The Debt Of Fate
Chapter 63: uninterested Gaze

Chapter 63: uninterested Gaze

The young man, who had just gotten the opportunity to see her face clearly, was stunned to discover that she was such a beauty.

"I am sorry," Anastasia quickly snapped out of her daze. It did not matter how handsome the man was; she was engaged to the crown prince and it was rude to stare for so long.

"It’s okay," the man smiled before walking away.

Anastasia breathed a sigh of relief and tapped her head. "How embarrassing," she muttered under her breath, quickly pushing thoughts of the young man from her mind.

What she did not know was that this simple incident had saved her from a huge disaster. Duchess Anita and Lala had been watching her closely ever since she entered the grand hall. They had bribed a maid to bring her a poisoned drink.

This drink was supposed to make her convulse suddenly, giving the false impression that Anastasia was plagued by a strange illness. If she had collapsed and convulsed, it would have drawn attention. Such an affliction would have been considered unlucky and might have led the king to call off the engagement.

Even if the royal physician later examined her and realized she was not actually sick, it would not have saved the marriage.

"What should we do now?" Elizabeth, standing to the side, asked. From the moment Anastasia had taken the cup, she had eagerly anticipated the scene in which she would collapse and embarrass herself. She had imagined how the beautiful image Anastasia had created upon entering with the prince would be shattered. But now, the drink had been spilled before she even had a sip. Elizabeth could not understand why Anastasia was so lucky.

"What can we do?" Lala shook her head. She had not expected this turn of events and had only prepared one dose of the poison. It was not as if she could simply disappear into the streets and buy more.

"Mother, the wedding is only fourteen days away. If we don’t act today, we may never get another chance," Elizabeth said, her voice laced with frustration. Hearing so many people praise Anastasia’s beauty only fueled her anger.

Duchess Anita took a deep breath as she began to devise another plan on the spot.

Just as she was about to take a step toward Anastasia, she heard the voice of her friend calling out.

"Duchess Anita!"

"Lady Roland," Duchess Anita forced a smile and greeted her friend.

"I have been looking all over the hall for you," Lady Roland said, surprised to find the duchess standing in such a quiet corner. After all, Anita loved being the center of attention.

"I have been feeling a little unwell, so I decided to stay out of the limelight," Duchess Anita explained with a reasonable excuse. The truth was that she was avoiding her friends.

"That’s unfortunate. What’s wrong?" Lady Roland asked with concern.

"It’s nothing serious, just a common cold. Do not worry about me," Duchess Anita replied, covering her mouth with a handkerchief and faking a cough.

"Oh dear, you must take care of yourself properly." Lady Roland suddenly exclaimed, covering her mouth. "Look at me, I nearly forgot to congratulate you on your stepdaughter’s marriage. You will soon become in-laws with the royal family," she said with a sweet smile.

In truth, she knew her friend would not be happy about this marriage. After all, Anita still had an unmarried daughter. But deep down, Lady Roland was pleased. She had always secretly envied Duchess Anita for having such a devoted husband. Among their social circle, Anita was the only one whose husband truly cared for her, while Lady Roland own husband spent all his time in his mistress’s courtyard.

"Thank you," Duchess Anita said with a forced smile. No matter how displeased she was, she could not show it.

Lady Roland’s smile grew even brighter when she noticed Anita’s reluctance. "I know you must be very busy preparing for the wedding, but you must not neglect yourself," she advised.

In reality, what she really wanted to say was that she knew Duchess Anita was seething over this marriage but had no choice but to endure it.

Duchess Anita swallowed hard, sensing the hidden mockery in Lady Roland’s words. She wanted nothing more than to leave.

"That’s right. Where is your stepdaughter? I must take a good look at her," Lady Roland said. She already saw her beautiful appearance from a distance she just wanted a closer look.

"She was over there," Duchess Anita gestured toward the spot where Anastasia had been standing. But to her surprise, Anastasia was no longer there.

"Perhaps she decided to join the festivities," Duchess Anita said awkwardly.

"My dear friend, you must learn to be more generous. Though that girl is not your own daughter, tradition dictates that, since her mother has passed, you are now her mother. How can you let her wander the hall alone? Your family has just been granted a great honor through this marriage, you cannot afford for anything to go wrong," Lady Rolabd advised even if she could guess that her dear friend wanted nothing more than to ruin the marriage.

"You are right," Duchess Anita replied, though unwillingly.

"Well then, I shall go and greet the others. Would you like to come along?" Lady Roland asked. The other noblewomen had been looking forward to seeing her.

"Yes, but as you said, I must keep an eye on my stepdaughter. This is her first time at the royal palace. I don’t want her to make a mistake," Duchess Anita excused herself and started searching for Anastasia in the hall. She did not expect to run into the very women she had been trying to avoid all evening.

"Duchess Anita," they greeted her with bright smiles. But inwardly, Anita was already cursing her luck.

Elizabeth, standing beside her, could no longer remain patient. She excused herself, intending to search for Anastasia on her own. Duchess Anita immediately signaled Lala to follow her, knowing that her daughter could be reckless at times. The palace was no place for carelessness.

Elizabeth scanned the hall but could not find Anastasia. Instead, her eyes landed on the crown prince, who was drinking and chatting with his friends. Seeing his handsomeness and refined demeanor, Elizabeth felt unwilling to let such a good husband slip away. She did not believe Anastasia was worthy of him.

Quickly making up her mind, she decided to approach the prince. Even if Anastasia could not be dealt with, Elizabeth believed that as long as the prince took a liking to her, the marriage arrangement could be changed. After all, both she and Anastasia came from the Duke’s household; there should be no issue with which daughter married the crown prince.

With this thought in mind, she confidently walked toward Prince Edward, deliberately missing a step to bump into him.

"I am sorry," Elizabeth apologized in a charming voice.

Prince Edward caught her and helped her regain her footing. Noticing that her handkerchief had fallen, he picked it up like a gentleman and handed it back to her.

Elizabeth had a pure and innocent smile on her face. She was waiting to stun the prince with her beauty as he returned her handkerchief. But what kind of beauty had the crown prince not already seen?

"Here, be careful when you walk," he said in a flat tone.

He did not find anything special about Elizabeth and regarded the encounter as nothing more than an accident.

Although his voice was not harsh, Elizabeth felt humiliated by his uninterested gaze.