Chapter 2

On the way back, I gave Xavier a rough rundown of my background.

I was an orphan, raised on handouts from strangers, never knowing my real family. It wasn't until I turned fifteen that the Lambert family finally recognized me as their long-lost daughter.

By then, Yulianna, the fake heiress, had already been spoiled rotten. I, the real daughter who didn't know a thing about poetry or manners, barely made a splash when I came home.

At first, my parents hugged me and cried, but as time went on, they realized I couldn't compare to Yulianna in anything, and their affection for me faded.

I couldn't help but feel bitter about the difference in treatment, and after Yulianna set me up a few times, my hatred for her kept growing out of control.

So, while Yulianna was out traveling with my parents, I drugged Jayson, the general she was obsessed with, and pretended that something had happened between us.

The Lambert family might have doted on Yulianna, but they couldn't afford to lose their reputation, so they hurriedly arranged our engagement that very night. That only made Jayson utterly despise me.

Getting married to Jayson under those circumstances was a recipe for disaster.

Xavier didn't say a word. I slowly closed my eyes. There were still things I was keeping from him.

Jayson was the hottest guy in town, and honestly, I had a huge crush on him.

At first, Jayson actually treated me kindly.

Whenever Yulianna was busy sweet-talking my parents, he'd encourage me to cozy up to them too. If he bumped into me wandering the streets, he'd buy me fancy cosmetics and urge me to doll myself up.

He always spoke in that calm, easy way, with a playful glint in his eyes. Just standing there, he was the picture of a charming gentleman.

Yulianna already had all of my parents' love. I just wanted Jayson all to myself.

Honestly, back then, I was so clueless that I thought I was totally in the right, even feeling proud of myself for pulling off my little scheme. I never once realized that I was digging my own grave.

I remembered how I schemed to make Yulianna die in childbirth. My parents cut me off completely, but Jayson never showed any anger. He kept up the facade of love and tenderness with me.

We had twelve children, and he trained each one to be an exceptional fighter. Whether boy or girl, he sent every one of them to the battlefield. By the time I was fifty-five, my last child was killed by a hail of arrows.

I was on the verge of a breakdown, sobbing as I asked Jayson, "Why is my life so miserable?"

He spoke to me in a cold, emotionless voice, "This is your retribution for killing Yulianna."

At that moment, a chill ran down my spine. I couldn't hear a thing and couldn't even remember how to cry.

The next day, Jayson left Zimmerman Manor, sending a servant with a letter of separation.

I signed the letter, and then hanged myself in the room where I'd spent a lifetime with Jayson.

This was the very room I was in now, and Xavier stood silently beneath the beam, watching me.

I jerked my chin at him. "Go shave that beard off."

Xavier's face was nothing like Jayson's. Jayson was all delicate, pretty-boy vibes, while Xavier had a rugged, rough-around-the-edges look.

After he shaved and tidied himself up, those deep-set eyes of his were finally on full display. For once, Xavier looked a little awkward, rubbing his palms together. "My lady, what do you want me to do?"

I was looking through the money my parents had given me. I had ten land deeds for properties outside the city, three shop deeds in the capital, a handful of jewelry, and some cash.

For an ordinary family, this would be an unimaginable fortune. But as far as I knew, Yulianna's share was three times mine.

I sorted through the land and shop deeds, picked out a few, and laid them on the table.

"Tonight, you'll spend the wedding night with me. Tomorrow, I'll find a way to get you out of here. Your job is to take these and turn them into double the profit for me," I said.

Xavier couldn't take his eyes off my hand, his ears burning red. "My lady, you really want to spend the wedding night with me?"

I nodded. "Yeah." Then I frowned, "What, are you still not feeling well?" That couldn't be right. I got a doctor to check him out the very day I took him in.

Xavier's face turned red from his ears all the way down to his neck. "I'm fine, but I-I'm not worthy of you."

"Not worthy? Come on, I used to beg for scraps myself. I'm not any better than you," I said, waving it off.

"Honestly, I'm not going to shortchange myself. I'm still young, so why waste my time fighting over a man with someone else?

"Yulianna is into Jayson, and he's into her. My room's going to be pretty lonely most days anyway.

"If I went sneaking around for a man, that'd be scandalous. But I married you fair and square today, so us sleeping together is totally legit."

Xavier thought something about this felt weird, but he had to admit that Wrenlee's unpredictable way of doing things was actually kind of exciting.

He held back for a while, and then chuckled and let out a sigh. After stashing away the deeds and money, Xavier shrugged off his outer layer, showing the old scars crisscrossing his skin.

I'd already taken a bath and was stretched out on the bed, watching him.