Chapter 1

My elder sister married the man she longed for, Lord Charles. But on the night of the wedding, it was I who was sent into the bridal chamber. My sister wasn't worried that I might reveal the truth because I was mute. What she didn’t know was that I was only pretending.

"Do as I say, or your mother’s life won’t be spared."

Marianne tore off my outer robe and pushed me behind the screen. Today was her grand day, joining Lord Charles's manor. I entered the manor with her as her dowry maid. Marianne, still in her bridal crown and gown, looked fierce, but it did not diminish her striking beauty.

She drew out a razor-sharp dagger, its blade gleaming ominously as she pressed it against my cheek. I feigned terror, my mouth opening in a silent scream, my eyes wide with false fear. Marianne's smile twisted into something dark and wicked, a glint of malevolence dancing in her eyes.

"Tonight is your wedding night. Serve Lord Charles well. If you please me, your future will be filled with riches."

Marianne had long admired Lord Charles but sent me to his bed because she was no longer chaste. She had an affair with a guard in our manor. When the secret was exposed, her mother had the guard poisoned to cover up the scandal.

But the damage was done; Marianne was no longer a virgin. To avoid Lord Charles's rejection, she chose me as her dowry maid. I was her half-sister, and our figures were similar enough that she believed she could deceive him.

Marianne's threats were not just empty words. "If you slip up, I'll break your legs and sell you off! And don’t think your mad mother will survive, either!"

I bit my lip, nodded with a frightened expression, and Marianne withdrew the dagger, leaving me to wait behind the screen.

Soon after, the door to the chamber was flung open with a violent crash. Lord Charles, tall and imposing in his crimson wedding attire, stormed in. I stayed hidden, not daring to make a sound.

Marianne obediently sat on the bed, but Lord Charles only glanced at her briefly before turning away to pour himself a cup of tea. Marianne quickly took the cup, secretly adding a pinch of powder she had hidden in her nails. It was an aphrodisiac she had acquired.

Lord Charles drank the tea, and soon his face flushed, and his breathing became labored. He glared at Marianne with anger.

"What did you give me?"

Marianne feigned innocence. "Oh, this… it’s just something an old nanny from home gave me. She said it would enhance the wedding night... I didn’t know what it was..."

Lord Charles angrily smashed the cup, causing Marianne to jump in fright.

"You dare give me such a vile substance? I’m strong enough without needing such poison! Are you afraid I won’t tire you out?"

After his outburst, his condition worsened. His eyes became bloodshot, and his breathing turned more ragged. Marianne was overjoyed, pretending to apologize as she guided him to the bed and blew out the candles, plunging the room into darkness. All that could be heard was Lord Charles’s heavy breathing.

Marianne yanked me from behind the screen, her grip merciless as she hurled me onto the bed with a force that knocked the air from my lungs. Lord Charles moved swiftly, wrapping his strong arms around my waist with a desperate, almost frantic urgency. I found myself sprawled atop him, his powerful, masculine scent enveloping me in an intoxicating haze.

Without a word, he seized the back of my head, pulling me close as his hot lips crashed against mine. The intensity of his kiss was both consuming and overwhelming. I gasped in shock as the fabric of my clothes was torn apart, the sound of ripping fabric mingling with the pounding of my heart.