Lily’s dream was to meet someone she loved like her parents and create a harmonious and happy family.

However, on the day the Baron Benjamin’s mansion burned down, Lily was forced to move away from her dream against her will.

When she married Fredic and learned his true identity, her dream was completely shattered.

Of course, she had anticipated that it would be difficult to fulfill her dream when she chose a marriage without love, based only on each other’s conditions, but Lily still didn’t give up hope.

Fredic was a kind and caring man after all.

Lily thought that she would eventually come to love him, and that they could have beautiful children and live happily together. But it was all a vain dream.

It was completely destroyed on the very first day of their marriage, not even a day had passed.

“I was really so foolish.”

Lily chuckled bitterly as she recalled her husband who had stayed out overnight again yesterday.

It was only after marriage that she learned that Fredic had been providing bedroom services to noble ladies for a very long time. He would warm their beds in exchange for business investments.

Moreover, now he was voluntarily acting as a mistress to some noblewoman and showing his face at social parties.

Since most nobles had arranged marriages, it was common for them to have separate lovers or mistresses. Even the Emperor and Empress had several mistresses.

As a result, having a mistress became a trend in high society. There were even competitions about who had the most impressive mistress, which says it all.

But Lily was different. No matter how loveless their strategic marriage was, the idea of having an affair was something she could never understand with her common sense. She didn’t want to understand it either.

So Fredic’s behavior made her very angry and disgusted, and she felt miserable that she couldn’t properly express this in her current situation.

As if this wasn’t painful enough, there was another problem tormenting her.

“How is it that a young woman comes later than her old mother-in-law?”

It was the harassment from Samantha, Fredic’s mother.

As soon as the breakfast room door opened, Lily internally sighed at the irritable shout that flew at her. Her already nonexistent appetite completely disappeared. She wanted to just go back to her room and forget about breakfast, but knowing that Samantha would throw a fit if she did, she had no choice but to enter.

“I’m sorry for being late.”

“Hmph!”

Even though Lily bowed her head and apologized, Samantha seemed unsatisfied and turned her head away with a snort.

Today won’t be smooth either.

Well, when was it ever smooth? Lily resigned herself as she sat down. As she was about to moisten her dry mouth with cold water, Samantha looked at her sharply and asked.

“What about Fredic? Don’t tell me he didn’t come home yesterday either?”

The servants would inform Samantha first, not Lily, the wife, whenever Fredic went out or came back.

In other words, there was no way Samantha didn’t know that Fredic had stayed out last night. The fact that she still asked meant that she intended to use this as an excuse to scold Lily.

Here we go again. Lily swallowed a sigh and neatly placed both hands on her knees.

“Yes. He seems to be busy with work.”

“That’s not it, he just doesn’t want to see you!”

When Samantha shouted angrily, the servants all stopped what they were doing and watched her cautiously.

“I’ve told you many times. A man is what a woman makes him. But what is this? How incompetent must you be for Fredic to stay out every single day!”

Lily, on the other hand, remained calm. It was a common occurrence after all. The repertoire was always the same, to the point where she was getting calluses on her ears.

Samantha blamed all of Fredic’s infidelity on Lily. Even though Fredic’s bedroom business had been going on since before their marriage, she scolded Lily for not properly fulfilling her duties as a wife.

“And then there’s the child issue. It’s been over a year since you married, why is there still no news?”

You need to look at the sky to pick stars. Lily swallowed her true thoughts and offered an unwilling apology.

“I’m sorry.”

It’s easier if you give up. This was the motto Lily engraved in her heart every day.

At first, she tried denying it and explaining in detail, but it was all futile. Samantha didn’t even listen to her words and instead got angrier, accusing her of talking back. Not wanting to create more exhausting situations, Lily started apologizing immediately from then on. She didn’t want to pointlessly fight with someone who wouldn’t listen no matter what she said.

“You’re just saying you’re sorry with words. Huh? What’s the use of just saying sorry with words all the time! You need to show it with actions!”

Usually, this would be followed by a bit more nagging about doing better in the future before stopping, but today her anger seemed particularly intense and continued.

“You’re not… having difficulty conceiving or something like that, are you?”

Now she’s even suspecting that. Lily laughed bitterly inside.

Samantha didn’t know that Fredic and Lily had never shared a bed. Neither Lily nor Fredic had told her.

Lily found it strange yet somewhat grateful that Fredic kept quiet about it, even though he must have been nagged by Samantha about the child issue as well.

If Samantha knew the truth, she would blame everything on Lily and make her life even more miserable than it already was. The thought alone was terrifying.

“No, that’s not the case.”

