Chapter 521 Seeing Through the Treacherous Plot at a Glance
Ethan frowned with displeasure, shooting his father Garrett an accusatory glance. "Dad, you urgently summoned me back for this?"
The thought of discussing anything with a woman—particularly matters of the heart rather than affairs of state—irritated him profoundly. It was painfully obvious that his father was attempting to orchestrate a match between him and this Ina.
The very idea made his chest tighten with annoyance.
He studied the woman, who kept her head bowed, concealing her features. Yet something about her silhouette struck him as oddly familiar. She resembled... Mary?
"Her name is Ina?" Ethan asked, surprise evident in his voice.
Garrett, sensing his son's underlying anger but misinterpreting the surprised recognition in his eyes as interest, smiled. "Quite the coincidence, isn't it? She bears such a striking resemblance to Mary—anyone would mistake them for sisters."
At that moment, 'Ina' lifted her head and, with an affected shyness, executed a perfect Ferndale curtsy. "Good morning, Your Highness. I am Ina, daughter of Atreides."
Shock flashed across Ethan's features. Not just her appearance, but her voice too bore an uncanny similarity to Mary's. A disturbing theory began forming in his mind, accompanied by a sinking feeling of foreboding.
"Atreides," Garrett announced, "let's leave these young people to get acquainted. Two old men like us should make our exit."
Atreides bowed deeply. "As you wish, Your Majesty."
The two older men departed, leaving Ethan alone with 'Ina'—or rather, Mary disguised as Ina. Though they shared some resemblance, they weren't identical twins; Mary wore an expertly crafted prosthetic mask created by Andrei, though her voice remained unmistakable.
"Why are you looking at me like that, Your Highness?" Mary asked with feigned coyness.
Ethan narrowed his eyes, appraising her from head to toe. "My father arranged this meeting to match us, didn't he?"
Mary nodded demurely. "Yes, Your Highness."
Ethan's laugh was cold and devoid of humor. "I should inform you that my heart is already taken. Please don't take my father's wishes to heart—I have no intention of marrying you or developing feelings for you."
A flash of malice crossed Mary's eyes before she quickly replaced it with an innocent smile. "Your Highness, everyone inside and outside the palace knows about the woman and two children you keep at Azure Palace. I'm well aware your heart belongs to another. However, my father is... insistent. If I refuse outright..."
She let her voice trail off dejectedly before suddenly dropping to her knees. "Please, Your Highness, allow me to remain in your service. I don't expect your love or marriage—but without your protection, my fate is sealed. I'm too young to meet such an end!"
She pressed her forehead to the floor. "I beg you, grant me a chance to live!"
"Stand up when addressing me!" Ethan commanded coldly.
Mary rose shakily, presenting a pitiful appearance with tear-streaked cheeks, projecting the image of a helpless young woman simply fighting for survival.
Ethan regarded her skeptically. "I've heard Atreides dotes on his daughter. Why would he threaten your life?"
"Your Highness, you don't understand. My father... offering me to you is his way of demonstrating loyalty. Please, let me serve you. I won't aspire to marriage—any position in your household will suffice. I won't interfere with your relationship."
Ethan's lips curled into a cold smile. "Is that so?"
He didn't believe her for a second. What unmarried woman from Gold Valley District wouldn't dream of marrying the crown prince?
His penetrating gaze seemed capable of reading her very thoughts, making Mary's spine tingle with apprehension. She nearly broke character under his scrutiny.
As she trembled visibly, Ethan suddenly asked, "You'll accept any position?"
Mary's eyes lit up with barely concealed excitement. "Yes, absolutely."
"Very well. You'll serve as a domestic at Azure Palace. Besides following my orders, you will also..." Ethan's smile turned calculating, "obey Pearl and the children."
Mary's eyes flickered momentarily. Take orders from that woman and those brats?
Impossible!
Yet having access to them would eventually provide an opportunity to eliminate them.
The fleeting look of malevolence in her eyes didn't escape Ethan's notice.
He smiled coldly, thinking, 'By bringing you into Azure Palace, I'll discover exactly what you're planning.'
As the daughter of Marquis Atreides Ross, if she dared harm his family, her father's days would be numbered.
He would watch patiently to see what this 'Ina' intended to do.
"Thank you for your generosity, Your Highness," she said, bowing deeply. "I pledge my unwavering loyalty to you and your household, and will serve you faithfully without any reservations."
Ethan scoffed dismissively. "Get up. You're dismissed."
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