Chapter 2

After saying those words, I could no longer hold on and felt myself slipping into unconsciousness.

However, the physician kept shouting at me. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said, "Lady Wentworth, you mustn't fall asleep. If you sleep now, you will never wake up. Think of your husband, your child! They are waiting for you!"

The King chimed in from the side. "That's right, you have served me greatly. Once you recover, I'll grant you the title of Duchess Protector, with all the wealth and glory that comes with it. As for your child, if it's a girl, she'll be a princess consort; if a boy, he'll become a high official. Hold on! I have already sent for Roland!"

Hearing the King say this, I forced a weak, bitter smile.

I was not a fool. When I shielded the King from the assassins, I already knew that the child in my belly could not be saved.

As for Roland, he would certainly not come.

Just then, the person the King sent to find Roland rushed back. He dropped to his knees with a thud, not daring to look at the King.

The King frowned, absolutely furious. "Where is Roland?!"

The Royal Attendant, Finch Thatcher, trembled. "Lord Wentworth refuses to come, and he said, he said not to use these tricks to gain sympathy."

I already knew that Roland's harsh words were definitely more than just that. However, Finch was being mindful of the King's dignity by not repeating them. Of course, in Roland's heart, I was not even half as important as Vivian.

Yet I was Roland's legally wedded wife, while Vivian was merely a mistress. For the sake of chasing after his lover, he actually disregarded the King's safety and led the Royal Guard to appease Vivian.

Even that signal flare was something I had to kneel before him and beg for before he left. In my previous life, when I lit the signal flare, he called me vain and power-hungry. In this life, when the King sent someone to summon him, he still ignored it.

If he loved Vivian so much, why did he marry me in the first place?

Rage surged in my heart, and I spat out another mouthful of blood.

The physician steadied himself and looked at the King anxiously. "Your Majesty, Lady Wentworth is too agitated. If she doesn't have family by her side at this moment, I'm afraid she truly won't make it!"

The King glanced at me and ultimately suppressed his anger. He yanked the pendant from his waist and threw it to Finch.

He shouted, "Tell him this is my command. If he still refuses to come, I will have him executed!"

The King was truly enraged. He had many guards around him, yet not a single one was present when he was attacked today. I risked my life to save him, yet he could not even summon my own husband.

For him, the supreme ruler, this was an absolute humiliation.

In my condition, I could not be moved. We were waiting for the life-saving medicine to be prepared.

This time, Finch did not come back alone.

I struggled to open my eyes and saw a face all too familiar from my previous life, Vivian's maid, Ivy Porter.

Actually, Ivy was initially my maid. However, she poisoned my meals when I became pregnant. By the time it was discovered, I was already on the brink of death.

I refused to let Ivy go and was about to have her punished to her death when Roland walked in with Vivian on his arm.

Vivian sobbed beside him, clutching Ivy's hand as she looked at me pitifully. "Mirella Ashford, how can you be so cruel? You didn't die, did you? Why must you take a maid's life? You're simply too ruthless! Roland, why don't you give her to me? Although I'm just nobody, I can at least spare a maid's life."