Upon hearing the news about Lucy, Charlotte was overjoyed. This was probably the happiest she had been in months. As soon as Juliana left, Charlotte bounced around on her bed, jumping up and down in delight."And then there’s Theodore, whose marriage was arranged for him! They all thought their lives were better than mine, but too bad—they were all wrong! I, Charlotte, will be the one laughing in the end!"With that happy thought, Charlotte fell asleep. Even her dreams were sweet, and a smile lingered on her lips.…Meanwhile, Lucy was looking after her two children. They had just fallen asleep but woke up crying again. With dark circles under her eyes, Lucy got out of bed to comfort them, her heart filled with bitterness."Matthew, if you're not coming back, I’m going to forget you. How could you just leave like that? Why leave me and the children behind?" Lucy looked at the kids and started crying helplessly. It had been so long since she had seen Matthew.…Outside Matthew’s
Charlotte woke up from her dream, and the sunlight had already filtered through the treetops, reaching the window. Birds chirped happily on the branches, basking in the sunlight. The dewdrops on the leaves sparkled in the sunlight like pearls.She walked to the window and gently pulled it open, letting light flood into the dim room, brightening the entire world. Charlotte looked refreshed. Clearly, she had slept well.She stretched and picked up her phone, only to see a message from Juliana: [Charlotte, come down for breakfast. Your father and I are waiting for you in the great hall.]Charlotte quickly dressed up. In ten minutes, her perfect outfit was ready. She was flawless from head to toe. She walked downstairs leisurely, her head held high as she passed the maids and soldiers. With her peacock-feathered cloak, she looked like a regal ancient consort, or perhaps a proud phoenix.She approached Juliana, greeted her, and then sat at the nearby table. Around them were dozens of ma
A beautiful woman was basking in the sunlight, holding fish food in her hand and tossing it bit by bit into the water, causing the red and yellow fish below to lunge forward eagerly. The young woman appeared somewhat bored as she watched the fish enjoy themselves while her own face carried a hint of sorrow."Who's there?" Joan felt someone tap her on the shoulder. Turning around, she saw it was Charlotte.She threw her arms around Charlotte, just like a child who had been waiting for their mother to return from grocery shopping.Charlotte pretended to be disgusted and pushed her away, patting her new clothes."Ugh, are you a dog? Pouncing on people the moment you see them?" Charlotte teased with a mischievous smile."Hmph, I’m not! This monastery is so boring. Everyone’s busy praying and meditating. It's not fun at all," Joan pouted before breaking into a wide smile.Charlotte dotingly helped her smooth the hair that had been tousled by the wind, her hands skillfully fixing it in
Matthew woke up to find the gentle Esther sitting beside him, her eyes filled with worry and her brows furrowed together.“Sir, you’ve finally woken up!” she whispered softly, picking up a cloth from the basin of water and gently wiping his face. “You’ve been unconscious for three days and three nights.”Matthew’s head pounded intensely as he struggled to recall the events of that day.'Yes, that day, I clearly saw my body and soul separate… But what's going on now?' Matthew thought to himself.Looking at Esther, he felt an unexpected sense of fear."Miss, where am I?" Matthew cautiously asked, hoping to get some information from Esther.“Sir, you’re at my home! We didn’t know what you were up to that night, but we all carried you back here,” Esther explained with great care.“The doctor worked so hard to stabilize you, and you’ve been asleep for three days and nights. I’ve been taking care of you the whole time! I was so worried you’d wake up and no one would be here.”Matthew
Matthew was still recovering when he faintly heard the sound of crying. The noise woke him, and he got up to check. Just as he was about to leave, Esther entered with medicine. "Miss, what's happening outside?" Matthew asked, puzzled."Oh, it's nothing! Please take your medicine!" Esther replied kindly, offering him the medicine. However, Matthew did not want to take it.Ignoring Esther’s attempts to stop him, Matthew rushed outside, and the scene before him left him in shock.An elderly woman was whipping Eugenie with a thin bamboo cane. Eugenie was crying, her face streaked with fresh cuts and blood trickling down along with her tears.Matthew sprinted over to stop the beating. He pulled Eugenie into his arms, too afraid to touch her bruised body, which was covered in wounds.The old woman, seeing Matthew intervene, stopped her strikes. She was panting from exertion."Ma'am, what are you doing? What did Eugenie do wrong?" Matthew asked, bewildered.Too angry to speak, the ol
Esther glanced at Matthew with a troubled expression, then at the old lady. She instantly understood what needed to be done. Matthew also realized that the seemingly close relationship between Esther and Eugenie was not as it appeared—there was something deeper and more strained beneath the surface.Matthew ignored the two of them. He knew that no matter how hard he tried, convincing them was futile. The harsh reality in front of him revealed that blood ties were not all-powerful.He returned to the room, where Eugenie lay in pain. He was utterly helpless. Looking at Eugenie, he was reminded of Lucy and how he never wanted to see her hurt either.Matthew held his head in his hands, sitting on the floor in agony. In the olden days, women valued their purity above all else. If he treated Eugenie’s wounds himself, she would surely feel too ashamed to face anyone, and the villagers would shun her as well.Suddenly, Eugenie stopped making any sounds of pain. The air seemed to freeze, be
The wolf pack howled in unison, advancing toward Matthew. He wiped the cold sweat from his brow as he watched the fierce wolves approach in terror.However, it was a false alarm. The wolves pounced on a different creature.In the distance, Matthew saw a large male bear surrounded by the wolves, who bit and clawed at it. However, the bear fended them off with ease. The bear was massive and strong. Facing it, a single wolf was no more threatening than a chick.With just a few swipes, the bear sent the wolves running, leaving several carcasses behind.Matthew's eyes widened in shock at the scene before him—it was terrifying.The bear dragged a few of the carcasses away and disappeared into the night. Under the moonlight, the remaining carcasses lay still, like dogs killed in battle, resting quietly on the ground.Matthew understood the harsh reality of survival of the fittest, but he had not imagined that the brutality of nature could be so terrifying—especially when it happened rig
In the presidential suite of the Royal Hotel, the entire room was filled with the disgusting smell of sex.Lucy Quinn looked at the two people cuddling with a sarcastic smile on her lips. She clenched her fists because her wedding day was tomorrow. If she had not come over to deliver Timothy Lucas his suit, she would still be completely in the dark about this affair.She wasted five whole years of her youth on that bastard!“Lucy, Tim and I are in love… Please forgive us!” Tears were streaming down Luna Quinn’s ashen face, and she clung to the man while sobbing.Timothy frowned and hugged Luna even tighter as if he could not bear to see her hurt.He patted Luna’s back with a sigh. “Luna, I've told you so many times that you're the one I love. Why are you begging her?"He spoke gently with hints of affection in his voice.His words were like a stab to Lucy’s heart.The next moment, Lucy smirked and said, “Fine, I forgive you!”Luna froze when she heard that, and then she imme