Chapter 2

The next day, I used the excuse that Theo and Nina were about to start their education, which would require a significant amount of money. As the lady of the house, it was time for me to officially take over the household finances.

Charles didn't think twice and handed over the household seals and the keys to the treasury without hesitation.

He probably still thought I was the same naive, easy-to-please woman who only ever cared about him.

What he didn't know was that ever since I caught that unfamiliar scent on him, I'd stopped trusting him completely.

The keys he handed over were just for the official treasury, what everyone could see. The real fortune of the estate was hidden deep in a secret passage I'd already mapped out.

My father was the Grand Marshal, and I was no sheltered princess locked away in the mansion.

I immediately took stock of everything in the manor. Gold, silver, jewels, antiques, and paintings. There was so much it made my head spin.

At the same time, I used the connections my father left me to quietly get in touch with the chief of his personal guards, Jack Zimmerman.

"Lady Cunningham, what can I do for you?" Jack's voice was calm and reliable as always.

I watched Charles outside, playing with Theo and Nina. The way he pretended to be a caring father felt ironic to me now.

"Jack, I need you to dig up everything you can about someone," I said. "The regent, Charles Cunningham."

*****

Keeping tabs on Charles was a piece of cake.

He was so arrogant, it never crossed his mind that I, the woman who used to be hopelessly devoted to him, would ever suspect a thing.'

For three days in a row, after wrapping up his official business, he'd claim he was meeting colleagues for dinner and then ride out west to a private villa.

The place didn't even have a nameplate or anything, but the security was tight as ever.

I changed into plain, unremarkable clothes and, with Jack's help, quietly slipped over the back wall of the villa.

The air inside was thick with the scent of roses. It was the same scent I'd smelled on Charles that night.

With every step, my heart grew colder; it felt like my blood was turning to ice.

I climbed up an old tree by the wall, parted the dense branches, and the scene inside the study came into sharp focus.

By the flickering candlelight, a graceful woman was nestled in Charles's arms.

It was Isabelle Sutton, the chancellor's daughter.

She was renowned throughout Aurelion for her frail health and extraordinary talent.

She was the friend I cherished most. I even once urged Charles not to keep his distance from her.

Thinking about it now, what a joke it all was.

Isabelle said, "Charles, when are you going to marry me?

"That bitch Charlotte just won't let you go. Seeing her makes me sick."

Charles gently stroked her back, his voice soft and familiar. But underneath that tenderness, I could hear a coldness and scheming I'd never noticed before.

He said, "Isabelle, just hang in there a bit longer. Charlotte is still useful. Her father's command token is in her hands.

"Once I get my hands on that half of the token and take full control of the Linwood Host, I'll toss her out without a second thought."

He paused, sneering. "She's just some general's daughter, rough and uncultured. If it weren't for her father's troops, I wouldn't even bother with her.

"And those two kids? They're nothing but pawns to keep her obedient.

"When I finally get her father's military power, I'll marry you. You'll be the only woman by my side."

My mind exploded. The last shred of reason inside me shattered completely.

So that was the truth.

Our three years of supposed happiness and love turned out to be nothing but an elaborate scam.

In his eyes, my love and my children were just tools, stepping stones for him to use.

The executioner from my nightmare, the one who sliced me open, blurred together with the sweet, deceitful face he wore as he made those promises.

Rage and shock surged through me, then turned to ice in a heartbeat.

I didn't cry. I didn't lash out.

I just slowly climbed down from the tree, numb and empty inside, like an emotionless puppet.

Jack saw my face had gone ghostly pale and tried to help me, worry etched deep in his expression. "Lady Cunningham..."

I waved him off, my voice eerily calm. "Let's go back."

By the time we got back to Cunningham Manor, it was pitch black outside.

I headed straight for Theo and Nina's room.

Theo and Nina were fast asleep, their chubby little faces still wearing sweet smiles.

I leaned down and kissed each of their foreheads.

I would never let my precious babies suffer the fate I saw in my nightmare.

I called in my most trusted matron and maid, and together we quickly woke Theo and Nina, slipping them into the plain clothes I'd set aside for this moment.

"Mother, where are we going?" Nina mumbled, her voice still soft and sleepy as she rubbed her eyes.

I stroked her hair and replied gently, "I'm taking you to a place that's lots of fun."