Chapter 39
Claudia fixed Luke with a piercing stare.
Even if she conceded that his actions on the cliff had been a mistake, one question demanded an answer:
“When you thought I was dead… did you feel even a shred of guilt?”
Luke’s silence was answer enough.
A single “Yes” would’ve sufficed. Yet he couldn’t—or wouldn’t—grant her that small mercy. When he finally spoke, his words were knives:
“…No. Not a shred.”
He tore into her without remorse, his voice chillingly steady.
“It was a mistake—I panicked at first. But later? I decided the world was better off with you dead. No guilt. Not once.”
“Why?”
“Because you tormented Nayla in ways far crueler.”
His tone implied she was garbage unworthy of remorse. There was no hesitation, only conviction.
“So what now?” He smirked. “Will you run to your fiancé and beg him to kill me?”
He waited for her to flinch, to crumble as she once would have.
But Claudia only shrugged.
“No.”
Luke’s face fell. He’d wanted her hurt. Instead, Claudia smiled.
“Why would I waste energy on you?”
She’d stopped calling him oppa—a silent severing of ties. Luke’s brow twitched.
“Then what will you do?”
“Tell His Highness the truth: You pushed me. It wasn’t intentional. And you’re not sorry.”
“…That’s it?”
“That’s it. You’ll likely get a slap on the wrist—your father will see to that.”
Her calm unnerved him.
“Why not exploit Nathan’s favor to punish me properly?”
“Must I repeat myself? You’re not worth the effort.”
“Huh. Unexpected.”
“That I’m not angry?” Claudia laughed. “You overestimate your importance. Stepping in dog shit is annoying, but you don’t rage at the shit. You just wipe your shoe and move on.”
Luke stiffened. He’d assumed his betrayal would devastate her.
Her next words gutted him:
“You’re nothing to me now.”
She left without looking back.
Regret flickered—not for Luke, but for the time she’d wasted on him.
Rounding a corner, Claudia froze.
“Sister.”
Nayla stood there, smiling as if she hadn’t orchestrated Claudia’s near-murder.
Claudia walked past without a word.
Nayla’s smile hardened.
‘She ignored me?’
The realization thrilled and infuriated her. Claudia had finally dropped the “doting sister” act.
‘Nathan must’ve shown her the dress.’
The shredded evidence of Nayla’s hatred had broken the façade for good.
But Nayla wasn’t done.
‘No matter. New game, new rules.’
She smoothed her expression and headed to Luke’s sickroom—her loyal attack dog needed feeding.
Luke’s face lit up when Nayla entered.
“The painkillers you left worked wonders!”
Nayla blinked. ‘Painkillers? I never—’
Then she noticed the bottle labeled Analgesic on his nightstand. Some soft-hearted crewman must’ve left it.
“Oh! Right. I forgot.” She beamed. “I didn’t want to wake you.”
Luke squeezed her hand, moved.
“You’re the only sister I need. Claudia could die—I’d still choose you.”
Nayla’s smile deepened.
What a delightful fool.
Back in her cabin, Claudia paced.
‘Damn it—I left the painkillers with Luke!’
The rare, shipboard medicine was worth its weight in gold.
And she’d gifted it to her would-be killer.
Clenching her fists, she made a decision:
‘I’m taking them back.’
Let embarrassment be damned—Nathan might need those later.
