Chapter 2
But for the sake of my sorry life, I nodded with tears in my eyes, so sad I couldn't even get a word out.
Magnus spat out the words, cold and clipped, "Keep dreaming."
I was stunned.
[Exactly! She trashed Magnus's whole life and thinks just saying 'divorce' is gonna wipe the slate clean? Keep dreaming!]
[Yeah right! Used him up and now wants to bolt? Not happening!]
I was taken aback.
He really hated me this much?
Magnus reached for me.
"Enough. Let's go home."
[She's always causing drama, always making a fuss! Magnus can't catch a break. She's always making him look bad!]
[She only acts like she owns the place because her brother's the King. Once he's out of the picture, her good days are over!]
I fell silent.
Since I wouldn't move, Magnus swept me up into his arms.
"Alright, my bad. Don't be angry."
[Why does Magnus always let her walk all over him? It's honestly so frustrating to watch!]
[She's just being extra. If he doesn't apologize, she'll totally make him pay for it!]
[How can she be so over the top? But honestly, I'm kinda curious. How does she punish him?]
[I'm asking for a friend, how does she punish him, exactly?]
Curious how I punished him?
I remember the first time I brought up divorce.
He just froze, didn't say a word.
The second those words left my mouth, regret hit me hard.
But that didn't stop me from dishing out some punishment.
Since he didn't come to comfort me, I made him kneel on the bed the whole night as punishment.
That night, the redness at the corners of his eyes matched the marks on his body, making for a striking sight.
I lost control for a moment and lashed him once. Tears fell from his eyes, probably because he felt so humiliated.
I pulled away from his embrace.
"You don't need to apologize. It's not your fault, and I'm not upset with you," I said.
"Relax, just head back. I'm not going to hurt you anymore."
Once Magnus was gone, I headed straight for Frankie's office.
As soon as Frankie spotted me, he clutched his stack of paperwork like his life depended on it.
"Magnus didn't cheer you up, so don't go wrecking my paperwork!" Frankie grumbled.
I fell silent.
He was always so diligent, but in the end he just vanished without a trace.
Could it really all be because I stole Magnus from him?
The more I thought about it, the more I couldn't help but feel kind of sorry for him.
"Silly, it must be so boring cooped up in the palace all day. Let me take you out and show you some real fun."
Frankie nearly jumped out of his skin, and his paperwork scattered all over the floor. He didn't even bother to pick it up.
He rushed over, snapped, "What kind of demon are you? Let me go, now!"
I gave him a couple of knocks on the head, and he calmed right down.
I dragged him all the way to the entrance of the brothel, then turned and headed straight for the South Courtyard across the street.
No other reason. I just wanted to feast my eyes on some eye candy.
But no matter how many I checked out, none of them really hit the mark.
The ones who were too forward just didn't have that subtle charm.
The reserved ones all seemed like they were plotting something.
None of them caught my eye.
After seeing Magnus's stunning looks, everyone else just looked like painted dolls, totally fake and forgettable.
Just as I was about to leave, Magnus showed up out of nowhere.
[Poor Magnus, just watching himself get played like that. This villainess is way too wild!]
[Magnus doesn't even care about her. If it weren't for the King always siding with her, he wouldn't bother showing up!]
[Even without any real power, Magnus still worries about the country and does his best!]
I looked down, avoiding his gaze.
So it was never about me…
Magnus's cold stare swept across the room, sending all the male escorts scrambling out of his way before finally locking onto me.
He just said four words, as always.
"It is absolutely ridiculous!"
He was always so distant and barely spoke to me.
The first time we met, I stopped his horse in the street and confessed my feelings. He just replied, "Thanks for your love."
The next time, when the King arranged our marriage and I confessed again, he said, "Agreed to the decree."
On our wedding night, when I made a move, he said, "Princess, please behave yourself."
During our honeymoon, when I kept pestering him, he said, "Sorry, I can't accept."
He never even made the slightest move toward me, not once.
It was always me, pushing and begging for more.
With all the drinks I'd had, I was feeling bold.
Still unwilling to give up, I tried one last time:
"Magnus! Would it kill you to say more than four words to me?"
At that, his lips pressed into a thin line.
He looked like he wouldn't even spare me his usual short reply.
Suddenly, I laughed.
"Magnus, I mean it. Let's get a divorce."
Magnus was looking grim as he dragged me out of the South Courtyard.
Just as we reached the entrance, Frankie was waving at us like crazy.
That silly little brother of mine actually waited right here and didn't even step inside the brothel.
Magnus couldn't convince Frankie to head back to the palace, so he ended up dragging me along, and the three of us went back together.
Just as Frankie was making his way through the crowd to join us, a runaway horse came charging straight at him.
In the nick of time, a woman leaped into the air and snatched him out of harm's way.
She spun and jumped, and just like that, Frankie was totally smitten.
The system notifications were going absolutely nuts, popping up nonstop.
[The female lead! She's here in the capital early, and she just saved the King!]
[Our heroine is gorgeous and kind, but she has no clue she just rescued her future biggest rival!]
[For real, if she hadn't jumped in, the story would've ended right then and there!]
My heart clenched, and I hurriedly dragged Frankie away.
"Girl, words cannot express my gratitude for your great kindness." I turned to Frankie, "Come on, let's get out of here!"
After we got back to the palace, Frankie just couldn't stop thinking about that girl.
He kept sighing, so distracted he didn't even care about his prized paperwork anymore.
"Elyse, why did you have to rush off like that? I didn't even get a chance to ask her name," Frankie groaned. "Now I can't even find her if I wanted to!"