Chapter 2

Everyone took their seats in the dining room.

The large rosewood table held only a few plates of plain pasta and several simple side dishes.

At the sight of the meager spread, Daniel slammed his cutlery onto the table. "What's the meaning of this? Are you deliberately trying to keep us from eating?"

Lenny tried to smooth things over. "Plain pasta and simple dishes are perfectly fine. Jenna worked hard to prepare them."

But inwardly, she murmured, 'Jenna was raised in the capital. What delicacies hasn't she tried? Yet she only prepared these dishes. Could she really hate me so much that she'd go this far?

'I should find a chance to tell Mom and Dad not to adopt me after all. If I'm the reason Mom, Dad, and Jenna grow apart, I'd never forgive myself!'

Robert finally spoke, his voice sharp with command. "Get on your knees!"

I remained where I was, unmoved.

In my previous life, Lenny's thoughts had turned the feast I had painstakingly prepared into proof, in their eyes, that I was spoiled and extravagant.

Back then, Lenny had clutched her chest sympathetically and said that the soldiers had endured so much hardship that a simple plate of pasta and a few side dishes would have been more than enough to make them happy.

But now, I had prepared exactly the simple meal they supposedly wanted.

So why were they angry?

When I refused to move, Daniel stepped forward, seized both my wrists, and forced me down with all his strength.

He had practiced martial arts since childhood and spent years in the military. Naturally, a sheltered young woman like me stood no chance against his strength.

He gave me a hard shove. Bruises immediately formed around my wrists as he forced me to my knees.

Robert pointed at me and repeatedly called me a disgrace.

Daniel was even more furious. "You eat lavish meals every day in the capital, and this is what you prepare when your parents come home? How can you call yourself a daughter?"

"How do you know I eat lavish meals every day?" I asked, still reeling from the accusation.

My already frail body couldn't endure Daniel's rough treatment. Without warning, I coughed up a mouthful of blood.

The sight stunned him, and he immediately released me.

I calmly wiped the blood from my lips and said coldly, "When Grandma was alive, she never allowed me to eat meat. I was only given half a plate of plain pasta at each meal.

"For my parents' sake, I specifically told the kitchen to serve a full plate today. How does that make me a disgrace as a daughter?"

My grandmother had always hated Linda. After Linda left me behind at the age of three and took Daniel with her to the frontier, my grandmother's treatment of me grew even harsher. She bullied me constantly and often beat me.

Half a plate of plain pasta was already considered a normal meal. Whenever my grandmother was in a bad mood, she would make me kneel on an empty stomach as punishment.

It sounded absurd when spoken aloud. The daughter of a decorated general couldn't even get enough to eat. Yet it was the truth.

My parents' expressions darkened. They presumably knew exactly what my grandmother had been like.

Linda seemed to remember how cruelly my grandmother had treated her in the past. For once, she genuinely felt sorry for me.

Tears streamed down her face as she helped me to my feet. "My poor girl. You've suffered so much. Your brother didn't mean to hurt you. We're all family, so don't take it to heart."

I said nothing. I simply stared at the bruises covering my wrists.

Robert shoved Daniel toward me.

Daniel stumbled forward, lowered his head, and apologized quietly. "I was wrong. I shouldn't have pushed you."

Lenny also hurried over and gently wiped the bloodstains from my clothes with a handkerchief. "Seeing you like this breaks my heart, Jenna!"

Yet inside, she was saying, 'Sure, Jenna suffered, but it wasn't like Daniel caused any of that. Why is she being so unreasonable?'

The moment those words rang out, everyone's expressions changed once more.

Daniel's guilt vanished without a trace.

The pity in my parents' eyes disappeared as well, replaced by resentment at my supposed "difficult" behavior.

I couldn't be bothered to deal with them any longer, so I walked straight out.

As I left, Robert called after me, "You're going to the palace tomorrow. The Queen will be choosing a companion for the princess. Remember to help your sister."