Alistair stared at me in disbelief as a group of household guards surrounded his family and began to forcibly remove them . " Elara , you dare ?! " he roared as he was being dragged away . " You'll come crying back to me ! Just you wait ! To abandon your own child for a stranger ... you've truly lost your mind ! " With them gone , the banquet finally returned to a semblance of normalcy . After a discussion with Sir Jeff's parents , a wedding date was set . I thought I had seen the last of Rosalie , but then the rumors started . Rosalie and Gideon began publicly telling a new version of their story : that because I was barren , I had become twisted with jealousy . They claimed I had stolen them from their loving birth mother and subjected them to daily abuse . Soon , the entire capital was buzzing with vicious gossip . I was called a heartless viper , a barren monster who tortured other people's children . Some even went to Sir Jeff's family , urging them not to ally themselves with such a wicked woman . That evening , Alistair came to my home . He looked haggard and thin , but his eyes held a smug , triumphant gleam . 08:24 Chapter 2 08:24 00 He spoke as if granting me a great mercy . " If you admit your mistakes and return to the estate , I will have Rosalie and Gideon publicly forgive you . I will make this all go away . " I felt a surge of absurdity so strong it was almost comical . " Alistair , you spent years resenting me for stealing Liana's title . I have given it back to her . Shouldn't you be happy ? Why do you keep insisting i return ? " His expression faltered . " You occupied that position for more than a decade , " he said , looking away . " Giving it up now doesn't erase the debt you owe Liana for her suffering . " He met my eyes again , his own hard as stone . " I will find other ways to compensate her . " I knew what those " other ways " were . The same as in our last life : bleed me dry of every last drop of value , then install Liana as the Duchess to enjoy the fruits of my labor . " Get out , " I said , my voice ice . " I am never going back . " After Alistair left , his face livid with rage , I watched his retreating back and felt the cold , quiet hum of murder in my heart . The next day , a new story exploded across the capital , one that eclipsed all the others . Lady Elara , daughter of the great Duke of Thorne , had gone to the palace and formally accused Duke Alistair of murdering their nine children . I stood in the Great Hall before the King . Kneeling on the floor beside me was a trembling old woman , the midwife who had attended my ninth birth . She explained how , after Alistair had ordered her to drown the newborn , a sense of foreboding made her sleep on the floor under her bed that night . She was awakened hours later by a dark figure plunging knife into the mattress where her head should have been . Terrified , she had fled the capital and never returned . a Ever since my rebirth , I had been searching for the evidence I needed . It was only recently that my agents had found her , living in a remote village . When Alistair was brought before the King and saw the midwife , the color drained from his face . As she recounted the events of that night , even the King was visibly shaken by the depth of Alistair's monstrous cruelty . With no way to deny the accusation , Alistair's composure finally crumbled . He turned to me , his face a mask of hate . " I had no choice ! " he snarled . " I couldn't stand by and watch Liana and her children be forced to live beneath you and any child you bore ! Besi- des , " he added , his voice ringing with twisted logic , " I gave you her children to raise , didn't I ? What does it matter if they were yours by birth ? They were my children , which makes them your children ! " A stunned silence fell over the hall . Everyone was aghast at his shamelessness . Hearing my story , my aunt , the Queen , wept openly and begged the King to deliver the harshest possible punishment . The King , who had long considered Alistair a useless degenerate living off an inherited title , was swift in his judgment . Duke Alistair was sentenced to death by public execution . After his death , the entire family was evicted from the ducal estate . Without the protection of the title , Rosalie's husband , Leo , immediately dragged her back to his hovel . " You bitch , " he sneered , " you're my wife now . You live as my property , and you'll die as my property . Since you knew I already had a wife , she is the primary wife , and you are the lesser . You will serve us both . " Rosalie's screams faded into the distance . Gideon , seeing his sister's plight , tried to intervene , but he was now so obese he could barely walk , let alone fight . He and Liana were cast out onto the streets . After days of gnawing hunger , he looked down at his own body , at the hanging folds of skin , and felt a wave of revulsion . Tears streamed down his fat cheeks . If only he had listened to Elara . One afternoon , dizzy with hunger , he tripped and hit his head on a cobblestone , falling into darkness . And in that darkness , memories flooded his mind . He saw himself - tall , powerful , and lean - cutting down enemies on the battlefield . He saw himself being named General of the Realm , celebra- ted and revered . He saw riches and beautiful women being brought to his mansion as tribute . 08:24 Chapter 2 08:24 The stark realization of what he had lost , of the glorious future he had thrown away , was so overwhelming that he coughed up a mouthful of blood . His current reality - starving , pathetic , and ridiculed - was a hellish contrast to the life of adoration he should have had . Unable to bear it , Gideon transferred all his rage and despair onto the person nearest to him : Liana . It was her fault . She was the one who told him that more food meant more strength , who turned him into this disgusting monster . One night , under the cover of darkness , he pushed her into the river . He was seen by the city watch and thrown into prison . I paid little attention to these events , focusing instead on the preparations for Anne and Sir Jeff's wedding . On the day she was to leave , Anne clung to me , weeping until the front of my gown was soaked with her tears . I felt a pang of sadness myself . Anne had been my constant companion ; the thought of being alone again was a lonely one . But after the traditional seven - day visit to her new home , Anne was back at my side , and she returned nearly every day after that . She helped me with the ledgers and shared the burdens of my business . Whenever she found a particularly delicious pastry , she would bring one back for me . One day , I teased her , a warm feeling spreading through my chest . " If you keep spending all your time here , won't you be neglecting poor Sir Jeff ? " Anne grinned . " He doesn't mind in the slightest ! We have an agreement . He'll conquer the King's court , and I'll help you conquer the world of commerce . " She took my hand , her eyes soft . " Have you forgotten , Mother ? I told you I would stay with you for a lifetime . " I couldn't help but pull her into an embrace , holding her close and soaking in the simple , genuine love . Heaven had shown me mercy , granting me a chance to begin again . In this life , I asked for nothing more . Only that the ones I loved would know peace , joy , and a long , healthy life . 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