The next morning, when Charles sobered up and saw me beside him, he was as livid as he used to be in his previous life.

He grabbed my arm and dragged me off the bed.

My existence seemed to be a reminder that he was too weak to even decide on his own whether to have a concubine.

I fell to the ground, tears welling up in my eyes as I looked up at Charles.

He was caught off guard the instant my eyes met his.

Even though he had met countless women, he was still dazzled by my appearance at his first sight of it.

But I knew he couldn't allow himself to be bewitched by me, for he considered himself wholeheartedly faithful and devoted to Elizabeth.

He came back to his senses.

Then, he raised his voice and questioned me with heavy hostility, "How dare you lowly maid sleep on the same bed with me?"

My eyes turned misty, my long and thick eyelashes slightly fluttering as I gently tugged at the hem of his clothes and begged for mercy with a meek and appealing look.

The light shining in through the window made me look even more vulnerable.

Men would always pity women instinctively, and so would Charles, who claimed that he would be loyal to Elizabeth until death.

His tone and face noticeably softened as he talked to me again.

"As a concubine, you must behave yourself from now on. When I marry my future countess, I will find you a good place to go. As for my love for you, don't even think about it."

With that, he turned around and left.

I let out a snorting laugh, slowly stood up, and looked out of the window without any expression.

"Charles Luker, I can't wait to see how much the love you speak of you have."

Out in the courtyard, fallen leaves flew along with the wind.

A storm was coming.

In the following half month, Charles never came to my place again.

I was not in a hurry because I was waiting for an opportunity.

That day was the middle of the month. By convention, the women in the Duke's Manor had to pay their respects to the Duchess.

Therefore, I went to the main courtyard in the Duke's Manor early this morning.

The Duchess was nearly 40 years old, but she looked much younger than her age with a consistent smile on her face. Perhaps it was also because she had been very successful in her entire life and had taken good care of her skin.

However, from the fact that other than the two sons and one daughter she gave birth to, the Duke had no illegitimate children born in the Duke's Manor over the years, I could tell that she was very shrewd and was far from being as kind as she looked.

After I answered several casual greetings from her, such as the question about whether I had become accustomed to life in the Duke's Manor, she changed the topic.

"I heard that Charles hasn't slept with you yet."

"Here it comes!" I sighed inwardly.

"Your Grace, I am sorry about my incompetence. The Earl seems to have his eye on someone else, so he doesn't care about me."

The Duchess gave a cold snort as if scornful of my incompetence or of Charles' so-called love.

I stepped forward, bowing politely and humbly.

"Your Grace, as a loving mother, you kindly arranged for me to take care of the Earl with the hope that he will have someone who understands his feelings. I have been well aware that the honor I get will be closely related to the Earl from the moment I stepped into the Duke's Manor.

"The Earl is my everything and my hope for the future.

"Your Grace, I am willing to share your worries."

The Duchess put down her teacup and eyed me, expressionless.

"Share my worries? What do I have to worry about?"

I touched the ground with my head and closed my eyes slightly, my forehead breaking out in a cold sweat.

"Your Grace, not long after I was luckily accepted into the Duke's Manor, I learned that the Earl had a beloved woman and has proposed to marry her many times, but you rejected it. If this continues, there will gradually be a rift between you and the Earl, which is not what you want.

"Although I only have a mediocre appearance, I am confident of winning a little bit of the Earl's heart if I am allowed a chance.

"Your Grace, I hope I can be a help to you."

I was gambling on the Duchess' desire to control Charles. If I lost it, I might be kicked out of the Duke's Manor immediately, but if I won...

After a moment of silence, the Duchess chuckled and asked me to stand up.

I knew I had made the right bet.

Everything of these high and mighty nobles, even including the affection between a mother and a son, was impure.

Besides love, there was greed, ambition, and even malice.

Though I had contempt in my heart, I walked toward the Duchess with a calm look.

She held my hand and said in a gentle tone, "You are just one of so many beautiful women in the world. The beauty of a woman fades fast."

The Duchess warned me casually and asked a servant to bring a zither over.

"Charles likes the zither. You can learn to play it when you are free."

After saying that, she excused me.

I understood what she meant. She couldn't be bothered to care about an unimportant pawn like me, so she didn't mind giving me this opportunity but would simply replace me with someone else if I failed to satisfy her.

For those in power, life was like a play, of which the roles had long been determined.

Some were always predators, while some could only be prey.

But if I were complacent about stability, I would never have a chance of revenge. I would have to risk life and limb if I wanted revenge.

I only had the choice between these two ways.

Soon after I came back from the Duchess' place that day, I moved to the Violet Courtyard, which was closer to Charles' place, at the Duchess' instruction.

A few days later, Charles came to the Violet Courtyard in a rage.

He looked livid with tense muscles and the threat of an impending explosion in his eyes.