Chapter 3

After settling the kids, I slipped alone into the secret chamber deep within Cunningham Manor.

This was Charles's forbidden zone, but I'd already mapped out every inch of it.

After unlocking layer after layer of traps, I found not gold or silver, but two things far more valuable.

Half of the command token rested quietly in a box. It was my father's last safeguard for me.

There was also a thick ledger, its pages crammed with meticulous records of Charles's secret collusion with enemy nations and evidence of his treason.

I hid both items on my person, keeping them close at all times.

Then, I opened another secret passage that led straight to Cunningham Manor's vault.

Inside, gold, pearls, and mountains of rare treasures were stacked as far as the eye could see.

All of this, he'd amassed by trading on the Linwood family's influence.

I sneered, not a shred of hesitation in my heart.

I told Jack to bring his men and strip the vault bare. We took every last treasure. All that remained was a heap of counterfeit junk.

Everything was set. I stood in the courtyard, taking one last look at the gilded cage that had trapped me for three years.

"Jack, burn it," I said coolly.

The flames erupted, swallowing up the treasury stuffed with fake treasures.

The fire soared into the night, turning half of Aurelion's sky blood-red.

Amid the chaos and uproar, I slipped away through the secret passage with my two children, my trusted retainers, and every last bit of Charles's wealth.

Before I left, I pinned a letter firmly to the bedroom door with a dagger, on which I made clear my intention to divorce.

Charles, weren't you the one who wanted to cast me aside? Well, I'd dismiss you first.

You craved military power and the throne? I'd make sure you lose everything.

This game was only just beginning.

*****

The carriage thundered down the bumpy dirt road, leaving the flames of Aurelion far behind.

Theo and Nina, wide-eyed and anxious, had never experienced anything like this. Their little faces were full of fear and uncertainty.

I held them tight, using my own warmth to soothe them.

"Mother, are we really not going back?" Theo looked up at me, his wide eyes uncertain.

"No, we're not," I replied, my voice steady and firm. "That place isn't our home anymore."

Nina, not quite understanding, buried her face in my arms and began to sob quietly.

It felt like something was squeezing my heart, the pain almost unbearable, but I didn't let myself cry.

From the moment I chose to walk away, I couldn't afford to be weak anymore.

Charles's reaction was faster and more ruthless than I'd imagined.

Before dawn, word came through Jack's channels that all four gates of Aurelion were on lockdown.

My portrait was plastered all over the city, with a thousand gold coins on my head. I was charged with disgracing myself, stealing family wealth, and arson.

Charles didn't even bother to pretend there was any affection left between us. He just publicly shamed me, nailing my name to the pillar of disgrace for everyone to see.

I stared at the smudged wanted poster, a cold smirk tugging at my lips.

It wasn't a bad thing. Now I could leave my old life behind for good.

We hid out at a farm on the outskirts of Aurelion, a place my father's old subordinate had prepared long ago. It was absolutely safe.

Wave after wave of soldiers swept through the place, their horses' hooves pounding nearly every inch of land outside Aurelion.

More than once, they searched right up to the farm gate. Theo's face turned pale as a sheet, his hand pressed tightly over his mouth, terrified to make a sound.

I held him close, with only the door between us, listening as the soldiers barked their rough questions and their footsteps finally faded away. My back was drenched in cold sweat.

This went on for seven whole days.

Charles had the soldiers searching every corner of Aurelion, but they didn't even catch a glimpse of me.

He must be going crazy with rage.

I could picture him returning to Cunningham Manor, his expression contorted in disbelief and fury as he stared at the treasury reduced to ashes and that letter nailed to the door.

And when he discovered the vault stripped bare, the secret ledger and command token vanished without a trace, I bet his wrath would erupt like a volcano.

He thought I was a caged canary in his gilded mansion, my feathers plucked, my wings broken, utterly dependent on him to survive.

He couldn't have been more wrong.

I was the daughter of the Grand Marshal. The blood of the Linwood family ran in my veins.

Lying low was only so I could deliver a deadlier blow.

I took a portion of the gold and jewels I'd brought out of Cunningham Manor and, using Jack's connections, quickly recruited a bunch of thugs and beggars who prowled Aurelion's darkest alleys.

They became my eyes and ears on the streets.

Before long, a web of informants stretched across Aurelion.

Every bit of gossip or movement at Cunningham Manor found its way to me almost instantly.

"Lord Cunningham's been furious these days. He had three servants beaten to death for messing up."

"Miss Isabelle Sutton went to Cunningham Manor and tried to stay with Lord Cunningham, but he just glared at her and threw her out."

"In court, a few royal commissioners are blasting Lord Cunningham for not keeping his house in order and making the royal family look bad."

As I listened to my informants' reports, I sipped my coffee with cool composure, completely unfazed.

Charles, this was just the beginning of your troubles.