. I was worried for Celia,” Vivian replied. “I ran up to find something to distract the bear, and that was when I saw its cub.

“I thought even an animal would protect its young. If I showed it the cub, it would follow. So I put it in a basket and caught the mother bear’s attention. It worked.”

She met Sylvia’s gaze with a look of perfect innocence.

A beast could show a mother’s love, but the woman she had respected as a mother for so long held none of that warmth.

14:30 Tue, Jan 13