    　　As Arthur Mu got up with Jessica Mo in his arms, he kicked over the mahogany table in front of him. The exquisite dishes that Camille and herself had made for two hours all fell off the table and littered the floor.

    　　Camille Ah was so scared that she knelt down on the ground immediately.

    　　Elizabeth looks at Arthur Mu, who was now slowly walking towards her. Her face was pale and she can't believe it. "I don’t understand, how…I didn't do anything, I didn't..."

    　　"You have the nerve to try and poison us?"

    　　Arthur Mu stood in front of Elizabeth, raised his arm, slapped her cheek. The crisp sound reverberated across the hall, followed by the sound of Elizabeth falling to the ground. The wound on her cheek, which had started healing, began bleeding again.

    　　"I didn't, I really didn't..."

    　　Even if she couldn't get up, even if her cheek was stained with b

    　　As she lay on the cold ground, Elizabeth dreamed of a young Arthur Mu.

    　　The beautiful scenery of wild flowers on the hillside has distracted her. She has lost sight of her father. The boy is out hunting. He is by himself.

    　　Arthur’s facial features are more delicate. His long hair, thick and silky, is pulled back in a bun. He is much shorter.

    　　After trying to hunt down a hare, the boy has fallen into a hunter's trap. Elizabeth walks past, and happens upon him, trying to break out of the trap. He is crying in pain.

    　　Arthur, thinking that Elizabeth might lose her wits and fall into the trap herself, screams for her to move away. She ignores him and moves closer. She has already pulled out her needle and thread. She squats beside him.

    　　“I secretly took this from my mother," she tells the boy. She looks straight at him, staring him in the eye. "It may hurt 

    　　"Miss, let me do the rough work." In the noisy kitchen, Camille was crying as she chopped vegetables.

    　　"What are you crying for? I'm fine, aren't I?" Elizabeth spoke as gently as she could, and managed a weak smile on her face. She wasn’t much of a cook, so she had to support her maid who was doing the actual cooking.

    　　Her mistress had gone through so much yesterday, and had finally passed out on the bed. But the lady of the house had asked for her sister’s cooking. Elizabeth had to force herself to get up, and drag her body to the kitchen.

    　　"But, miss..."

    　　The old woman, who was ordered to watch them, interrupted. "What are you waiting for? Are you really going to let Duchess and Mr. Duke wait?"

    　　Elizabeth walked out of the kitchen with an iron bucket. "I'm going to fetch water and wash the dishes." Although the snow had stopped, the wind blew fiercely, piercing the air with its whistling. It hurt her face. Elizabeth was very thin, and she found it difficult to move.

    　　In the kitchen, the servants who normally did the cooking had gathered at the door to watch them. They’d thought she was a high-born girl, but now it seemed she was even lower than her own maid. Their voices were loud enough for her to hear. Soon, she knew, word of her plight would spread all over the city. She didn’t care.

    　　The cold, snowy weather had already frozen the hemp rope. The thick layer of ice made it harder to draw water from the well. When Elizabeth finally got a bucket of water, her tender white palm had already been blurred by the broken ice.

    　　Zhao looked at the distance in the cold wind. Stubbornly, even though she was swaying and feeling weak, she stood proud.

    　　…………

    　　"My sister's cooking tastes just like home."

    　　Two hours later, delicate dishes were placed on the table. Elizabeth, who had been paralyzed by cold, stood beside Camille Ah, who had done most of the cooking. Jessica Mo was wearing a pink plum-colored snow fox fur jacket, padded with cotton. Nestled in Arthur Mu's arms, she looked warm and comfortable, and her eyes were wistful.

    　　"Homesick again?"

    　　Arthur Mu's voice is soft. He picked up his chopsticks, clipped a piece of fried crisp meat and raised it to Jessica Mo. Carefully, with his fingertips, he wiped the oil stains off of her lips.

    　　"It took great courage to report your family to the Emperor. Jessica, I've wronged you."

    　　Jessica Mo's eyes were a little red, pitifully tight. "If my father had been able to rebel against the East Window Incident, wouldn't it affect the Duke?"

    　　"I know that you can rest assured that I will take care of you. I’m never going to leave you."

    　　Maybe, no one among his constituents would believe it, without seeing it for themselves. Arthur Mu, who was known to be indifferent and distant, was so tender and considerate to his wife.

    　　Elizabeth lowered her eyes and looked at her toes. Her heart began to ache uncontrollably. Once, Arthur Mu had also vowed that he would love her all his life.

    　　Suddenly, Jessica cried out in pain. "Duke, master Duke! I have a stomachache--"

    　　Elizabeth looked up in surprise and saw that Jessica had slammed down the bowl in her hand. Her face is extremely pale. She grabbed Arthur Mu's broad sleeve with one hand and pointed to Elizabeth with the other. "Sister, what did you put in this food?"


　　As Arthur Mu got up with Jessica Mo in his arms, he kicked over the mahogany table in front of him. The exquisite dishes that Camille and herself had made for two hours all fell off the table and littered the floor.

    　　Camille Ah was so scared that she knelt down on the ground immediately.

    　　Elizabeth looks at Arthur Mu, who was now slowly walking towards her. Her face was pale and she can't believe it. "I don’t understand, how…I didn't do anything, I didn't..."

    　　"You have the nerve to try and poison us?"

    　　Arthur Mu stood in front of Elizabeth, raised his arm, slapped her cheek. The crisp sound reverberated across the hall, followed by the sound of Elizabeth falling to the ground. The wound on her cheek, which had started healing, began bleeding again.

    　　"I didn't, I really didn't..."

    　　Even if she couldn't get up, even if her cheek was stained with blood, Elizabeth still rubbed her body and climbed to Arthur Mu's feet. She reached out her h

Chapter 7