Despite my extraordinary appearance, I was born and raised in a lowly family, so my beauty only brought me trouble and made me a pawn in the power game between the Duchess and her son Charles.
However, if I could use my beauty wisely, it could also be my good weapon, which would become even more lethal after being strengthened by hatred.
I was allowed the chance to live again, but the despair I had been through at my last gasp in my previous life was still vivid in my mind.
In my previous incarnation, I was so blind and meek that I had ended up putting myself at the mercy of others. But this time...
I made up my mind when I reached out and snuffed out the flickering candle flame.
The next morning, when Charles sobered up and saw me beside him, he was as livid as he used to be in his previous life.
He grabbed my arm and dragged me off the bed.
My existence seemed to be a reminder that he was too weak to even decide on his own whether to have a concubine.
I fell to the ground, tears welling up in my eyes as I looked up at Charles.
He was caught off guard the instant my eyes met his.
Even though he had met countless women, he was still dazzled by my appearance at his first sight of it.
But I knew he couldn't allow himself to be bewitched by me, for he considered himself wholeheartedly faithful and devoted to Elizabeth.
He came back to his senses.
Then, he raised his voice and questioned me with heavy hostility, "How dare you lowly maid sleep on the same bed with me?"
My eyes turned misty, my long and thick eyelashes slightly fluttering as I gently tugged at the hem of his clothes and begged for mercy with a meek and appealing look.
The light shining in through the window made me look even more vulnerable.
Men would always pity women instinctively, and so would Charles, who claimed that he would be loyal to Elizabeth until death.
His tone and face noticeably softened as he talked to me again.
"As a concubine, you must behave yourself from now on. When I marry my future countess, I will find you a good place to go. As for my love for you, don't even think about it."
With that, he turned around and left.
I let out a snorting laugh, slowly stood up, and looked out of the window without any expression.
"Charles Luker, I can't wait to see how much the love you speak of you have."
Out in the courtyard, fallen leaves flew along with the wind.
A storm was coming.