Chapter 3

A few days after I received that letter, rumors started spreading that Rhett, the new top scholar abandoned his wife. Fortunately, Rhett's upcoming marriage to the Prime Minister's daughter had caused such an uproar that the rumor I made managed to slip through the cracks.

I dismissed Aubria. She wasn't loyal to me, and I wanted to avoid any unexpected complications. I wrote a letter and had it delivered to the Prime Minister's second daughter, Theresa Howard.

Naturally, the contents were anything but pleasant. I just waited for Rhett and Theresa to come to confront me.

Theresa was unbearably arrogant and domineering. She rode a horse recklessly in the streets, which was the least of her offenses. She relied on her father to commit countless misdeeds. I sent her the letter to provoke her and aimed to get rid of my baby using her so as to leave her with a scandal. I wasn't afraid that she would send someone to kill me. On my first night in Baxwell, I noticed my brother had assigned hidden guards to protect me. They wouldn't interfere unless my life was in danger. So they would shield me from many unforeseen harms.

The next day, while I was in the yard reading and sunbathing, Rhett hadn't even come to me when Theresa arrived with a large entourage at the doorway of my small yard.

"Are you Keira?" Theresa asked.

I looked at her, put down my book, and offered a polite smile. I seemed to have expected her to show up there.

My smile probably seemed like a blatant provocation in her eyes.

"You wretch!" she spat, pointing at me angrily.

I couldn't help but sigh at the Prime Minister's family's bad upbringing.

"Miss Howard, you can't speak like that," I said with a smile. "After all, once you marry Rhett, we'll be equals."

Seeing her on the verge of exploding, I laughed. "We should strive for harmony as a family, right?"

As I had expected, she was furious. She ordered her servant to grab me and pin me to the ground. They even restrained Cassie, who tried to protect me.

As the servant followed Theresa's words, I let out a piercing scream.

Theresa was stupid enough to come to my place with such fanfare that they drew a crowd from the streets and alleys. Those people dared not offend her or openly watch her, but they were certainly eavesdropping at the gate. I intended to use those neighbors. Rumors from them were truly unstoppable.

"Miss Howard, I only want to live peacefully with Rhett. Why do you have to press me and my unborn baby so hard?" I deliberately raised my voice, and my cries sounded pitiful. "I know you admire Rhett, but you can't use your father's power to... mmph! mmph!"

I was cut off halfway through my lament by the servant beside me, who gagged me.

But my cries were enough to let the neighbors know her identity and my plight.

I was held down and couldn't move. Soon, I received several slaps from Theresa. Her long nails even scratched my face.

She looked at my swollen cheeks happily and viciously kicked my belly. She watched me curl up in pain on the ground with a sinister smile.

"Hit her," she said to her entourage.

The servants who came with Theresa began beating me with sticks. Even though I was prepared for a miscarriage and a beating today, the excruciating pain left me in disarray.

Just as I was about to lose consciousness, Theresa squatted down, drew a basin of water from the well in my courtyard, and splashed it directly on my face. The cold made me shiver, and I looked up to see her malicious grin. "How dare you compete with me for Rhett? Do you even deserve it? Who are you?" "Even if I beat you to death, who would know? My father is the Prime Minister, and you're just a common merchant woman. What do you have to compete with me?"

I struggled to speak, but she laughed cruelly, stood up, and cleaned her hands with a handkerchief as if she had touched something dirty.

"Beat her to death," Theresa asked as she turned to leave.

After Theresa left, one of the hidden guards emerged. He wore an unusual badge at his waist, indicating he was my brother's man. Following my prior instructions, he bribed Theresa's servants well, so they faked the beating before leaving.

Theresa was known for being cruel to her servants. Because of that, my brother's men could successfully rescue me without causing any fatalities and then appropriately returned me to my father's place.

"Miss Francis, do you want to see your brother?" one of the guards asked.

With the last of my strength, I shook my head and pointed towards the palace before losing consciousness.

My condition was intended for my father to see. After all, he had always doted on me.