"I’m sorry, Your Highness, I spoke out of turn," Oni apologized.
"No, I’m glad. After what happened today, soone is still willing to believe her!"
Oni’s eyes filled with tears as she choked out, "Your Highness, the Princess Consort loves you very much. Soone must have set her up. You must not believe those lies."
"I believe in my Princess Consort, and I believe that Dylan is my child!"
Oni’s tears fell, and she nodded vigorously.
「Unnad Island, the garden.」
Paige Desmond was wearing denim overalls, a wide-brimd hat, and gloves while trimming flower branches. Her expression was indifferent, but the man behind her was much more agitated.
"Miss, your information was wrong! Why didn’t you tell that Kiya knew martial arts? Look how badly he beat up..."
"..."
"BOO HOO, my face! My face is my livelihood. Without it, how am I supposed to live?"
"..."
"Hey, Paige, I got beaten up so badly, and you’re not even going to comfort a little?"
"How should I comfort you? You think you can make a living with those looks? To make a living with looks like that, you’d have to be as handso as my brother..."
"Sixth Master, his looks are out of this world. Soone like can only admire him from afar."
"..."
"Don’t change the subject! OUCH! I’m so miserable. You have no idea how ruthless your husband is; his punches were ant to kill ! OUCH! My face is ruined, and I haven’t even gotten married yet..."
Paige ignored the man behind her, letting him carry on with his tearful, sniveling complaints.
"Miss, can you at least say sothing?"
Paige picked a few fully blood roses, placed them on a tray, and said without looking back at him,
"Say what?"
"So I was beaten up for nothing?"
Paige stood up and faced the man, staring at his bruised and swollen face. Even Larry’s own parents probably wouldn’t recognize him if they saw him like this.
"Beating up Kiya... that’s a bit of a tall order. Weren’t you asking to take responsibility for you? How about I take Dylan and marry you instead?"
Larry retreated several steps, looking at Paige as if she were a monster, his face full of horror.
"Miss, I only bullied you a few tis when we were little! It’s been so many years, and you’re still holding a grudge? You have no idea how formidable your husband is. I was just a gossip reporter, but when he beat , he did it with the kind of ferocity one would use on an adulterer..."
"..."
Larry cleared his throat, mimicked Kiya’s tone, and said, "I will not divorce her! Never will I divorce her! Paige, I know this is all your doing. You listen to ! No matter what tricks you pull, I will never divorce you!" He shuddered dramatically. "Goodness, that scared to death!"
"..."
"Miss, I think your husband really loves you. You cheated on him, not only made him a cuckold, but the child isn’t even his! If he were any ordinary man in Abyanabad, he would’ve shot you dead by now. Yet, Kiya keeps refusing to divorce you. Enough with the drama. You have a child, you’re not young anymore, and you might not find anyone better if you remarry. Just go back to being the Princess Consort."
"..."
"Being a Princess Consort is so prestigious; I really don’t understand you."
Paige was not moved by Kiya’s words at all. If he truly loved her, he wouldn’t have married the Princess of Pelindi, and he wouldn’t have revoked all the privileges he had granted the Desmond family. Since he was ruthless, she would naturally be rciless!
"How do you know he’s not putting on a show, trying to deceive into going back with him, only to shoot dead?"
Larry looked at her nervously. "No way, right? I don’t think your husband is that kind of person."
"It’s ex-husband! Ex-husband!"
"..."
"There’s a saying: ’Don’t judge a book by its cover!’ And another saying: ’A wolf in sheep’s clothing.’"
"Miss, so you married a wolf in sheep’s clothing? Did he have any S&M tendencies?"
"..."
"AH, it’s so scary! This world is so scary! Kiya won’t send assassins to kill , will he? Miss, I’m so scared, scared to death! This whole thing was your idea! I’m innocent; I’ve been wronged... You have to testify for ."
Paige chuckled, walked over to Larry, and took off her gloves. She lightly touched his face, and Larry overreacted, yelping loudly as if he were being slaughtered.
"Aren’t you my secret lover? The man in the video was you!"
Larry hopped up and down, shouting, "Oh, for heaven’s sake! Good grief, woman! Stop ssing with ! I’m terrified of you!"
"Go back. As for your paynt, I won’t be a penny short."
"Look at you! With our friendship, doesn’t talking about money make things awkward?" Larry said hypocritically.
Paige deliberately replied, "You’re right. We’ve known each other since we were toddlers, practically grew up together. You helping should be a given, shouldn’t it? Giving you paynt really does make it awkward. Forget it, then. I’m not a Princess Consort anymore. After all this drama, I doubt I’ll get any alimony. All I have is the dowry my mother left . My brother has a daughter, Curly, and I plan to give half of my mother’s dowry to her. I’ll be poor from now on. Since you don’t want the money, I won’t insist."
Larry really wanted to slap his own stupid mouth. What kind of woman was Paige? Others might not know, but how could *he* not know?
Larry fell to the ground with a THUMP, wailing, "OUCH, my leg... OUCH, my old back... OUCH, my heart, my liver, my spleen, my lungs, my kidneys..."
"What, are they all broken? Can’t function properly?"
"No, they’re all fine..."
Paige couldn’t help but burst out laughing. HA HA! Her reputation was in tatters, her relationship had shattered—she should be crying, yet all she wanted to do was laugh.
"Larry, can you not be so dramatic all the ti?"
"You ungrateful brat! Your big bro is doing all this for you!"
"Is it for or for the money?"
"Fine, you’re not having an easy ti either. Just give half the paynt."
Larry was from Himakati; his family had originally been farrs who cultivated poppies.
Don’t assu that people who cultivate poppies are rich. In Himakati, farrs growing poppies are like farrs in Orienta growing corn and wheat—they don’t make much money.
Those who actually make money from opium are the big drug lords and traffickers.
Larry also had a younger sister who was sold because of their family’s poverty. Their parents simply couldn’t afford to raise her and just hoped to provide her with enough food so she wouldn’t starve.
Larry’s parents later died in a chaotic conflict, and Paige’s father took him in. He and Paige had played together ever since. Although they often bickered, their bond had always been strong.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have asked him to film the infidelity video.
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