Chapter 28
The Sabotage
Carol sat on her bed, her hands still trembling from the intensity of Caroline's memory.
The spell. The reflected magic. The intimacy. The confession witnessed by nobles.
And Caspian's face when Caroline had sobbed that it was supposed to be Percival.
The guilt was crushing.
"You okay?" Missy asked, floating closer with unusual concern.
"No," Carol said honestly. "That was... that was awful. For both of them."
"Caroline made a terrible choice," Lumi said gently. "But she was young and desperate and—"
"And something went wrong," Carol said, frowning as she thought back to the memory. "Lucinda. Caroline's cousin Lucinda was supposed to lure Percival to the garden. That was the plan. But Caspian showed up instead."
She paused, the pieces starting to come together.
"Wait. What happened? Did Lucinda make a mistake? Or..." A chill ran down her spine. "Did she do it on purpose?"
"You think she sent the Duke deliberately?" Missy asked.
"I don't know," Carol said slowly. "But Caroline trusted her completely. I felt it in the memory. And now I need to find out what really happened."
Carol opened her game interface with a thought, navigating to the character profiles section.
"Show me Lucinda Harcourt," she said.
A translucent screen appeared, displaying detailed information.
CHARACTER PROFILE
NAME: Lady Lucinda Harcourt
AGE: 23
TITLE: Baron's daughter
FAMILY: House Harcourt (Baron Gilbert Harcourt & Baroness Honoria Harcourt)
RELATION TO YOU: Maternal cousin (Your aunt Honoria's daughter)
MAGIC AFFINITY: Light (Intermediate level)
APPEARANCE: Honey blonde hair, hazel eyes, delicate features, innocent appearance
PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT:
● Manipulative
● Patient
● Strategically ruthless
● Skilled at appearing sympathetic and helpful
● Holds long-term grudges
RELATIONSHIP STATUS:
● To Caroline: Pretends loyalty while actively undermining
● To Percival Sinclair: Secret romantic obsession (10+ years)
● To Rosalie Lennox: Views as obstacle to be removed
HIDDEN AGENDA - REVEALED:
WARNING: High-priority threat detected
Lady Lucinda Harcourt has been systematically sabotaging Lady Caroline Holloway for over a decade while maintaining the facade of a devoted cousin.
CONFIRMED ACTIONS:
● Encouraged Caroline's worst behaviors and most destructive impulses
● Provided "advice" designed to isolate Caroline socially
● Sabotaged Caroline's spell trap 3.5 months ago:
○ Deliberately guided Caspian Vanthorn to eastern gardens
○ Steered Percival Sinclair away from the eastern gardens
○ Intended outcome: Caroline's public humiliation and forced marriage to "wrong" man
● Used Caroline as experimental subject for manipulation tactics
● Never cared about Caroline's wellbeing or happiness
● Has not contacted Caroline since the forced marriage (3.5 months ago)
CURRENT STATUS:
Actively working to undermine Lord Percival's engagement to Lady Rosalie Lennox through social manipulation and rumor campaigns.
THREAT LEVEL: High (Multiple active plots, willingness to destroy others for personal gain)
DEATH FLAGS ASSOCIATED: 3 active (Related to interference with "Chosen Heroine" Rosalie Lennox)
RECOMMENDATION: Avoid all contact. Do not trust. Monitor from distance.
Carol stared at the profile, her hands clenching into fists.
"That absolute—" She cut herself off, too angry to find adequate words.
Lucinda hadn't just sabotaged the spell. She'd been sabotaging Caroline for years. Encouraging her worst impulses, giving her terrible advice, all while pretending to be a loving, supportive cousin.
And Caroline, spoiled and immature, had trusted her completely.
"She used Caroline as a pawn," Carol said, her voice shaking with rage. "For a decade. Just to test out manipulation tactics and keep Caroline isolated so she wouldn't be competition for Percival's attention."
"That's..." Lumi paused. "That's actually worse than I expected."
"And she used Caspian too," Carol continued, her anger building. "Guided him to that garden knowing exactly what would happen. Destroyed two people's lives just to clear her own path to Percival."
Carol stood abruptly, pacing across her chambers.
Mochi and Shadow watched her with concerned eyes, sensing her distress.
"Caroline wasn't a good person," Carol said. "I know that. She was spoiled and mean and made terrible choices. But Lucinda encouraged all of it. Made it worse. Made sure Caroline would fail."
She thought about the memory—Caroline's genuine excitement and nervousness before the spell. Her trust in Lucinda. Her devastation when everything went wrong.
And Caspian, who'd just wanted a quiet moment away from the ball, walking into a magical trap that would bind him to a woman who'd been crying for someone else.
"Oh no, dear cousin," Carol said aloud, staring at Lucinda's innocent-looking profile image. "That's a death flag waiting to happen."
Three active death flags, the interface had said. Related to interfering with Rosalie, the Chosen Heroine.
Lucinda was still scheming. Still trying to undermine Percival's engagement. Still destroying lives to get what she wanted.
And she had no idea that Caroline had changed. That Carol wasn't the same person anymore.
Good, Carol thought viciously. Let her keep thinking I'm the same. Let her stay focused on Percival. Let her ignore me completely.
Because Carol wanted nothing to do with her manipulative cousin.
And if Lucinda's schemes got her killed by interfering with the game's main plot? Well.
Carol had her own problems to worry about.
"Are you going to warn her?" Lumi asked quietly. "About the death flags?"
