Chapter 3: Haunted by the Living

At first, Nathaniel pretended to refuse.

And he promised me: "Marlowe, in this life, besides you, I’ll have no other woman."

I snuggled into his arms, grabbed his hand possessively. "If you ever have another woman, I’ll chop off your hand and keep you by my side forever."

The wild only daughter of Colonel Marlowe—maybe, to Nathaniel, that was the greatest disrespect.

The day I recovered from my wounds, I saw that pitiful-looking woman in the garden.

She leaned into Nathaniel, looking all frail.

The two were admiring a pair of white lilies. I don’t know what Nathaniel said, but the beauty covered her mouth and laughed, alluring and suggestive.

His eyes changed when he looked at her—astonishment, joy, indulgence. Things he never gave me.

My wound began to ache dully, and a chill swept over me.

I drew the ceremonial saber from the guard beside me and quickly chopped that eye-sore pair of lilies.

Lilies bloom, two hearts in harmony; Lilies fall, a clean break. (That’s what folks say: if lilies bloom, love lasts; if they’re cut, it’s over.)

Nathaniel slapped me with all his strength, but I didn’t move.

I licked the blood from my mouth and smiled at him: "Is this the future Mrs. Holloway?"

He was furious. Staff and maids knelt, trembling all over the floor.

Only that flower-like woman spoke, trembling: "Nathaniel, does your sister not like me?"

Heh, what a manipulative little darling. (I let out a dry sigh.)

Nathaniel seemed extremely angry. His face flushed, he looked at me with disgust and took a few steps back.

Dozens of men in black suits poured in, closing in around me.

I heard him say: "Break her and lock her away."

Only then did I understand. Maybe he never loved me. What he loved was my father’s command. The Marlowe name. The estate.

What he loved most was himself.

I’d just recovered from my wounds. I was no match for the security team.

I was pressed to the ground in a mess, my dress dirty, hair disheveled, cheeks swollen.

Then I watched Nathaniel carefully protect that woman and leave, without so much as a backward glance.

Only when I could no longer see them did I let my tears fall.

Turns out, losing my strength was nothing compared to the pain in my heart.

The person who escorted me to the servants’ quarters was Leonard, the guard who had followed Nathaniel for many years.

He was loyal—loyal only to Nathaniel.

But I couldn’t help but ask him to confirm something.

"Leonard, you’ve followed him for many years, right?"

Leonard nodded. "Yes, ma’am."

"That woman, is she the mayor’s daughter?" My voice came out hoarse. Not pleasant.

Leonard didn’t hesitate and replied again, "Yes."

I smiled bitterly; I should have known.

While I was bedridden, rumors had reached my ears.

Most of them were about Nathaniel’s fiancée.

It was said they were childhood sweethearts.

Even the engagement was initiated by Nathaniel, showing how much he valued her.

But I never believed it. After all, his affection for me didn’t seem fake. How could a couple who respected each other for years be false?

But in the end, I lost.

At this moment, I finally understood that I was just a side note in their love story.

The debate about me went on and on.

I sat bored on the rafters, taking in everyone’s expressions. The flicker of candlelight cast long shadows, making even familiar faces look strange.

Nathaniel sat at the head of the table, expression blank, fingers tapping the oak armrest.

I knew this gesture too well; he was waiting.

Waiting for others to fight so he could reap the benefits.

The city officials led by the mayor and the military men led by my uncles argued fiercely.

Now that Nathaniel had just taken over with the help of the military—

Logically, it should be time to reward those who helped. But he chose to make a city official’s daughter the lady of the house and, in effect, locked me away—his wife of humble origins.

The reason behind this, those who should understand, understood.

So the city officials dared to be so arrogant.

They argued all morning without reaching a conclusion.

Nathaniel ran out of patience and left the table.

After breakfast.

According to custom, the newlyweds, Nathaniel and his bride, were to dine together.

I followed him to the guesthouse.

Although I didn’t want to watch the two show affection, I was really curious about who the bride spent the wedding night with yesterday.

In the end, I didn’t see any drama.

The perfume hit me as soon as I walked in. I gagged and took a few steps back.

I couldn’t believe this delicate flower liked such overpowering scents.

As soon as she saw Nathaniel, she threw herself into his arms like a butterfly.

She flirted like one of those society debutantes.