Chapter 1

I was born with a constitution blessed by nature, designed to conceive and bear life with ease.

Yet, on the day I married into the Commander's estate, my husband deemed me too full-figured for his delicate, refined tastes.

He threw me into a drafty side room.

Meanwhile, my coy, scheming stepsister managed to crawl into his bed.

To take her as his equal wife, they plundered my dowry and buried me alive in the barren hills.

I died with vengeance burning in my heart.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day my husband and stepsister betrayed me.

Unlike my past life, I did not weep or create a scene.

I handed him a divorce agreement and turned to walk into the palace, marrying the Sovereign who had been childless for years.

1

Commander Gideon was tangled in the sheets with Beatrix on my bed.

When they saw me, he panicked and knocked over a candle.

Beatrix, however, remained chillingly calm.

She flaunted the red marks on her waist from Gideon's grip and smirked at me.

"Sister, your body is too voluptuous, far too thick for the Commander's taste. Since he cannot stomach you, I must step in to serve him."

"I am lithe and dainty, like a willow in the wind, perfect for holding his heart."

Her words were daggers meant for my chest.

I was born for fertility, blessed with curves that made conception effortless.

Unlike her, I lacked the fragile appearance that men find so pitifully attractive.

She was thin and bird-like, a picture of frailty that appealed to the traditionalists.

But she did not know the secret power of a woman like me.

My physique held a hidden allure that could keep a man breathless and unable to leave my side.

Only those who truly bedded me would understand the thrill.

My husband despised my figure, keeping me in a side room and never touching me, so he never discovered the secret of my fertile nature.

Gideon finally regained his composure and found his arrogance again.

"Penelope, your body makes me sick. I have not touched you once! I have just returned from a great victory, and my future is limitless. I will not settle for less, and since I have taken your sister, I will marry her."

"From now on, you will both be wives of equal status. You have been in this house longer, so prepare a lavish dowry for her, and ensure she enters this home in style!"

Looking at the two of them, so entitled and smug, I knew I had truly been reborn.

It was exactly the same as my past life.

They felt no guilt, only an insolent belief that they could trample me underfoot.

Back then, I was consumed by grief and despair, refusing to accept their cruelty.

When I first married into the estate, it was a hollow shell, struggling to make ends meet.

I wanted to make a life there, so I consistently used my own dowry to subsidize the estate.

I honored his mother and supported his sister, never stinting on money, yet Gideon chose to repay my kindness with such betrayal.

Living this life again, I felt none of the former suffocation or internal strife.

I simply glared at him coldly.

"When you begged to marry me, you promised we would be the only ones for each other. Now you discard your vows as easily as changing clothes. Besides, of all the people in the world, why pick my own stepsister to insult me?"

"The household accounts have been in the red for years. There is no money left to welcome her in luxury!"

Gideon scoffed at me.

"With your unappealing figure, it is a miracle I haven't kicked you to the curb already. You had better be smart and hand over your dowry to help me wed my new bride."

Beatrix covered her mouth, feigning innocence.

"Sister, why be so calculative? I am only serving our husband to relieve your burden. You should be thanking me! Why are you acting so aggrieved about providing a little dowry?"

"It is so unvirtuous of you! If our Commander weren't so kind-hearted, he would have divorced you long ago!"

She gave Gideon a new idea.

Gideon stared at me coldly.

"Penelope, you should be satisfied! Otherwise, casting you aside with a single divorce paper would be easy."