Carol looked at the profile again. At the list of Lucinda's crimes. At the note that she hadn't even bothered to contact Caroline since the forced marriage.
Three and a half months. Not a single letter. Not one inquiry about how Caroline was doing.
Because Lucinda didn't care. Had never cared.
"No," Carol said flatly. "She made her choices. She can live with the consequences."
"That's harsh," Missy said, though she sounded approving.
"She destroyed Caroline's life for her own benefit," Carol said. "Used her as a pawn. Used Caspian as a pawn. And now she's trying to destroy Rosalie too." She closed the interface. "I have enough problems without worrying about saving someone who's actively trying to ruin other people's lives."
Carol returned to her bed and sat down heavily.
The anger was still there, burning in her chest. But underneath it, the guilt remained.
Yes, Lucinda had sabotaged the spell.
Yes, Lucinda had guided Caspian to the garden deliberately.
But it had still been Caroline's spell. Caroline's trap. Caroline's choice to use love magic in the first place.
And now Carol was living with those consequences.
Married to a man who'd been accidentally caught in a spell meant for someone else. A man who knew he'd never been wanted. A man whose family had forced the marriage despite everyone's objections.
A man who might secretly want out but felt too honorable to leave a pregnant wife.
The guilt crashed over her again, heavier than before.
A soft knock at the door interrupted her spiraling thoughts.
"My lady?" Daisy's voice called. "May we come in? We thought you might want help changing for bed."
Carol took a breath, steadying herself. "Yes, come in."
Daisy and Millie entered, carrying a soft nightgown and robe.
"How are you feeling, my lady?" Millie asked, her observant eyes taking in Carol's expression. "You seem troubled."
"Just... thinking about the evening," Carol said, which was true enough.
The maids helped her out of the blue gown—still pristine despite the wine attack, thanks to the stain-resistant potion—and into the comfortable nightgown.
"The banquet was a triumph," Daisy said encouragingly as she brushed out Carol's hair. "Everyone was talking about how gracefully you handled Lady Millicent."
"And how beautiful the hall looked," Millie added, folding the gown carefully. "And how well you and His Grace danced together."
Carol managed a small smile. "Thank you both. For everything. For helping me prepare, for being so patient with me."
Both maids looked surprised by the genuine gratitude.
"It's our pleasure, my lady," Daisy said warmly.
"You've been so much kinder these past weeks," Millie added quietly. "It's been... nice. Serving you."
Carol felt her throat tighten. Even her personal maids had noticed the change. Had been relieved by it.
How terrible had Caroline been?
After the maids finished and departed with quiet curtsies, Carol climbed into bed.
Mochi immediately jumped up to curl against her side, purring. Shadow settled at the foot of the bed, his growing bulk taking up significant space.
Carol lay in the darkness, staring at the ceiling.
She should sleep. It had been a long, emotionally exhausting day.
But every time she closed her eyes, she saw the memory.
Caroline's devastation. Caspian's guilt. The moment Caroline had sobbed "It wasn't supposed to be him!"
And Caspian had heard it. Had known, from that very first moment, that he was a mistake. An accident. The wrong person.
How had he felt, these past three months? Married to a woman who'd trapped him accidentally while trying to catch someone else? A woman who'd made her resentment clear every single day?
Carol had changed that. Had been kind to him. Had tried to build something real.
But did he know it was genuine? Or did he think it was just another manipulation? Another scheme?
Did he want to be married to her?
Or was he just too honorable, too dutiful, too trapped by circumstances to say otherwise?
Carol turned over restlessly. Mochi adjusted with a small meow of protest.
She needed to know.
She needed to give him a choice.
Even if it meant losing everything she'd built these past weeks. Even if it meant facing the death flags alone. Even if it meant—
Carol sat up abruptly.
She couldn't sleep. Not like this. Not with the guilt and questions churning through her mind.
She needed air. Space. Movement.
Quietly, she slipped out of bed and pulled on her robe.
Mochi and Shadow both stirred immediately, alert.
"Want to come?" Carol whispered.
Shadow's tail wagged. Mochi stretched and jumped down from the bed.
Together, the three of them left the chambers.
The estate was quiet at this late hour, most servants already retired for the night. A few guards nodded respectfully as Carol passed, but no one questioned the Duchess taking a late-night walk with her pets.
Carol found herself drawn to the gardens—the western gardens near the fountain that she'd walked through with Caspian before.
The night air was cool and crisp. The moon was bright overhead, casting silver light across the paths and flower beds.
Carol walked to the fountain and sat on its edge, running her fingers through the cool water.
Mochi investigated nearby bushes while Shadow sat at her feet, his presence comforting and solid.
She'd come so far these past weeks. Survived death flags. Won over the staff. Made friends with her pets. Started building a real relationship with Caspian.
But it was all built on Caroline's trap. Caroline's lie. Caroline's spell.
And Carol couldn't move forward—couldn't truly be happy—until she knew if Caspian wanted this marriage at all.
She had to ask.
Had to give him the choice his family had taken away.
Even if the answer broke her heart.
Carol took a deep breath of cool night air and looked up at the moon.
"Okay," she whispered to herself. "Tomorrow. I'll ask him tomorrow."
Behind her, footsteps approached on the garden path.
Carol turned, her heart already knowing who she'd see even before his silver hair caught the moonlight.
Caspian stood at the edge of the fountain garden, dressed in his evening clothes but with his coat removed and his cravat loosened. He looked tired and, like her, unable to sleep.
Their eyes met across the moonlit space.
And Carol knew she wouldn't have to wait until tomorrow after all.