Chapter 2

Now, the real problem began. How would she explain her disappearance to her husband?

She reached the gate of Cales household, and the guards immediately let her in. No matter how curious they are, they wouldn't dare ask a question, especially because the Marquess of Cales is like a ticking time bomb these days that his wife disappeared.

But his anger didn't seem to root from worry, because the moment the Marquess received a mysterious letter without a seal on it, his countenance changed, and he looks like he was ready to kill anytime. 

The lady, who was violated in the forest turned out to be Marchioness Lara Cales, the daughter of Earl Grey and was the most beautiful lady in her era.

She was sought by every household, even the imperial palace, but she chose to marry Marquess Cales who was her lover at that time. This is also where the emperor's fetish of collecting young ladies into his harem started.

Marchioness Cales entered the mansion only to find the whole place messy, even the paintings and decorations are all broken to pieces.

The butler who escorted her inside left her alone outside the Marquess' study room; he didn't want to get involved with them, for he knows how terrifying their master is right now.

"Come in." A low and cold voice resounded from inside, looks like he already knew about her return.

With a hand that was trembling so bad, she turned the knob and entered the room, but upon closing the door, she immediately met the Marquess' glare full of hatred.

"I-I ..." Before she could say anything to explain her side, he threw a piece of paper at her, she picked it up and read the content:

I finally got a taste of the most beautiful woman in the empire! She indeed has the softest skin and a sweet voice that moans only for me. I also find the mole in her inner thigh attractive ... So much for a marquess to take all by himself.

After reading the letter, her face went pale like blood already left her body, a pain that is much more unbearable than that night covered her heart. How could her perfect world turn around just like that?

Her life was perfect ...

It's all because of that monster!

She recalled the face of the man who violated her that night, it was a very handsome man, yet a cruel one. A face that she would never forget ... The very person whom she thought she could be her friend for the rest of her life.

She opened her mouth but no words came out of it, this is the end, she thought. My husband already despises me ...

She looked up once again to meet his once tender gaze, but this time, it broke her heart into million pieces.

"Get out ... and never come back."

Her knees grew weak, her eyes continued to release tears like waterfalls.

I'm the one who's hurt! I'm the victim here!

After leaving the Marquess' estate, she had nowhere to go other than her home, so she immediately went to Earl Grey, her father's house thinking that they, at least, would understand her ... But reality hit her harder this time.

"TAKE YOURSELF OUT OF THIS ESTATE AND DO NOT EVER SEEK FOR THIS FAMILY IN THE FUTURE!" Her father said before throwing a plate directly to her face which left a cut on her cheek.

"H-Heinley ... Honey, calm down. Let's hear our daughter first, okay?" Countess Luan Grey tried to ease the situation.

"Hear out who?! We don't have a daughter like her! She's a disgrace to this family!"

"H-honey, please──"

"MOTHER!"

The countess immediately fell on the floor after receiving a full slap from her husband, Lara was about to approach her mother when Earl Grey threw another plate which hit her forehead, blood began to ooze out of it.

"Get out of my house ... and I, Heinley Grey, the Earl of Grey, is disowning Lara Grey Cales as my daughter and will have her name erased in the family registry."

After the Grey family butler heard this, he immediately went to the civil registry in the imperial palace and did what his master announced earlier even though he, himself, is fond of their Miss.

Lara was stripped of her title as Lady Grey and was immediately divorced by her husband, Marquess Cales. This leaves her without not just a title, but also a last name. She was also chased out of her own home, she can't even meet her mother who was being confined by her father.

Now, this is what we call 'the end'. She thought.

She walked and walked without anything on her body other than a piece of commoner's cloth and a pair of torn shoes. She didn't have any money nor jewelry that she could trade for food, she also received the biggest humiliation at the city where different kinds of people lived. She was pointed at, called a vixen, some are even spitting on her when she crossed paths with noble ladies who envied her in the past.

If there are bad people, then good people also exist, but Lara seemed to already lose her soul, she was like a walking corpse now who can't trust anyone. Then she stumbled upon a familiar man again, she didn't know why but inhaling his scent, her tears flowed from her eyes freely even without seeing this man's face.

