Chapter 2My Sister Stole the White Knight, I Married the Dark Duke After Rebirth

Two crested shields hung high in the Hawthorne family hall.

Lucian stood before the White Stag shield. He wore a silver-white ceremonial suit with golden hair falling to his shoulders, and even the way he bowed to the bishop looked as precisely composed as a painted portrait. On the other side, the space beneath the Black Wolf shield was empty. Adrian hadn't even removed his armor. He stood at the far edge of the crowd, utterly out of place among the festivities.

The bishop finished reading the lengthy vows, and Rosalyn immediately stepped forward to tie the red ribbon tightly around the white stag's antler.

"I choose Young Lord Lucian." She lifted her chin, her voice ringing clear. "He is kind and gentle, the sort of man who truly knows how to treat his wife."

Lucian bowed and pressed a soft kiss to the back of her hand, his smile so perfect not a single crack showed.

[Pretty and docile. Perfect for keeping in a cage.]

The shadows of my previous life hung so heavy that in this one, just hearing his thoughts made my stomach churn and sent a chill crawling across my skin.

Baron Vere leaned in from the side, impatient. "Elena, it's your turn. Don't keep the Hawthorne heir waiting."

Every guest in the hall was staring at me. They were all waiting to see me cry, waiting to watch me tremble in fear of Adrian's fearsome reputation, waiting for me to admit out loud that my sister had stolen the match that should have been mine.

I lifted my skirt and walked, step by step, to the Black Wolf shield, tying the red ribbon firmly in place.

Adrian finally raised his eyes to look at me. His irises were so dark they were unsettling, like the surface of the North Sea churning before a storm.

"Do you understand what tying that ribbon means?"

"I do." I met his gaze. "It means I chose you."

He stared at me for a long moment without asking why.

Behind me, Lucian slipped the White Stag ring onto Rosalyn's finger, and another idle thought drifted into my ears.

[Which drug should I try tonight that won't leave marks?]

Rosalyn gazed at her new husband, her eyes brimming with happiness.

She had just shoved me away from the edge of hell, and in the very next breath, she had thrown herself in headfirst.