Chapter 122

"Go, then. Leave." Dorothea seethed, knowing she had lost. Then she turned to her daughter. "You are not to remain there. Once the festivities are over, you will return here."

Merissa’s face brightened immediately.

"Thank you, Mother." She clasped her hands together, grinning from ear to ear.

Before Dorothea could object, she hurried forward and threw her arms around her. Then, with barely contained excitement, she rushed upstairs to pack.

Once she was gone, Lorelei was left alone with Dorothea, whose face had turned red with fury.

"You had better pray that nothing happens to my daughter, or you will regret it. Unlike you, I do not make empty threats." Dorothea’s voice dropped to a harsh whisper.

Lorelei smiled, entirely unmoved by her threats. "I will tell my mother that you send your regards."

Merissa emerged only minutes later, and together they made their way outside to the waiting carriage. They climbed inside, and the door was shut behind them.

After the door shut, the silence lasted for only a few seconds before Merissa broke into a fit of giggles.

She covered her mouth, trying unsuccessfully to contain herself. "I thought she was going to forbid us from leaving the house, she looked so angry."

"So did I."

But Merissa’s giggles were so infectious and before long Lorelai was laughing too.

The tension spilled out of them until they were both breathless, leaning against the carriage seats as though they had escaped some great military siege rather than a family argument.

The carriage lurched beneath them and just like that, they were off.

Lorelai looked through the window as the Langley residence slowly disappeared behind them. Faint threads of hope and excitement wove through her chest.

The road to Caldor stretched ahead of them and this time, Lorelai did not turn back.

---

The journey passed beneath a changing sky, carrying them along winding country roads and through increasingly crowded stretches of traffic until the capital finally rose before them.

Merissa spent much of the journey peppering Lorelei with questions about Caldor, but when the city finally came into view, even she fell quiet.

Then the Montague residence appeared.

The carriage turned through a pair of towering wrought-iron gates, and Merissa immediately leaned toward the window, her eyes widening.

Lorelei smiled at her reaction.

The Langley family was wealthy. They possessed a beautiful home and every comfort money could provide.

But this was something else entirely.

The Montague residence stood upon an enormous estate, the great house rising beyond sweeping lawns and meticulously maintained gardens. Its sheer scale spoke of more than wealth. It was the visible legacy of generations of power, influence, and privilege.

Merissa stared.

"Good heavens," she whispered, awestruck.

Lorelei almost laughed. She had grown accustomed to such grandeur long ago, and it no longer held the same power to impress her.

Yet seeing the house again stirred something deep within her chest.

Fragments of a life she had deliberately cut herself away from came rushing back, each one reminding her that no matter how far she had run, she had never truly stopped belonging here.

The carriage rolled to a halt.

A footman hurried forward and opened the door.

Lorelei stepped down before turning and offering Merissa her hand.

Her cousin descended beside her, still looking around in open wonder.

Lorelei took her hand and led her toward the front entrance.

The great doors opened almost immediately, and they were welcomed inside.

Servants appeared in quick succession, their initial surprise giving way to hurried activity as they recognized exactly who had arrived.

Lorelei barely had time to draw a breath before one of the servants turned and hurried deeper into the house.

He was going to tell Draven. There was no doubt about it.

The great entrance hall remained mostly unchanged, and the same could be said for most of the house.

The polished floors, the high ceiling rising above them, the quiet movement of servants through the adjoining corridors—none of it felt unfamiliar.

Lorelei paused beside one of the enormous portraits lining the walls, studying the painted figure. She did not remember seeing it before, which meant it must have been a more recent addition to Draven’s collection.

Behind her, Merissa was having an entirely different experience.

Her cousin had scarcely stopped looking around since they entered the house. Her eyes travelled from the sweeping staircase to the glittering chandeliers, then toward the tall windows and the portraits, taking in every expensive detail with wide-eyed astonishment. It made her look younger than her years.

The Langley family was considered wealthy in many circles, but there were levels of wealth in Arden that even a prosperous family rarely encountered up close. This was the home of a duke, and it showed.

Lorelei expected someone to come for them quickly, but the servants who had gone in search of Draven several minutes earlier had yet to return. She kept her hands loosely at her sides, doing her best to remain composed.

Then she heard footsteps. it was not the measured tread of a servant. These were hurried.

Lorelei turned instinctively.

A figure came rushing through the adjoining doorway, her skirts gathered slightly in one hand to keep from tripping as she hurried forward so quickly that the servant following behind her could barely keep pace.

