Jilted Bride: Marrying My Ex-Fiancé's Comatose Uncle

Chapter 3

Word Count: 968 | Released on: 22/06/2026

old and still, thick with the scen

hallowed marble. Rows of memorial plaques lined the walls, their golden inscriptions g

a new plaque of polished black marb

nt. Shield of the Re

ed a hand and traced the cold, sharp letters of his name. A man she'd never met. A

s tiny pearl buttons that ran down the back of her wedding gown.

e shook it out. It was a simple, unadorned mourning dress of black wool. She had packed it o

able, finally found her, they froze in the doo

kneeling before Duke Alistair's memorial. Her arms were wrapped around the cold ston

a scorned bride, b

nald arrived moments later,

Philippa shrieked. "Have you no shame?

e to a figure who had just entered the chapel. An elderly woman, her posture ramrod s

her to both Duke Alistair and Lord Reginald, grandmother to

pa, fell silent and dipped

t, fixed on Seraphina. Her voice was calm but

d, but it carried with perfect clarity in the

murmurs rippled th

ilippa cried. "A

locked on the Princess Royal, and in them, there was n

aining strength, "stipulates that I, Seraphina of Hous

act. But his uncle, Duke Alistair, was the rightful Duke and heir unti

legally sound. She was exploiting a l

he foundation of her new life. "I will marry Duke Alistair Beaumont. I

nce. Marry a dead man? It was an insult to the family, a moc

kered in her shrewd eyes. She saw the girl's gambit for what it was: a bril

aughingstock for a generation. Or... accept this strange, solemn girl as the widow of a war hero? It would preserve the alliance w

control, execu

tretched for an eternity, the matr

ncess Victoria s

a picture of disbelief, but they did not

xtended a hand, helping her to her feet. Her

mily chaplain. "Proceed with t

mily members and servants, the most bizarre

but holding the cold, heavy memorial plaque in her

voice unwavering. "T

avy gold signet ring bearing the griffon crest-and

on was

chess of Ironwood. A bride, a

Chapter End

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Jilted Bride: Marrying My Ex-Fiancé's Comatose Uncle

Er Ye History

“On my wedding day, I arrived at Ironwood expecting to become Damien Beaumont's wife. Instead, I found him in bed with my stepsister. She was wearing the bridal silk meant for me. He was kissing her like I was already nothing. "Must you really marry her?" Isolde purred. Damien laughed. He said he only needed me for a few months-just long enough to secure his dead uncle's inheritance. Then he would annul the marriage, brand me barren or mad, and marry Isolde instead. The best part? She was already pregnant with his child. They thought I would cry. They thought I would run home in disgrace. They thought a country-bred Hayes girl would quietly swallow the ruin they had made of her. They were wrong. I set the bridal suite on fire. By the time the servants and guests rushed in, Damien and Isolde were half-dressed, exposed, and surrounded by witnesses. Yet his family still tried to blame me. Poor upbringing. Too wild. Too vulgar. Not worthy of the Beaumont name. So I gave them a new scandal. I put on a black mourning dress, walked into the family chapel, and married Damien's supposedly dead uncle, Duke Alistair Beaumont. A war hero. A legend. A man declared dead before I ever met him. By a loophole in the marriage contract, I became his Duchess. Damien became my nephew. His mother became my sister-in-law. And everyone who looked down on me was suddenly forced to bow. But then my "dead" husband was brought back to Ironwood alive-breathing, silent, and trapped in a cursed, deathlike sleep. The Beaumont matriarch made me a ruthless offer: Give Alistair an heir, and I would have land, wealth, power, and protection no one could take from me. I accepted. Now I rule the estate that tried to bury me. My enemies are watching for one mistake. My comatose husband may not be as unaware as everyone believes. And if Damien thought betraying me was the end of my story, he should have listened more carefully when I said my vows. Because I did not marry a corpse. I married a Duke. And when he wakes, this entire house will learn what it means to cross his Duchess.”