Beatrice's beady eyes blinked perfectly.

"Impossible!" she exclaimed in a stifled tone of voice, followed by a racing heart.


It was as if her organs were about to pop out, but the only response she could give this time was a small laugh at her mother's joke.

A very... unfunny joke.

"Don't joke, Mom!" she retorted in a tone of voice that began to tremble. "How could he get married? I've just returned to Munich."


The greater Beatrice's denial of the facts she had just revealed, the greater the regret that was now present in the recesses of Madam Collins' heart.

After almost two months of thinking that her decision was the right one, she was now feeling the repercussions of her hasty action.


Her decision to ask Luana to take Beatrice's place was solely so that the marriage could still take place and the reputation of both families could be saved.

Really, that was it.

Now Beatrice's eyes looked incredulously at her mother, with all the accusations pointed straight at her. Seeking the truth, even though she hoped in her heart that her mother was indeed telling a lie.

There was a heavy sigh from Madam Collins, as the middle-aged woman repositioned herself to sit straighter.

The discussion she was about to have with her only daughter seemed to be a long one, and she really needed to explain everything without missing a beat.

"Look Beatrice, it's not all lies," Madam Collins said with her eyes blinking a few times. She wanted to keep it all in, but of course she couldn't.

"Mommy!"

"He really is married," Madam Collins explained again.

Letting her solitary eyes meet Beatrice's now differently glowing orbs, the noble lady attempted to explain.

"You were not present that day," she began. "Rey was furious, and both families' reputations were on the line in front of the guests who had filled your wedding hall."

Beatrice held her breath, unable to hear more. Her shoulders sagged, but that wasn't even half of the story her own mother was about to tell.

"Rey brought his extended family from Canada, and there was no way the wedding could have been canceled," Madam Collins piped up again. "You have no idea how panicked Mummy was when you were absent and unreachable. The officials were already urgent because the wedding appointment had been stretched out for some time, and Rey could no longer wait."

Like someone had stabbed him in the heart, Beatrice had never expected that his fiancée would go through with the wedding even if she wasn't there.

The only thing she could think of was that Rey must be waiting for her. The man would be able to undo everything, so that they would finally be united in the future.

But it turned out that what happened was something Beatrice had never thought of before, and that's why her beautiful beads are now starting to look teary.

"No way, Mom," the woman said with a choked breath. "Rey cannot marry a woman other than me!"

Madam Collins suppressed a shudder in her body, as Beatrice's pain was now beginning to permeate the room. It filled, replacing the previous atmosphere.

"If you think like that, Beatrice, then you shouldn't be playing around with someone like Rey Lueic." Madam Collins closed her eyes for a few seconds, before continuing her sentence. "A man like him must have his family's good name at heart, no matter what."

Beatrice remained silent, her head now bowed slowly. Her fingers interlaced to untangle the anxiety and despair that were now beginning to take over.

"Why didn't you tell me?" asked Beatrice in a raised tone of voice. "You should have forbidden it, Mam! You shouldn't have let Rey marry another woman!"

"You're out of touch, Beatrice!" Not to be outdone, Madam Collins also unconsciously raised her tone of voice. She also wanted to make Beatrice realize that things were no longer the same now.

"You disappeared, not even looking for news of Rey! You left your fiancé for dead, without thinking that turning away is the easiest thing a man can do. Did you assume he loved you?"

Beatrice hesitated, her lips trembling even more. No, this was not the situation she should be in. This was not what she wanted, after she had struggled with herself to decide that she was willing to conceive now.

She had planned to be a good mother and wife, and hoped that her marriage would be the most beautiful gift for Rey.

But lo and behold, what was waiting for her to come home was a mess that she couldn't even control.

"Rey has no other woman but me, Mam," Beatrice half muttered. "What other woman could he marry besides me?"

There was still a tone of disbelief in the beautiful woman's voice, followed by a quiet shake of her head. "There's no way he could have found another woman that quickly."

Madam Collins' sighs became more and more audible, as she now opened her voice softly. Risking all, because this was her fault.

She caused all of this to happen.

"He married Luana," Madam Collins said quietly. "Mummy asked her to take your place, Beatrice."

Like being hit by a thousand needles simultaneously, Beatrice froze with her eyes once again perfectly wide.

"Mommy!" she cried in disbelief. "You said Luana? Luana? That we know Luana?"

The only person with the name Luana that Beatrice knew was their maid, who was young and pretty enough for a slave.

"Seriously, Mommy!" Beatrice stood up, her arms wrapped around her waist. "How could you let Rey marry a servant!"

The middle-aged woman must have seen this coming.

"I had no choice," she said by way of explanation. "She was the only one who deserved to be with Rey, even though I told the lie that Luana was our distant relative."

Beatrice shook her head in disbelief, again not expecting the fact that would greet her in such a complicated way.

Their maid was marrying her fiancé, under an assumed status. And it turned out that the mastermind of it all was her own mother.

What the hell!

But it was all gravy, though Beatrice really couldn't accept that her replacement was a low-caste servant like Luana.

Forcing her brain to think hard, Beatrice suddenly felt that this situation would be favorable for her. Luana was not a worthy opponent, and she was sure Rey would treat her according to her caste.

Smiling faintly, Beatrice turned back to her mother.

"Wait, mom. Is Luana still with Rey now?"

Madam Collins nodded in response. "Of course she is. Where else would she be?"

Pausing, Beatrice seemed to be thinking.

"I thought Mummy's actions were rash." Beatrice sat back down with slow movements. "But now that I think about it, it would be easier to take back my position since that woman is Luana."

Of course, all Beatrice had to do was ask the woman to move, and she could easily return to Rey's arms.

A servant like Luana could not possibly keep up with a man of honor like her fiancé, and now Beatrice was secretly grateful that it was Luana.

It all seemed so easy to her now.

If Beatrice was smiling in the Collins family's palatial mansion, then Luana on the other hand was slumped over with an object in hand.

Locked in the bathroom of her and the nobleman's palatial suite, the young woman savored the vibrations in her fingertips.

Her beady eyes stared straight at the white object Mare had handed her a few minutes ago, which she was now holding tightly.

Her chest rumbled, with a faint shudder and clear crystals gathering in her eyes.

"No way," Luana whispered almost inaudibly. "This can't be happening."