Tears of joy streamed down Lucy's face as she answered with a trembling voice, "I do! Augustine, of course I do!"

The priest beamed. "May God bless this union and grant you many children!"

Watching this absurd ceremony, I was thrown back five hundred years to my own wedding.

Before this very same kind of altar, Augustine had knelt on one knee and said to me with that same deep love in his eyes, "Haley, will you be my mate for all eternity?"

The same look, the same tone.

A cold laugh escaped my lips, but my eyes betrayed me, filling with tears.

So, to Augustine, our five-hundred-year love was just a script he could reuse.

A different woman, a different day, but the performance remained the same.

I fought to control my emotions, recorded the entire scene, and sent it to Clara.

In the church, Augustine was kissing Lucy, holding her as if they were truly newlyweds.

Back at the castle, I began to pack.

The room was filled with five hundred years of memories: photos of us, gifts he'd given me, souvenirs from our travels…

One by one, I tossed them into the fireplace.

The flames consumed the things I once treasured, just as they were consuming my past.

Finally, I picked up our portrait. It had been painted by the most famous artist of the time. In it, we were locked in a tight embrace, our eyes full of love.

I ripped the canvas in two and threw Augustine’s half into the fire.

Just then, my phone rang.

It was Lucy again.

"We took vows before a priest today. He said I'm his wife now, too."

"So what if you're the Princess? He's mine, too."

I still didn't reply.

As I was about to leave the room, a sharp, violent pain shot through my chest.

It was a tearing agony, as if someone was repeatedly stabbing my heart with a silver knife.

I clutched my chest and collapsed to the floor, curling into a ball of pain.

The old wound. It was acting up.

A hundred years ago, Augustine had been struck by a silver dagger in a battle with werewolves. He was on the brink of death.

To save him, I had given him a massive amount of my own heart's blood, pulling him back from the edge.

I survived, but ever since, my heart would occasionally seize with this excruciating pain. Only Augustine’s blood could soothe it.

With a trembling hand, I dialed his number.

One ring, two, three…

No answer.

I gritted my teeth and dialed again.

The pain intensified, and my vision began to blur.

Finally, the call connected.

I was about to speak when I heard Lucy's whining voice. "Augustine, I feel so awful… being a new vampire hurts all over…"

"Shh, I'll help you feel better," he cooed back at her.

I heard rustling on the other end. He was clearly comforting her, completely unaware that the call was connected.

I opened my mouth, wanting to tell him my old wound had flared up, that I needed his blood.

But as another wave of agony crashed over me, I passed out on the cold floor, my world fading to black.

When I woke up, I was in a bed at the vampire hospital, the sterile scent of disinfectant filling my nose.

The first thing I saw was Augustine’s face, etched with worry and fear.

He sat by my bedside, his eyes full of guilt. He looked haggard.

"Haley, you're finally awake!" he said, gripping my hand. "The doctors said you almost…"

His voice broke. "It's all my fault. If I had been with you, this wouldn't have happened."

Looking at his hypocritical face, I asked in a hoarse voice, "Who were you with?"

For a split second, panic flashed across Augustine's face, but he quickly composed himself.

"I was in negotiations with the Rhine Clan representatives," he explained softly. "You know how tricky the recent territory disputes have been. They required my personal attention."

He gently caressed the back of my hand.

"Thank the gods Clara found you and called me immediately. The moment I got the news, I dropped everything and rushed over."

His voice trembled. "Haley, I can't lose you. You know you're the most important person in my life."

He even had tears welling in his eyes as he said it.

If I hadn't personally heard him with Lucy just moments before, I might have been moved by his heartfelt performance.

I closed my eyes, unable to look at his deceitful face any longer.

"I'm a little tired," I said weakly.

Augustine placed a soft kiss on my forehead. "Then get some rest. I have to take care of a few urgent matters, but I'll be back to stay with you soon."

The moment his footsteps faded down the hall, Lila burst in.

"Haley!" She rushed to my bedside and squeezed my hand. "I heard your old wound acted up. You scared me to death! How are you feeling?"

I gave a bitter smile. "Still breathing."

Lila’s expression hardened with fury. "Haley, I just saw that woman you told me about! She's on the third floor, in the maternity ward."

"I saw her holding a bloodline report from the clinic, and Augustine looked ecstatic. He was muttering things like 'I'm finally going to have an heir' and 'this is a gift from the heavens.'"

A strange silence fell over the room.

Lila looked at me, worried. "Haley, are you okay? You've gone pale."

But I was unnaturally calm. I even started to laugh.

The sound was jarring in the quiet hospital room, startling even Lila. "Haley, you…"

"Lila, I'm going to tell you a secret," I said with a smirk. "A hundred years ago, Augustine and I tried for a child. For a whole year, nothing happened. We finally got tested. It turned out that during his fight with the werewolves, it wasn't just his heart that was damaged. His bloodline was permanently corrupted."

Lila's eyes went wide. "You mean…"

"He lost the ability to have children," I said, looking her straight in the eye. "But to protect his dignity and authority as a Prince, I had the family physician conceal the truth. We announced that my body was too weak and needed long-term recovery."

Lila covered her mouth in shock. "Gods, Haley… so now…"

"Now, he's celebrating a child that isn't his," I said, and this time, a real laugh escaped me.

For a hundred years, I had protected his secret with my own reputation. Now, it seemed, there was no longer any need.

Furious, Lila paced the room. Suddenly, she stopped, a wicked glint in her eye. "I have an idea. After that Lucy bitch has the baby, let's mail Augustine the bloodline test results. I want to see the look on his face."

