The Debt Of Fate-Chapter 268: Born Enemy

Thorne Residence

"Mother, why are we sending such precious gifts to that woman?" Lady Amber asked. She could not understand how Anastasia had managed to marry her husband-to-be twice. Although she never really loved the idea of marrying Ernest but she hated the fact the he would marry Anastasia and it would become the talk of the entire royal city. What annoyed her most was how the simple marriage managed to wash Anastasia’s ruined reputation.

"We are not sending them to her. Everyone within the royal city knows that General Ernest holds a strong standing in court. The army under him, though known as the royal army, is under his control. Even the king does not dare dismiss him without a proper reason," Lady Thorne answered. After all, her husband had already warned her to maintain a good relationship with Ernest.

"I don’t care! That lady Anastasia must be my born enemy. First, she married the king back then; now she dares to snatch away the man Father arranged for me! Why are we sending gifts instead of Father questioning General Ernest? Even if he has become a respected general, my father has been a lord for so long. This is unacceptable!" Lady Amber said. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.

"Calm down," Lady Thorne gently patted her daughter. When her husband had first mentioned marrying their daughter to General Ernest, she had thought it a bit of a disgrace. After all, no matter how respected Ernest seemed, he was still the illegitimate son of a duke. But seeing the response from all the nobles after his marriage, she finally realized the power he wielded.

Anyone with eyes could tell that the kingdom was currently under great internal and external pressure. Ernest’s closeness to the throne was one of the reasons many with rebellious intent had not yet acted openly. Indeed, in times of war, a skilled general reigns with respect.

"Mother, this is unfair! How could he just get married to another without proper explanation?" Lady Amber could not calm down. She felt that Anastasia was always stealing what belonged to her.

"What is going on?" At that moment, Lord Thorne walked in. He had just returned from meeting with other nobles. The news that the king had truly sent his blessings to General Ernest and the former queen’s wedding had taken them all by surprise.

"Father, why do we have to send gifts? Did you not already speak with General Ernest? Even if he decided he didn’t want to marry me, he should have at least informed us. Instead, he went ahead and married another! What does he take our family for? Even the queen mother back then explained things to Mother!" Amber said. She could not understand why Ernest would choose Anastasia over her; especially with Anastasia’s ruined reputation.

"What do you know? This might be the king’s order. Everyone knows of Ernest’s loyalty to the throne," Lord Thorne said. Even he did not believe his own excuse. After all, Lady Anastasia had nothing of importance to offer. With her reputation ruined and her father disowning her, she should have been hiding in shame, not daring to show her face. Yet Ernest had chosen to marry her at that time.

He had even confessed during the wedding that he was the man she had once been with. He claimed to have been drunk—but who would believe such an excuse? Even if others did, Lord Thorne was certain it was a lie. On the day of the incident, he had also spoken with General Ernest. Although Ernest had attended a private meeting with the king and might have drunk a little, it was clear he had not been drunk. But no one dared to challenge the lie.

After all, His Majesty the King himself had admitted to being drunk and mistaking Lady Elizabeth for Lady Anastasia, so everyone had quietly dropped the matter.

"Father?" Amber asked, still unwilling to believe it. "Even if that’s the case, since he was already discussing marriage with our family, it is only right that he comes to apologize." She had never liked Anastasia since the day she took her place and married the king. The current situation only deepened her hatred.

Lord Thorne waved his hand. "I only thought that, given the current situation, he was a good match. Do not worry. Allow your mother to send the gift. Given our family’s standing, you will definitely find a good match," Lord Thorne said firmly. He knew that Ernest had never agreed to marry his daughter. He had simply avoided mentioning it so as not to hurt her feelings.

After all, how could a woman like Anastasia be compared to his daughter?

Amber frowned, not understanding why her father suddenly sounded so different. He was the one who had always praised Ernest, saying there was no better match in the royal city. Moreover, she herself had decided she did not want to marry far from home. Why did she suddenly have more options.

"Your father is right. Those two are a good match—they are both children of mistresses," Lady Thorne reminded her daughter, seeing that she was still unconvinced by her husband’s words.

"Then Father, may I take the gift to the general’s residence?" Amber asked with a mischievous smile.

"Alright," Lord Thorne agreed. He could guess that she intended to cause trouble, but he saw no need to stop her. After all, neither Anastasia nor General Ernest would dare harm his daughter. Moreover, he also felt that she should let off her anger.

"Remember to be careful," Lady Thorne warned her daughter. She had listened to Anastasia speak many times; her tongue was sharp and not easily intimidated. She did not want her daughter becoming the scapegoat instead.

"Mother, I’m just delivering a gift on behalf of our family," Amber said with a smile, pretending not to understand her mother’s meaning. Lady Thorne only shook her head.

"With Father and Mother’s permission, I will go prepare." Saying this, she rose to her feet and hurried outside. Once she stepped out, she called for her maid and quickly sent a message to her friends.

....

General Ernest’s Residence

Anastasia was walking around the garden that evening. After the wedding the previous night, she had fallen asleep before Ernest came to the room. She had waited for him for a little more than half an hour before drifting off. After all, with King Edward as an example, she had little expectation.

Although Ernest had said he loved her, his return to the room after she had fallen asleep made her uneasy. She could not help but think of Miss Magdalene’s words, even if she refused to believe them.

It was only when she came out the next morning that she realized the reason he had returned late was because the king’s gift had arrived. Moreover, he had also brought in some new maids to the house and had taken his time to examine them one after another.

She overheard the guards complaining that the general was acting like a lovesick man. "Even if we were stupid, who would dare disrespect the general’s wife?" one of the guards grumbled about the lecture they had received from Ernest the previous night.

Hearing all this talk, Anastasia could not help but feel happy. King Edward never cared how she was treated in the palace but he protected Dorothy. Now she understood what it felt like to be protected.

"My lady, it’s cold," a maid said as she walked over with a small blanket to cover her. Anastasia felt helpless at that moment. Rosa and Grater had been busy familiarizing themselves with the new house and also preparing her meals, not daring to trust others with it. So this maid had been following her closely to attend to her needs. No matter how Anastasia tried to send her away, she always remained nearby, as if afraid something might happen to her.

"What is your name?" Anastasia asked, growing curious about the girl’s dedication.

"My lady, my name is Lidia," the maid answered. Her tone was soft but steady. Anastasia nodded in acknowledgment.

Just then, a guard walked into the garden. "My lady, Lady Amber, daughter of Lord Thorne, is here bringing congratulatory gifts," he announced.