CHAPTER 874: CHAPTER 874: PRETENDING TO BE A MARRIED COUPLE

Cyrus Hawthorne gently untangled Ann Vaughn’s dark hair from her cheek and tucked it behind her shoulder as she nestled against him, then asked, "Do you remember Lucas Kane?"

"Of course I remember," Ann Vaughn nodded.

"He’s Breeze’s long-lost brother," Cyrus explained slowly, "I promised him that once things were settled, I’d set his brother free. So he became my eyes and ears around Warren Vance, passing information to me."

Ann’s eyes widened, "Breeze is Warren Vance’s most trusted right-hand man, always loyal to him. Aren’t you afraid he’ll tell Warren about this?"

Cyrus gave a faint smile, his long, dark eyes narrowing, "He wouldn’t dare."

Lucas Kane’s life belonged to the Hawthorne Family, but he was also Breeze’s last living relative in this world. Unless Breeze wanted Lucas Kane dead, he wouldn’t dare harbor any treacherous thoughts.

Moreover, Cyrus had promised Breeze another condition.

Once everything was settled, he would erase all traces of him and Lucas Kane from the world and send them to a place where no one knew them, allowing them to start anew.

As long as Breeze wasn’t foolish, he’d know what choice to make.

Ann’s perception of Cyrus’s cunning deepened yet again, prompting her to mutter softly, "If Warren knew the truth, he’d probably be furious."

A trusted subordinate for many years, familiar indeed, but still deserted.

If it were her, she’d also withdraw.

Unexpectedly, Cyrus glanced at her with a subtle smile, "What, feeling sorry for him?"

Alarm bells rang in Ann’s head as she shook her head repeatedly, denying, "No, no, why would I sympathize with him? He means nothing to me."

"Are you sure?" The chill in Cyrus’s narrow eyes intensified, his words lingering slightly: "Princess?"

Those words from Cyrus made Ann feel only frustration.

If she had known things would come to this, she would have never agreed to Queen Manfrieda’s request...

"Before you came here, you should have investigated that there’s nothing substantial between him and me." Ann shrunk her neck slightly, explaining guiltily, "And the entire Royal Family knows we weren’t married, so I’m definitely not his Princess."

In fact, when she left Gothasen back then, the news that she hadn’t married Warren was already spreading.

But somehow the news was blocked, and apart from the Royal Family members, the outside world remained unaware.

Ann speculated that they did so likely to preserve the Gothasen Royal Family’s dignity.

Cyrus looked at her, his Adam’s apple moving slightly, "If you don’t want to talk, you don’t have to force yourself."

Even someone as slow as Ann knew that if she continued down this path, it would lead to trouble.

Its consequence would be as destructive as a girlfriend’s "It’s fine, you go ahead."

With a shudder, she found herself spilling all those old stories without reservation.

"When I first came to Gothasen, Warren’s mother, Queen Manfrieda, was still alive. She was a straightforward and decisive person, quite different from the pretentious women of the Royal Family. We hit it off immediately."

"Queen Manfrieda was an open-minded person. She loathed Gothasen’s polygamous system and even more detested her partner’s infidelity everywhere. So she did not want Warren, once he became King, to marry numerous concubines. She wanted him to choose only one person for his entire life, unlike his father."

"But at that time, Queen Manfrieda was already gravely ill with no hope of recovery, and His Majesty was starting to prepare for choosing concubines for Warren. She couldn’t stop it, so she sought me out."

Saying this, Ann couldn’t help but grip Cyrus’s hand tightly.

Cyrus listened quietly to her recounting the past, his narrow eyes showing a slight ripple. Feeling her movement, he clasped her small hand within his own.

Feeling slightly more at peace, Ann continued, "Back then, the medicine I developed resolved Gothasen’s disease, which had caused extensive fatalities for over a year. As a result, I gained a high reputation among the people."

It sounded a bit like boasting, Ann touched her cheek, fortunately having a thick skin.

"Queen Manfrieda thought that if I could become Warren’s legitimate wife, with my reputation among the people, even His Majesty wouldn’t dare put women around Warren to irritate me." Ann continued, "She wanted me to be Warren’s Princess because I was the most suitable choice."

Cyrus slightly squinted, a glint of coldness flashed across his stern features.

"But I refused," Ann shrugged, "I’m not so noble as to sacrifice my own love for someone else’s life."

So even though Queen Manfrieda nearly knelt down to beg her at that time, she remained unmoved.

Hearing this, the coldness between Cyrus’s brows receded slightly as he lowered his head and kissed her porcelain-white cheek, "A reward."

Instantly reminded of the kiss behind the pillar, Ann’s cheeks flushed with heat. She pushed at him, "Stop it, do you want to listen or not?"

"I do," Cyrus lazily replied.

"Then don’t interrupt me... Later, Queen Manfrieda settled for the next best thing, asking me to pretend to be Warren’s wife for a while until Warren had the power to control his own marriage." Ann recalled, "Since it was just pretending, it didn’t affect me and fulfilled Queen Manfrieda’s wish, so I agreed."

So later, when she appeared in the public’s view again, it was as Warren’s Princess.

The public’s support for her was overwhelming, even calling her "The First Royal Consort," far overshadowing the royal concubines and the other Princes’ wives.

"Had I not witnessed it myself, my maid who took care of me for nearly half a year shot dead by Warren, I might have continued to be deceived by his seemingly innocent facade." Ann said, frowning.

"That’s when I discovered that Warren had been deceiving me with his pretense, and I was merely a pawn in his game of power and prestige. Anyone against him, he’d remove without hesitation... and maybe I’ll be next."

"Just when I confronted him, expressing my desire to leave Gothasen, he completely dropped his pretense, imprisoning me here. Later, during Gothasen’s internal turmoil, my brother enlisted external forces to take me away."

The hardships she endured during that soft imprisonment were something Ann never wanted to relive.

In her eyes, Warren differed little from a demon.

Noticing Ann seemed to shiver in his arms, Cyrus’s narrow eyes darkened slightly, holding her tighter, he gently reassured, "Don’t worry, it’s all over."

Though Cyrus had never asked Ann about her past with Warren.

It didn’t mean he didn’t care.

Now hearing Ann herself declare she and Warren had no relationship, that it was all an act, did nothing to dispel the gloom in Cyrus’s chest, only making it grow heavier.