Chapter 2

Juliana Barnett, the only daughter of Count Barnett.
The cherished girl he raised as if she were a precious jewel.
A model of grace and etiquette, known as the flower of high society.
The most desirable bride among the noble families.

That was how everyone saw her.

But the truth was very different.

Juliana was not the count’s real daughter. She had been adopted and purchased, really—so he could use her as a bargaining chip in a political marriage.

Count Barnett arranged for her to marry into the powerful Everett family, who owned gold mines and had close ties to the imperial court.
Through that marriage, he secured exclusive trade rights and rose to the rank of a central noble, officially recognized by the royal family.

Her husband, Felix Everett, was known for his affairs with women.
Yet despite that, he was cruelly possessive of Juliana.

He watched her constantly, controlling her every move.
Worse, he would often hit her and scream at her without warning.

During her entire marriage, Juliana was never free.
She couldn’t meet with others or go out on her own.
She lived like a prisoner in her own home.

Her life was little different from being locked away, but as long as she kept quiet, it was bearable.
So Juliana chose to live as if she weren’t really there—quiet and invisible.

Even when Felix brought other women into the house and behaved shamelessly, she didn’t react. She had taught herself not to care.

But one day, something happened that she couldn’t ignore.

While Felix was away, Tristan Barnett came to visit.
He was officially her older brother.
But they both knew the truth, they weren’t related by blood. They were strangers who had only been tied together by the same last name.

“Madam Marquess, Young Lord Tristan Barnett has arrived.”

When Juliana heard the butler’s words, the color drained from her face.

“Tell him, I’m not feeling well and won’t be seeing any visitors today.”

But the butler, Martin, gave her a strange smile and replied calmly.

“Young Lord Barnett said that if you refuse again, he’ll wait until you change your mind. Forgive me for saying this, Madam, but turning away a family member like this might harm the reputation of House Everett.”

Juliana didn’t know that Martin had accepted a bribe from Tristan and was trying to pressure her.
With no other choice, she gave a small, reluctant nod.

“Fine. I’ll go to the drawing room.”

Juliana had no desire to see him, but she couldn’t risk damaging the reputation of House Everett. With a heavy heart, she made her way toward the drawing room.

“Juliana!”

As soon as she entered, Tristan stood up quickly and called her name with an almost desperate tone.

Juliana stopped in her tracks, unable to hide the wave of disgust rising inside her. She took a moment to steady her breath.

Tristan rushed toward her and grabbed her hand tightly.

“You’ve gone this long without showing your face. Don’t you think that’s a bit cruel?”

To anyone else, he might have sounded like a caring older brother who missed his sister deeply.
But Juliana remembered all too well the way Tristan used to stare at her back at the Barnett estate—his gaze filled with something far from brotherly affection.
Just thinking about it made her skin crawl.

“Bring us some tea,” Juliana said to the maid standing nearby.

At the same time, she subtly pulled her hand free from Tristan’s grip, making her intentions clear.

“Yes, my lady.”

The maid bowed respectfully and left the room.

Once she was gone, the only ones left were the servants stationed in the drawing room.

The rest of the servants followed the maid out, leaving the room empty.

Juliana felt something was wrong.
But she knew if she showed even a hint of fear, Tristan might get excited and do something reckless.
So, she forced herself to stay calm and asked with a steady voice, “What is it? Why are you here?”

“What else? I came because I missed you,” Tristan said with a smirk, reaching out to grab a handful of her platinum-blonde hair. He twirled the ends around his fingers as if playing with a toy.

“Brother, don’t you think it’s time to stop doing things like this?”

Juliana’s voice was cold, controlled.

At her words, Tristan froze for a second, then gave a sneering smile.

“Oh, poor Juliana. Do you really think you’re actually the lady of this house?”

He suddenly pulled her hair hard. The pain was sharp enough to bring tears to her eyes, but Juliana bit her lip, refusing to cry out.

“Let go of me. If the servants from House Everett see this, it won’t be me who gets in trouble—it’ll be you.”

She locked eyes with him, her gaze unflinching and full of warning.

Tristan laughed quietly, clearly amused by her defiance.

“That’s why I pity you, Juli. You still have no idea what’s really going on.”

“What are you talking about?”
Juliana asked sharply, her face pale with tension.

“I mean that no matter how loud you scream, no one is going to come.”

Tristan grabbed her wrist tightly, his eyes dark with menace.

“What do you think you’re doing? Let me go!”

She tried to pull away, but his grip only tightened, and the look in his eyes grew colder.

