He Used Me for Her, I Walked Away

Chapter 4

In that instant, every face in the hall changed expression.

Seated in the place of honor, the Master and Mistress Veridian looked utterly displeased.

"Zairine," Mistress Veridian began, restraining her anger, "What is the meaning of this? Explain yourself."

Before Zairine could speak, Rynell spoke first, "I had remained at the church in devotion and had sworn a vow of celibacy. To be released from that vow requires a period of seven days. Through all of this, it is Zairine who has borne every hardship."

Hearing this, the stern expressions upon the faces of Master and Mistress Veridian softened at last.

Standing nearby, Seralyn smiled and withdrew her arm from his. "Rynell has been so good to my sister. How fortunate that you were the one she married. Had she been forced to wed some middle-aged widower, she never would have found a man so devoted to her."

Mistress Veridian cast her a sharp look. "Hold your tongue. Your sister's marriage has faced trial after trial, and much of it was for your sake."

Seralyn stepped forward at once and slipped her arm through Mistress Veridian's, behaving with fond, playful affection. "Mother, my sister loves me dearly. I am certain she could never be angry with me."

Mistress Veridian tapped her forehead helplessly, and the other women present all gathered around with gentle smiles, offering constant concern.

One asked whether she was comfortable in the separate villa she had moved into, another asked how she was finding life as a newlywed.

Rynell had gone with Master Veridian to the second-floor study to discuss business matters.

Zairine remained alone in the great hall, ignored entirely as though she were invisible and of no consequence.

Watching Seralyn being fussed over and admired by everyone, the heavy air of the room felt as though it would crush the breath from her.

She stood and walked out of the hall, deciding to visit the private wing where she had once lived alone.

This visit to the Veridian family estate would likely be her last. She might as well bid farewell to every grievance she had endured throughout the first half of her life.

*****

As she walked the long indoor corridor, Zairine came unexpectedly upon Cyprian.

He stood directly in her path, gazing at her with a look of profound conflict.

"Zairine, your shared celestial bond mark remains upon your skin. Have you kept it unbroken, holding faith for me alone? Yet I am wed to your sister now. There can never again be anything between us," Cyprian said.

Zairine paused. Several moments passed before she understood the full meaning of his words.

"You presume too much, Master Cyprian," she replied.

Her tone was calm and distant, yet to Cyprian's ears it sounded as though she bore hidden sorrow and could not bear to let him go.

"That day when the accident occurred, I could not stand by and see harm befall you. Everyone whispered that you had pushed Seralyn into the water. I could not let false rumors destroy your name. So, I chose to marry Seralyn, to turn all eyes away from you and shield your reputation," Cyprian explains earnestly.

He sighed softly and took two slow steps toward her, his tone heavy with sorrow. "We were meant for one another, once. Only the timing was ever wrong. If there is another life… I…" Cyprian continues, voice thick with regret, leaving the sentence unfinished.

At this, Zairine stepped sharply back, putting distance between them. "I have never held the slightest affection for you. I must ask you, Master Cyprian, do not presume such things again."

She turned to leave, but her foot caught upon a raised tile. She lost her balance and fell backward.

"Look out!" Cyprian moved quickly and reached out to steady her.

Before either could fully stand, a voice rang out behind them, sharp with fury. "What do you think you are doing?!"

Seralyn and Rynell had approached together. Cyprian hastily withdrew his hands from Zairine.

"Your sister nearly fell. I merely reached out to support her," Cyprian explained calmly.

Seralyn looked toward Cyprian, her eyes wide and hurt. Then she turned to Zairine, and beneath her gentle gaze lay a cold, hard glint. "If my sister truly cannot bear to see me and Cyprian wed, she needs only say so plainly. There is no need to stage such a pitiful scene simply to win Cyprian's attention."

With that, she turned and walked away, face hard with displeasure.

"Seralyn!" Cyprian hurried after her.

In an instant, only Rynell and Zairine remained in the corridor.

Rynell twisted his prayer beads between his fingers, his brow drawn tight with displeasure. "Zairine, do you still cling so bitterly to what happened all those years ago?"

Zairine fell quiet. "I do not."

She had no wish to speak another word to him. She turned to leave.

Rynell, however, was certain she was lying. His voice turned cold. "Seralyn is your own half-sister. If she has found happiness, it should be joy for you. I have given you all my heart. I have taken you as my wife, and yet you act as though I have wronged you?"

Zairine stopped. Her chest felt tight, and her heart ached beneath the weight of it all.

From childhood onward, her parents had repeated the very same words to her, over and over.

"You are the rightful heiress of the Veridian Group. Seralyn is your sister. You must set the example. Whatever is precious or fine, you must always yield it to her."

Her whole life, rare timepieces, gowns tailored to order, coveted business opportunities, every privilege of birth had been yielded to Seralyn Veridian.

Even Cyprian, who had been betrothed to her since childhood, had in the end been given away to her sister.

'Now she was wed. She was Rynell's wife. Yet her husband, like everyone else, told her she must yield, must step aside for her sister's happiness. If Seralyn's happiness was built entirely upon the ruin of her own. How could she ever truly rejoice?'

Zairine drew a long, steadying breath and spoke clearly, one word at a time. "Rynell, all this time you speak of treating me well… for whose sake have you truly done it?"