The Grand Palais de Glace
The chandeliers of the Palais de Glace dripped with frozen starlight.
E.g. ：I caught my ex-husband and his new wife destroying our son's birthday cake at his own party.
- 1、The Grand Palais de Glace
- 2、An Uninvited Shimmer
- 3、The Duke's Haunted Gaze
- 4、A Duchess's Vicious Claim
- 5、Silence on the Marble
- 6、The Locket's Devastating Secret
- 7、Whispers of a Vanished House
- 8、The Dubois Ascendancy
- 9、The Montaigne Legacy's Shadow
- 10、The Portrait of Genevieve
- 11、Annelise's Unconscious Claim
- 12、The Web of Deceit Unravels
- 13、A Throne Built on Lies
- 14、Armand's Terrible Choice
- 15、The Aftermath of a Single Glance
- 16、The Winter Ball's Chilling End
Hundreds of candles flickered, casting a golden glow on gilded frescoes and polished marble.
Tonight was the annual winter ball, a jewel in the crown of Parisian aristocracy.
The air hummed with the soft murmur of French and the clink of champagne flutes.
Duke Armand de Montaigne, impeccably dressed in black embroidered silk, surveyed the scene with a practiced, detached elegance.
His wife, Duchess Vivienne de Montaigne, a stunning redhead in a magnificent burgundy velvet gown, was currently holding court by the grand staircase.
Their union was a cornerstone of Parisian high society, their lineage impeccable, their future seemingly unshakeable.
An Uninvited Shimmer
A hush fell, almost imperceptible at first, as a new figure entered the ballroom.
Lady Annelise Valois, a name whispered only in forgotten genealogies, was an apparition.
Her shimmering silver gown moved like liquid moonlight, capturing every stray beam of light.
She was breathtaking, a brunette with eyes the color of midnight, carrying an aura of quiet strength.
Around her delicate throat, an antique diamond necklace gleamed, its intricate design unlike anything modern.
It was undeniably old, imbued with a history that predated many of the grand families present.
Her arrival was an unexpected disruption to the carefully orchestrated hierarchy of the ball.
The Duke's Haunted Gaze
Duke Armand’s gaze, usually so composed, snapped towards Lady Annelise.
His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly, his blue eyes widening with a profound, almost haunted shock.
He wasn't merely admiring her beauty; his focus was entirely on the diamonds at her neck.
The design, the specific cut of the central pendant, resonated with a suppressed corner of his memory.
He had seen sketches of it in his family's ancient archives, tied to a name whispered only in hushed, disapproving tones.
A name belonging to a vanished noble house, whose very existence threatened the delicate balance of power.
Armand remained frozen, a tableau of aristocratic dread amidst the festive grandeur.
A Duchess's Vicious Claim
Duchess Vivienne, her laughter echoing moments before, abruptly ceased.
Her perfectly manicured hand, adorned with emeralds, clenched into a fist.
Her crimson lips thinned into a venomous line as she spotted Annelise and, more crucially, the necklace.
A primal, territorial rage, mingled with sheer terror, flashed in her eyes.
Without a moment’s hesitation, she broke from her admirers, her magnificent gown swirling like an angry storm.
She surged across the polished marble, a furious whirlwind of burgundy velvet.
"TAKE THAT NECKLACE OFF!" she shrieked, her voice tearing through the music and conversations.
Her hand shot out, not to grasp the necklace, but to shove Lady Annelise with shocking force.
Annelise stumbled backward, her silver gown collapsing around her as she landed hard on the cold, unforgiving marble.
Silence on the Marble
The ballroom fell into an instantaneous, horrified silence.
All eyes, a moment ago filled with admiration, now burned with scandalized curiosity.
The orchestra faltered, then died completely, leaving only the faint crackle of burning wax.
Vivienne stood panting, her face a mask of barely controlled fury and something far more desperate.
"It belongs to my family!" she spat, her voice hoarse with possessiveness.
Duke Armand, finally breaking his stupor, rushed forward.
He knelt, offering his hand to Annelise with a conflicted expression.
She accepted it, rising with a silent dignity that infuriated Vivienne further.
Her dress was slightly rumpled, but her gaze was unwavering, directed solely at the Duchess.
The Locket's Devastating Secret
Annelise’s fingers, surprisingly steady, went to the central pendant of the antique necklace.
It was more than just a decorative piece; it concealed a hidden clasp.
With a soft click, she unlatched it, revealing a miniature compartment.
Inside, nestled against velvet, were two exquisitely painted miniature portraits.
She held the locket open, turning it slightly so the candlelight illuminated its contents for all to see.
The gasps began, soft at first, then spreading like wildfire through the stunned crowd.
Vivienne’s face, moments ago contorted in rage, drained of all color.
Her eyes, fixed on the portraits, widened in pure, unadulterated terror.
Whispers of a Vanished House
The necklace, known as the 'Tears of Valois,' was no mere bauble.
It was the fabled heirloom of the House of Valois, a noble line believed to have vanished generations ago.
Their estates, their titles, their immense fortune – all had mysteriously disappeared, seemingly absorbed by powerful neighboring families.
The Valois family, once powerful, had been erased from the official histories, their very memory suppressed.
But whispers persisted in aristocratic circles, tales of a brutal takeover, a hidden heir, and a profound injustice.
Annelise had worn the necklace as a tribute to her obscure lineage, unaware of its explosive potential.
She believed it a sentimental token, passed down through generations of quiet, forgotten nobles.
The Dubois Ascendancy
One of the families that had benefited most from the Valois' disappearance was the House of Dubois.
Duchess Vivienne de Montaigne herself was a Dubois by birth.
Her family's wealth and influence had surged dramatically after the Valois line was declared extinct.
The very land upon which this magnificent Palais de Glace stood had once been part of the vast Valois domains.
Vivienne's claim that the necklace "belonged to her family" was a desperate attempt to maintain this facade.
Its reappearance, especially on an unknown brunette, threatened to unravel centuries of carefully constructed lies.
The Montaigne Legacy's Shadow
Duke Armand's shock stemmed from a different, yet equally devastating, realization.
His own ancestors, the esteemed Montaignes, had played a pivotal role in the 'legitimization' of the Dubois' claims.
They had been instrumental in suppressing any dissenting voices regarding the Valois' extinction.
The Montaigne family's rise had been intertwined with the Dubois' ascendancy, their reputations mutually reinforced.
If the Valois legacy were to be proven alive, Armand's own title, his family's honor, and his entire existence would be tainted.
His lineage would be revealed as complicit in a colossal fraud, built on the ruin of another house.
The Portrait of Genevieve
Annelise held the locket steady, allowing the stunned guests a clearer view.
