A True Queen

Prologue:

“All you do is eat, sleep, and laze around the house. I am tired of that, you barren woman!” My husband, Lord Patrick Gattar, shouted as he forcefully grabbed my hair. Pain shot through every inch of my scalp, and my eyes welled up with tears. He dragged me across the room, pinning me against the wall. I couldn't plead; I tried to speak, but no words emerged. Pleading would only lead to more beatings, worse than before.

I could feel my pale skin reddening as he tightened his grip on my hair. Tears streamed down my face, and I bit my lip to stifle my cries of pain. He released me briefly and then—

Smack.

His palm struck my face, and I couldn't hold back the sobs any longer. Servants watched with pity or smirks, and I couldn't blame them. The lady of the proud House of Gattar was being humiliated by her husband in the most degrading way possible. I didn't blame them for their expressions.

“Useless wench! Why are you dolled up? Hoping to entice me to waste my seed inside you again, huh?” He taunted, pouring salt on my wounds. He breathed heavily as he ruthlessly removed the silver hairpin from my bun, surely taking countless strands of hair with it. My hair fell, and he ripped away other accessories.

“I don't want to see this on you ever again! No rouge! No accessories! No jewelry. I want to see the ugly ogre I married. The ogre who won't give me an heir!" He shoved me away, and I crashed hard onto the unforgiving floor. The fancy rug and multiple layers of my dress did nothing to cushion the fall. Every part of my body ached as my sobs grew louder.

I sobbed, not only from the physical pain but from the emotional torment inflicted by the man I had fallen in love with a decade ago. The man who once cherished me and promised me the world had transformed into a monster because I couldn't bear him a child. My eight-year-long marriage remained childless.

Miss Marilyn Rusé, once renowned as the golden maiden of Ruqgu. That was my nickname when I was sixteen—the most beautiful maiden in the entire city. Marrying into a powerful family like Gattar was expected, given my background.

The House of Rusé ranked among Ruqgu's five most prestigious families, and I was their beloved daughter, pampered and spoiled to excess. Abuse was a foreign concept during my upbringing, and I was too noble to mistreat anyone, even servants. While my friends bullied their servants and slave girls, I befriended them, raised by a maid myself. I lost my mother at a tender age, and servants became my family. When I turned ten, Eria, my handmaid, became my best friend.

At sixteen, I was betrothed to Lord Patrick of the House of Gattar. We were childhood friends, and love blossomed, hastening our marriage. Recollections of his former kindness fueled my hope amidst the torment.

Initially, he stood by me in the face of our childless years, defending me against the branch families who bullied me. However, as our marriage reached its fifth year without a child, he resorted to desperate measures. He filled me with fertility herbs, hired countless doctors, and forced me to ingest endless concoctions that practically became my daily sustenance.

Now, he had reached his breaking point, morphing into a hateful stranger. I wondered at times if he ever truly loved me. He drank excessively, abused me, and frequented brothels, leaving me untouched for months. When he did desire me, it was a violent, unwanted act. He taunted me mercilessly about my barrenness, weaving the word 'barren' into every sentence.