"Look at you ... tsk, there there, stop crying in the middle of the road." His voice contained sadness and worry, this didn't escape Lara's ears, she cried even more without care to the people looking at her right now, because there's nothing more important than herself this time.

It took her a while before she stopped crying, and the man brought her back to his shabby home in the middle of the forest. She was asleep when they arrived, so he carried her to the bed, gently putting her down and began cooking something for the lady.

---

"W~what did you .... say?" Lara asked after losing grip on the glass she was holding. "I-I think I heard you wrong, Simon ... haha, there might be something wr-wrong with my ears ..."

Simon, the kind farmer who helped her, looked at her pitifully. "You heard it right, Lara. You're pregnant. I knew it from the moment I took you here that unfortunate day."

Lara's knees trembled, Why? Why does everything seem to go wrong? Am I not allowed to be happy? I'm getting used to this place, to this person who helps me unconditionally, but then again ... Something is ruining me again!

Judging by Lara's pale face, he knows that she didn't want the baby, so he immediately assured her "My Lady, I will take care of the two of you, so you don't need to think too much of it."

"Simon, please leave me for a moment." She whispered without averting her eyes from the window.

Simon felt the heaviness of her heart, so with no other choice, he left her and went fishing. What has happened to the world that a once cheerful lady that I can only see in newspapers, ended up like this? He thought with the same heaviness in his heart.

He remembered the time when he escaped to explore the city and bumped onto thugs on the street, he was beaten so badly, but was soon stopped by a lady from a noble family. She reached out her hand to him and offered him a piece of cake which he could only wish to eat for his entire life.

They were both too young, but the lady is undoubtedly beautiful especially when she grew up, and he's not mistaken. The next time he saw her was in the newspaper, with the announcement of her marriage to the Marquess. He smiled and sighed in relief, well, only good things happen to good people, is what he thought before going back to the forest and never came to the city again after that.

But who would've anticipated that they will meet each other again out of nowhere, in her most perilous state? She didn't have a second thought to help him back then, so he didn't waste time treating her wounds and taking care of her, even now that she has nowhere to go.

"Kind human, you left the beautiful lady alone?"

A soothing and cute voice resounded beside him while he's fishing.

"Mm, she needs to be alone right now. Sigh, if I could only turn back time, I'll make sure to rescue her." Simon answered.

"Then rescue her now."

Simon turned to look at the fairy and understood her words ... Lara, is in danger!

He hurriedly went back to his house only to find it empty, Sh*t! Where did she go?!

The fairy popped out once again, "She's heading to the cliff, kind human."

Simon ran with all his might towards the direction of the cliff, sure enough, Lara was about to take her last step and was going to fall off the cliff, but luckily, he managed to hold her arm and pulled her to his embrace.

*Pant, pant*

"Y-You! You're such a dumb woman!" He yelled after releasing her.

Lara was taken aback, this man never showed any emotion on his face, no matter how much I whine, cry, complain and whatever ... But now, h-he's ...

"Are you out of your mind?!" Tears escaped from Simon's eyes, Lara became unable to move.

"I told you, I'm going to take care of the both of you ... I told you I'm always here for you. I may not be able to give you a fancy life, but I will assure that I won't leave you nor chase you away no matter what you do! Don't you believe me?!"

"I ..."

"YOU WHAT?!"He yelled again, this time, something came out from his nose because of crying too much, this made Lara cover her mouth to not let herself let out a chuckle.

"W-why the heck are you shivering?" Simon asked wearily, but Lara just shook her head. Soon enough, she managed to calm herself and faced Simon with a smile.

"Thank you, again, for saving me. I keep myself getting indebted to you, and I'm sorry. It's just──" Her, gorgeously acting like a puppy made him lose his mind. He reached out his hand to poke her cheek, but immediately came back to his senses.

"A-ah, I'm sorry! Well, it's because you're so pretty." His voice became more and more softer that it almost turned into whispers, and Lara didn't hear it.

"What?"

"N-nothing! Let's go back, I said."

Then the two of them went back to their shabby house until Lara reached the time of giving birth.