The Lycan King and his Dark Temptation novel Chapter 303

ROSSELLA

I watched through the window on the second floor of the family villa, observing how my twin sister practiced over and over to take my place.

A bitter laugh curled on my lips, followed by the sharp taste of iron rising up my throat, tearing through me.

I pressed the handkerchief to my mouth as a violent cough wracked my body. It felt like all my organs were turning to mush, dying slowly and agonizingly.

It was my punishment. I knew it. I was the one who stole her life in the first place.

I looked at the delicate handkerchief, now stained with a grotesque splash of blood, my lifeless eyes darkened by the shadow of death. I remembered those days. Now more than ever. And the weight of remorse crushed my soul.

«I had arrived for a visit to the lands of the Everhart Duchy. We were country folk—not poor, not rich, just part of a decaying middle class.

My father had spent almost all his savings, obsessed with purchasing land for sale in that faraway duchy, claiming it was time to move up in the world.

When I arrived and saw “his investment”—a swamp and an old forest—I felt nothing but disappointment.

"Fool! The best decision I ever made was buying this land next to the Duke’s territory! Rossella, you can’t imagine, daughter, you can’t imagine what I discovered! We will be rich, we will be nobles!" he shouted euphorically, laughing like a madman.

I didn’t understand a thing. Father didn’t give me any details. But his next words marked the beginning of every wrong choice I ever made.

"I’m returning with you to the countryside. I have to set things in order—I need to prepare your sister. Daughter…" he said more seriously, placing his hands on my shoulders.

"I’m going to marry Katherine to the Duke of Everhart. I’m sorry, but she’s the eldest and the more level-headed one. You’ll still live well as her twin sister."

"The… Duke of Everhart?" I repeated like an idiot, thinking I was imagining things. But my father confirmed it—the Duke would marry my sister.

No. No, I couldn’t accept that.

She wasn’t the right one.

Besides, Father didn’t know the scandalous secret Katherine was keeping from him. He hadn’t been home for months.

"Father, actually, Katherine has a little surprise waiting for you when you return. She…" I clenched my fists under his sharp gaze.

"She’s having an affair with Brendan. And she let herself get pregnant."

"WHAT?!"

Father exploded with rage. I had just arrived, and already, I had to go back home with him.

I thought he would abandon the idea of marrying off Katherine, but he didn’t. Somehow, he got rid of Brendan—the gardener on our estate.

Katherine was going to give birth to a baby. She was already at full term—there was no stopping it. She had fought like a wild animal to protect her pregnancy.

Father was insane. He said it didn’t matter—that the Duke would accept the bastard child as his own.

I didn’t understand what dark secret my father held over the Duke.

"I’m your daughter too! I have no partner, no children—I am the ideal choice!" I protested, furious and heartbroken.

I had always known it. She was the favorite. Katherine. The perfect one.

"Your sister is the better choice. This was just a mistake. But Katherine is smarter and more seductive. You’re too cold, Rossella!" he shouted mercilessly.

"I’ll open the doors, but someone has to win over the Duke’s heart, and you’re too stiff!"

I couldn’t believe it. I cried for hours, my mind drowning in hatred and resentment. But there was another secret about Katherine.

The worst one of all. I would prove to my father who his “beloved” daughter really was.

Katherine went into labor during an argument with him, demanding to know what had happened to Brendan.

Maybe by then, Father had already buried him in silence.

Inside the birthing chamber, I saw my opportunity.

Our old nurse—the woman who had raised us—was assisting her. The baby wasn’t coming.

She was in a bad position, time was running out, and it looked like Katherine might die.

Then, Katherine lost control. Her body began to glow with eerie, supernatural lights, magic swirling around us.

Nana almost had a heart attack from the shock. But it wasn’t the first time Katherine had done this. Years ago, when our dog died, she had lost control the same way.

Father never knew. I had kept quiet, terrified that I’d be accused of carrying that same supernatural plague.

The baby was born, but Katherine’s body was covered in unnatural markings. She floated above the bed, eyes blank, hair billowing around her. It was horrifying.

Nana tried to calm her down. She handed the baby to me.

She glanced fearfully at the door. My father called from the hallway, asking what was happening, and Nana looked at me pleadingly.

She wanted me to stay silent again, to hide my sister’s abomination. Not this time.

*****

KATHERINE

My body rocked with the movement of the carriage, the coachman urging the horses forward, hoping to reach Everhart Duchy before nightfall.

I pulled back the curtain, peering outside. The green hills stretched endlessly toward the horizon, sheep grazing in the distance.

The sun sank behind the ever-present black clouds that never seemed to leave. In this realm, light always had to fight to break through the darkness.

"Don’t be nervous. You’ll do just fine," Freya’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.

I met her wise, dark eyes and nodded. I hadn’t eaten since we left. I couldn’t. Even a piece of bread refused to go down my throat.

Nervous? That word didn’t even begin to describe what I felt.

Freya had been our nursemaid, the only person in that house who had ever genuinely cared for me, and now I wanted her to come with me so I could protect her.

I twisted my hands together, a thousand thoughts racing through my mind. The journey continued, and soon, the carriage halted before towering walls.

The pause was brief; as soon as they recognized the Duke’s crest, they let us through. I shifted the lace curtain slightly. Outside, the city was bustling, lively, busy.

I had never seen such prosperity before.

My eyes darted across the massive stone buildings we passed, the crowded streets, filled with exotic goods and spiced aromas.

Ten years… the world had moved on without me.

"Fix that expression. Remember who you are now," Freya muttered, adjusting her headscarf.

With every meter forward, we drew closer to the hill, to the Duke’s castle.

When the carriage finally stopped, I felt the coachman dismount.

Sweat dampened my back. Panic coiled around my throat.

«My daughter. I am doing this for my daughter. I cannot fail»

I swallowed the lump in my throat, and as the door swung open, I adjusted my gloves and stepped into the role I had to play.

Katherine Pembroke died in that asylum. I am Rossella Everhart. The Duchess of Everhart.