His Daughter, His Mistake

My husband, Austin Rogers, had been missing for five years, only to return with a royal illegitimate child.

The first thing he did was burst into my daughter Joanna's room, wrap her in a blanket, and throw her into the sauna.

His sister, Rosita, sneered as she poured a whole box of leeches inside and locked the door.

I rushed over, begging them to let my daughter out.

They glared at me with malice. "How dare you plead? The little princess bruised her leg yesterday. If her mother finds out, we'll all be in deep trouble. You're just envious! You want us to stay trapped in this miserable place with you forever."

At that moment, I finally understood that they intended to use my daughter's life to appease that Slaka Queen.

But their plan was doomed to fail.

The person being bitten by leeches inside wasn't my daughter.

They were about to face the consequences of their actions.

1.

"Paper and pen have been thrown in. Tell Joanna to write 'I'm sorry' ten thousand times for the little princess, Anna. Have her write "I'm sorry" and then read it out loud. If she misses it once, she will never be able to leave the sauna in her life."

These were the first words Austin spoke to me after being missing for five years.

Austin and I had been married for five years when he mysteriously disappeared on the day of our child's birth.

Everyone said he was killed by enemies, but I didn't believe it. I single-handedly took care of his family and our daughter for four years.

Four years later, he finally returned, holding the hand of a little girl.

He said he was swept away by the waves back then and rescued by the Slaka Queen, Katy Spencer.

He also said that they were both single, so it was natural for them to fall in love and give birth to Anna.

Recently, Katy lost her ability to bear children, making Anna the sole heir.

She allowed Austin to return home to fetch his family and enjoy a life of luxury in Slaka.

I have imagined many times what his reaction would be when he came home after five years and saw that I had kept the house in order.

Would he be touched, surprised, or feel sorry for me?

I never expected it to be this disgraceful.

Rosita even took out her phone to start recording, "Did you hear that, you little troublemaker? Hurry up and write. Admit your mistake. I'll play this for Her Majesty when she arrives, so she'll forgive us and only punish your wretched mother. We're finally about to go to Slaka with Austin for a good life, and you two just keep causing trouble."

But what came from inside was not Joanna's crying voice, but Anna's scream.

Joanna had already gone on a picnic with her school. If Austin hadn't been busy coaxing Anna and bragging to his friends since he came back, this blunder wouldn't have happened.

The leeches, poured into the hot, humid environment, writhed wildly, quickly covering the walls and floor, and started gathering towards Anna.

The little princess, raised in a sheltered and privileged upbringing, had never seen such a terrifying scene.

She was scared out of her wits, left only with cries and shouts.

Her voice was so hoarse from tension that even her biological father, Austin, didn't recognize it.

"Still playing tricks on us, huh?" Rosita sneered, unable and unwilling to understand, "Austin, listen! She's deliberately speaking a foreign language to provoke us! Without a sincere apology, she's still playing tricks."

Austin frowned slightly, seemingly trying to discern something.

But he didn't understand Slaka's language. During his time in Slaka, a single glance would tell the servants what he wanted, and he had a dedicated translator when going out, eliminating the need to learn the local language.

I quickly shouted, "Austin! Listen clearly. Inside is Anna. It's the little princess Anna! She can't write in our language and doesn't understand what we're saying. Let her out quickly!"

Rosita was defiant, "Gwyneth! Shut up! This is the result of your indulgence, making Joanna lawless. Thinking she can escape by pretending to be innocent after doing something wrong? No way! If we don't teach her a lesson today, she'll dare to commit crimes tomorrow."

Her words instantly made Austin's hesitation disappear, and he became even angrier.

"Unrepentant!" he barked, then ordered the servant beside him, "Raise the temperature by another 50 degrees Fahrenheit."

I couldn't believe my ears, "Austin, have you lost your mind? It's already 122 degrees Fahrenheit. Raising it more will drive the leeches insane. They'll burrow into human skin. A child's skin is so tender, how can it handle that?"

Rosita scoffed, "Well, so your daughter is precious? We country kids have all seen leeches. Who are you trying to scare? A higher temperature is better. It'll knock some sense into her, so she won't be as foolish as you, unable to distinguish between major and minor issues."

The cries from the sauna reverberated like a heavy hammer on my heart.

Even though it wasn't Joanna inside, it was a helpless child. As a mother, I felt sorry for her.

I picked up the paper and pen left on the floor, "I'll write. I'll write for her. Ten thousand times, is that enough? Just open the door, it's really Anna in there."

My plea seemed to have some effect. Austin looked at the continuously shaking door, and his expression finally softened a bit.

Seeing this, Rosita immediately grabbed his arm, "Austin, don't soften. She's just pretending to trick us. Thinking about Katy and our future. If you soften now, we'll all suffer with her. Our parents worked hard to raise us, toiled their whole lives, and finally have a chance to follow you to a good life. Are you going to let it all be ruined by this woman? We must make her remember this lesson."

This statement completely ignited Austin's fear and greed.

His remaining hesitation was burned away, and he glared at me, his face full of murderous intent.

"Yes! If it weren't for you making Anna fall, would I need to worry about Katy getting upset? Everyone knows Katy dotes on Anna! Turn up the heat! No one is allowed to open the door without my order."