Chapter 2

When word of Harper and Yael's split got out, the whole of Kinsburge was buzzing.

Harper, the heiress of the Jenkins family, had only spent two years as Mrs. Parker and had already parted ways with Yael.

Harper couldn't care less about the rumors swirling around.

She signed the divorce agreement, checked her things, and wrapped up all the necessary business.

On the day she left Kinsburge, Harper was up before dawn.

The carriage waited outside the Parker Estate, while maids bustled about, loading her belongings.

Harper stood at the doorway, giving the mansion she'd lived in for two years one last glance. Honestly, there was nothing here worth missing.

She turned and climbed into the carriage.

"Wait, Harper," A voice called out from behind her.

She turned to see Yael standing a short distance away.

He wasn't in his official clothes but pajamas, standing there in the morning light. "Are you really leaving?"

She nodded. "Take care."

She climbed into the carriage, and the curtain was drawn down behind her.

The carriage began to move, its wheels clattering over the cobblestones with a steady, echoing sound.

Yael stood there, watching the carriage roll away.

She didn't say goodbye.

Suddenly, it hit Yael that for the past two years, she'd brought him breakfast every morning and left the lamp on for him every night.

But he'd never given her anything, never even asked what she wanted.

He always thought she didn't need anything else from him. He thought keeping things proper was enough.

The carriage vanished around the corner.

The morning sunlight bathed him, but he suddenly felt cold inside.

*****

Harper returned to the Jenkins Estate and locked herself in her room, refusing to step outside.

Her father didn't ask anything, had the kitchen make her soup every day. Her mother came by a few times, wanting to say something, but stopped herself, and in the end, she left without a word.

Harper knew she was making her parents worry.

But she didn't know how to even begin.

'Should I tell them I married a man whose heart belongs to someone else? That I have been nothing but a substitute for two years? That I have finally woken up?' she thought.

Those words would be too painful to say.

*****

A month later, a guest arrived at the Jenkins Estate.

He was from Northwave, named Bennett Grant.

Harper's father, David Jenkins, was startled.

The Grant family had guarded Northwave for generations, commanding a hundred thousand iron cavalry, and never got involved in politics.

Bennett was infamous as the cold-faced reaper, a ruthless warrior who'd slain countless foes on the battlefield.

Whenever he returned to Kinsburge to report, he never attended any social gatherings, yet he suddenly showed up at their door.

Bennett kept it simple. "Last year, during Christmas, I saw your daughter in Kinsburge."

He wasn't lying.

Last year, when he came to Kinsburge on official business, he happened to be there for Christmas. He was waiting by the street for someone when he glanced up and spotted a woman in the crowd.

She wore a light mauve coat and skirt, with a plain emerald hairpin in her hair. There was a man beside her, probably her husband, but she didn't even look at him. She stared off in the distance, not smiling at all.

He never forgot the look in her eyes.

It wasn't grief, and it wasn't loneliness, but a quiet, subtle expression that made his chest tighten the moment Bennett saw it.

Later, Bennett heard she'd gotten divorced.

He didn't hesitate, dropped everything, and rode straight to her.

David was silent for a long time after hearing that. "Mr. Grant, Harper has been married before."

"I know," Bennett cut him off. "I don't care."

David looked at Bennett.

Bennett was in his mid-twenties, tall and imposing, with eyes as calm and deep as a still lake. He spoke plainly, never beating around the bush. He was the kind of man one could truly trust.

"Mr. Grant, please wait a moment. I'll go ask Harper what she thinks," David said.

Harper was stunned for a moment after hearing David's words. "Last year's Christmas?"

"That's what Mr. Grant said," David replied.

She remembered.

Last year, Yael had actually taken her out to see the lanterns, a rare treat.

She was so happy, dressed up in new clothes and wearing the emerald hairpin he'd given her. But the whole time, he barely glanced at her, kept looking off into the distance, like he was waiting for someone else.

She stood in the crowd for ages, watching his profile, and suddenly felt exhausted.

'Was that really the moment someone was watching me?' Harper wondered.

"Dad, is Mr. Grant a good man?" Harper asked.

David paused. "The Grant family is known for their loyalty and integrity. They've never produced a single heartless man."

Harper nodded. "Alright, I'll marry him."

*****

It was snowing lightly the day Harper arrived in Northwave as a bride.

The carriage had been on the road for half a month, and the farther north they traveled, the colder it got. When they finally reached the gates of Northwave, she lifted the curtain and glanced outside.

The city walls were bluish-gray and soared high above. Soldiers stood atop them, draped in jet-black cloaks, unmoving like statues.

The gates stood open, and a troop of riders and horses was waiting there.

At the front was a man on a tall horse, wearing a jet-black cloak. Snow settled on his shoulders, but he didn't bother to brush it off.

When he saw the carriage, he dismounted.

He walked up to the carriage and held out his hand. "Harper, welcome to Northwave."

She looked at his hand.

His knuckles were well-defined, and there were faint calluses on his fingertips, the hands of someone who'd spent years gripping swords.

She placed her hand in his.

His hand was surprisingly warm.

She stepped out of the carriage and stood before him.

He was a head taller than she, gazing down at her.

Snowflakes landed in her hair. Bennett instinctively reached out to brush them away, but stopped halfway. "Come on, let's go home."

Harper froze for a second, then nodded.

The Grant Estate was even bigger than Harper had imagined.

Bennett took her on a tour, showing her around room by room.

When they got to the kitchen, Bennett said, "This is the kitchen. If you're ever hungry, tell someone, and they'll whip something up for you."

At the garden, Bennett said, "This is the garden. If you get bored, you can hang out here. Northwave doesn't have much in the way of flowers, but in summer, some wildflowers pop up. They look pretty nice."

When they reached a courtyard, Bennett paused for a moment. "This is where I stay."

Harper took in the courtyard.

It was small, simply furnished. An old tree stood in the yard, its branches blanketed with snow.

"You'll be staying in the main house." Bennett pointed to the other side. "Let someone know if you need me."

Harper looked at him. "General Grant, we're married."

Bennett paused.

"Shouldn't we be sharing a room?" Harper asked.

Bennett's face suddenly turned bright red.

The blush started at his ears and crept all the way down to his neck. He opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it and closed it again.

Harper suddenly felt like laughing at how flustered he looked.

Bennett was nothing like Yael.

Yael was always so calm, distant, and elegant. Even on the day they divorced, he barely showed any expression.

Yet Harper had only suggested they live together, and Yael had flushed bright red.

"General Grant," Harper said, "your face is turning red."

Bennett paused, then instinctively reached up to touch his cheek. It felt hot to the touch.

He lowered his hand and looked at Harper.

She was smiling.

It was the first time she'd smiled since she arrived here.

Bennett suddenly thought, 'Maybe it's not so bad to blush after all.'