She could accept that Lincoln did not treat her well. She could accept that Lincoln did not love her. But she found it really hard to accept the fact that Lincoln married her just so her sister could marry the man she loved.

But things had already come to this. Even if she didn't accept it, she couldn't change anything. She was a woman, after all. Her fate was destined to be in someone else's.

She didn't have the energy to think about anything else. Lincoln had said that he would start taking concubines tomorrow. She believed he would act on it. Life would surely become more tumultuous.

The next day, Lincoln made a grand show of marrying Eva Flores into the household. Although it was taking a concubine, the ceremony was no less grand than a wedding. Moreover, she even entered through the main gate with great pomp.

Bella knew this was meant to put her in her place. She had already prepared herself mentally, so she just let him do as he wished.

"Madam, are you just going to endure this?" Clara said, clearly upset.

Bella played with the thread in her hands. She said calmly, "What else can I do? Can I beat him? Can the Jenkins family do anything to him?"

Clara shook her head. It was clear that neither of them could beat him or do anything about it.

"So what if I don't endure it? Should I go and fight him to the death? Why waste my energy on that?" she said.

Clara stomped her foot in frustration. "Then what should we do? Just let him openly marry a concubine and humiliate you?"

She thought, "Marquis Miller didn't enter Madam's room last night. Madam had already become the laughingstock. Now, with the concubine openly entering through the main gate with such a grand ceremony, it was like she was being treated as the official wife. Isn't this making Madam a joke to the entire Gonzales?"

Bella smiled and shook her head. She said, "Clara, you're wrong. It's not just one. From now on, it's one every other day."

"One every other day?" Clara could hardly believe her ears. But seeing how Bella was handling it, it was clear she already knew. What on earth was going on?

"Yes, that's right. So, just let him do as he wishes. Otherwise, we'll be driven mad before he fills the manor with concubines." Bella had already finished arranging the threads. She pulled Clara down to sit beside her. "Didn't you want to learn double-sided embroidery from me before? Well, start learning seriously from now on. If you don't focus, I'll be a very strict teacher," she said.

Bella started selecting the satin as she spoke. Clara looked at Bella's expression. There wasn't the slightest trace of displeasure. Clara truly couldn't tell if Bella really didn't care or if she was just too good at hiding her emotions.

Bella had wanted to remain quietly in her corner. But as the official wife, she was soon called to observe the ceremony. She also had to accept the concubine's water offering according to the rules.

Bella put down her embroidery and said helplessly, "The tree wants to remain still, but the wind won't stop."

Then she looked at Clara and said, "You don't need to come with me. Practice the stitching method I just taught you. I'll check it when I get back."

Bella knew Clara's temperament. She also knew Lincoln intended to embarrass her. The scene would definitely not be pleasant. Some things Bella could endure, but Clara might not be able to. If Clara couldn't bear it, the outcome would be even more painful.

Bella followed the servant to the main hall. This ceremony was no different from a proper wedding. Perhaps only Lincoln could pull off such a thing.

When it came time for the water offering, Bella sat calmly in her chair and accepted Eva's drinks. But to her surprise, Eva deliberately pretended her hand shook. The cup tilted, and the hot water spilled onto Bella's hand.

Bella frowned slightly. The water used in the ceremony was usually at a drinkable temperature. But this scalding hot water couldn't have been prepared for her by accident. If she did this right at the start, the days ahead would be even more turbulent.

Bella knew she had no backing. If she didn't want things to get worse, she had no choice but to grit her teeth and endure.

She steadied the cup effortlessly and pulled her sleeve to cover her scalded hand. Then she brought the cup to her lips. But the water was too hot to drink. Bella put the cup back on the tray and said, "I hope you will serve Marquis Miller well in the future and bear many children for him."

Eva didn't expect Bella to be this tolerant. She gritted her teeth and said, "Thank you."

It wasn't that Eva was being reckless, causing trouble for Bella right after entering the house. When Lincoln sought a wife, he only left one message. "I heard that Ms. Flores and Bella don't get along."

That one sentence was enough for her to know why Lincoln wanted to take her as a concubine. The reason couldn't have been more obvious, especially since he married Bella and took a concubine right away.

She knew that she had to make Bella's life difficult to win Lincoln's favor.

Lincoln saw everything. He didn't expect Eva to be so ruthless and Bella to be so tolerant. He saw her burned hand, the redness was clear. If it didn't hurt, it would be unbelievable!

Bella calmly endured this situation. It wasn't until she returned that she noticed blisters had formed on her hand.

Clara looked at Bella's hand and burst into tears. "Madam, they're so cruel."

"Alright, stop crying. Go get some oil to apply to it," Bella said.

Today, she didn't believe Lincoln hadn't seen it, but he said nothing. Eva must have assumed that Lincoln would turn a blind eye. If that was the case, there could be more trouble ahead.

As the saying goes, "Open spears are easy to dodge, hidden arrows are hard to defend against." The days ahead might be more difficult than she had optimistically expected.

Clara quickly brought the oil and applied it to Bella's burn, tears streaming down her face. She had only been at the manor for less than three days, but she had already had enough. This place was worse than a den of tigers and wolves.

The next morning, Bella had just finished breakfast when Eva came over with her maid.

