As each finger was cruelly broken, the agony that surged through her body revealed the truth—her nanny and maids had betrayed her long ago. When her sister confessed to carrying her husband's child, Miranda realized that their prior kindness had been nothing but an act in a sinister play. When her gentle husband, a man she had once loved, directed his new lover to claim her life, she understood she had been nothing more than a stepping stone to his ascent to power... Twenty years in this mortal world, and she was merely a puppet manipulated by others. Yet, fate, in its mercy, offered her a second chance. This time, it was her turn to consign those deceivers to hell! Although she returned only to exact vengeance, how did she unwittingly capture the interest of a powerful magnate this time around? Watching the delicate yet resilient girl, the Duke turned to his subordinate and said “Remove the filth that marred her eyes. Feed it to the dogs."
Lihat lebih banyakHearing these words, everyone except the king, Earl Croyso, the lady in the purple dress, and her maid was utterly shocked. “She…” Marquis William was dumbfounded. “If she’s not Miranda, then who is?” “This is my niece, Rose! Stop staring. The maid beside her isn’t Miranda either—she’s just a maid!” Earl Croyso scoffed. “I knew you’d try to bribe someone to make false accusations!” Clearly, this was a trap set by Earl Croyso and the king. If Hans Dickson truly had a relationship with Miranda, he should at least have met her in person and recognized that this woman wasn’t Miranda. But if he had been bribed and was merely fabricating claims, he would naturally assume that the lady in the purple dress was Miranda upon hearing her introduce herself as such, with Earl Croyso repeatedly calling her by that name and offering his reassurances. Given the circumstances, anyone would believe it. Marquis William had only seen Miranda when she was a very young child. Later, due to Sophie
Hans Dickson raised an eyebrow and smirked. “You claim that Miss Miranda and I met in secret multiple times? As the eldest daughter of an earl, Miss Miranda is always accompanied by maids and attendants. Even if she were careless, wouldn’t her nurse have noticed and intervened? How could she possibly have met with me frequently in private?”Earl Croyso nodded approvingly at these words, secretly cheering, Well said!Hans Dickson continued, “Even if we assume, for argument’s sake, that I did have feelings for Miss Miranda, since she is engaged, I would have withdrawn. Would I really be so selfish as to ruin her reputation? And would I have done something as absurd as bringing a handkerchief to her fiancé’s residence to demand a broken engagement? House William is a noble family—if such an incident had truly occurred, wouldn’t they have had me thrown out at once? How could they possibly have broken off the engagement with the Croyso family over such a ridiculous claim? Isn’t that laughab
Marquis William’s eyes widened in astonishment, completely unable to grasp the meaning behind Hans Dickson’s words.A sudden turn of events occurred—just as William was relying on Hans Dickson’s smug accusations against Earl Croyso and Miranda, Hans Dickson unexpectedly uttered these words, causing the situation to take a sharp turn. For a moment, everyone present was bewildered by his statement, staring at both Hans Dickson and Marquis William in confusion.“That statement alone is worth two thousand gold Pieces, wouldn’t you say? It’s enough to be remembered as a remarkable tale.” Hans Dickson smiled, but his expression was as cold as ice. Suddenly, he turned around and made a deep bow to Miranda. “My words earlier were offensive, and I ask for Miss Miranda’s forgiveness.”After Miranda returned the courtesy, Hans Dickson turned toward the king, knelt deeply, and said solemnly, “Your Majesty, the words I spoke earlier were at the instruction of another. In truth, I am completely una
"Hans Dickson, since you already know why I have summoned you, there is no need for unnecessary words," the king said unhurriedly, his expression calm. "Marquis William claims that you and Miss Miranda share mutual affection and that you once brought a handkerchief to the William estate to seek his blessing. Now, tell the truth of the matter. If there is even a single falsehood in your words, you shall not be spared!""Yes, I would not dare utter a single lie!" Hans Dickson replied earnestly, speaking with confidence. "My family is that of a fallen noble house, long without lands of our own. Last year, I came to the capital to participate in the knight selection. During my free time, I often went on excursions to the nearby mountains with friends. It was during one such outing, in September of last year, that I happened to encounter Miss Miranda of House Croyso. "Our conversation was most agreeable, and despite my lowly status, Miss Miranda never looked down on me. Instead, she encou
A servant entered the hall and respectfully announced, “Your Majesty, Miss Miranda has arrived.”The king did not lift his head and simply said, “Let her in.”A young woman gracefully stepped into the hall. She had delicate features and a composed expression. She wore an ivory silk gown with pale yellow trim, and a sprig of winter jasmine in soft yellow adorned her neckline. A long, flowing sash draped from her waist, swaying gently with each step, giving her an air of light elegance. Behind her followed a maid in a plain blue dress, head lowered and hands clasped demurely.The two approached and curtsied gracefully. “Greetings, Your Majesty.”The king cast a casual glance at them before briefly shifting his gaze to Earl Croyso. Only then did he say, “Rise.”Without further preamble, he asked, “Miss Miranda, do you know why I have summoned you here?”Miranda lowered her voice and replied, “Your Majesty, I do. The chamberlain who delivered the decree has already explained the matter to
