Chapter 3

"What's going on?" someone asked.

The servant mumbled with his head down, "Weston, Mrs. Stafford, and Lady Makenna have all gone to the city gates.

"General Hayden just came back after winning the war, and Weston is so happy that he wants to welcome him in person."

"Welcome General Hayden?" Alexander's expression turned icy, his voice sharpened. "Has everyone in the Stafford family forgotten that today is the day Lady Isabela comes home after her wedding?"

The servant was so intimidated by his presence that he couldn't even stammer out a word for a long moment.

I tugged at Alexander's sleeve, my voice indifferent.

"Whatever, I never wanted to come back anyway," I said.

No one in the Stafford family ever really cared about me. It was just a house I'd stayed in for years. Coming back or not wouldn't change a thing.

But Alexander didn't let up. Instead, he gripped my hand tighter, his eyes blazing with anger.

He said, "You're Lady Isabela of the Stafford family and my wife, married to me fair and square! When I handed over that million dollars, Weston was grinning from ear to ear. And now they have the nerve to disrespect us like this?"

He grabbed my hand and turned, striding toward the city gates.

"Let's go see for ourselves. Can General Hayden really treat them as well as I do? Does he think he can measure up to me, their son-in-law?"

By the time we got to the city gates, the place was already packed. People were standing on tiptoe, trying to get a better look, all eager to catch a glimpse of Leonel as he returned in triumph.

Alexander shielded me, and I peeked through the crowd. There was Makenna, standing right next to Mrs. Stafford, barely able to contain her excitement.

After nearly fifteen minutes of waiting, the distant thunder of hooves finally reached our ears.

All at once, the crowd went silent, then someone in the crowd shouted, "General Hayden is back!"

I followed everyone's gaze and spotted Leonel, decked out in gleaming silver armor, riding a tall warhorse and leading the way at the front.

But the very next second, my eyes went wide in shock.

He was holding a woman in his arms, with her leaning against his chest and his cloak draped over her. Anyone could tell there was something going on between them.

Instinctively, I turned to look at Makenna. Her face was as pale as a sheet, her hands clutching the hem of her dress so tightly her knuckles turned white.

Weston and Mrs. Stafford weren't faring any better. The smiles that had just been on their faces vanished in an instant, replaced by expressions so dark you could wring water from them. They just stood there, rooted to the spot.

"Isabela, just look at this," Alexander suddenly laughed, his tone dripping with mockery.

"The Stafford family couldn't care less about your homecoming, but now they're out here getting snubbed. They treat you like you don't matter today, but trust me, they'll eat their words one day. Just wait and see," he said.

I wasn't really listening to Alexander at all; a vague sense of anxiety was creeping up inside me.

If Leonel already had someone he cared about, there was no way Makenna would ever stoop to being his concubine.

But then... what about Alexander?

He spent two whole years chasing after Makenna. What if he still hasn't let go? If Makenna runs out of options and comes back to him, would he just push me aside, make me his concubine, and try to marry her instead?

Fear crept in quietly. Before I realized it, my fingers had tightened around Alexander's hand.

He glanced down at me. "Are you cold?"

I hadn't even managed to answer when he drew me closer, wrapping me snugly in his cloak.

Pressed against his chest, I felt my racing nerves slowly calm. Almost unconsciously, I leaned in further, seeking warmth.

Alexander laughed softly.

"Isabela, you're like a little fox," he said fondly. "I once raised a white fox at my country estate. She was gentle and clingy, always curling up against me, just like this."

Fox, huh?

I buried my face against his chest, breathing in the faint scent of pine resin clinging to him, and said nothing.

To him, I was just a harmless, soft little fox. What he didn't know was that, in order to survive in this world, I'd already learned how to bare my teeth.

Would he still like me if he knew who I really was?

News of Leonel bringing a woman back to the city spread through Elmsville like wildfire.

The gossip followed quickly. Leonel had been wounded on the battlefield, and a woman named Marlee Parrish had saved his life. Love at first sight, they said.

The two had sworn themselves to each other, married at the border, and lived together for a full year.

And now, Marlee was pregnant.

When the maid brought in my coffee, she sighed without meaning to.

"I heard General Hayden plans to use his military merits to secure Miss Parrish an official title, then petition the king for a royal marriage decree," she said quietly. "He's worried people will look down on her for being from the border. He's completely devoted to her."

He really did love her.

But my thoughts drifted back to Alexander, and an unease settled in my chest. I quietly instructed the servants to keep track of his movements over the next few days.

Instead of any news, it was Makenna who showed up at my door.

No one invited her. She stormed in unannounced and went straight to Alexander.

My heart skipped violently. I hurried down the corridor toward the front hall.

The moment I reached the doorway, I saw it—Alexander seated in the place of honor, Makenna right beside him.