My beauty once dazzled Veridian City, my charm coveted by every noble. Yet the year I came of age, I deliberately seduced my brother's dearest friend—one reckless night that changed everything. When our scandal broke, his heartbroken lover Celeste fled the capital. I became the envied Lady Finch, dwelling in the city's grandest manor. Every time Commander Alistair returned victorious, our nights burned with passion—until his first love returned with a child. He gifted her my finest property, let the toddler call him 'Papa,' while I smiled in silence. He believed I'd learned obedience. Little did he know I'd struck a deal with the Emperor: in one month, I'd gain freedom through a political marriage to the Northern Tribes. 1. After Commander Alistair returned from his audience with Emperor Julian, he didn’t come to me. Instead, he walked directly to the west wing, where Celeste and her daughter resided. It wasn't until dusk that he emerged, casting a dismissive glance towards my courtyard. I used to exhaust myself, contriving every possible way to keep him by my side for a little longer. He would always make excuses about military duties. Even when he did stay home with me, it was never for more than an hour. I had thrown tantrums, I had wept, I had screamed. But he would simply tell me to be sensible, to remember that as a wife, I shouldn't be so spoiled and willful. But I learned to be compliant. I learned to be virtuous. I learned to be magnanimous. And yet, he brought another woman and her child into our home. It seemed my “sensibility” had merely served to pave the way for her. Late that night, I extinguished the candles, preparing for bed. A soft knock sounded at my door. Three short, two long—Alistair’s customary signal from his army days. I donned my robe and rose, surprised to see Alistair himself standing before me, his face etched with worry. Seeing his troubled expression, and recalling the muffled sobs from Celeste and Lily’s wing earlier that evening, I knew. His plea to the Emperor had not gone smoothly. Emperor Julian had always treated me like his own daughter; he would naturally oppose Alistair’s attempt to bring a mistress into the household with the status of a legitimate wife. His presence at my door now could only mean one thing: he was here to plead on their behalf, to convince me to allow them to stay. When he had first brought Celeste and Lily home, everyone in Finch Manor had expected me to dissolve into tears and furious protest, to forbid their entry. After all, I had once been so notoriously spoiled, so impetuous. I had even dared to defy Imperial decrees. But this time, it was I who had gone to the Imperial Palace to secure his decree. Alistair stood at my door for a long time before his voice, dry and hoarse, finally broke the silence. “Genevieve, Celeste and her daughter are…” I didn’t let him finish. I welcomed him inside, then handed him the Imperial decree allowing him to bring in a second woman. “Welcome them into the house,” I said, my voice flat. “It’s hardly proper for a woman and child to be without a place of their own.” Alistair’s expression was one of profound shock as he took in my impassive face. I continued, “Your military honors were earned through years of perilous campaigns, through risking your life. Don’t waste them on such trivial matters.” I smiled, a semblance of understanding on my face. Alistair stiffened, his voice tinged with surprise. “How did you… how did you convince His Majesty?” Indeed. The opportunity he couldn’t obtain even with his glorious military achievements, how had I secured it? Of course, it was by offering myself for an annulment and a diplomatic marriage, going to the Northern Tribes in place of a princess. I would dedicate the rest of my life to safeguarding the peace of Aethelgard, and I would leave Alistair Finch forever. Now, between us, all that remained was a single, sealed decree of annulment. That night, as if to compensate me, Alistair offered to stay in my chambers. I refused. The next morning, he wasted no time in demanding I relinquish control of the household finances. I agreed. But as he leafed through the ledgers and deeds, a frown creased his brow. “Are there truly this many accounts and contracts for the estate?” I nodded. “Commander, if you doubt me, you may review them all from the beginning. They were all entrusted to me by your mother, the Lady Finch.” I knew Alistair, a man of war, found matters of accounts tedious. He wouldn't scrutinize them carefully. He certainly wouldn't discover the official annulment decree, prepared by my own hand, hidden at the bottom of a stack of documents. Once he affixed his seal to it and it was delivered to the palace, Alistair and I would be "free to part ways, each seeking our own joy." 2. I stood quietly, clutching a handkerchief, my heart strangely calm. “If the Commander finds these duties too overwhelming, I can help Miss Celeste share the burden.” Alistair would never agree. I knew he feared Celeste might be mistreated, and he wanted to give her only the best. Sure enough, his face hardened. Without a second glance, he pressed his signet ring onto each contract, stamping them with his family seal. “Genevieve, I want you to manage the household, but you’ve worked so hard these past few years,” he said, his voice softer. “The physician said you need proper rest if we are to have a child.” “A child.” What a noble reason. He already had a child with another woman, so why would he care about one with me? With Alistair’s sealed annulment decree safely in my possession, I went to the Imperial Palace. In less than half an hour, Empress Eleanor emerged to greet me. “The Emperor has approved the annulment. The decree will be issued in one month. You may return home.” I was stunned, almost disbelieving how smoothly everything had gone. As I prepared to