Rowena knew Dowager Duchess Rossella well; they had known each other even when they were young before Dowager Duchess Rossella assumed her title of Duchess by marrying Ashon's father. Rossella has always been a role model; even her friends have submitted to her, but Rowena is jealous of Rossella and tries to be like her friend. Until Rowena, who did not have a noble title, eventually became Mr. Aldor's mistress and entered into an official marriage after Mrs. Sofia, Katherine's mother, died. Even though Rossella is often imitated, Rossella still considers Rowena a friend. Even on this occasion, Rossella gave her permission for the match that Rowena actually proposed to Rossella.

Rowena used her connections as close friends to land a candidate for son-in-law of the year. Despite the rumors circulating that Ashton is in a relationship with Darrellyn Orva, who is none other than the nemesis of her first daughter Eleana Russell. Rowena still wants to match Katherine no matter what, even if she has to force things to make Katherine an honorable duchess. Katherine is a good child; after marrying a Duke, Katherine will definitely not forget the services of her mother and stepsister.

Rowena turned around to go back into her house, but she noticed Katherine trailing behind her languidly. Rowena turned around again. She waited for her daughter's steps to match hers. “What happened? Everything went smoothly; you should be happy, my daughter," said Rowena. Katherine's gaze was still cold, and the girl preferred to continue her steps into their house.

“Kath, did anything happen while you two were chatting together?” Rowena asked. Katherine put down her coat; she walked upstairs to then rest in her room.

"It's impossible you don't like him; I see you are so attracted to that man."

"That guy who isn't interested in me," Katherine said languidly. Rowena rushed over, “What did he say? He's not a bad and rude man; he didn't hurt you, right?”

“Oh no, he's so cute, and he's handsome. You managed to make me fall in love with him at one glance, but you never said that he had a girlfriend, and that girlfriend was Darrellyn Orva." Katherine was a little emotional; this was the first time she had fallen in love and the first time she had been rejected.

Oh no, if Katherine knew that Ashton had a girlfriend, she would reject him first. "What is wrong with it? Relationships can end in the middle of the road if they are not matched." Rowena's words were indeed in line with what she had done before, namely snatching someone else's man.

"I don't want to take other people's property, especially if it's a man!" The sudden memory of Rowena stealing her father away from her own birthmother, Katherine, made her sad and angry at the same time.

"Katherine, romantic relationships can end in the middle of the road; husband-and-wife bonds can also end in the middle of the road; separation always exists even if they love each other and are united by marriage; it is not impossible if death separates them."

“Is that what you always hold in your life?”

“Are you repeating what happened when I married your father?” Rowena asked, but Katherine did not continue her words to answer yes or no; she hated Rowena, who was suspected of being the cause of her mother's death, but all this time Rowena had taken care of her from the age of eight until now without any drawbacks with the results of her hard work—even though Katherine knew some of the money she had—what Rowena made was from some bad guys who needed Rowena's warmth, but Rowena said repeatedly that she only gave Katherine money from her business, not from the bad guys Rowena brought to her house.

"You never appreciated my efforts to take care of you and raise you until now, Eleana, and I have never even tried to hurt you. Even if I wanted to, I would not do it because you are the daughter of the man I love. Do you have to continue to be a dissident to us? Can't you just obey even if it's good for your future? Look at Ashton's title: With all the achievements and perfect physique of a fantasy character in a novel that has no gaps, do you not want to have one as a woman?”

"I don't want to take another woman's man." Katherine's words trembled a little. Rowena knew that her daughter was starting to waver.

"Then you won't get anything; live by lamenting yesterday's events until you grow old alone." Rowena's words stuck in Katherine's heart. Lately, Katherine has been afraid of living alone and struggling with yesterday's trauma alone. When Rowena brings this up, it feels even more painful and gathers into black smoke, which is called fear.

“Do you want that? Maybe all this time Eleana and I were ugly in your eyes because we tend to go after what we want, but now you will understand our reasons. We are squeezed by circumstances; we just want to be happy, and we don't want to live in poverty like before your father took us to his mansion. You know I carried your father's daughter to live in the countryside alone with Eleana for fear that the public would gossip about your baron father.

You know how difficult my life with Eleana was? After all the tears, we were determined to take the happiness that should also have a right for us. Katherine was silent—not that she didn't understand, but that was also spinning in her brain. Even though Rowena was wrong, she turned things around as if she were the most tormented by yesterday's incident.

