Chapter 2

Only then did I raise my head again and shakily put the food into my mouth.

I ate very slowly and very little. My arm holding the fork was so thin that my sleeve swayed as if there were nothing inside.

I had indeed lost excessive weight these past few months.

The atmosphere at the dinner table suddenly became tense. However, Wiltrud was still talking enthusiastically about her child, Ricky.

Eike and the others listened in silence, but it was clear their minds were elsewhere.

I only managed to take two bites before I stopped.

Suppressing the nausea rising in my throat, I looked at Eike. "I… I think I'm pregnant."

Before anyone could react with joy, I continued in a vacant tone, "Can I have some abortifacient medicine? Or… take me to a clinic for an abortion."

Eike's expression froze, and he stared at me in disbelief.

I didn't understand his reaction, so I could only turn to Itzan, who was sitting across from me.

He used to be the family physician in the household, so he had the authority to handle matters like this.

"I have behaved myself and eaten the steak you cut for me. Can I have some painkillers this time?"

Itzan's face turned pale, but he still ignored my request.

Holger forced himself to stay calm and asked, "Dell, what are you talking about?

"Having a baby is a good thing. Just go ahead and give birth, and then raise the child. It's not like…"

I shook my head and told him firmly, "You're mistaken.

"Getting pregnant means I have to terminate it. That's the rule. This time, I'm terminating the pregnancy for the fourth time."

Eike's expression turned stormy. He tossed his knife and fork aside, yanked Itzan up by the lapels, and hauled him off. "Come with me."

He marched into the study with Itzan before slamming the door shut.

The interior rooms of the manor had good soundproofing, so all I could catch were some muffled voices from behind the door.

However, it sounded like they were arguing.

I was very uneasy. I glanced at Holger, feeling very lost.

After a while, I bit my lips and murmured, "I think I did something wrong. Will the housekeeper hit me?"

Holger's hand was shaking as he held his fork.

He felt as though there was a heavy weight in his chest. When he saw my timid and frightened demeanor, he found it hard to breathe.

He got up, and as he pushed my wheelchair away, he tried to comfort me, "Dell, nobody's going to hurt you anymore.

"You've been so well-behaved, but I really miss the old you. The way you used to laugh, get angry, and yell at me using my full name. You even used to pull my ear. Please… stop acting like this, okay?"

But I just lowered my head again and answered in a faint voice, "This is overstepping my bounds. I'll be beaten. It was my fault. I won't ask for painkillers anymore."

Holger frowned at my reply, but he didn't say anything else. He pushed my wheelchair away quickly.

Wiltrud was the only one left at the table.

It had been three years since she last saw me, and she had been planning to give me a hard time.

But she did not expect things to turn out like this.

Everyone was so concerned and felt so much heartache for me.

Wiltrud slammed her knife and fork down in anger and instructed the maid behind her, "Go and fetch Ricky at once.

"If that little slut actually gives birth to a child, it'll be a calamity!" she fumed.

Holger wheeled me into the guest room on the first floor.

The room was so spacious that I was not used to it. It was too comfortable.

I ran my hand over the soft comforter and looked at Holger. "Is anyone staying in the storage room? I can move in there.

"This room is too nice, and I'm not used to it. And there's no clock here. I need to wake up early to greet everyone and get breakfast ready."

I didn't know what I had said wrong again.

Holger's eyes began glistening with tears. He crouched down in front of me and said gently, "Dell, please stop saying such things. I'm begging you, please stop…"

"You're not staying in that storage room ever again. We're family, and I promise I'll take care of you from now on."

I didn't believe him. During those three years, when Holger was working as the butler, he had said something similar once. But that very night, the housekeeper stormed into my room and whipped me until I was half-dead.

But I didn't dare tell Holger now. I simply nodded at him blankly.

Holger smiled in relief when he saw that I had finally understood.

He left two maids behind to attend to me, to help me wash up, and to help me get ready for bed.

Luckily, even without a clock, that strange text box with numbers helped me keep track of time.

Text Box: [35:48:21… 35:48:20… ]

Each second crawled by agonizingly slowly. I wanted to die sooner.

*****

At three in the morning, the study door finally opened slowly.

Eike and Itzan both had visible injuries on their faces. It was obvious they had fought.