The Rejected True Heiress (Liora and Callum) novel Chapter 412

I opened my eyes to see her holding a large gift box with a bow on top. Grinning, she nodded to it. I reached out and carefully lifted the lid, and gasped.

Inside was an exquisite lace gown made of a deep mauve fabric. On top of it sat a pair of delicate diamond earrings and a matching necklace. The center stone on the necklace wasn’t a diamond, but rather a tiny ruby, standing out amongst the others.

I looked at Callum’s mother. “Is this…?”

“It’s from my personal collection.” She set the box down on the bed and pulled the dress out, holding it up to show it off in all its glory. It was long and elegant, the sort of thing I would normally wear to an event at the palace. She held it out to me. “It’s yours now.”

I blinked. “Oh, I couldn’t possibly—”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Grabbing my shoulder, she abruptly turned me so I was facing the full-length mirror. She reached around me from behind and pressed the dress against my front so I could see what it would look like on me. “It’s perfect. You can wear it for dinner tonight.”

The dress was exquisite, I would give her that. And the jewelry…

But then I thought about how, the last time I’d been here, I had been called a thief and a sneak just for borrowing a book from the library with Callum’s permission. And now his mother was giving me an entire set like this.

It struck me as a little odd. But Callum’s mother was already setting aside the gown, still smiling at me like nothing about it was out of the ordinary. As if this were our first time meeting, and she were welcoming me into the family like nothing else had happened before.

“Please wear it tonight,” she said, her expression softening a little. “The jewelry, too. Consider it a… peace offering.”

I hesitated once more, but then nodded. With that, she left. I watched her go.

Dinner was, as expected, at six o’clock on the dot that night. I put on the dress and the jewelry, sweeping my hair up into a simple but elegant updo to show off the earrings. Callum was waiting for me in the hall outside my room, leaning against the wall, and straightened when he saw me.

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