"Go, and never touch me again!" Bree snapped even louder, knowing that Rad hadn't moved yet and that he might be staring at her back.
"I still don't understand why you hate me." Rad finally showed emotion, his voice sounding puzzled. Bree turned, adding another look of disdain for him.
"No need to understand! It's up to me!"
"Hmm... it shouldn't be like that. You are mine, and I haven't done..."
"I'M NOT YOURS, you bastard! We might be married, but that doesn't mean I belong to you! You...!" Bree gasped as Rad somehow approached and gripped both of Bree's cheeks, forcing her to look at him.
"I own you, not because of the marriage. Have you forgotten? You won't live and breathe without me! You belong to me because of that!" Rad said it with an angry face. He didn't like the fact that Bree hated him.
"Don't you think you should be grateful to me?"
Bree pulled away from Rad's grip, turning away and curling up to cover her body. He's right. Bree forgot about that.
On her wedding day, something changed. Rad saved her life at that moment, killing the robbers who attacked her at the right time. This loop of life would have ended quickly if Rad hadn't saved her then. Bree indeed owed her life to him, even though he was also the target of Bree's revenge.
"Not only are you ungrateful, but you also hate me? Isn't this absurd?" Rad scoffs with frowning eyebrows.
"You're... filthy!"
Bree almost cursed but managed to choose words decent enough. Although it ended up confusing Rad.
"What? I didn't..."
"You've slept with many other women with your body! I hate you because you're sordid! You prefer..."
Bree stopped her tongue just before saying, 'You prefer them over me.' That statement would be jealousy. Bree didn't want to show jealousy toward him.
"How do you know?" Rad asked, still in confusion.
Bree glanced because Rad's voice had distanced. He was standing again.
"I'm not blind!"
"Troublesome!" That's it. After saying that confusing word, Rad turned around and exited the bathroom.
"Campy, call Aima!" Rad called out, while Bree wiped her face with warm water. She hid her tears and felt foolish.
The reality of how Rad didn't refute being with other women was hard for Bree to accept. At least a denial would have preserved Bree's dignity as his wife, but unfortunately, he did not provide one. He admitted it calmly, placing Bree lower than all those women. A reality that undoubtedly made Bree even more hate him.
The door echoed with a timid call, "Duchess?"
Bree hurriedly gathered water around her to wash her face, so Aima wouldn't see her tears.
"Take the dress," Bree said, her voice a bit hoarse but clear.
"Duke Valois already asked me to take your dress earlier," Aima explained as she approached Bree.
"I think you should soak a bit longer if your body is still sore." Aima must have heard the explanation of Bree's condition from Rad.
"Where is he?" Bree asked.
"Duke Valois?" Aima wasn't sure who Bree was asking about, only understanding when Bree nodded.
"Back to the study below."
The answer made Bree's body relax again, and she was relieved that Rad wasn't in her room.
"Fine. I'll soak a bit longer," Bree said.
"Good. I'll sprinkle some salt then." Aima opened the wooden box she brought and sprinkled some salt into Bree's bath.
Salt and warm water were effective in relieving stiff muscles and pain. Bree shifted, leaning on the edge of the wooden tub. She calmed herself, collecting her wits to stay strong.
If she had followed her emotions, Bree might have left this room immediately and returned to her room. But that would be a foolish decision, because Bree needed to recover. If soaking in warm water would help her heal faster, she would do it.
Setting aside how she ended up in this situation, Bree wanted to recover quickly and carry out her plans. By doing so, she would be able to avenge her wounded pride. Bree spent less than half an hour in the warm water. She wouldn't have minded a longer soak, but the water in the tub had become cold.
With Aima's assistance, Bree tidied herself up in the bathroom, wearing the dress Aima brought and drying her hair. The journey back to her room was not as dramatic as before. Rad was still not there, so Bree returned to her room without hindrance.
"Are you going to sleep immediately?" Aima asked.
Bree nodded, sitting on the bed. Once her body was dry and warm, a powerful drowsiness overcame her.
"Duchess, you should drink this." Aima handed her a glass containing a dark brown liquid.
"What is this?" From its scent, which was far from sweet, Bree could guess it was medicine, but she didn't know what kind.
"It's to help you sleep more soundly. Duke Valois asked the kitchen to prepare it."
And Bree hated herself again. She easily allowed Rad to play with her heart. Earlier, she had resolved to despise Rad, but now a mere bit of attention easily swayed her. This attention gave Bree hope, even though she knew that in the end, Rad would choose Amber and ignore her.
Part of Bree wanted to change this future, maybe by preventing Rad from meeting Amber. But for what?
In the end, Rad was still a sordid man who chose to sleep with other women rather than his wife on their wedding night. A man who spent dozens of nights with different women. A man who couldn't be relied upon.
Bree wanted to hate him, and it would be easier if he ignored her. This attention clouded Bree's mind.
Bree clasped her hands together, her thumbs moving to stroke the ring on her ring finger. The ring her mother had given her gave her a sense of calm.
However, Bree's thumb stopped moving, and she realized that the ring on her finger was a different shape. Bree raised her hand, staring at the ring finger that now held Rad's wedding ring.
"Aima, please fetch that box." Bree pointed to the box on her vanity table.
"But this..." Aima raised the glass with the medicine.
Bree grabbed it and drank it without thinking. Just like before, she thought practically. She needed a good night's sleep to recover, so she would take it without thinking about where the medicine came from.
Thinking like that couldn't erase Bree's hope for Rad, but at least her body would be healthy.
"Box," Bree said, and Aima nodded. She quickly grabbed the box and handed it to Bree.
Bree hastily opened it, searching for her mother's ring.
"Nothing?" Bree poured the entire contents of the box onto the bed, but her mother's ring was not there. There were only a few pieces of jewelry that she brought from Le Mans.
Bree then realized something. She should never have put her mother's ring in the box because, in this timeline, Irene would not dare to scold her for wearing it. Irene said those rings would look cheap and embarrassing if someone from Valois wore them.
Bree raised her hand again, staring at her ring finger where her wedding ring should have been. The ring should have stayed on her middle finger. Bree hadn't realized where the ring was until today, thinking it had always been on her finger.
"Aima, please tidy up."
Bree handed over the box and drifted into thought as Aima moved.
Bree lay back with a furrowed brow. She wouldn't accuse anyone of taking it, because the ring wasn't valuable. It wasn't jewelry; it was more like a toy ring. Made of copper with a blue stone.
The possibility of the ring falling was slim, as the ring was a bit too tight; it was challenging to take it off her finger.
Where could the ring be?