Chapter 3
"You're the daughter of the Winterbourne family now, not some gutter rat from the slums. Stop acting like a street thief," he snapped.
Cedric looked at me with pure disgust.
"You're such an embarrassment," he spat.
Adrian ordered someone to bring over a whip.
"Since you don't know how to behave, you'll learn through pain," he said coldly.
I was forced down onto the floor.
The first lash struck, and I couldn't hold back a scream.
Rosalind quickly looked away.
"Father, please, stop!" Rosalind was sobbing harder than I was.
Rosalind pleaded, "Elara isn't used to things here yet."
Mother hugged her, trying to comfort her.
Duchess Helena murmured, "Rosa, you're too kind."
No one spared me a glance.
I bit down on the back of my hand so I wouldn't make another sound.
Because Father had said, a daughter of the Winterbourne family couldn't let anyone make a fool of us.
That day, I took twenty lashes.
After that, I learned my lesson.
When I got hungry, I stopped going to the kitchen.
I'd wait until the middle of the night to pick through the food the servants had thrown away.
Stale bread, sour soup, or half a piece of meat someone else had left behind.
One time, I managed to dig half an apple out of the trash bin.
I'd barely taken a bite when Cedric caught me.
His face went dark in an instant.
"Elara!" he shouted.
I hid the apple behind my back in a panic.
But it was already too late.
"Look at you, dressed like that, and you're still digging through the trash?" he sneered.
He grabbed my arm.
"How much more are you going to shame the Winterbourne family?" he snapped.
I looked down at myself.
It was still the same worn-out dress I'd worn the day I came back.
The cuffs were already threadbare and frayed.
I didn't know why I never got any new clothes.
I always thought noble clothes must be so valuable that Mother would only give me new ones if she happened to remember.
Just then, Rosalind walked over with her maid.
She spotted me, froze for a moment, then looked at me with sympathy.
"Elara, why are you still dressed like that?" she said, sounding genuinely concerned.
I looked back at her.
I wanted to ask her, but the words caught in my throat.
What was I supposed to wear?
Who was going to give me any clothes?
But what she said next left me dumbfounded.
She hurried over, her eyes landing on my tattered cuffs. Her eyes filled with tears.
"Didn't I buy you lots of new clothes? Don't you like them?" Rosalind asked, her voice soft and a little hurt.
I stared at her, not understanding.
"What clothes?" I blurted out.
"The ones Mother asked me to prepare for you," Rosalind said.
She glanced at Cedric with a helpless look.
Then she went on, "When Elara first came back, I was worried she didn't have anything suitable to wear, so I had over a dozen dresses tailored to her size, plus cloaks, shoes, and even some jewelry.
"Even though your room wasn't ready yet, I thought you couldn't keep wearing those old clothes from the slums."
Her voice trailed off as she spoke.
She added, "I even chose a few dresses that matched mine.
"I thought... you'd like them."
Cedric's expression darkened.
He glanced at my worn-out dress, then at the apple I'd just dug out of the trash.
"Elara," he called.
"Where are the clothes Rosalind gave you?" he pressed.
I was completely dumbfounded.
"I've never seen them," I said.
Cedric gave a mocking laugh.
"Never seen them?" he repeated.
"I really haven't!" I replied.
I was so desperate that my voice cracked.
"No one's given me a single piece of clothing since I got here!" I cried out.
Rosalind's face went pale in an instant.
She suddenly seemed to remember something and whipped around to look at her maid.
"Ida!" Rosalind called.
"Where are the clothes I told you to give Elara?" she demanded.
The maid fell to the floor with a thud.
That was when I recognized her.
It was her.
It really was her.
On my very first day at Winterbourne Manor, Mother told me to follow the maid and get some rest.
She's the one who took me out of the main building and all the way to the stables.
I glared at her, refusing to look away.
Ida hung her head, her shoulders shaking.
Ida answered, "Lady Rosalind, I did deliver them.
"I brought all the clothes to her."
Cedric's voice was icy.
"Then why is she still dressed like this?" he demanded.
Ida looked up at me, terrified.