Her Graceful War Song novel Chapter 834

The last flicker of hope in Amelia's heart vanished.

The exhausting days and nights pressed down on her, making it hard to breathe. Her harsh mother-in-law and sister-in-law, the inaction of the men, and that wicked woman, Aurora, who occasionally emerged from her hiding place in Blessed Haven to snatch things away—it all added up.

This house no longer felt like a home. It was a cage.

Dragged to Rebecca's chamber, Amelia was forced to kneel beside the bed. She looked up blankly at her father-in-law and Barrett, both wearing expressions of blame. Her gaze shifted to her husband, whose eyes burned with fury.

He slapped Amelia hard, then turned to his mom and said, "Mom, please calm down. I've already taught her a lesson. She won't dare do that again."

Seeing her son's devotion, Rebecca finally relented, "Fine. She's not from a prominent family, so it's not surprising that she's a bit stingy and shabby in her ways."

Amelia's cheek throbbed with pain, but it was nothing compared to the ache in her heart. After the heartache came a numbness that wrapped around her.

The next day, before dawn, the servants preparing to go out to buy meat and vegetables noticed the back door was wide open, letting in a chilling wind.

"Why wasn't the back door closed last night? Who was so careless?" one of the servants grumbled. "If something goes missing, we'll have to blame someone. There are enough problems to deal with as it is."

He wrapped his coat tighter around himself as he stepped out the back door, shutting it against the cold breeze. "It's getting colder. Why hasn't the winter clothing been issued yet this year?"

As he muttered, he moved to the side yard to fetch a cart and head out into the alley.

When Benjamin woke up and didn't see Amelia in their room, he didn't think much of it. She usually got up early to attend to Rebecca. After the punishment he had given her last night, she would likely be even more attentive. Feeling slightly reassured that he had his wife under control—unlike his brother, who was at the mercy of two women—he thought nothing of it.