The king rubbed his temples with a hint of a headache, his brows furrowed as he gazed down at the two men below.Earl Croyso turned around and bowed deeply to the king. "Your Majesty, please seek justice for my daughter, Miranda. This old scoundrel—" He pointed a trembling finger at Marquis William, his voice shaking with fury. "He wanted to climb the social ladder by securing a marriage with the Blackwell family and so broke off the engagement that had long been arranged with my Croyso family. That alone would have been tolerable, but now he has even ordered people to slander my Miranda’s reputation, accusing her of an illicit affair. Your Majesty!"Earl Croyso suddenly called out, his voice tinged with emotion.Such a rare display of vulnerability from a man known for his toughness only made his words all the more striking."The William family’s actions are nothing short of destroying my daughter’s future happiness! Miranda is only thirteen years old—still a child! To use such despi
The Croyso family's guards were momentarily stunned by his roar but quickly resumed their destruction.Upon witnessing the scene, Marquess William was utterly furious, nearly exploding with rage. He rushed forward, commanding his own guards to drive Croyso's men back.Earl Croyso sneered. “Lord William, what’s the point of flaunting your power before my guards? If you want a fight, come at me directly!”“Croyso, you’ve gone too far!” Marquess William's anger flared again at these words. He stormed up to him, pointing a finger in his face. “Bringing a band of thugs to wreck my estate—what do you mean by this? Have you lost your mind?”“And do you think I, Croyso, am so easy to trample on?” Earl Croyso puffed out his chest and bellowed, his commanding presence as a battle-hardened man utterly overwhelming. “Breaking off our long-standing engagement just to climb your way up to the Blackwell family—I let that slide because I never thought much of your son anyway. But when my daughter fou
Lady Langley had already approached Miranda, glancing sideways at Earl Croyso’s retreating figure. In a voice so low that only she could hear, she murmured, “What sense of righteousness and morality can one expect from noble families…”Then she turned to Miranda and said, “You’ve merely escaped a den of fire. No need to concern yourself with those shameless people.”Rose, standing nearby, watched the scene unfold and felt secretly relieved. Thankfully, she had not accepted the match—otherwise, with such in-laws, how could she ever hope for a good life?“There’s no need for you to worry about me, Aunt.” Miranda straightened her posture and said firmly, “Just as you said, not marrying into such a family is actually a blessing! If I didn’t understand that, I wouldn’t have raised my hand against Lady Sheffield.”She had never held high expectations for this marriage. Even when the Queen Dowager suddenly intended for her to enter the palace to accompany His Majesty the King, her only thoug
"It was merely a jest from the Queen Dowager, yet you all assumed the King had taken a liking to me, without considering that I’m just an immature girl—how could I have such influence? But then you realized your son was engaged to me, meaning he’d be competing with the King for a woman. You feared the King’s wrath would harm Sheffield’s future, so you sought to annul the engagement. Yet, breaking it off now might make you seem weak, as if your son were abandoning his fiancée for personal gain. To avoid that, you shifted the blame onto me."Miranda scoffed. "That’s why you want me to admit it. If I confess, then it’s my indiscretion, my fault, while Sheffield remains the innocent victim. You wouldn’t dare say it outright, so you let Lady Sheffield stir up trouble for you. Am I wrong?"Such hypocrisy—far more despicable than Lady Sheffield herself!Exposed so plainly, Earl Sheffield’s face reddened. For a moment, he was speechless before snapping, "Miss Miranda, it’s your own misconduct
With a splash, the garden pond erupted, scattering water droplets into the air and startling the birds skimming its surface."Oh, the paragon of gentleness and virtue, the esteemed lady of the Dickson family, the dignified countess by imperial decree."Selena stood on the bank, looking down with a smug, seductive smile at Miranda struggling in the water."Look at you now, how pitifully bedraggled you are—truly heartbreaking!""Why?" Miranda gasped as she surfaced, only for the murky pond water to rush into her mouth.She had come despite her recent grief of losing her child, to comfort her sister, who had divorced.Fearing that even the slightest glamour might offend, Miranda had chosen her attire with care—plain, understated, without a hint of gold.Such thoughtfulness, such affection, she never imagined it would end with Selena pushing her into the water."Why?" Selena peered down at the disheveled Miranda, whose hair clung to her pale, desperate face.A giggle broke from her lips, "...
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