Barrett took a deep breath, staring at his wife in disbelief. Was she really serious about wanting to leave, or was this just another way to manipulate him?But no, he could never agree to a divorce. Divorcing Carissa would bring a storm of public outrage that would drown both him and Aurora.Plus, his fellow soldiers would be ashamed of him, as everyone in the army revered Carissa's father as a legendary hero. He couldn't afford to lose their respect."Carissa, I won't divorce you," said Barrett, sounding both frustrated and resigned. "I'll make sure you're well cared for, but you need to stop causing all this trouble. What you did this time was the worst."How could you use my mother's illness to blackmail me? Don't you think that's too cruel? If you're upset, take it out on me. Stop tormenting my mother. It's disrespectful, and it'll ruin your reputation."Carissa's expression was icy as she taunted, "Is it that you won't divorce me or that you're too afraid to? Divorcing me wo
Lulu scoffed. "Ten thousand silver coins worth of betrothal gifts? Do they think the Warren family is that rich? When you married into this family, your mother only asked for a few hundred silver coins. It was such a loss."Carissa sighed dramatically. "I agree. My mother settled for too little."Lulu laughed with her, but as she laughed, tears started to fall. Carissa had endured so much when she married into the Warren family. Back then, Carissa had believed Barrett's grand promises—he swore he'd never take a concubine.In the end, it was all lies, and Carissa's life was ruined.Wiping her tears, Lulu went off to fetch the watercress soup and chicken soup, and she invited the other maids to share some too.The king's edict for an amicable divorce was still under wraps, but the people Carissa had brought from her family home were loyal and trustworthy. They knew what was going on, and it was necessary to prepare them anyway.What worried Lulu was the possibility of the king not
After handing over the household management rights, Carissa shut herself in her mansion and refused to see anyone. She only met with the people from her own family, avoiding everyone else.She even had her meals cooked in the small kitchen of Grace Mansion. Her servants, Lily and Holly, would personally buy ingredients and cook for her.Once Carissa called back her staff, the entire Valor Estate plunged into chaos. Amelia had to step in, hastily promoting capable servants to fill the gaps left by the departing ones, trying to follow the old routines.But with the upcoming wedding, there simply weren't enough hands. The servants Carissa had recalled left a noticeable void. Now, every part of the estate was left shorthanded.Reporting the situation to Rebecca, Amelia saw the older woman grip her forehead in frustration."I never thought she'd be this inconsiderate. I must have been blind to treat her so well. I never even made her follow any rules," said Rebecca.When Amelia heard
When Rebecca fell ill, it caused a stir in the estate for half the night. Eventually, they had to call for a royal physician to temporarily stabilize her condition.The royal physician told Barrett, "I've treated Madam Warren before, but my skills are limited. The best physician in the capital for treating heart ailments is Sebastian. His medicine, Snowdrop Pills, is the only thing that can save her life."I've managed to control her condition for now because she's been taking those pills for a year, but if her episodes become more frequent in the future, there's little more I can do."With that, the physician took his leave.Furious, Barrett's eyes were bloodshot. He had personally gone to Sebastian’s clinic to ask him to treat Rebecca, but the physician had refused to see him. Barrett knew Carissa must be the one behind this. She was employing such a despicable tactic—using his mother's health to pressure him into giving up on marrying Aurora.Kicking the door open, he stormed i
The lamp in Rebecca's room stayed lit through the night.When Barrett suggested divorcing Carissa, Jonathan immediately opposed it."If you divorce her, the court officials will criticize you in front of the king. Doing this undoubtedly means ruining your future."Benjamin chimed in, "Barrett, Dad's right. Do you know how many generals in the army were once her father's men? You relied on their support for your recent achievements. If you lose their backing, your position in the military will be unstable."Barrett's face turned cold. "But she's using Mom's health to threaten me. I can't bear it!"Rebecca had calmed down, but the discomfort from earlier made her resent Carissa intensely.Suddenly, she raised her head and said in a hoarse voice, "Divorce her! Once divorced, she can't take her dowry with her.""I have no intention of taking her dowry," Barrett replied."Why not? Since you're divorcing her, her dowry naturally belongs to our family." Rebecca touched her chest, whic
Barrett hurriedly cut in, "Mom, please listen to me. I can't keep her dowry.""You're truly foolish, my son! She's bullied us to this extent! You're being soft towards her, but she wants my life!" Rebecca yelled.Barrett remained resolute, saying, "Keeping her dowry would not be the act of a true man. I absolutely refuse. Dad, Benjamin, I'll have to trouble you to invite the family heads from both sides tomorrow."I also need the matchmaker who arranged our marriage to be present. As for inviting neighbors, we can just pick a few families to make it official.""The matchmaker who arranged your marriage was Lady Avis." Jonathan furrowed his brow. "She's Madam Sinclair's cousin and Carissa's maternal aunt.""Then, don't invite her. Invite the matchmaker who originally delivered your proposal to the Sinclair family, the one from the western district," Rebecca said.Avis, who was in poor health, was a consort to a prince in the royal family named Yuvan. Even the management of Yuvan's
Aurora pondered for a moment, weighing the pros and cons in her mind.Barrett divorcing Carissa had more downsides than benefits. It wasn't that Aurora didn't value the status of being Barrett's legal wife. It was just that divorcing Carissa could hinder their future prospects.Aurora's own future was equally important.But then again, Carissa was the person in question. Aurora couldn't shake off the discomfort she felt from their first meeting. Carissa's smile seemed to enchant everyone around her, making Aurora fear that Barrett might fall for his current wife's charms again someday.If Barrett divorced Carissa, Aurora would step in as the only rightful wife. Her father hadn't initially favored this marriage because Barrett already had a wife. Though Aurora would be equal to her as a legal wife, it didn't change that she was still essentially a concubine.However, becoming Barrett's official, legal wife would give her father no reason to object. Besides, who wouldn't want to be
Barrett was stunned. "But how can I keep her dowry? As a fourth-ranking general and a man, how can I take the dowry of a discarded wife?"Aurora thought for a moment, then turned to him with a gentle gaze."Your mother will keep needing expensive medicine for a long time. Considering our recent efforts and the edict for our marriage, we won't have any other rewards."Though we're both fourth-ranking generals, our annual salaries are limited. Even if they all go towards the family fund, it may not be enough. And besides..."She found it embarrassing to say this but hurriedly continued, "Even if we continue to accumulate military achievements in the future, it won't happen overnight. Military officials always face challenges. We can't let your mother's condition worsen. So, either we return Carissa's dowry in full or bear the shame of being neglectful towards your mother."Barrett hadn't expected Aurora to say this. He couldn't quite tell if he felt disappointed or resigned.But up