Chapter 1

In the tenth year of my husband Edward Monroe's long business trips, the king finally granted me an audience.

I set off in excitement, traveling for three long days to reach his workplace, only to find he already had a new home.

Over the past decade, Edward had married two women and fathered three sons and four daughters, while I had been alone in Jevoria, caring for his ailing mother and holding the Monroe family together.

When he turned and saw me, his smile froze on his face.

His youngest son asked, "Father, who is this lady?"

I said nothing and turned back to Jevoria that very night. The palace gates had already closed, so I waited at the entrance and showed the guards my personal seal to prove my identity.

That night, when the king heard my story, he flew into a rage and issued two immediate orders.

First, Edward and I must divorce.

Second, the entire Monroe family was to be arrested.

*****

"Estelle?" Edward blurted out when he saw me, completely stunned. His face went ghostly pale in a heartbeat.

A woman heard the commotion and rushed out, asking with concern, "Edward, is there a guest? What's going on?"

It was Lillian Hanson. She stopped mid-sentence. One look at my elaborate dress, and she understood everything.

Terrified, she bowed to me in the courtyard. "Forgive me, Lady Estelle."

I ignored her.

More footsteps followed right after, men and women coming out and bowing to me.

I took a quick look. There were two women, three boys, and four girls.

That was why, over the course of ten years, Edward had returned to Jevoria only three times, each visit hurried and brief.

He always said the salt business kept him too busy to look after the family. It turned out he already had a new family.

Seeing that I remained silent, Edward looked nervous. He stammered, "Estelle, please, let me explain."

I raised my hand, shutting him down before he could get another word out.

Then I pointed at Lillian, who'd just bowed, and demanded, "You tell me. Who are you?"

Lillian kept her head down, lips trembling as she answered, "I'm married to Edward, and my name is Lillian Hanson. This is Sarah, who used to be my maid. She gave birth to the youngest heir last year, so Edward married her, too.

"This is the eldest heir, William Monroe, and he's nine. The second heir, Henry Monroe, is five. The youngest, Oliver Monroe, is two.

"The eldest heiress, Emily Monroe, is seven. The second one, Sophia Monroe, is six. And the youngest girls, Grace Monroe and Lucy Monroe, are both three."

With each name she listed, Edward looked more and more guilty.

Wow, the oldest one was nine. Nine years ago, Alice Monroe, Edward's mother, was seriously ill, and I spent a whole year taking care of her.

I remembered that winter was brutally cold. I was taking care of Alice and handling all the Monroe family's affairs at the same time. I was so exhausted that I collapsed and fell ill afterwards.

Edward sent a letter back with only a few sparse lines. "I heard about what's happening at home. I know you've been working hard, but the salt business is urgent, and I can't come back now. Please take care of yourself."

I thought he was just too busy to write a few more words.

It turned out that it was the year Edward welcomed his eldest son by a concubine. No wonder he had no time for me.

Seven years ago, the Monroe family erupted in conflict, with relatives demanding their share of the family property.

Bearing the title of Lady Estelle, I confronted those family members for three full days, and only after invoking my brother, the king, did I manage to suppress the matter.

When Edward found out, he sent someone over with a necklace as a token of thanks for all my effort.

All these years, I've kept it safe on my dressing table.

On nights when I couldn't sleep, I would sit there and look at it by candlelight.

That was the year he had a sweet family without me.

I couldn't say a word. A chill spread through my entire body.

How could a summer night in Halvorn feel so freezing?

After Lillian finished, she and Sarah bowed again, sobbing so hard that their tears fell like rain, begging for mercy.

She continued, "Lady Estelle, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault and Sarah's, but please spare the children. They're Lord Edward's kids. Please show us some mercy."

Hearing this, Edward stood protectively in front of his family.

He looked at me warily. "Estelle, if you're angry, take it out on me. Lillian and Sarah did nothing wrong, and the kids are innocent."

What about me? Was I not innocent?

I was his lawful wife, the one he married properly, and the rightful lady of this house.

Yet at this moment, I looked like a villain barging into someone else's home.

I'd been lied to for ten years, and I gave my youth to a man who didn't deserve it.

He had a gentle wife, lovely concubines, and cute kids, while I was left alone, watching myself grow old.

The pain had numbed me; in the end, all I felt was disgust.

Seeing everyone in the yard looking at me in fear, I couldn't help but laugh at myself.

I didn't say a word. I turned around, got on the horse tied outside, and rode off fast.

Edward felt something was wrong and instinctively tried to go after me, but Lillian clung to him, crying and stopping him.

"Edward, don't leave me. I'm so scared. Lady Estelle already knows about us. Someone as noble as her would never accept it," she said.

Hearing her cries, the rest of the family in the courtyard burst into tears as well.

Edward hesitated for a long moment. In the end, he just watched my back fade into the distance and stayed to comfort his women and kids.