Chapter 4

Just as I reached the door, it swung open from the inside.

Stephen lowered his head, quietly watching the shoes in my hand. There was a hint of sympathy in his deep, shadowed gaze.

"If you don't want to, you don't have to," he said gently.

I bit my lower lip, but in the end, I slowly set the shoes down at his door.

Then, without a word, I turned and quietly headed back to my own room.

Behind me, he let out a sigh, and then I heard his footsteps trailing right behind me.

I moved like a zombie, slow and lifeless.

My throat kept tightening with waves of nausea.

I learned all about the secrets between husband and wife from my old governess. Back when I was still a girl waiting to be married, I'd always blush furiously, secretly looking forward to it in my heart.

Sebastian and I had been engaged since childhood. After his family fell on hard times and his parents passed away, my family took him in out of compassion and loyalty.

He grew up right alongside me.

I'd known since I was little that he was destined to be my husband. He was handsome and refined, and his talents were second to none. He was the dream of every young lady in the capital.

I was no exception.

So, every time I learned the secrets of the bridal chamber, he was the one who filled my dreams at night.

After we married, he treated me with such care. The first time hurt a little, but after that, it was utterly intoxicating, impossible to resist.

I thought that was simply how things were between husband and wife, and I found joy in it every time.

Until the day he tricked me into drinking the wine with Mindfog Powder, and with his own hands, delivered me to those bandits.

All those sweet moments turned into a living nightmare.

There were eight of them, and it never stopped. If I tried to fight back, they'd beat me. Even now, I was still unbearably sore and swollen down there. Every single step was torture.

What used to be the private matters between husband and wife just made me sick.

Once I stepped inside, I automatically started to take off my clothes, but Stephen gently stopped me.

Suddenly, he scooped me up by the waist and set me down gently on the bed. After covering me with a blanket, he let out a quiet sigh.

"It's cold tonight. Just sleep with your clothes on," he said.

As he spoke, he softly patted my back, just like my mom used to do when I was little. Stephen hummed a tune I'd never heard before, trying to lull me to sleep.

His fresh, masculine scent wrapped around me, making me tense up without even meaning to.

But I was just so exhausted. I hadn't had a good night's sleep in months.

Somehow, I found myself dozing off in his arms.

Right before I fell asleep, I vaguely heard him sigh and whisper, "Priscilla..."

I didn't think I ever told anyone here that my real name was Priscilla Carlson.

*****

When I woke up the next morning, the sun was already high in the sky.

As I stepped out of the room, Eden was beaming as he came over with a sandwich for me.

"The others went out to chop wood and earn some silvers," he said. "Stephen said once we've saved up enough, we'll move into the city. There's plenty of firewood outside the city to the north, and it's not safe for you to be home alone. I can't chop much by myself. He's afraid I can't keep you safe on my own..."

I nibbled on the sandwich, feeling a bit weirded out.

"Firewood?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

'Has Eden lost his mind? Does he seriously think firewood can just wander around and hurt people?' I thought.

Seeing the look on my face, Eden started to explain, "They're Khargun scouts from up north. Around here, we just call them 'firewood.' Each one we catch is worth 10 silvers, but there aren't many of them, and they're tough to track down.

"Even then, the magistrate takes his share, so we don't get much in the end, but it's just enough to scrape by."

I froze. Wait, was killing people really how they made a living?