Chapter 2

When my father heard that I could get the Regent to marry me, he was suddenly overjoyed. This was the same man who had always claimed he never had a daughter as lowly as me.

I took advantage of Margaret’s wedding and met the Regent that very night. The Regent only shot me a glance before a flicker of interest sparked in his eyes.

“You really are special.” A rare smile appeared in the normally calm, unreadable eyes of the Regent.

I secretly let out a sneer. How could I not be special? My curves were fuller where they should be and finer compared to those of ordinary women.

Before I could say more, the Regent pushed me down onto the bed.

“You can be my concubine, but the position of the official wife can only go to the mother of my firstborn son,” he said.

As our breaths mingled, the terrifying memories of my past life came crashing over me like a tidal wave. I trembled, but a strange, captivating scent from the Regent cut through my fear, instantly calming me.

Boldly, I wrapped my arms around his neck.

“What if I tell you I can get pregnant within three months? Will you marry me?”

The Regent’s brows furrowed.

“Your Highness, why don’t we make a wager? Marry me, and if I’m not pregnant within three months, you’re free to leave me.”

I was confident.

“Leave you? If you fail to get pregnant in three months, I’ll have your whole family buried with you.” His gaze seemed to have the power to steal souls.

That same night, he proposed to me at Margaret’s wedding.

For a moment, my father was basking in unprecedented glory.

Two daughters—one a future empress, the other a future wife of the Regent. Even his colleagues who had once sneered at him suddenly changed their tune.

My father specially gave me Snowlit Garden because of this. It was the place my mother had lived previously.

After she died and Elizabeth came into the picture, I was pushed into the back rooms.

In my previous life, I stayed there until I died.

By court custom, after the empress’ wedding, palace matrons would come to instruct on court rituals.

A month later, the palace would hold the formal enfeoffment ceremony, with the timing adjusted as needed. Only then would the wedding be truly over.

Margaret was still living at home. Early that morning, she came to Snowlit Garden, eager to stir up trouble.

“What does the Regent see in you? Did you pull a dirty trick?” She circled me, putting on the full airs of an empress-to-be.

In my previous life, whenever she accused me of being promiscuous, I would rush to prove myself innocent. Every time I panicked and flailed, she would just smile lightly and tell me that was just how I was.

It made me even more anxious. I was afraid that any slip of the tongue would ruin me. In the end, I earned a reputation for being petty, weak, and incompetent.

Meanwhile, she, by comparison, was praised for her grace and poise.

When everyone was disappointed by me, they naturally sided with my high-performing sister.

Now, she wanted to drag me back into that whirlpool of proving myself.

Having been reborn, I was not that foolish anymore.

I smiled as I looked at the angry woman before me and ignored her jibes. “I remember there used to be a Vase of Endless Blessings in this room. I wonder where it's gone.”

Everything in this room had been part of my mother’s dowry.

When my mother was alive, my father had secretly given things to my sister and my stepmother. After my mother died, they took everything.

“I was originally supposed to marry the Emperor, and those items couldn’t be taken into the palace because they didn’t meet court regulations. But now that I’m marrying the Regent, it’s too late to prepare a new dowry. So, it’s only natural that my mother’s belongings should come with me.”

Margaret’s face turned ugly at the mention of a dowry.

Elizabeth came in and sneered, “Eleanor, how could you be so heartless? We have provided for you all these years. Do you think that it didn't cost money?”

Even a guest staying with a family would not be charged for room and board. How much could I possibly have cost them?

“So, from what you’ve told me, has the household been running on my mother’s dowry all these years? They say only utterly useless men would touch their wives' dowries. I don’t think my father is that useless.”

Elizabeth opened her mouth to retort, but I cut her off.

“My mother’s dowry list is with me. If the dowry isn't returned in three days, I’ll bring the list to the Regent’s place and let him check. Then, we’ll see if Father still dares to cover for you.”

“Don’t you forget that you’re still living here!”

I laughed as I watched them put on a show, all bluff and no bite. “If you kill me and the Regent comes to claim me, will you have your daughter marry two husbands?”

Both their faces drained at the thought of the Regent’s ruthlessness.

Elizabeth shot me a vicious glare. “Fine. I’ll gather the dowry for you.”

“That’s more like it.”