leave, the Empress called me back, her voice kind, tinged with a hint of sorrow. “There’s something… I believe you should know.” “The Royal Physician investigated. The calming tea you brought last time contained a significant amount of musk. This particular kind of musk, from the Northern steppes, is odorless and colorless, but extremely potent and cold in nature. For a woman, it can very likely lead to permanent infertility.” Her words were soft, yet they rendered my mind utterly blank. Northern musk! That was the kind found only in the Commander’s border camps. And that calming tea? Alistair himself had brewed it for me. I had drunk it for three years. Three agonizing years, I had suffered over my inability to conceive. Unable to give Alistair a son or daughter. Yet Alistair had always said it didn’t matter. He had even vehemently refused when family members urged him to take concubines. He had promised me a life of “one man, one woman, forever.” Tears I could no longer hold back streamed down my face. So this was his sacred vow to me. This was the man I had loved for five years. Returning to Finch Manor, I realized I had left one ledger behind. Unwilling to cause any extra fuss, I went directly to Alistair’s study with it. As I entered, I saw scattered letters on his desk. “My heart burns like a candle for you, weeping tears of longing.” “Though we lack the wings of two phoenixes to fly together, our souls are perfectly attuned.” Every line, every phrase, spoke of a lover’s sweet devotion. I glanced at them coldly, then turned to leave. As I did, I accidentally knocked over a letter box on the table. Three years of marriage. One thousand eight hundred and twenty-five letters. Every single day, they had been secretly exchanging affections behind my back, even on our wedding night. “One man, one woman, forever.” I murmured the words Alistair had so often spoken. I knew now. This marriage, which he had so painstakingly feigned for three years, was nothing but an illusion, a dream. Thankfully, there was only one month left until the Emperor’s decree of annulment. And Alistair Finch’s wedding day with Celeste. It was the same day. 3. Twenty days remained until the Emperor’s decree. Alistair’s returns to Finch Manor grew increasingly late. My maid, Elara, told me that Alistair had been taking Celeste to every social event in the capital—from the Princess Royal’s spring gala to the Earl’s son’s christening. He even found ways to have Celeste make an appearance at exclusive poetry readings, events strictly for gentlemen. I knew this was the fastest way for Celeste to integrate into the city’s noble circles. All it required was trampling on my reputation. After all, what respectable household brings a woman who isn’t even their wife, but a paramour, to a formal banquet? Today, I went as usual to pay my respects to Lady Finch, Alistair’s mother. As I entered, I saw Celeste clinging to Alistair’s arm, her face demurely flushed. Alistair sat beside her, his gaze filled with a tenderness I had never seen directed at me. Upon seeing me, Lady Finch’s face instantly darkened. Her tone was sharp, cutting. “You have the gall to show your face here? You and Alistair have been married for five years, yet you haven’t produced an heir, nor will you allow Alistair to take another wife. If Celeste weren't coming into the household, the Finch lineage would be ruined by your hand!” My bowing posture stiffened. I raised my head to look at Alistair, but he merely turned his head away awkwardly, not a single word in my defense. This wasn’t the first time Lady Finch had chided me about an heir, but it was the first time Alistair hadn't spoken up for me. It was he who had prevented my pregnancy. It was he who had refused to take a concubine. I paused, silently, my heart quickly becoming devoid of sorrow or joy. “Your daughter-in-law acknowledges her fault.” Celeste spoke up, feigning concern. “Oh, Auntie, please don’t be angry. Even if Sister can’t bear children, please try to calm yourself.” Only now did I learn that Celeste was Alistair’s distant cousin. They had been childhood sweethearts in their village. Later, Alistair had gained military honors and risen through the ranks, eventually catching the eye of a Princess Royal—me. It was only after our fateful night, after our hasty marriage, that Celeste had been forced to leave him. He had never loved me. I lowered my eyes, masking the bitterness within. I took a seat as far away from them as possible. A short while later, a maidservant brought out several plates of pastries. I was about to reach for one when I heard Alistair’s furious voice. “Who made these almond shortbreads?! Drag them out and give them twenty lashes!” My hand, reaching for the pastry, froze. I instinctively looked at Alistair. For three years of our marriage, Alistair had been famous for publicly requesting at an Imperial banquet that all almond-related dishes be removed. Because I was allergic to almonds. For this, Alistair had become every woman’s ideal husband in Veridian City. I was about to intercede on the servant’s behalf when I heard him say, “All of you, listen well. Miss Celeste cannot eat anything with almonds in it. If I catch any of you forgetting again, don’t blame me for being unkind.” Those two brief sentences shattered every last fragment of my pride. Until now, even knowing that Alistair had never loved me, knowing he had tricked me into seeking the Emperor’s blessing for Celeste’s entry, knowing he was systematically withdrawing all his former favoritism towards me, I had still clung to a desperate hope. I had told myself: five years of acquaintance, three years as husband and wife, Alistair must still hold some affection for me. Even if just a sliver. But it seemed… even that last sliver of affection was a lie.
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