"Karenina," Nichs sighed. "How could I rip your dress with my bare hands? That doesn''t seem right."


    He remembered he got a massive headache after he saw Sophia Romanov at the party. He was frustrated and drank too much wine. He didn''t usually get drunk like that, but who knows, maybe stress contributed to his condition. Nichs didn''t remember much after that.


    But, could drunkenness make him really strong that he could rip clothes with his bare hands?


    Oh...


    Suddenly, Nichs felt like he wanted to smack himself in the head. He must be using his lycan strength when he ripped her dress... if that truly happened.


    "I know what I saw, Your Majesty," Karenina insisted. She wiped her tears roughly. "You keep using me of lying, but you actually didn''t remember what happened. How hard can it be to ept that you did something bad for once?"


    "Has the royal physician checked on your condition?" Nichs asked tly. "I admit that I didn''t remember what happened because I was not myself. I got a massive headache and was in pain. The next thing I knew, I woke up in the royal vi."


    Karenina nodded. "Yes. The royal physician has checked on me as soon as my father found me. He could testify that I was indeed assaulted."


    Nichs held his breath when he heard Karenina''s answer. Dammit.


    The woman added with a low voice. "Noel could also testify that he left me with you before the incident. Many servants could also testify that they heard me screaming after Noel left me with you. Even the queen could be my witness... how she found me in your bed, naked and vited... Do you want me to continue?"


    The royal physician was Viscount Verhoven''s distant rtive and he would definitely testify in favor of Karenina. As for the other witnesses, Karenina was sure that their stories would match hers. She had nothing to worry about.


    Nichs stared at Karenina, watching her every move. His mind was filled with frustration. Did he really do that crime to Karenina? Maybe he should check those witnesses'' testimony one by one. He shouldn''t just ept them without thoroughly checking.


    "Your Majesty... I could go on but it would only embarrass you," Karenina looked at Nichs with pursed lips. She started sobbing again. "I didn''t want to do that, because I love you, even though you don''t love me back. Can''t you see how much I care about you?"


    Nichs was silent, the look in his eyes was not as sharp as before. However, they did not show any sadness orpassion at all for the sobbing woman in front of him.


    In the past, Nichs had asked Karenina to break off their engagement, but she didn''t want to do that. She continued to force herself to get Nichs'' love.


    Instead of ming Nichs, Karenina should have realized she would be heartbroken if she insisted on being in this loveless rtionship.


    It was something she should understand the moment she decided to ept an engagement with a man who didn''t love her at all.


    Since Nichs still didn''t say anything, Karenina roughly wiped her tears then caught her breath before she let out a chokedugh.


    "Aren''t you going to say anything? Is the king of Riga a coward who will not take responsibility for his actions?" Karenina looked Nichs in the eye and then scoffed. "Now, I''m truly a discarded flower. After taking my honor, Your Majesty just wants to throw me away. I was wrong about you. I have fallen in love with the wrong man."


    "You should have broken off the engagement years ago, Karenina, after my mother got better," Nichs finally spoke. "You realized that I only agreed to it because I thought she was dying."


    He continued his words. "This is the poison that you take willingly. I don''t love you, but I respected you enough not to cancel our engagement from my side, because I know if I am the one to end it, no man will evere to you to marry you. If you are the one to break off the engagement, you could still find your own happiness."


    Karenina shook her head. "My happiness is to be by your side. Does loving someone make me a bad person? I thought you only needed time and someday you will see my value. I hold on to the idea of us being together because your mother convinced me that someday it will happen."


    She added, "I am indeed very stupid. When Your Majesty forced me to have sex, I was shocked and I screamed. But on the one hand, I… I felt relieved because it meant that Your Majesty and I have be one. I thought, maybe you secretly wanted me, but you just didn''t know how to express it."


    "No, I am sure I have no problem expressing my love for a woman, if I had one," Nichs replied. "It''s your fault that you are listening to bad advice."


    Karenina''s tears kept streaming down harder. Every single word that Nichs uttered felt like a knife stabbing her heart. She had to stand her ground. This was a turning point in her life. If she lost the argument, she would lose the king.


    "So, I am dumb for listening to an advice given to me by the queen, your own mother. It''s my fault that I decided to cover for you and changed my story by telling everyone that what happened was consensual..." Karenina pressed her lips in frustration. "I just wanted to protect your reputation. Is that so wrong? Can''t you see that I did it for your sake?"


    "I told you, I don''t want you to lie for me," Nichs became frustrated too. "I will never run away from my responsibilities, but I don''t believe that I assaulted you."


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    The drama with Karenina continues. Sigh. Please bear with it a little bit more. Nichs will soon go to Hauntingen dan find the truth about Sophie.