Chapter 2

Camilla smiled in a benevolent way as she pulled the boy to her side. "This is the first grandson of the Seymours. Roxana gave birth to him before you married Isaac."

A chill went down my spine as I asked in a trembling voice, "Why would you still want to marry a Princess when you already have a wife and child?"

Isaac burst out laughing. "Marry a Princess? All I wanted was your status. Do you really think I would ever fall for you?"

Roxana came up to me and curtsied while she smiled softly. "My name is Roxana. A pleasure to meet you, Princess."

My nails dug into my palms, and I had no idea what to say. Every servant lowered their head, and no one dared speak, yet Roxana refused to let the moment pass. She held her son's hand and approached me slowly to give me a bow. "We are sisters now that we have the same husband."

I looked away as I felt my ears burn from her words. "You are not my sister. How dare you deem yourself worthy to be called my sister when even your marriage to my husband is not recognized by the kingdom."

Roxana was not angry, and she smiled even more softly. "The Princess is of noble blood and was brought up as a lady. It is only normal that someone like me is not worth your time."

Isaac came forward to shield her behind him. He looked at me with an air of superiority. "Roxana has not always been in good health. Stop acting so ill‑mannered around her. It will only frighten her."

I felt nauseous as I said through clenched teeth, "A mistress like her deserved death for the mere act of appearing in front of a Princess."

Isaac sneered. "Roxana has every right to be here because she gave birth to my first‑born."

Roxana took the opportunity to speak up with a trembling voice. "It is not right to let the Seymours be without an heir, Princess. I gave this family their first‑born, yet I did not ask for anything in return. It chills the heart to know that the Princess still feels the need to demean me."

She carried her son in her arms and pushed him close to me while she gently coaxed him. "This is your mother, Ignatius."

Ignatius cowered in her arms and called out to me in a timid voice, "Mother."

The anger rushed to my head, and my hands trembled so much that I could hardly grip my handkerchief. "Who told you he is allowed to call me 'Mother'?"

Isaac's face fell, and he flung my hand, which was pointing at Ignatius, away. "You should consider yourself lucky that my son is calling you 'Mother', and stop being ungrateful about it."

Roxana looked as if she was about to cry. She hugged Ignatius tighter and choked back a sob. "If the Princess does not like being his mother, I will make sure Ignatius stays silent. I promise he will not anger you any further."

I stared at her and replied in a trembling voice, "You are just a mistress without anything to your name. What right do you have to play victim and shed tears in front of me?"

Roxana turned pale, and her face was quickly covered with tears as she wept in a pitiful way. She peeked through her fingers to look at me while she cried, and she choked back a sob as she said words that pained my heart.

"I have lived a life of suffering, unlike the Princess, who has enjoyed a life of luxury. Yet your mother, the Queen Consort, who is supposed to be an example to all women in the kingdom, is highly disrespected in the Palace.

"So many have called her an incompetent fool behind her back."

All I heard was buzzing in my mind. She could insult anyone she wanted, except for my mother. I staggered toward her and raised my hand to her cheek. "Shut up!"

Before I could slap her, everything started spinning around me, and I saw black. It felt as if my feet had left the ground. The 3‑year‑old Ignatius somehow found the strength to crash into me with his small body and push me to the ground.

I screamed and hit the back of my head against a table leg. The pain was so sharp that I started seeing stars. My personal maid was so shocked that she ran toward me to help me up. "Princess! Princess, are you all right?"

However, none of the Seymours looked at me.

Camilla, Hugo, and Isaac were busy tending to Ignatius. They questioned him to see if he had hurt himself anywhere as they checked him up and down, worried that the incident had frightened him.

"Did Ignatius hurt himself?"

"Let your grandmother take a good look at you, my poor grandson."

The cold ground was covered with tea and my blood, yet no one cared. I was so furious that I felt a rush of blood to my head, and I blacked out from pure anger.