Eugenia.

Lorelei scarcely had time to call her name before her sister came barreling into her.

Eugenia threw her arms around her with such force that Lorelei staggered backward. Then there was no room left for thought. Her sister held her tightly, squeezing her as though she feared Lorelei might disappear if she dared loosen her grip.

Lorelei broke down instantly. A sob escaped her before she could stop it.

She wrapped both arms around Eugenia and held her just as tightly, burying her face against her sister’s shoulder. Eugenia was laughing through her tears, her body trembling as she clung to Lorelei.

Tears streamed freely down Lorelei’s face.

She had missed her so much. The realization was painful in its simplicity.

She had missed all of them.

Footsteps approached again, slower this time, but Lorelei knew who it was before she even looked up.

Octavia approached them and gathered both daughters into her arms.

The embrace became a tangle of tears, trembling hands, and broken whispers that none of them seemed capable of forming into proper words. Octavia held Eugenia with one arm and Lorelei with the other, pressing them close as though she could somehow make up for every embrace Lorelei had denied her.

Lorelei buried her face against her mother’s shoulder.

"I’m sorry," she whispered, though she scarcely knew what she was apologizing for anymore.

Octavia only tightened her arms around her.

There was only love in the embrace. Love strong enough to break a person open and somehow put them back together.

When the embrace finally loosened, Lorelei wiped helplessly at her cheeks. She was still trying to compose herself when she turned and found Draven standing only a few paces away.

He had not interrupted them. He simply stood there, utterly still, staring at her as though he were looking at a ghost.

He was older now, his features more severe than she remembered, but he was still her brother.

Seeing him standing there, it dawned on her the amount of hurt he endured because of her.

Aside from Lorelei herself, Draven had been one of the people most deeply affected by the scandal. Yet she had done nothing to help him. She had been so consumed by her own misery that she had allowed her brother to suffer alongside her.

The guilt settled heavily in her chest.

"Draven." His name left her lips as little more than a broken whisper.

His throat bobbed.

Only then did she notice the redness around his eyes and the unmistakable sheen of tears gathering in them.

"Lorelei. Is that really you?" He muttered, shaking his head as though he still could not quite believe what he was seeing.

"Yes," she said. "It’s me."

She crossed the distance between them before either of them could say another word, and Draven immediately caught her in his arms.

He held her tightly, one hand cradling the back of her head while his other arm wrapped securely around her.

There was so much she wanted to say to him.

Apologies she needed to make. Explanations that could wait. Harsh truths that would eventually have to be faced.

But none of that mattered yet.

For now, she wanted to bask in her family’s presence.

When they finally pulled apart, Lorelei drew in a shaky breath. It was then that she noticed the young woman standing behind Draven.

Cassandra had kept her distance, unwilling to intrude upon a heartfelt reunion that clearly had nothing to do with her. So she remained where she was, quietly watching the siblings with a softness in her eyes.

Lorelei’s gaze moved between her and Draven.

Then, despite the tears still glistening in her eyes, a small smile curved her lips.

"Is this your future bride?" she asked curiously.

Draven chuckled. Lorelei’s return home felt like a missing piece sliding back into place.

"Come here." He beckoned Cassandra toward them.

She approached without hesitation, and as soon as she was within reach, Draven placed a hand at the small of her back, drawing her naturally to his side.

"Yes," he said. "This is the woman I intend to marry. Cassandra, this is my youngest sister, Lorelei."

So this was the woman her brother had written about.

Lorelei looked at Cassandra properly for the first time, taking in her polished appearance and sharp, observant eyes. Apparently, this was the woman who had brought Draven so much happiness that he had wanted Lorelei there to witness it.

"I am delighted to make your acquaintance," Cassandra said warmly.

It was her second visit to Draven’s family home as the wedding preparations continued, and she had heard Lorelei’s name mentioned in conversation. Now, she could finally put a face to the name.

"The pleasure is mine." Lorelei curtsied. "The two of you make a handsome couple."

Her gaze then shifted toward her cousin.

Merissa stood so rigidly that, she could have been mistaken for one of the marble statues outside.

Lorelei flashed her a beatific smile.

"And this is my cousin, Merissa Langley. Merissa, this is my brother’s future bride, Lady Cassandra Ashford."

Merissa immediately straightened and hurried to Lorelei’s side.

"I am pleased to make your acquaintance," she said, offering a deep curtsy.

Cassandra returned the gesture with a warm smile. "Likewise."