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Something like what? Report him to his father?

Clara sighed, she can’t keep giving Daniel the impression that their relationship was failing. This was an agreement between their both families and the blame for failure of their relationship would be distributed between she and Marcel equitably.

Moreover, it was quite childish reporting every single maltreatment Marcel gave to her instead of settling it out with him. Sooner or later, Daniel would eventually get tired of her complaints.

The thoughts were still running through her head when a knock came on her door.

“Come in,” Clara said, her hand on her waist while she tossed the phone she had switched off on her bed with annoyance. Luther had bad timing.

“Young miss,”

“What is it?” Clara didn’t bother to hide the annoyance in her tone and the staff knew well to avoid her when she was in a bad mood.

“Your mother is back,”

.....

Finally, some good news.

Clara didn’t even wait for the rest of the news and rushed downstairs to welcome her mother that hasn’t been home for a while now. This woman ought to end this philanthropist work and spend more time with her! Not that she would listen to her anyway.

Nonetheless, she still welcomed the woman with wide arms, hugging her so tight she almost siphoned all of the oxygen in her lungs. Yet Diana didn’t mind, hugging her precious daughter back lovingly.

With her chin pressed on her mother’s shoulder, Clara was able to see the retreating guards. They were all Marcel’s men and professionally trained to keep her mother safe. Not that they didn’t have their own security details, but Marcel’s unorthodox ways of keeping them safer was better.

Even in the upper-class society, as pristine as they claimed to be, some still have dealings with the underworld in exchange for protection. The law was weak and never to be trusted. Officers of the law were too big headed because of their uniform and fail to notice their shortcomings until it’s too late unlike the lawbreakers who are much alert and always look over their shoulder. So yeah, the latter was better.

“I’m so glad to be home,” Diana took her daughter’s face in her hand and admired her features.

“Me too,” Clara affirmed, letting her mother feel her face.

If it wasn’t the fact that Diana was obviously older, one would have thought Diana and Clara were sisters if they stepped out on the streets; Clara was a split image of her mother.

Even at that, Diana wasn’t that older since she had married at the age of twenty and gave birth to her daughter not long after. There were few visible wrinkles on her face thanks to the intense care and attention she gives to skin and her general in body.

The woman took a good look at her daughter who would have become the ruling princess if the monarchy system hadn’t been long abolished. Now, she was just a princess without a kingdom.

But that didn’t matter, they would still keep up with their practices and live the part. Preserve their legacy and keep the royal bloodline going.

Clara was more than happy to help her mother settle down and not long after, the both of them were catching up on the time lost between them when the question came up.

“How’s your relationship with Marcel going?”

Clara froze; she stood still like a frozen ocean.

Although Clara had anticipated that question, after all, their parents were the one that decided on the engagement, she still wasn’t prepared to face it.

“Just....” She pulsed, “so-so?” she shrugged.

“Why do I feel like I should be concerned about that?” Diana said, sitting up from the bed where she and her daughter laid facing each other to process the situation.

“There’s nothing to be concerned about?” Clara dismissed her concerns, propping up on her arm.

“Clara?” Her mother’s lips were set in a thin line with that stern look and she knew she couldn’t get out of this one.

Clara sat up at once.

“Fine,” She threw her hands up, “I hate Marcel ! I can’t stand the sight of him! He’s everything I hate! He’s ungracious! Arrogant! Vulgar! For God’s sake, he’s a criminal mother....!” She scooted closer to her mother trying to make her point.

“Sometimes when he looks at me with this dead, emotionless set of eyes, I feel my heart jump into my throat. I’m frightened, mother. I can’t help but think he’s a monster and like a sheep to the slaughter, you’re sending me to my death!” Clara finally said her mind, letting out the words and concerns she held back over the months since their engagement was settled. She felt better after saying those.

Her mother didn’t speak after that, seemingly pondering over her words and Clara was grateful that she was finally seeing in her perspective. Yes, they needed Luciano family’s protection but Clara believed her mother treasured her more than anything else; She was her only child. In one word, this arranged marriage was not going to work.

“Now, I see where the problem is...” Diana finally spoke up, nodding her head.

“W-what? What is it?” Clara was suddenly not liking where this was going. She just needed her mother to give the order and the engagement ends. Luther can protect her well enough.

“You have a glorified image of a prefect partner and Marcel doesn’t fit in that criteria,” Diana said, holding her daughter’s gaze.

“No, that’s not it,” Clara argued, “I just don’t love him,”

“Your father and I never loved each other as well,” Diana suddenly confessed and Clara was struck dumb.

“No.... no way,” She didn’t want to believe it because her parents had lived so beautifully well their love was obvious.

Clara ran her hand through her hair and licked her lower tongue, “Don’t tell me -”

“It was an arranged marriage as well,”