Chapter 2

Early next morning, I had just stepped out of the front gates when I heard shouting.

"There she is, that shameless fox! How dare she bully the duchess! It's blasphemy!"

Before I realized what was happening, a group of middle-aged women were around me, knocking me to the floor and clobbering me.

Even as pain struck all over, Jules' carriage passed us.

"My lord…" the driver started gingerly. "Aren't you going to help?"

Jules looked at me distantly while I mustered what was left of my strength to level my reddened eyes at him.

While it was humiliating, I still yearned that he would be sentimental enough at that moment to save me and the child in my belly for once.

However, even as he watched me, he said coolly, "She has her pride. She obviously doesn't need help. Go."

And with that, the carriage sped off.

Overhead, the skies were pouring as thunder rumbled. I felt the torment of a thousand cuts. I closed my eyes in despair, allowing the peasants to kick and punch me even harder as I bled a river.

"Harlot! The duke is just treating you like a plaything. Do you think you could replace the duchess?"

"If we don't do this, more harlots like you would show up! Our duchess will be humiliated!"

As a Quesk Hill fox spirit, I must never attack mortals as the retribution would strike my entire clan.

Jules knew everything; that I couldn't protect myself and that it was nearly impossible for me to get pregnant, but he still let the peasants attack me to take me down a peg.

By the time the city guards arrived and chased them away, I was barely alive.

That was when Nora emerged from the manor, umbrella in hand. She stomped on my hand as hard as she could.

"Argh…!" I screamed as the bones in my fingers were audibly crushed.

Leering at me loftily, Nora sneered in amusement.

"Let me tell you a secret, Moro… I was never ill, but this is what you get for trying to steal my duke from me. How about that? Do you like it?"

That was when Jules returned. He walked straight to Nora's side, putting a gentle arm around her shoulder. "Why are you standing out here? You'll catch a cold. Come, I'll take you inside."

As he strode off, his feet kicked some mud in my face. He had never once looked at me like I was some filthy tramp who deserved to be kicked to the curb, but now…

My heart felt like it was sliced through, and I couldn't even breathe.

That was when Alfred, Jules' chamberlain, approached me with a bag of jewelry. "This is Duke Jules' compensation this time. Just leave it and don't press the issue. Don't lie if someone from Judau asks anything."

No lies?

I stared at the jewelry. It took me a while to push myself up, shove Alfred out of the way, and run after Jules, yelling, "Aren't you afraid of your comeuppance?"

He paused and slowly turned, his glare dark. "Comeuppance? Marrying you was already the worst!"

I froze where I stood, unable to say a word. The agony in my belly spread, while blood seeped into my robes.

Before I fell, I saw Jules running towards me in panic. Hidden from mortal gaze, the mark of doom faintly began to emerge between his brows...