I nodded, and we shared a dark smile.

The next afternoon, Clara came to the hospital to give me a report.

She seemed to be struggling with something, opening her mouth to speak several times before closing it again.

"Just say it, Clara. What happened?"

Clara took a deep breath. "My lady, yesterday I saw… that woman, Lucy. She was wearing your nightgown and has moved into the master bedroom of the castle."

Even though my heart felt like it had turned to ash, a sharp pain lanced through it at her words.

That master bedroom had been our sanctuary for five hundred years.

And now, Augustine couldn't wait to give it all to Lucy.

"I see."

Clara looked at my face, her own eyes turning red. "My lady…"

"It's alright, Clara," I said, patting her hand. "It will all be over soon."

As night fell, Augustine arrived.

He carried a bouquet of red roses, his face a perfect mask of concern.

"How are you feeling? The doctor says you can be discharged soon." He sat by the bed. "I've had the kitchen prepare your favorite restorative blood soup. It will be waiting for you when you get home."

Looking at his charade of a devoted husband, I suddenly wanted to rip the mask off. "Augustine," I began softly, "I want to ask you something."

"Anything, my love."

I looked him straight in the eye. "Have you betrayed me?"

For a second, his expression faltered, as if someone had suddenly choked him.

But the look vanished in an instant, replaced by one of confusion. "Why would you ask that, my love?"

I watched the subtle panic in Augustine's eyes, the pain in my chest turning to numbness.

"I'm probably just overthinking things, being weak like this," I said, forcing a smile. "Augustine, if I were to leave you one day, what would you do?"

Hearing this, his expression visibly relaxed. He even let out a small chuckle.

"You silly thing, why would you even think that?" He gently stroked my hair. "We are Mates, our souls are bound. I would never, ever let you leave me. Not ever."

His tone was so confident, so possessive, as if I were merely a piece in his collection, something that could never escape his grasp.

Augustine kissed my forehead and left, claiming he had some urgent business to attend to.

The moment he was gone, I sent out my bat familiar to follow him.

When the bat reached the window of our master suite, I saw a sickening sight.

Lucy was pouting at our dining table, pushing away a crystal goblet. "I don't want to drink this. It's too gamey, and the color is so dark. It must not be fresh."

Augustine sat beside her patiently, feeding her with a spoon like a child. "There, there. This is very precious blood. You're carrying a child now, you need the nourishment."

"But I really can't stomach it," Lucy whined, shaking his arm.

"Then I'll drink it with you, how about that?" he said with a doting smile. "You have to be a good girl, for our child."

The tenderness he showed her was identical to the tenderness he used to show me.

"After the child is born," he continued, "I'll have Haley raise it as her own. It will be our heir."

Lucy's expression soured.

"It's the only way for the child to have a legitimate claim," Augustine explained. "Haley is my rightful mate. Only a child raised by her can inherit the title of Prince."

Hearing that, I almost burst into the room to tear their faces off.

So, in Augustine's grand plan, I was not only supposed to be the clueless, cheated-on wife, but also the adoptive mother to his lover's child.

He was grinding my dignity into the dirt.

After they finished the blood, Augustine summoned the castle servants and gave them a stern warning.

"Lucy has just completed her transformation. Her emotions may be unstable, so you must be patient with her. Also," his voice turned menacing, "no one is to breathe a word of her presence here to the lady. Do you understand?"

The servants nodded fearfully.

Three days until the end.

Augustine came to the hospital with a bottle of precious unicorn blood.

"I had a friend in Northern Europe procure this for me. It will do wonders for your old wound," he said, presenting it to me like a trophy.

Unicorn blood was indeed rare and powerful, worth a fortune on the black market.

But what I had seen through my familiar was the truth: yesterday, Lucy had complained that the unicorn blood was too sweet, took a few sips, and pushed the rest away. This was what he brought to me.

"Thank you," I said, my face a blank mask as I took the bottle.

That evening, Clara reported, "My lady, everything for the banquet is ready."

I nodded. "You've worked hard."

Two days left.

Augustine brought me an exquisite crown as an early birthday present.

"I had this crown custom-made. It's one of a kind, crafted entirely by hand," he said apologetically. "I accidentally shattered your old one. I'm so sorry."

I examined the crown. It was beautiful, but clearly a rush job. The craftsmanship was nowhere near that of my original.

And again, my familiar had shown me the truth.

Yesterday, Lucy had seen my crown and whined that she wanted it. Augustine had given it to her without a second thought.

"It's lovely," I said, my voice devoid of emotion.

After Augustine left, Clara secretly told me, "My lady, Prince Augustine has purchased the Cherry Blossom Manor behind the castle at a high price. They say it's a gift for her pregnancy."

I let out a cold laugh. "How generous of him."

The final day.

Augustine came to pick me up from the hospital himself.

"The banquet starts at seven tonight. Remember to be there," he said gently. "I'm so looking forward to this 'memorable' party you've planned."

I smiled back. "I promise, it will be a night you'll remember for the rest of your life."

Back at the castle, I found a pair of black lace stockings in the master bedroom. Obviously left behind by Lucy.

I threw them in the trash without a second thought.

Just then, Augustine's phone rang.

He answered, and his face immediately tensed. "What? Stomach pains? I'm on my way!"

After hanging up, he turned to me, flustered. "Haley, something urgent has come up. I might be a little late to the banquet. You go ahead and get ready. I'll be there as soon as I can."

As he turned to leave, I didn't try to stop him.

I just watched his retreating back and said, very quietly,

"Augustine, goodbye."