“You should’ve just given in to me. Do you know how long I’ve wanted you? And yet you act like you’re better than me—like you’re too good for someone like me!”

His gaze was filled with twisted obsession, completely void of reason.

Juliana struggled with all her strength, but she couldn’t overpower him.
His breath brushed against the side of her neck, making her skin crawl with disgust.
Her lace bodice tore, and her skirt was pushed up, exposing her legs.

“Stop! Please, Tristan!”

Juliana screamed, her voice breaking.

And just then—the door to the drawing room burst open.

“Oh my!”

A soft, delicate voice rang in Juliana’s ears.
Shaking with shame, she hurried to fix her torn clothes and sat down, trying to compose herself.

“The two of you… were involved?”

Eileen, Felix’s mistress, looked at her with sparkling eyes, as if she were watching an exciting opera unfold.

Behind her stood Felix, his expression dark and full of fury.

“Felix, this is a misunderstanding. Please, let me explain—”

Juliana tried desperately to speak, but Felix cut her off with an icy voice.

“Take this filthy woman away. Right now.”

After that, Juliana was thrown into solitary confinement.

No matter how many times she begged or cried, no one would listen.
No one believed her.

Days passed, weeks and eventually, months.

Juliana survived on nothing but dry bread and water. Her body grew thin and weak.
Her once-shining platinum hair had become dull and brittle.
Her emerald-green eyes, once filled with life, were now clouded, heavy like a still, dark swamp.

Then one day, the door to the cold, dim cell creaked open.

Light poured in suddenly, bright and overwhelming.

But before she could react to the brightness, Juliana noticed something else.

The smell of warm, delicious food reached her first.

The smell of freshly baked bread, soup, bacon, crisp vegetables, fruit, and cheese hit Juliana all at once.
For someone who had been starving, the scent was almost overwhelming.

Eileen entered, carrying a neatly arranged tray of food, and smiled sweetly when she saw Juliana.

“I must say, I quite like how you look right now.”

The moment Juliana saw her, she understood everything.
She knew now exactly who had orchestrated it all.

“It wasn’t personal. I never hated you. You were just in the position I wanted.”

Juliana let out a dry laugh.
The situation was miserable, but somehow the words sounded like a cruel joke.

And really—what difference did it make now?
Nothing had changed. Nothing ever would.

Her entire life felt meaningless.
The years spent being trained to become the perfect noble lady, all to secure a good marriage.
The people who called themselves “family” while only ever placing burdens on her.
And the man who had treated her more cruelly than anyone, despite calling himself her husband.
She was sick of all of it.

“Still, don’t hate me too much,” Eileen added lightly. “I did open the door on purpose before he could actually do anything to you.”

Juliana said nothing.

What did she expect? Gratitude?

With cold, sharpened eyes, Juliana stared at her.

Juliana stared straight at Eileen.

The other woman flinched and quickly set the tray down on the floor.

“Eat. This is the last bit of kindness I’ll show you.”

“Let me guess. You poisoned it.”

Juliana’s voice was harsh and raw, like metal scraping against stone. It was the first time she had spoken in what felt like ages.

Eileen’s eyes flickered for a moment, as if the truth had struck her—but she quickly recovered and sneered.

“You should be grateful. I could’ve just let you starve to death. Wouldn’t it be better to die with a full stomach?”

She spoke as if she were offering mercy, as if this act somehow made her noble.

But Juliana saw it for what it was.

In the end, Eileen still wanted her dead. This talk of kindness was nothing more than a way to ease her own guilt—something to convince herself she had done the right thing.

A merciful death, as if that would erase the weight of murder.

Juliana didn’t have the strength to argue.

There was no reason left to fight.
No goal, hope and no point in resisting anymore.

Without a word, she reached for the fork.

And then, she shoved food into her mouth, one bite after another, without tasting any of it.
If this was to be her final meal, she had no intention of savoring it.

Moments later, a burning pain surged through her stomach—like her insides were on fire.

She lurched forward, choking, and coughed up blood.

And then, she laughed.

Seeing that, Eileen recoiled in horror.

Eileen cursed her, but Juliana didn’t care.

Felix, that bastard—you can have him.

Leaving that piece of garbage behind felt like a release. Giving him up wasn’t a loss. It was freedom.

And just like that, Juliana’s miserable, painful life came to an end.

At least, that’s how it should have ended.

But when she opened her eyes, something was wrong.
She had somehow returned to one year before the marriage.

It was spring again. She was twenty-one.

And for Juliana, it was the second time she would live that spring.