Chapter 251: The Sunset

The sun was beginning to set. The light spilled softly through the tall windows, painting the room in shades of gold and rose. Tatiana sat by her vanity, her reflection staring back at her like a stranger. Her eyes were hollow, red from too many tears. Her hands shook as she brushed through her tangled hair.

For a moment, she just sat there, staring at her face. She whispered under her breath, again and again, "I will never let him go. Never. He is mine."

Her voice cracked, trembling with desperation. "He has to see that. He has to."

She stood suddenly, her chair sliding back with a soft sound. She couldn’t bear sitting still anymore. Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest. Without even thinking, she rushed out of her room and made her way to Ivan’s study.

The long hallway was quiet, filled with the fading warmth of sunset. Her footsteps echoed softly as she walked, her fingers tightening around the fabric of her dress. She was terrified but driven by the madness in her heart.

When she reached his study door, she didn’t wait to be invited. She pushed it open.

Ivan was seated at his desk, a few candles already lit beside him. He was reading through a pile of parchments, his expression calm, serious, detached — as though nothing in the world could touch him.

He looked up only briefly when she entered, his face unreadable. "Leave," he said coldly. His voice had no emotion in it, just quiet command.

Tatiana hesitated, forcing a weak smile. "I know you don’t want to speak to me," she began softly, "but I just wanted to talk about Her Highness. I think she’s—"

Ivan’s voice cut through her words like a blade. "Tatiana, leave. I don’t want to hear another word from you."

Tatiana froze. Her lips trembled. Her fingers curled tightly at her sides. The rejection, the disgust in his tone, made her chest ache. But she swallowed the lump in her throat and whispered, "I know I made mistakes. But I’m the one carrying your child. Please... please don’t turn away from me, Your Highness."

Ivan didn’t even look at her. His eyes stayed fixed on the parchment in front of him, his hand moving slowly as he signed something. His calmness made the moment colder.

"You should rest, Tatiana," he said quietly, his tone flat. "You shouldn’t move around in your condition."

Her eyes filled with tears. She took a step closer, her voice trembling. "So... you still care."

There was silence for a few seconds. The only sound was the scratch of his quill against the paper. Then, finally, he stopped writing and looked up at her.

"Of course I care," he said softly, but there was no warmth in his voice. "I can’t ignore what’s happening. You’re under my protection now. Just take care of yourself."

For a moment, Tatiana’s face lit up with hope. But then he spoke again — and this time, his tone changed completely.

He set down his quill and leaned back in his chair. His eyes, when they met hers, were sharp and cold. "Is this what you were expecting?" he asked slowly. His voice had lost every trace of softness. "After everything you’ve done, you still stand here waiting for kindness? Then you are either foolish or shameless, Tatiana."

Tatiana’s body stiffened. Her lips parted in shock. "Y-Your Highness..." she stammered.

Ivan stood up from his chair, his tall figure towering over her. The disgust in his eyes was clear. He walked around the desk slowly, his steps steady but heavy. "Do not mistake my patience for sympathy," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "The only reason you are still allowed in this palace is because of that child you claim to carry."

Tatiana’s breath hitched. The word "claim" made her freeze. Her hands began to shake uncontrollably. "C-Claim?" she whispered, her voice trembling.

Ivan stared down at her. His eyes were like ice. "You heard me. I said claim. Because I cannot trust your words. I cannot trust people like you."

Tatiana’s throat tightened. "Your Highness, I swear—"

He cut her off again, his voice sharper. "You must think I am a fool. Did you really believe I wouldn’t find out the truth?"

Her lips trembled. "What truth?"

Ivan’s jaw clenched. "That you were the one who took the letters Lydia sent to me."

Tatiana’s face went pale.

Ivan took another step toward her, his voice cold and filled with anger that he struggled to keep contained. "You kept them from me. You hid them. You destroyed everything between us. And you have the nerve to stand here and speak about love."

Tatiana couldn’t breathe. She opened her mouth but no words came out. Finally, she managed to whisper, "I did it for you. I only wanted—"

Ivan laughed bitterly, cutting her off again. "You did it for me? You hid the existence of my child for me? You destroyed Lydia’s life for me?" His voice rose slightly, his anger breaking through the calm mask. "Then tell me, Tatiana — when you wrote that cruel letter pretending to be me, when you broke her heart, was that also for my sake?"

Tatiana shook her head quickly, tears spilling down her cheeks. "I only wanted to protect you. I didn’t mean to—"

"Enough," Ivan said sharply. The sound of his voice silenced her completely. "You are not just foolish, you are mad."

He turned away, walking back toward his desk. His voice grew colder with every word. "This is your final warning. Stop testing my patience. I will not repeat myself again."

Tatiana stood frozen in the middle of the room, shaking. She looked at him, but he had already gone back to signing the parchments like she no longer existed. His attention was on his work, not her.

He didn’t look up once.

She felt invisible. Useless. Broken.

Her legs gave way for a moment, and she had to grab the edge of a chair to steady herself. She wanted to scream, to cry, to throw something at him — but instead, she turned and stumbled out of the room.

The moment the door closed behind her, her whole body started trembling. Her nails dug into her palms as she whispered, "It’s all her fault. It’s all Lydia’s fault."

Her voice shook with hatred. "He still loves her. He still chooses her. But I’ll make sure he gets rid of her himself. I’ll make sure she disappears."

She clenched her dress tightly in her fists, her teeth biting her lip until it bled. "He will hate her. I’ll make him hate her."

The corridor felt darker now, colder. Her steps echoed as she walked away, her mind full of madness and jealousy.

---

Meanwhile, Lydia had somehow found her way back to her room, though her eyes were too full of tears to see clearly.

Her heart felt heavy, her body numb. Every step she took felt like walking through water — slow, dragging, painful.

The moment she reached her room, she closed the door behind her and leaned against it. For a second, she just stood there, breathing hard. Then she slowly looked down at her hands.

The necklace.

She opened her palm and stared at it. It was the same necklace she had held so tightly before — the one she wanted to show Ivan. The proof of their love.

But now it looked meaningless.

Her face twisted in pain. She whispered, "I was so stupid."

Her voice broke, and her hand trembled. Then, with a sudden burst of anger, she threw the necklace. It hit the floor and rolled under the bed, disappearing from sight.

She fell to the ground, her back against the door, her knees pulled close to her chest. Her shoulders shook as tears streamed down her face.

"I was so stupid," she whispered again. "To think he would ever believe me. To think he still loved me."

Her words came out weak, like a broken prayer.

She covered her face with her hands and cried — not loudly, but softly, the kind of crying that hurts more because it is quiet. The kind that feels endless.

She didn’t know that, at that very moment, Ivan was standing in his study, staring at the door long after Tatiana had left. His hands were still on the desk, his jaw tight. He didn’t know Lydia had come there moments earlier. He didn’t know she had heard the worst part and left before the truth.

And Lydia, alone in her room, believed that he had chosen someone else all over again.

The sun outside had vanished. The sky was dark, the wind cold.

Lydia stayed there for a long time, her tears falling onto the floor, her heart breaking quietly in the silence.