"Bella, I've come to apologize. I accidentally burned you yesterday, and I've been feeling uneasy. So I came early to apologize," Eva said. As she spoke, she took a box from her maid and handed it to Bella. "This hairpin is my apology gift. I hope you can forgive me."

Although she was apologizing, her expression was arrogant. Her tone was condescending.

Clara was so angry that she wanted to step forward, but Bella held her back.

Bella took the box from Eva and said, "We are both women of Marquis Miller, so we are sisters. Since it was unintentional, how could I blame you? I'll accept your gift. I also have a gift for you."

Then she looked at Clara and said, "Clara, go get the gold hairpin from my cabinet."

Clara knew what the gold hairpin was. It was a top-quality hairpin, intricately crafted, with two golden butterflies that swayed with the wearer's movements. It was stunning. Giving it to this woman was simply a waste.

Clara didn't want to go, but Bella urged her with a look. She had no choice but to reluctantly retrieve the hairpin.

Eva didn't expect Bella to give her something so nice. She loved it and immediately had her maid put it on her. Then she looked at Bella and asked, "Bella, does this hairpin look good on me?"

"Of course. Your appearance is delicate. You look beautiful even without these decorations," Bella said.

Eva felt great after hearing that but hadn't achieved her purpose yet. So she said, "Bella, won't you look at the gift I prepared for you? It's not as good as the one you gave me, but I hope you won't dislike it."

Hearing this, Bella had no choice but to open the box. Inside was a plain silver hairpin. Considering Eva's family was wealthy, even the maids in her household wouldn't wear such a hairpin. It must have taken some effort to find something cheap just to disgust Bella.

Bella looked at it and said, "The hairpin's design is simple. It's actually my preferred style. You've put a lot of thought into this."

Eva originally wanted to see Bella get angry. Unexpectedly, Bella said she liked it!

Eva secretly gritted her teeth and thought, "Bella, let's see how long you can endure this!"

"Since you like it, then I can rest easy. Let me put it on for you," Eva said as she stepped forward.

Bella handed the silver hairpin to Clara and said to Eva, "How could I trouble you with this? Let Clara do it."

Clara looked at the hairpin, not wanting to place it on Bella's head. But she knew that if she didn't follow Bella's instructions, Eva might cause more trouble.

In the end, Clara had no choice but to place the plain silver hairpin, which even she wouldn't wear, on Bella's head.

Eva had no more excuses to trouble Bella. But thinking about how she got such a beautiful golden hairpin while Bella wore a shabby silver one that even her servants wouldn't wear, she felt great and left with her maid.

When Eva left, Clara quickly removed the hairpin from Bella's head. "Madam, I'll throw this hairpin far away," she said.

"Keep it. The less trouble, the better," Bella said.

Clara wanted to throw the hairpin as far away as possible, thinking about Bella's grievances. But she knew Bella was right. She placed the hairpin in a small box at the bottom of the most inconspicuous trunk.

"Madam, why did you give her such a nice golden hairpin? It's a shame about that hairpin," Clara said, feeling sorry for Bella.

"I just wanted to show her that I sincerely wish to get along peacefully. If it can truly avoid future troubles, then it's worth it," Bella said.

"But what if she still causes you trouble?" Clara didn't believe Eva would stop her schemes because of the golden hairpin.

"If that happens, we'll just have to be more cautious," Bella said. She just wanted to use the golden hairpin to test Lincoln's schemes.

After all, it was such a valuable item. If Lincoln hadn't hinted at it, Bella believed Eva would have behaved for a while. The golden hairpin was just a way for her to test.

By noon, everything that had happened at the Marquis Manor had reached Charles' ears.

Lincoln had made a grand show of taking concubines. Naturally, Charles was concerned about Bella's situation and wanted to know how she was. Lincoln was more than happy to let him know everything that happened, so Charles received the news quickly.

When Charles learned that Bella had been scalded and forced to wear a hairpin that even the maids wouldn't wear, he wanted to storm into the Marquis Manor. He would take Bella away and live a life of wandering far from Gonzales.

Luckily, Adrian stopped him. "Your Highness, even if you could enter the Marquis Manor, you wouldn't be able to take Ms. Jenkins away. Lincoln's reputation as a hell is not for nothing. Even if all the guards from Barnes Manor went, it wouldn't be enough to beat him. Not only would you fail to take Ms. Jenkins away, but you'd also ruin her reputation, making it impossible for her to live respectably in the future."

Charles slammed his fist on the table in frustration. Yes, he couldn't harm Bella! But should he just stand by and watch her suffer in the Marquis Manor? Or should he give in to Lincoln's wishes, marry Lydia, and trade for Bella's safety?

After an afternoon of rest, Bella was summoned to the main hall again the next day. Today, Lincoln had brought in Eden Bennett, who came from a family of physicians.

Bella was even more cautious this time than she had been the day before. Despite all her precautions, she still fell into Eden's trap.

Everything seemed to go smoothly. The water was warm. She didn't expect Eden to put a laxative in the water.

As soon as Bella returned to the Melody Courtyard, her stomach started acting up. She was up most of the night, completely exhausted.

Clara was so angry that she cried. "Madam, she's gone too far! I'm going to find Marquis Miller and ask for justice,"

"Clara," Bella called out to her weakly. "Do you think she'd have the nerve to do this without Marquis Miller's consent? I should be grateful she didn't give me poison. Clara, help me up quickly."