Even though there was a family that was destroyed by her, her mother died, she has an increasingly strained relationship with her father, and now she lives with no purpose other than fixing all the messes of her mother and stepmother. Katherine didn't want to race over who was the saddest; Katherine just didn't know what to say anymore. She hated Rowena and everything she took, but Katherine didn't want to hurt her feelings.

“I just want that guy to walk towards me first. I don't want to bother myself by snatching another woman's man; I will accept it if she also loves me." Katherine's words succeeded in making Rowena smile happily. Rowena drew closer, looking more relaxed now as if she had her zest for life back. Rowena held her second daughter's hand tightly.

"I'm sure sooner or later he will love you back, believe me." Rowena reassured Katherine that even if she had to resort to cunning, Rowena wouldn't mind at all. Rowena will make Ashton love her daughter at any cost. Rowena was not going to tell Katherine about this plan because she knew Katherine would not like her, and for that she would have to do it alone.

***

A horse-drawn carriage sped past in the middle of the night towards a deserted countryside, the cold air enveloping after the sun had set. Passing through the pitch-dark trees, the horse-drawn carriage stopped at a simple house with minimal lighting; there were only two candles on each side of the door outside.

Unexpectedly, Rowena got out of the carriage, and with her warm coat sweeping the floor, Rowena without hesitation went in there to meet someone. Without knocking, Rowena strolled into the house. A woman suspected of being the owner of the house seemed to have been waiting for her all along. Covered by a transparent curtain, Rowena was still able to see the grin of the woman inside.

When Rowena opened the curtain, she could see a woman in a bright red dress with red lips smiling meaningfully. The woman touched the magic ball in front of her with her slender fingers covered in black gloves. "I thought someone important would come."

“Am I that important to other people?” Rowena asked, without hesitation, sitting in the chair across from the woman.

"You brought something?" "You think I'm stupid to ask other people's services?" asked Rowena; from what she said, it seemed they were quite close indeed.

"Then what do you want, my friend?" the woman kept on giving a smirk on her face, but Rowena seemed used to it.

“Duke of Edinburgh.”

"You want to sleep with a new man?" the woman asked, slightly surprised, after only the other day Rowena had asked her for a young man. Every time a man rejects her, her escape is to this place to meet the woman so she can melt any man she wants.

"You're not very smart, Lauren."

"Tsk, if you don't acknowledge my ability, why do you come here every time you want to melt someone?" said the woman called Lauren, her hands busy circling the magic ball in front of her.

“Yes, that you know. The point is I want the Duke of Edinburgh for my daughter Katherine," said Rowena.

"Finally, you got to the point of wanting to take advantage of the girl situation beside you."

"I consider her my daughter; I want the best for her," said Rowena.

“True, and you have a lot of sneaky sides to it.”

"I'm trying to control that," Rowena sighed. Her initial goal was to accept Katherine for her to take care of so that the child would be useful to her, but gradually Rowena felt sorry for her and wanted to think of her as her second daughter. After all, Eleana considered Katherine as her sister, so there was no other reason, let alone Mr. Aldora entrusted Katherine to her.

"I know."

“Now tell me the future of the Duke of Edinburgh. Will he choose my daughter?” Rowena asked. While closing her eyes, Madam Lauren circled her magic ball and cast a spell. Rowena waited quietly for Madam Lauren a few minutes later to open her eyes abruptly.

"He will marry the daughter of a baron; it's a bit complicated to see, but your daughter will be recognized by the public as his fiancée." Rowena became so excited when she heard, "Is the woman he is going to marry my daughter Katherine?" Unfortunately, Madam Lauren shook her head weakly, “She will marry the one she loves.”

"Is that Darrelyn the daughter of Sir James Orva?" "What's clear is that it's not your daughter." Rowena suddenly became gloomy; she tried to ask Madam Lauren to help her in any way the Duke of Edinburgh had to succeed in getting her second daughter.

"Is there any other way to get the man to glance at Katherine?" Rowena asked.

"Yes, if the man is tempted and your daughter wants to tease him."

"Shit, Katherine isn't that kind of woman; it's hard for me to tell her, unlike Eleana, who always complied with my requests." Rowena bit her fingernails worriedly.

“I know, but I see Katherine has feelings for that man. If you are in love, anyone will do what she wants until she gets it. Katherine will be blinded by love and follow what you say.”