VI. Someone who came back.

And time went on, but still, the torment from Amanda’s biological father never subsided, as did her stepmother and stepsister. For them, Amanda was always a big disgrace to the Broke family. Because, apart from being a different girl from most people, she was also abandoned after her wedding night with the Black Prince, as if adding to the long list of why Amanda White was so hated by the entire Broke family.

“Looks like it's starting to fade,” Amanda muttered, referring not to the black stain that had been knocked out on the butt of the cauldron she used to look in the mirror but to the bruise above her cheekbone. "Dad was never like this. He never hit me, even though he didn't like me."

Amanda realized that for a long time, Baron Broke seemed out of breath when he had to be in the same room with her. But only when they were together, as soon as Amanda's biological mother entered the same room, the atmosphere became so different, warm and full of love, like another families.

“Love will change everything,” said Amanda's mother in the last moments of her life.

The fact seemed to justify Amanda's mother's words. Since the death of his wife, Ben Broke had experienced such a deep loss. The head of the Broke family, who was usually happy to be at home, began to rarely come home, and Ben Broke began to show his dislike of Amanda when he saw Amanda.

"You look too much like her," Ben said one day, turning his face the other way when he saw Amanda. “It's just that you're the corrupted version,” the man continued as he downed his bottle of wine again.

Trying to understand her father's sadness, Amanda just kept quiet accepting the harsh words.  "Everything will return to normal," Amanda muttered at the time.

But all never came back, Ben Broke sank too deep. Every day, the old man was just looking for something that could fill the void in his heart, not caring about his only child.

"Amanda, meet Brenda, and this is her daughter, Gisella. You are as old as she is only eight months apart from you," that's how Ben Broke introduced Amanda's new family.

“Thank you for being my family,” said Amanda at that time sincerely. Thinking with this, her father could return to being the figure she knew before.

A cheap barmaid and her daughter gave Amanda an odd look in return that, according to Brenda and Gisella, Amanda was the strangest person they had ever met in their lives, with skin as white as snow, large purple eyes, and silver hair. And then Amanda's existence was made even more strange in the residence. They would never think of the pale-skinned girl as family, not even a human.

Likewise, Amanda's father never returned to the way he used to be, he really changed when he found his new love. Ben Broke, usually content with the wealth he possessed as a lower-class noble, now he began to feel dissatisfied. The man tried his luck at the gambling table, and got into debt here and there. He only did this to fulfill his new wife's lifestyle. As if that wasn't enough, Baron Broke also sold his own daughter.

This happened when Duke Alantoin, who was the older brother of Queen Minerva, offered him a deal at that time. "Don't you have a copper-haired girl whom I see often looking pretentious at banquets for nobles. You owe it to raise her, right? Why don't you get her to repay you now?"

"In what way?"  Ben Broke asked back, a feeling of fear but also pleasure welling up in his heart.

"Marrying your daughter to the Black Prince."

“It’s suicide.” That was the first sentence that crossed Ben Broke's mind when Duke Alantoin mentioned the conditions for paying off the old Baron's debts along with adding to his coffers of possessions and raising his nobility to a Duke. "B-but anyone knows that the Black Prince really hates the Queen's family, and I also share the same lineage with the Queen," said Ben again, at the same time reminding them that they had a family relationship even though not that close.

"I never said the terms were easy, right?"  said Duke Alantoin ending the conversation.

Ben Broke also thought hard, his beloved wife could not allow the only daughter she loved the most to be sacrificed for their welfare.

"Don't you have another daughter, Ben?" asked the former barmaid - Brenda - with a slight curve of her lips. That's why the Black Prince and Amanda White's marriage agreement happened.

However, it seemed that the last deal did not benefit the Broke family. The benefits that Ben Broke had hoped for did not match the reality, even the 'Duke' title he was about to get, now disappeared. And under the pretext of reducing all household budget expenses, as a result Amanda White, who had officially married the Black Prince four months ago, now worked like a maid at Baron Broke's residence.

“Why are you working so slowly?!” A maid snapped at Amanda, making the silver-haired girl out of her reverie. Immediately, she put the cauldron on the fireplace. Amanda deftly put the cooking ingredients into it.

"She sucks!" Another waitress grumbled, then she put a basket of pumpkins on the table. “Hey! Peel this too! Hurry up!” she ordered, then the maid sat back and didn't help Amanda who was busy blowing hot coals until her face was sooty.

Soon, the gravy in the cauldron was boiling.  The waitress who had been yelling at Amanda, took a bowl of soup without permission. Seeing this, Amanda lowered the knife and pumpkin in her hand. “Please don't finish the soup. There are only two chickens left. I could be scolded again by the Old Madam…,” she said pitifully.

"So what? Why should I care?”  asked the maid back as she placed another portion of soup from the cauldron under the fire. Amanda only replied with a heavy sigh.

Suddenly, the kitchen door was slammed open. Before the two maids in the room could hear screams of protest, someone who appeared behind the door turned out to be Nesa, one the maid.

"HE’S COMING BACK!"  shouted Nesa loudly with shortness of breath.

The three people in the kitchen looked confused and curious.  “Who's back?  Who is he?"

“THE BLACK PRINCE!”  screamed Nesa.