Lillian's POVAn hour later, calm was restored to my bedroom. Ismail left after completing his business, likely retreating to his own quarters or bedroom.I had always assumed that Ismail was too hideous to face me, but the secrets of the Amus family were not mine to know.Fearful, I spent the entire night in a restless haze, only managing to doze off as the dawn approached. But before I could truly fall asleep, there came a knock on the door.In walked a stern-faced maid, who strode up to my bedside. She clearly paid no regard to my groggy state. "Madam, good morning. Mr. Ismail instructed me to bring you this pill," she said, handing me a small packet.I took a glance at the packet. It turned out that it was a morning-after pill.Almost simultaneously, another servant entered, carrying a bowl of murky black medicine. "Madam, this is a tonic that the Queen had specially told the kitchen to prepare for you. She insists that you drink it before breakfast," the maid said politely.If

Lillian's POVAfter my encounter with that mysterious ghost, my life in the mansion only grew more trying. I constantly sensed malevolent eyes fixed upon me from behind, yet upon closer inspection, nothing was there. Despite living with the Dawn Army for quite some time now, I spent nearly every day in the main building only, and I was on the brink of a mental collapse. Each passing moment only intensified my longing to escape the clutches of the Amus family.Ruby protested, "Lillian! As wolves, we should be close to nature. I'm suffocating from being cooped up in this mansion every day!" Ruby had been bombarding me at least three times a day with her grumbles. And, I finally mustered the courage to ask the Queen during breakfast, "Your Majesty, can I go out for a walk–""Where to?" The Queen was as serious as ever. "Just... somewhere nearby." Hazel, sitting beside us, glanced at the Queen and then back at me with a sympathetic expression. She flashed a mischievous smile and put h

Third-person perspective"You've met him before? Then you must know what he looks like," Chloe asked curiously after they bumped into the handsome man who claimed that he had actually met Ismail before."I sure do," Seth replied with a smile. "That guy is only this tall." He gestured with his hand, indicating a height that was shorter than his own ear."His face looks like it's been run over by a tractor, and because of his chronic disease, he's so thin that you can see every bone in his body. He can barely walk two steps without falling down. He looks like a ghost, and I almost peed my pants just from looking at him.""Really?" Chloe asked with a big grin."Of course it's true. Do you think I'm lying?" Seth nodded.And so, Chloe finally felt at ease! These past few days, Chloe had been praying for Lillian's demise, just like Ismail's previous six brides. But as days passed, nothing had happened to her; Chloe's heart was filled with dread that perhaps the rumors were nothing but emp

Lillian's perspectiveI thought tearing up the invitation card would be enough for me to run away from Chloe and Kayden's engagement, but I didn't expect Mira to personally come to the Amus family to deliver the invitation card. As I was making my way down to the living room as per told by the servants, I couldn't help but notice Mira eagerly showing off the engagement invitation to the Queen. "Your Majesty, this is the invitation card for you to come to my daughter Lillian and Mr. Kayden's engagement ceremony," she exclaimed with a grin. "I thought it's only correct and polite for me to personally bring it to you today."Peering down at the invitation, the Queen raised an eyebrow and quipped, "Wait a minute, the Rosenburgs have another daughter? Why wasn't I told about this before?""Oh, Your Majesty, it's totally understandable that you didn't know. Lillian is actually my husband's daughter with another woman, so she grew up outside the family. But she's back now and we're thrilled

Lillian's perspective"What's your connection to Ismail?" I asked.Right then, Ismail's frown quickly turned into a grimace as he vomited on the bed. I stepped back in alarm, wondering what was wrong with him. Why would he drink so heavily when he was already so sick? I felt torn about whether to stay or go. Leaving now could mean leaving him to die, but staying meant risking the wrath of the Queen.After some hesitation, I made my way to the bathroom to fetch some hot water. I twisted a towel and handed it to Ismail to wipe his face. Then, I went to find a mop to clean up the mess on the floor. Seeing that he had vomited out his bile juice as well, I knew that he must be really hungry by now. It seemed that I had to get him something to eat. I went to the kitchen, but all I found were a few bottles of water in the fridge and no food in the pantry. I was a bit bewildered. Did Ismail not usually eat at home?I couldn't believe it – there wasn't even a single can of soup or a pack of