Not long after, the entire manor was turned upside down.

“Mary! What happened to you?!”

Mary Goldian was the head maid, and one of the mistress’s favorite servants.

“Mary! Mary? Open your eyes!”

But right now, she was out cold. No wonder—her calves were in tatters, looking less like legs and more like a bomb site. Actually, they looked just like Kanna’s legs when the countess had punished her.

“Who did this to her?!” Josephine cried.

“Um...” The maids hesitated before finally spitting it out. “Miss Kanna punished her, my lady.”

What? Josephine’s face froze. She couldn’t believe her ears. “That can’t be. There’s no way Kanna could have the strength to do something like this!”

“Begging your pardon, my lady, but it’s true. She can walk perfectly fine... In fact, she even ran down the stairs! I saw it with my own two eyes!”

The countess was brought back to earth in a flash. Could someone have helped her? “You, fetch the herbalist who supervises the apothecary. And you, bring me the doctor!”

The two eventually showed up, but both were adamant about their innocence. All the stores of medicine were left completely untouched, meaning nothing had been stolen.

I can’t believe this. I must see for myself! Josephine hurried up the stairs and yanked Kanna’s door open. But the sight before her turned Josephine’s mind blank.

“Mother,” Kanna greeted her, “What brings you here?”

Kanna was standing by the window, stroking a tree branch that was poking into the room. The countess dashed over and lifted her skirts to see that her calves were almost fully healed. Impossible!

“Did you steal medicine from the apothecary?” she pressed, but Kanna just smiled as she shook the wrinkles out of her dress.

“Of course not. You can check the apothecary yourself if you don’t believe me.” I did, however, sneak into your greenhouse around dawn for some medicinal herbs. Kanna kept her smile firmly up, hiding the truth, and counterattacked. “You couldn’t possibly be upset that I’ve recovered so well, could you, Mother?”

Josephine was speechless. Of course she was upset! All she wanted was for Kanna to die, or at the very least be left with a limp. But she couldn’t possibly admit that before others. “What nonsense!”

“Is it? I thought you were angry to see me well.”

“Stop this foolishness at once!” cried Josephine. Realizing that her previous actions would strike anyone as suspicious, she quickly changed the subject. “Why have you not kept me informed of your recovery? Furthermore, Mary is the head maid of this manor. You have no right to beat her without my approval!”

“But I found out Mary had been hoping for my death.”

“What… did you say?”

“I saw her clapping with joy, shouting about how that girl Kanna was finally dead.”

The countess cursed mentally. Mary, you empty-headed wretch! Why would you say such a thing where Kanna could hear? It was true that no one cared about Kanna, and things would have ended quietly if everyone had just left her to waste away. But an open declaration of malice toward Kanna was another story. A very different story, indeed.

“I heard her with my own ears, so I think it was fitting for me to punish her.” Kanna stated.

“You’ve done quite enough. Mary is an excellent maid who has served this household for decades!”

At that, Kanna protested with a tearful, wronged expression, “I cannot stand to live another day in this manor with that maid! Either she goes, or I do.”

Josephine naturally thought it an empty bluff from her puffed-up daughter-in-law. Where could she possibly go? There wasn’t a soul in these lands who didn’t scorn or shun her. “Very well, as you wish. If you say you’ll go, then go!”

Yes! That’s it! Kanna pressed her lips together to hold back a triumphant cheer. She’d been waiting to hear these very words this whole time, poking the bear on purpose to maneuver Josephine into saying them. And at last she’d succeeded in getting herself kicked out of the Valentino family.

“All right. I’ll be leaving tomorrow at the break of day.”

But Josephine was no longer listening. Instead, she gave a haughty sniff and pointedly left the room.

Kanna smirked at her retreating back. Thank you, Mother. I’m hoping for your support in the upcoming divorce as well.

* * *

They say to strike while the iron is hot. Kanna couldn’t change the past, so she’d decided to work with what she had and make it known that she’d been thrown out before she filed for divorce, meaning she needed to have a talk with Silvian Valentino.

I bet he’ll be thrilled, especially after everything Joohwa did. Walking up to Silvian’s room, she took a deep breath before knocking on the door. “It’s Kanna, Your Grace. May I come in?”

She squinted at the door as nothing but silence answered her. Is he going to ignore me?

Just as she thought he really might, a cold voice replied lowly, “Come in, Miss Kanna.”

His voice had a way of making people nervous. Kanna subconsciously straightened her back. Wait. Did he just call me Miss Kanna? He truly doesn’t respect me at all, does he? Not that I didn’t already know that. She jerked the door open and entered but couldn’t take more than three steps before freezing in her tracks.

“What brings you here at this hour?” asked the man, his silver hair glistening under the moonlight. He stared at her with his mesmerizing blue eyes, reclining languidly on his bed. The tips of his hair were still a little wet, as if he’d just gotten out of the shower.

He looks like a Yuki-onna. In Korea, Kanna had heard a story about the Japanese yuki-onna, a spirit whose unbelievable beauty seduces unsuspecting travelers into snowstorms. They say her victims are so captivated by her charms that they remain under her spell even as they freeze to death...

“I have something to say,” said Kanna, shaking away her thoughts and taking a quiet breath. Joohwa may have lost herself in the beautiful storm of his eyes, but she would not make the same mistake.

“I’m not sure if you’ve heard— No, I’m certain you must have.” she continued, pulling herself together completely. There was no reason for her to feel intimidated, she reminded herself. This man was just trash in a fancy bag, a piece of sh*t who didn’t care if his wife was beaten to death.

“Mother has attempted to kill me,” she announced.

Silvian’s lips slanted upward in a smirk. “Countess Elester is not possessed of the health required to whip someone to death.”

Filled with rage, Kanna glared at him. So he did know. How could he be so shameless? “Did you know she refused me treatment, though I was badly wounded?”

“Is there a reason I should know?”

“I am your wife, Your Grace. You turned away when your wife was almost whipped to death by her mother-in-law. Is this your idea of righteousness?”

“And yet...” said Silvian, deep boredom crossing his face, “You stand before me, alive and well.”

She was speechless.

“Is there a problem?” he asked in a gentle voice, his eyes curving in a facsimile of kindness while his lips turned upwards.

Silvian wore the face of a man preparing to rip his heart out in offering, and yet the air around him was growing colder and colder, so dreadfully cold that Kanna was sure he would remain unfazed even if she were to cough up blood and collapse before him.

Why would Joohwa love a man like this? He has a heart of stone. If she knew, Mom—I mean, Joohwa’s mom—would be devastated. That thought sent a new flood of rage to boil her blood.

“If you were going to treat me like this, why did you marry me?” She had to have this out. She couldn’t just let it go. That doormat Lee Joohwa would never dare say a word to him, so I’ll have to do it for her. “Our marriage may have been by contract, but it was a marriage nonetheless. You agreed to take me as your wife, and you owe me basic respect, you...” You piece of sh*t!