Burn the Marriage, Keep the Crown novel Chapter 269

The room fell utterly silent.

Everyone seemed taken aback by the sheer confidence radiating from Serena. In their minds, she was supposed to be the cheater—the one who should be nervous, maybe even scared. But that was far from the case.

A tense moment passed.

Finally, a man in his early forties, wearing a crisp dress shirt and glasses, stood up. He looked scholarly and composed.

“Miss Sullivan, I’ve looked over your answers. You seem to have quite a thorough knowledge of antiques from every era, is that right?”

Serena nodded. “Yes, that’s correct.”

“In that case, let me ask you something. Are you familiar with the Raven’s Eye Templar chalice?”

She nodded again.

“Alright, then tell me—how many of these chalices still exist in the world today?”

Serena answered without hesitation, “There’s only one remaining. It left the Kingdom of Wessex in the late twelfth century, eventually became a treasure of the Tokugawa shogunate, and now it’s housed in the National Museum of Ravenspire.”

The man seemed stunned by how quickly she’d replied. His face darkened briefly, and, defeated, he sat back down, avoiding her gaze.

But before long, another audience member rose to her feet.

“That was too easy,” she said, her tone challenging. This time it was a woman in her thirties, eyes bright with determination. “Miss Sullivan, are you willing to take my question?”

Serena gestured politely. “Please, go ahead.”

Though he was well into his seventies, his face bore a humble, gentle expression. “Hello, my name is Abelard Wilkes.”

The moment he spoke, every eye in the room turned to him. Even Serena couldn’t help looking at him in surprise.

Abelard Wilkes. The very first director of the Northspire Antique Restoration Center. The founding expert in bronze artifact restoration. The man who’d restored the legendary Sword of King Eadric.

No one had expected him to appear tonight.

When people glanced back at Serena, their eyes glimmered with a mix of anticipation and schadenfreude—now the real expert had arrived. The truth would come out.

“Mr. Wilkes,” Serena replied, quickly regaining her composure and greeting him politely.

He didn’t waste time. “Here’s my question,” Abelard said, his voice steady. “I have an Ancient Roman jade piece made from a regional variety. After running an X-ray fluorescence analysis, I discovered that it contains a trace element at a concentration far higher than any other artifact from the same period and material. What do you think could explain this anomaly?”