Chapter 2
Liora had come to flaunt her pregnancy right in front of me.
It was the first time I had ever seen Lucian so furious.
He nearly forced an abortion drug down my throat.
It was a drug he had specially ordered
–
one meant for livestock.
One bowl of it, and not only would the child be gone, but I would bleed to death as well.
Just as despair overwhelmed me, the baby in my womb moved.
Lucian froze for a moment, then threw the bowl onto the ground and stormed out, leaving me behind.
I cradled my belly, tears streaming down my face.
My child was a good child, a child who tried to protect his mother.
He deserved to see this world.
Unfortunately, no matter how hard I fought, I still couldn’t save him in the end.
Perhaps it was better this way
–
at least he would not have to face a father who never wanted him.
Lost in my thoughts, I had already returned to the castle.
But the butler barred me from entering through the main gate.
“The Duke said this is your punishment for complaining about him,” he announced coldly.
The mattress was removed from my bed, and all they left me was a single wooden rod to lie on.
**
wwwwwwwwwww.
Enduring the pain, dragging my broken leg, I stopped every few steps, taking more than half an hour to finally reach the living room. Lucian was already there, holding Ruby in his arms.
“And you still dare to run to the queen mother and complain? You almost made Ruby cry,
he said coldly.
“Why are you still stand there? Apologize to Ruby, now.‘
>>
The pain made my vision blur, but I gritted my teeth and bent down.
“I’m sorry, Ruby,” I said.
Lucian looked a little surprised.
Because in all these years, it was
first
had ever yielded to him.
Even when he had thrown me into snake cave, I had never bowed my head.
I had stubbornly believed that if I h
But to Lucian, my tearful pleas meant
done nothing wrong, I had nothing to admit.
I nothing, while Liora’s flimsy letters held all the truth in the world.
He branded me a liar, a scheming witch who spun lies like spells.
So now, I no longer tried to defend myself.
After apologizing, I turned to leave.
“Wait,” Lucian called after me. “Why are you bleeding? Wasn’t it just your leg that was broken?”
He signaled to a maid, who came over and pulled off my cloak.
My flat belly was exposed to the air.
Lucian’s pupils contracted sharply. He stood up and strode toward
- me.
“Where’s the baby?!” he demanded.
I looked up at him blankly.
“I left him at the palace,” I replied.
Chapter 2
Aveline had said the child carried royal blood and must be left at the palace so as to have a soul–resting rites and given a dignified resting place.
I wasn’t even allowed to take him with me.
But Lucian misunderstood.
“I knew it,” he sneered. “You knew complaining wouldn’t change anything, and yet you still insisted on going to the palace.”
“So you gave birth there, didn’t you?”
“How laughable. You really think everyone is as cruel as you. No one will harm a newborn child without a second thought.”
་་
That spy Liora had planted in the palace had an affair, gotten pregnant, and after drowning her own child, she shifted all the blame onto me.
Lucian dumped me in the middle of godforsaken wilderness, where beasts roamed free.
By the time Aveline’s men fished me out, I was barely breathing—a broken mess of blood and bruises.
Back then, I had cried and pleaded with him.
But now, I wouldn’t anymore.
I stood there like a soulless shell, utterly unresponsive.
Lucian seemed to sense something was wrong.
He frowned and glanced me over but ultimately decided I was just putting on another act.
“Stop trying to show off your new tricks,” he said coldly.
“Acting all dead inside? Who are you trying to fool? Get out of my sight before you dirty Ruby’s eyes.”
When I finally returned to my room, I found all my belongings thrown out.
“The Duke said Ruby likes this room,” the steward sneered. “You’ll have to move out.”
But Lucian hadn’t arranged a new place for me to stay.
The steward smiled maliciously.
“Why don’t you spend the night in the storage room, You Grace? After all, you used to sleep alongside patients back in your hometown. I’m sure you can manage anywhere.”
All the servants watched me, laughing at my misery.
But inside, I felt nothing at all.
For a heart that had already died, what was left to care about?
