Went to the Wrong Door
Indeed, ever since Alexander Hayes moved into Lily Evans’s room to care for Charles Hayes together, the couple barely slept and were exhausted. But sharing these hardships made them appreciate each other’s efforts even more, deepening their empathy and understanding. Now with a son, their bond grew stronger than ever.
Meanwhile, Sophie White had been recovering at the Lin Family Residence for twenty days. Her injuries were mostly healed, and she could finally move about freely again.
During those twenty days, Alexander Hayes did not visit Sophie White daily as she had hoped. Instead, he only stopped by occasionally to say a few words before leaving, which left Sophie feeling quite dissatisfied.
“Back when I was at the barracks, Alex was never this cold to me. It must be that Lily Evans whispering bad things about me in his ear, making him keep his distance!” Sophie blamed everything on Lily Evans, never realizing Lily didn’t even care enough to notice her.
While Sophie White was bedridden, her hatred for Lily Evans grew day by day. Now that she could walk again, her first order of business was to pay Lily a visit at the Prince of Qin’s Manor!
After bathing, Sophie White put on her prettiest dress and carefully styled herself. She knew Lily Evans was still in confinement after childbirth—surely a woman in that state couldn’t look good, probably all messy and tired, nothing like Sophie’s youthful beauty.
All dolled up, Sophie White marched boldly to the Prince of Qin’s Manor, using the excuse of visiting the Princess Consort as her ticket in.
It was broad daylight, and Alexander Hayes was away at the palace for a meeting, nowhere to be found at home.
Sophie White, looking elegant and poised, was all set to show Lily Evans—who she imagined to be a disheveled mess after childbirth—just how young and beautiful she was. But fate had other plans; she didn’t even make it through the gate of Lily’s courtyard.
“The Princess Consort is still in confinement and not receiving visitors. Miss White, please return.” Lola, who was off duty from teaching at the Academy, stood expressionless at the door, blocking Sophie’s way.
Sophie White looked at Lola, still just a kid, and dismissed her. She tried to walk right past, saying, “Do you even know who I am? How dare you stop me? I’m Alex’s little sister, here to see my sister-in-law! Why shouldn’t I be allowed in?”
Lola swiftly blocked Sophie’s way. Sophie grew impatient, ready to force her way in, when suddenly a gentle, clear female voice rang out from inside, as melodious as a mountain stream.
“Our Prince is an only child—he has no siblings. Miss, I think you’ve come to the wrong place and mistaken the wrong person.” Lily Evans’s voice was calm and unhurried.
Then another crisp female voice chimed in, “Oh dear, girls these days are always mistaking brothers and sisters. My family’s the same—so many random girls show up at my house uninvited, insisting they’re my husband’s sisters! ‘Brother’ this, ‘sister’ that—I started wondering if some courtesan from a brothel was coming to call! I got so mad I gave Mark Hunter a good talking-to. Turns out, those so-called sisters just wanted to cozy up because Mark’s got money.”
Lily Evans’s cheerful laughter followed: “Oh Cynthia, Mark Hunter is loyal and devoted to you—he’d never be out there picking up random sisters! Only a shameless vixen would keep calling herself his sister. No decent girl would act like that, don’t you agree?”