The courtroom was deathly quiet. No one dared to say a single thing. Some even held their breath, fearing it was too loud. The tension was thick. You could slice it with a knife.

  In this entire kingdom, there was only one man powerful enough to insult the Emperor like this. It was the Seventh Prince of Ritan.

  The Seventh Prince was one of the most powerful and influential? Commander in the country. Without him, Ritan would fall. The only reason many kingdoms hadn't invaded Ritan for its natural abundance of minerals and ores was because of their Seventh Prince.

  Ever since he was a child, he had been a prodigy with the sword. After the tragic poisoning of his mother, he became obsessed with the sword. He trained like a mad man; rarely eating, sleeping, or doing anything else. It had gotten so bad that by age eight, his hands were covered in calluses.

  He trained as if his life depended on it. At a certain point in his life, Kade believed it did.

  "Hah…" The Emperor let out a sigh.

  The Emperor wished he could give his son a good beating, even if it was just the once. As a child, the Seventh Prince was an obedient boy. His body was never grazed by a whip. The older he became, the more he should've been whipped until his skin bled.

  "Your insolence already makes me regret the present I left for you in your bed," the Emperor sneered.

  At this, Kade stilled. Present. In bed?

  "Would you look at that?" the Emperor suddenly said, raising his head towards one of the windows. "The sun is setting as well."

  Kade's face turned cold. He knew exactly what his father meant.

  "I must warn you, Father," Kade immediately retorted. "If taking the throne means I get to keep my wife, your head will roll first."

  Before anyone could say anything, Kade stormed out of the throne room. He had to return to his estate first. He needed to be the one to get rid of her. He needed to clear this misunderstanding.

  If not, Kade feared he'd lose Lina forever——

  Lina was hurt. She had been standing under the sun all day until it disappeared. Her skin had been burnt to a crisp from the glaring light. Now, it was being chilled by the cold night.

  With each passing hour, her excitement slowly turned into disappointment. Soon, when the sky was painted black, so was her heart.

  Kade had promised he'd come. He said he'd train her. He said he'd bring her a sword. Like before, his words were empty. Like before, she was heartbroken. All because of him.

  "Princess…" One of the maidservants mumbled.

  Lina fought back the urge to scream out of frustration. How many times was Kade going to do this to her? How many times was he going to let her down? Without another word, she stormed to the palace, determined to give him a piece of her mind.

  Lina had never felt more lonely in this world than when she was in the palace. She knew it was her fault.

  Lina had sacrificed everything to come here. She went against her father's wishes. She abandoned her home. She did it to stop the war. But what did she get in return?

  A husband who broke her heart.

  As Lina stalked down the hallways leading to the Seventh Prince's estate, she noticed looks being aimed her way. She expected that much. But this time, it was more than usual.

  Whenever Lina walked past stragglers in the corridor, they paused and whispered to their peers. She didn't know why.

  "…… Poor thing… I wouldn't be surprised if she suddenly became the Emperor's favorite servant…"

  "Someone should tell her to turn around."

  "I'd hate to walk in on my husband with another woman."

  At this, Lina froze. She spun around, wondering who said such a thing. When she made eye-contact with the person, they dashed off before she could ask a question.

  Lina's heart stilled with the realization. Another woman. There was another woman in the Prince's estate. Now, she understood why people were looking her way. The entire palace knew something she didn't.

  Lina felt the blood drain from her body. Her world began to spin. She didn't even need to think to know what was happening.

  Priscilla——

  "Princess, Princess, wait!" Sebastian cried out, grabbing the wrist of Teran's Princess. He had been sent to guard the Seventh Prince's estate, for the man was dealing with something important.

  Sebastian was tasked with one thing and one thing only—stop the Fourth Princess from entering.

  "Unhand me," Lina hissed, yanking her hand back and sending an accusing glare towards Sebastian.

  So Kade had put his most trusted advisor at the entrance to his estate. Lina was even more blinded by rage and hatred. Did he need that long with Priscilla that he hadto send his best man out like this?

  "Please, you must hear my explanation, Princess, before—"

  "I'll see the explanation with my own two eyes," Lina icily responded.

