Chapter 3

Kayla snorted coldly. "Mr. Slater, maybe you should ask that concubine of yours."

Wanda, lowering her head on the side, visibly trembled at Kayla's words.

"Your Highness, Lady Bianca lost her balance, and..." Wanda said, her voice trembling.

She gave Sidney a pitiful look. "She dragged me down with her, and I took a nasty fall, too."

Sidney felt his heart shatter seeing Wanda so pitiful.

He quickly pulled her into his arms to comfort her. "Your foot is hurt, too. It's not your fault at all. Don't be afraid."

Kayla's expression grew even darker.

But before she could say anything, the royal physician came in with some anesthetic, ready to set my broken bone.

Sidney frowned, but still held Wanda close and led her to another room to comfort her.

Kayla squeezed my hand, sighing over and over, clearly frustrated.

"Bianca, you'd be better off single than stuck with a man like him," she said.

I nodded.

"Kayla, in a few days, I'll be getting a new husband," I said.

The divorce files had already come down.

Love that bloomed when you were young always had to end in heartbreak before you could truly move on.

Sidney didn't visit me even once while I was healing.

Every day, after clocking in at the office, he'd be glued to Wanda the rest of the day.

The maids said the two of them sampled all the best eats Kapitol had to offer.

To satisfy Wanda's curiosity, Sidney even brought her along to check out the gambling scene.

Listening to the maids report on their daily escapades, I didn't feel a thing. My heart was completely numb.

In my spare time, I was busy taking stock of my marriage gift.

Sidney came from a commoner family, and his salary wasn't much to brag about.

Over the years, most of the Slater family's expenses had come out of my marriage gift.

Now that I was leaving, there was no way I was leaving my marriage gift behind.

Just as I finished sorting out my marriage gift, Sidney stormed into my courtyard.

"Why is there no money left in the accounts?" he snapped. "What kind of housekeeper are you, anyway?"

I scoffed.

He hadn't bothered to check on me once since I got hurt, and now he just stormed in asking for money.

"Wanda's in charge now. How would I know why the accounts are empty?" I retorted.

Sidney frowned, took a sip of cold coffee, and then spoke up again.

"Wanda doesn't know how to read the accounts. Can't you help her out? You're still the official wife. You can't just sit back and do nothing, can you?"

I said flatly, "What does it have to do with me if she can't read the accounts?

"You know how to read them. Why don't you help her yourself?"

Sidney was totally caught off guard.

I'd never talked to him this way before.

For the past five years, even when I was furious, I never just left things alone. I'd swallow my pride, cook up some tonic soup, and bring it right to his desk to make amends.

I didn't even want to talk to him anymore, so I just told the maids to kick him out.

Sidney was about to blow up, but right at that moment, Kayla strode into my courtyard.

She shot Sidney a sly smile and chuckled. "Mr. Slater, I came to drop off an invite.

"There's a royal party tonight for the envoys from the borderlands. You better not skip it."

Sidney grabbed the invite and walked out.

I watched as Kayla walked in and smiled softly at her.

She glanced at the marriage gift list in my hand, her lips thinning with worry.

"I was supposed to be the one sent off for the marriage alliance. You know, it's not too late for you to change your mind," she said.

I shook my head.

"I'm not backing out," I replied.

After being trapped in the Slater family for five years, I was completely worn out.

Rather than watching my hope slowly die here, I'd rather go find a new life somewhere else.

Kayla fell silent for a moment. "Life out there is bitterly cold..."

"I'm not afraid," I said.

Kayla didn't try to talk me out of it anymore. Instead, she held onto my arm and kept me company, chatting with me for ages.

She tugged at my sleeve, saying she'd looked into it. Sure, it was not as wealthy as Kapitol, but the mountains and rivers are beautiful, and maybe it'd got its own kind of charm.

Hearing her say that, for the first time, I actually started to look forward to it.

Ever since I married Sidney, the only sky I ever saw was the little square above my courtyard.

He always said women shouldn't step outside or be seen talking to men.

If I did, I'd be even worse than a brothel girl.

And somehow, those words really did keep me quietly cooped up in this place for five whole years.