Chapter 2

The welcome banquet was held in the main dining hall, overflowing with lively chatter.

Richard and Edward took the seats of honor, while Margaret and Charlotte sat beside them, sharing light and merry conversation.

Helen moved gracefully among the guests, personally serving dishes and offering wine. Her smile never faded. She appeared genuinely elated.

I handed the fabrics to a servant and quietly returned to my seat. The food before me remained entirely untouched.

After several rounds of wine, Richard grew tipsy. His speech slurred slightly as he began to recount his battles at the border, boasting of his bravery and detailing how he had stumbled upon this pitiful mother and daughter, moved by his own profound kindness.

He claimed Margaret was the widow of a fallen comrade.

He stated that Charlotte was entirely alone in the world and that marrying her to Edward was an act of immense charity.

He spoke with passionate fervor, acting as though he were a saint descending to save the suffering.

Edward listened intently beside him, nodding constantly, his gaze toward Charlotte softening with deep tenderness.

My stomach churned violently.

I slipped away from the table unnoticed and returned to my own chambers.

The courtyard was terribly quiet. My two personal maids, Rose Smith and Daisy Lynn, stood in the corridor with bloodshot eyes. They wanted to speak upon seeing me, yet they lacked the courage.

I waved a hand and stepped into the room.

Everything remained exactly as I had left it, perfectly neat. Beneath a stack of leather-bound volumes on the desk, our matrimonial contract still lay pressed, its vivid crimson seal piercing my vision.

I sat down and let my mind drift into a blank void.

I didn't know how much time passed before the sky turned completely black. The raucous noise from the banquet outside slowly faded away.

Soft footsteps rustled down the corridor, falling completely silent beyond my door.

It was Rose.

"My lady, the hour is late. You should rest," she said.

I gave no reply.

Three soft taps came against the door, measured and completely unhurried.

That was not how Rose knocked.

My heart tightened as I stood up. "Who is there?"

A familiar, heavily hushed voice came from the other side. "It's me."

It was Helen.

I froze for a second before walking over to pull the door open.

Outside stood Helen, who still wore the magnificent crimson gown from earlier in the day, but the smile on her face had vanished completely. Under the moonlight, her expression was frostily calm, her eyes as sharp as daggers.

She slipped inside, immediately shutting the door and sliding the bolt into place.

Without looking at me, she moved to the window, leaning close to listen to the sounds outside.

The only noise in the courtyard was the rustling of leaves caught in the night breeze.

My mind raced with anxiety. "What are you..."

She spun around, walking briskly toward me, and seized my wrist. Her grip was startlingly strong, pinching my skin until it hurt.

Her voice was urgent and faint, resembling a whisper wrapped in a strict command. "Grace, hurry. Pack your valuables. We are leaving tonight."

A loud ringing echoed in my head.

"Leaving?" I repeated the word as if I were chewing on rocks. "Where to?"

"Away from here," Helen replied, her eyes gleaming with a terrifying brilliance in the dark. "To a place where they don't exist."

I stared at her, entirely unable to connect this fiercely determined woman with the smiling woman I had seen hours ago.

My voice came out dry and rough. "Why?"

"There is no why." She cut me off. "This household is rotten to the core. Today was neither the beginning nor the end.

"How much longer do you intend to endure this? Do you plan to wait until Charlotte gives birth to a son, leaving you banished to a forgotten wing to wither away and die?"

Her words acted like an awl, driving fiercely into the center of my heart.

A violent shiver ran through my body.

She was right. What was I still hoping for? Edward's guilt? Richard's mercy?