Chapter 2

After lying in bed for half an hour, Una Rhodes finally dared to move her gaze around.

If Una Rhodes remembered correctly, she died at the hands of Robert Johnson. How could anyone possibly dare to save her, since she was already considered a criminal wife?

Moreover, “Fenghou” is a secret medicine used in the palace. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Once taken, a person loses consciousness within moments. No one has ever survived after taking this medicine.

Getting up from the bed, Una Rhodes looked around at the decorations in the room. It felt both unfamiliar and yet somehow familiar at the same time. It was a strange sensation that made Una Rhodes unable to let down her guard.

It wasn’t until she saw the bronze mirror on the dressing table that Una Rhodes sat down, staring in disbelief at the face reflected in the mirror.

Reaching out to touch it, Una Rhodes stared in disbelief at the bronze mirror. It was her face, yet it appeared much younger.

In that case, Una Rhodes also remembered where this was. It was her bridal chamber before she got married.

Having been a queen in the palace for so long, everything she wore and used was a gift from others. Facing the ordinary items from ordinary officials’ homes, she naturally found them strange.

As memories gradually returned, Una Rhodes looked at the furnishings in her room, her eyes filling with tears.

Although it’s unclear why she was able to return to her state before getting married, it’s still a happy event.

Since fate has given Una Rhodes a chance to start over, she must seize it firmly.

Unlike other countries, in Zhou, women could also hold official positions, pursue education, and inherit family businesses. The principle of inheritance was based on seniority and bloodline. As the eldest daughter of the Rhodes family, Una Rhodes had a noble status, as her birth mother was the king’s own sister.

Clenching her fists tightly, Una Rhodes seemed completely unaware of the pain caused by her nails digging into her palms.

“Miss! Why are you standing barefoot on the floor? You might catch a cold like this.”

When the maid returned from going to the bathroom, she saw her young mistress standing by the window, looking utterly distraught. She was shocked by the sight.

“Marilyn, I had a nightmare.” Una Rhodes looked at her maid, her eyes slightly reddening. When she entered the palace, Marilyn had come along as her personal maid.

In the cold palace, Una Rhodes offended some high-ranking officials. To protect her, Monroe took on all the blame and was beaten to death.

She watched as Monroe was beaten to a bloody pulp right before her eyes, then left for dead and dumped in a mass grave.

Una Rhodes didn’t even have the right to collect her body. She could only watch as Monroe passed away like that.

“Miss, please go back to bed. Dreams are always the opposite of reality. Don’t take it to heart.”

Marilyn quickly closed the window, keeping the cool night breeze outside. She wasn’t relieved until she saw that the young lady had gone back to bed.

Everything that was familiar made Una Rhodes wonder if she had actually been dreaming. But the aftereffects of the “choking” attack were still present—the pain was etched deep into her soul.

“What time is it now?” Leaving Marilyn to cover her with the blanket, Una Rhodes lay in bed, her voice filled with uncertainty.

“It’s the hour of Yin. You may lie down a little longer, miss. After that, you’ll need to go with the lady to the temple outside the city to offer prayers.”

Una Rhodes nodded and closed her eyes. Inside, her heart was tumultuous with emotion.

Going to the temple with my mother to offer incense was, in a way, the beginning of a fateful encounter. Looking back, it seems like it was all predestined.

It was in a temple outside the city that Una Rhodes ran into Robert Johnson, who was still a prince at the time.

Shaking off all the chaotic thoughts in her mind, Una Rhodes closed her eyes. But everything that flashed through her mind were trivial images.

Unable to sleep anymore, Una Rhodes simply got up. After washing up with Monroe’s help, she went to pay her respects to her mother.

As Una Rhodes stepped through the threshold, a hint of doubt flashed in Lady Rhodes’s eyes, but she still smiled and nodded at Una Rhodes.

“You little girl, since when do you get up this early?”

Upon seeing her mother, Una Rhodes’s eyes suddenly filled with tears. She quickly hid her sadness. Her mother looked much younger than she remembered.

“Una is so excited about going to offer incense with her mother.”

After saying a few pleasant words casually, Una Rhodes had breakfast with her mother, then boarded the carriage to the temple.

Along the way, her mother kept nagging non-stop. What might have been annoying reminders to others sounded like cherished memories to Una Rhodes. How long had it been since she last heard her mother’s words of advice?

Her eyes gradually filled with tears. Una Rhodes couldn’t hold back anymore and began to sob softly. She lay on her mother’s knees, trying not to let anyone notice anything unusual.

“You little one, I merely said a few words to you, and now you’re crying.” Lady Rhodes sighed helplessly and said nothing more.

Recalling how kind her mother had been to her in her past life, Una Rhodes truly felt as though her heart had been blinded by greed. It was no wonder her eyes were filled with hatred for Robert Johnson, that beast.

When the carriage arrived at the temple, Una Rhodes had mostly regained her composure. She lifted the curtain with her hand, only to meet the gaze of the person on the horse.

A wave of overwhelming hatred swept over her. Una Rhodes’s eyes were filled with fury alone. Unaware of her surroundings, she accidentally fell right off the carriage.

The carriage’s frame was about one and a half meters high. If Una Rhodes fell from it, she might not become disabled, but she’d definitely sprain her ankle and end up in a mess.

“Be careful!”

With a frantic cry, Una Rhodes felt someone catch her around the waist.

When he looked up, he saw a familiar face. Robert Johnson smiled at Una Rhodes, then set her down and bowed to Lady Rhodes, who had just gotten out of the carriage.

“Greetings, Auntie. I’m sorry that I wasn’t here to greet you today.”

Nodding her head, Lady Rhodes clearly still felt shaken by what had just happened. “The prince is too kind. Thank you for saving Una.”

“Your aunt is being too kind. This is what Zhan should do anyway.”

Robert Johnson, sporting his handsome appearance, smiled charmingly at Lady Rhodes. Then, he turned to pinch Una Rhodes’s little face.

She quickly stepped back two steps. Una Rhodes forced herself to lower her head, trying not to show any signs of disgust, and retreated behind her mother.

What I really wanted to do was to burn those clothes that had been touched by Robert Johnson.

“Haven’t seen you in days. Why are you so shy, cousin? You even know how to avoid awkward situations.”

Una Rhodes’s sudden coldness toward him made Robert Johnson’s smile fade considerably. He tried to joke around with Una Rhodes to lighten the mood.

Upon entering the temple, Lady Rhodes and the master discussed Zen. Una Rhodes simply stood by obediently. In her past life, she lacked patience and never listened to the nonsense spoken by those old priests.

Now that I think about it, it doesn’t make any sense at all. I was just too arrogant before and refused to listen.

Only after being thrown down violently once does one realize how dangerous the world really is.

The two of them had been engaged for quite some time.

Una Rhodes knelt behind Lady Rhodes, facing together with her the servant who brought the royal decree.

“By the decree of Emperor Wen: The daughter of the Rhodes family is virtuous and worthy of marriage. Now, Robert Johnson, the third son of the family, wishes to marry her. They are a perfect match—a true match made in heaven. The wedding shall be held on a suitable day.”