Fredric placed his hand on his chest, lowered his gaze slightly, and gave a faint smile. It was exactly the same as when Lily first met him. She bit her lip hard, reminded of the time when she thought he was a polite, wonderful gentleman, never dreaming that he was actually trash wearing the mask of a gentleman.
"I will certainly keep the promise. But the location might change."
"The location... will change?"
What does that mean?
When Lily asked, not understanding his words, Fredric stroked his chin as if thinking about something and looked into space.
"I hear the medical technology in the Kingdom of Whissen is the best on the continent... I'm considering sending Madam Grace Benjamin to the Kingdom of Whissen."
The Kingdom of Whissen was a far-off island nation that took over two weeks by ship from the Empire. Saying he would send Grace there meant essentially that he would make it so Lily could never see her mother again.
There was the option of Lily following Grace, but that would only be possible if her husband, Fredric, allowed it. That's how the Empire's laws worked, damn it.
Lily's eyes widened like saucers as she belatedly realized Fredric's scheme. Her green eyes, consumed by the fear of possibly being separated from her mother for life, began to tremble helplessly.
Lily glared at Fredric, clenching her hands that were trembling as much as her eyes.
"Are you... threatening me now?"
"It's not a threat, but a warning. A warning not to cause unnecessary discord."
"How is this a warning? It's a threat!"
Her voice, sharper than a needle, echoed widely through the corridor.
"How can you threaten me? If anything, I'm the one who was insulted, yet instead of asking if I'm okay, you threaten me using my mother..."
Her eyes grew hot as emotions welled up.
I don't want to cry. She absolutely didn't want to cry in front of the man who had mercilessly trampled on her dreams and pride with his false mask.
However, as all the times she had been disregarded by Samantha, Brian, and the servants yesterday and today came rushing back at once, it wasn't easy to control her emotions.
"Do you even think of me as your wife?"
Because of that, Lily asked the question she had always wondered but never dared to ask, and immediately regretted it. She could guess what answer Fredric would give. He would undoubtedly say that he doesn't think of her as his wife.
"Of course I think of you as my wife."
"..."
Taken aback by the completely unexpected answer, Lily blinked her eyes wide.
"Because I think of you as my wife, I let you live off my money without saying anything."
If he had stopped there, she might have felt somewhat touched, but his additional words mercilessly scratched at Lily's pride and evoked a sense of humiliation.
"You don't seem to know, but your mother's hospital bills aren't the only weakness I'm holding onto."
Fredric continued as he tidied up Lily's disheveled collar.
"The space you stay in, the clothes you wear, the food you eat... I hold all of it as leverage."
Lily wanted to deny it, but she couldn't. It was all true.
If she hadn't married Fredric, not only would she have been unable to pay for her mother's hospital bills, but her standard of living would have plummeted to rock bottom.
That fact gnawed even more at Lily's pride and sealed her lips. The clothes she was wearing felt as heavy as stones and prickly as thorns.
"So it would be better to know your place and live quietly, my dear wife."
Having finished adjusting her collar, Fredric lightly grasped Lily's long hair that fell over her chest, kissed it, and whispered.
"Otherwise, next time you might not be able to see your mother even if you rent a shared carriage."
Search "lover" on redcatty(.)com to read ahead up to chapter 70.