  Before Sebastian could stop her again, she approached the doors of Kade's palace. Guards lined the entrance, heavily armed, and even more were tucked away in the shadows.

  "Stop her—"

  "Step aside," Lina commanded.

  Lina flashed the pendant that Kade had given her. The pendant that marked her as the Prince's woman. She was their commanding officer's wife. A title so outstanding that none dared to stop her.

  Unable to deny their leader's woman, the guards reluctantly stepped aside. Immediately, Lina threw the doors open. She stormed into the palace and down the hallways, ignoring Sebastian who followed her.

  "Princess—"

  "Shut it," Lina hissed.

  Lina knew he couldn't grab her. He was terrified of losing his hand. She was well-aware of how possessive her husband was.

  When Lina pushed the doors open, she nearly lost it. The scene before her was an promiscuous one.

  Kade had grabbed Priscilla by her neck. This time, she was naked. Her assets were on display, large and round. Her womanly curves were a sight to behold.

  At the sound of opening doors, Kade's head snapped towards his wife. But it was too late. She had seen everything.

  To Kade's surprise, he wasn't the first person Lina assaulted.

  Instead, Lina stormed towards Priscilla, grabbing her by the hair and yanking her to the ground. All of her pent up rage bubbled to the surface.

  Just how shameless could Priscilla get?

  Lina had pardoned Priscilla's arrogance. She had ignored the promiscuous position in the private study. She didn't mind the servant who always lingered behind, even when the other people left. On top of it, Priscilla had insulted Teran.

  Today, Lina was going to teach her a lesson.

  "Lina—"

  "You!"

  Lina strangled Priscilla's pretty little neck.

  "What are you doing?!" Priscilla cried out, clawing at the hands squeezing the life out of her.

  "The next time you dare to insult my kingdom will be the last time you have a tongue," the Princess spat out, shooting a dangerous glare towards Priscilla.

  "Lina," Kade warned, grabbing his woman by her waist and tugging her towards him. He didn't want her to stain her hands with blood. He knew she wouldn't be able to live with herself.

  Lina shrugged off his arm and continued to threaten Priscilla's life.

  "Remember your place," Lina snarled. "You may be the Emperor's favorite servant, bought like a pig from an auction, but I am the reason Ritan will be united with Teran."

  Lina thought the Emperor despised Priscilla, but everything was beginning to make sense now. She believed her maid servants that day lied to her. In fact, she believed Kade also lied to her. Priscilla must've been the Emperor's favorite servant because if not, what gave her the guts to behave this promiscuously?

  Suddenly, without warning, Lina threw Priscilla back onto the ground. Her eyes flashed with disgust.

  "What's wrong?" Kade insisted on asking.

  Kade calmly pulled his wife towards him, but she shoved him away. He pretended to be wounded by her touch. Immediately, hesitation flickered in her lovely eyes. He softly smiled, showing no signs of offence.

  "Come and tell your husband," Kade murmured. "What's on your mind?"

  Kade began to steer Lina out of the room, so that she could clear her mind. She wasn't in the right place. He was worried about her. If she murdered someone, she'd never live it down.

  "You're not my husband," Lina spat out, enraged by his action. "What were you doing with the woman that insultedTeran, my home kingdom? Why was she naked?"

  Lina saw red. "You abandoned me at the training ground, I—"

  "So this is the kind of wife you are," Kade teasingly said. "You'll denounce our marriage and say the child is mine when you're angry?"

  Lina was stunned speechless. Children? He'd dare speak of the future in a time like this?!

  Kade continued to guide her out of his doors, even when she looked at him like he was a crazy person. He took her to the gardens. He had heard that during their ten-day estrangement, she'd sit in the garden and admire the moon for a while.

  Teran was known as the Kingdom of the Moon, for it shined the brightest there.

  "My dear wife is quite spoiled, you know," Kade said to her like she was some passerby.

  Lina was thrown off by his words. "You were the one who told me to be spoiled by your love and affection. To be so spoiled, there is no other man in the world who could compare to you."

  Kade slyly smiled. He did tell her that, didn't he?