For the same reason, Lily couldn’t tell the truth, but she wasn’t lying either. It was true that she had no health issues. Lily didn’t think there was anything wrong with her body.

“What do you mean no? Looking at how you haven’t conceived yet, it seems like that’s the case.”

But as always, Samantha didn’t believe her words.

“I heard that your mother took a whole 10 years to have you, isn’t it the same for you? They say daughters take after their mothers.”

When Samantha mentioned her mother, Lily’s eyes hardened. Her hands clenched tightly.

She had a bad feeling.

“Like mother, like daughter, I guess. Both of you have so many problems.”

Why do bad feelings never turn out to be wrong?

“Ah, don’t tell me you’ll end up going crazy like your mother later on? Is that why you’re making Fredic suffer…?”

“Mother.”

Lily called out to her firmly, meaning for her to stop. Most people would realize their mistake at this point, apologize, and stop, but not Samantha.

“Are you interrupting me? How dare you rudely interrupt your mother-in-law?”

Instead, Samantha became furious that Lily had cut off her words and started raging.

“How can someone who claims to be noble have such poor manners! I wonder what on earth your parents taught you!”

“…Then are you lacking in manners because you’re a commoner?”

“W-What?”

Lily, whose thread of reason had snapped due to the continuous insults towards her parents, retorted by bringing up their social status. Samantha, seemingly taken aback, gaped with her mouth wide open.

“You said you were worried I might end up like my mother… Your worry is unnecessary.”

Lily looked straight at Samantha as she continued speaking.

“My mother fell into deep despair after suddenly losing her beloved husband. On the other hand, I don’t love him, so even if he dies, I’ll be fine.”

Bang—

Samantha stood up abruptly, slamming the table hard.

“Are you talking about my son dying? How dare you…!”

“Of course not. I was just speaking hypothetically.”

Unlike Samantha, who was shouting at the top of her lungs to the point where veins were popping on her neck, Lily’s voice was calm. Her expression was also peaceful, making it seem like she was unbothered, but that wasn’t the case. Inside her, anger was raging like a storm.

“And about the child issue… I think it’s more appropriate to worry about him rather than me.”

“What?”

“He’s spent nights with countless women even before marrying me, but none of them have ever gotten pregnant with his child. Doesn’t that suggest the problem might be with him rather than me?”

At the suggestion that Fredic might be impotent, Samantha’s face turned redder than a tomato.

Thwack—!

Lily squeezed her eyes shut as she was hit by the plate Samantha threw in her uncontrollable rage. The food that was on the plate dirtied her face and clothes.

“You who have nothing to your name, shamelessly living off my son like a parasite! You certainly have a sharp tongue for someone in your position!”

“…”

“Well, with a mother who’s lost her mind, how could the daughter be in her right mind! This is why I said we shouldn’t marry into a family with issues…!”

Despite the continuous insults, Lily silently wiped the food off her face and then stood up.

“It seems my presence is preventing you from having your breakfast properly, Mother, so I’ll take my leave now.”

“Where do you think you’re going! Stop right there!”

Although Samantha screamed in a voice that seemed like it would tear, Lily ignored her and left the breakfast room.

When Lily left without apologizing and ignoring her words, Samantha lay down holding her head as if in protest.

Even in the midst of this, she didn’t stop her tyranny, and it was natural for the servants, who had to bear the full brunt of Samantha’s anger in Lily’s place, to resent Lily.

The resentment soon led to bullying.

“I’ve brought your washing water, Young Madam.”

“Ah.”

Lily inadvertently put her hand into the washbasin and let out a short scream as she quickly pulled it back, realizing the water was colder than ice.

The maids glared at her and giggled. It was clearly mockery, but Lily couldn’t say anything. This was because she had once been scolded by Samantha for pointing out the maids’ mistakes, accusing her of putting on airs because she was a noble.

Even if the servants made a mistake, Samantha would blame Lily. She would spout nonsense about showing magnanimity by forgiving the mistakes of those beneath her.

The servants, knowing this fact, acted boldly like this.

“…”

Lily’s expression darkened as she once again realized how insignificant and worthless her position was in this mansion. Having never experienced such disrespect before marrying Fredic, this situation was even more difficult for her.

Her expression darkened further when she stood in front of the breakfast room. She was already worried about what kind of insults she would hear from Samantha today.

I hope she doesn’t insult my parents like yesterday. Praying earnestly, Lily opened the dining room door and encountered both luck and misfortune simultaneously.

The luck was that Samantha wasn’t in the breakfast room.

“It’s been a while, sister-in-law.”

The misfortune was that Brian, Fredic’s younger brother, was there instead.