Revenge: Start by Not Loving Him

Logan Dent, Jeremy's head servant, stepped forward, grabbing Jessica by the collar and unleashing a flurry of slaps across her face.

The first strike made her cry out in pain, but after that, she clenched her teeth and endured, refusing to make another sound.

The only noise in the room was the sharp "smack" of his hand against her skin.

The more she held her silence, the angrier Jeremy became. He was curious to see just how long she could withstand the punishment. But ultimately, it was Jeremy who faltered first.

When he finally ordered Logan to stop, Jessica's face was swollen beyond recognition, blood and saliva mixing at the corners of her mouth, staining her clothes with dark, ugly splotches.

Jeremy looked at her in this pitiful state, wanting to say something, but in the end, he simply turned and left with Logan, the silence between them heavy with unspoken words.

Once she was alone, Jessica slowly crawled to the edge of the bed, too weak to climb up. Instead, she leaned against it, her gaze fixed on the ceiling. All she wanted was to see the sky outside.

Time slipped away as she sat there, her eyes locked on the ceiling, until exhaustion finally took over, and she drifted into a deep sleep.

The next day, when Cate noticed Jessica had not come to pay her respects, Cate sent a young maid to check on her.

Knowing Jessica well after years of service, Cate understood her temperament; if something hadn't happened, she wouldn't simply ignore her duties.

The maid returned quickly, her expression filled with concern. "Your Majesty, she… I don't know what's wrong with her. Her face is swollen, and she's just sitting there, staring at the ceiling. If I hadn't seen her eyelids flutter, I would have thought she was dead."

Cate listened, a long pause hanging in the air before she finally spoke, "Who can make sense of palace matters? Let her be. Just pretend you've never been there, and I haven't heard a word from you. Remember, in the palace, it's often best to keep things to yourself."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I understand," the maid replied, bowing her head.

After that day, Jeremy didn't step foot in the harem for a full week. When he finally returned to Jessica's room, he found her lifeless body slumped against the bed.

She was still wearing the same clothes from that day, though the bloodstains had long since dried.

"Jessica." His heart skipped a beat as he rushed to her side, carefully checking for a pulse. A wave of despair washed over him until, after what felt like an eternity, he finally detected a faint breath.

Quickly, he lifted her onto the bed and called to Logan, "Get a doctor—now!"

Doctors from the royal hospital were summoned one after another to Jessica's quarters, but they were all at a loss.

She had lost the ability to swallow, and there was nothing they could feed her.

The outcome was clear, and no one needed to say a word.

"Bring me a bowl of sugar water," Jeremy suddenly commanded.

Moments later, a servant entered, carrying a bowl of sugar water. Jeremy took it from her and coldly ordered, "Everyone out."

The room emptied in an instant.

He settled beside Jessica on the bed, taking a sip of the sugar water before setting the bowl aside. Gently, he lifted her up, pouring the sweet liquid into her mouth, using his own strength to coax her to swallow it.

By the time he finished feeding her the entire bowl, he was drenched in sweat.

He laid her back down softly, his fingers tracing the contours of her face, a mixture of tenderness and regret flooding through him.

Jeremy remembered how radiant she looked when she gave him candy, her face alight with joy. He recalled her desperate pleas, pulling palace maids along to beg a eunuch not to subject him to castration.

He remembered her haughty demeanor in public and the tender, gentle smiles she reserved for him in private. He could still see her eyes filled with love as she called him Jeremy and declared her affection, as well as the steely resolve on her face when she drove a knife into her own body.