Emily Foster lowered her head and looked at the sword tightly gripped in her hand. This sword was a gift from her grandfather on her birthday. Not only was it beautiful in appearance, but also extremely sharp. It had always been her most cherished possession. However, though the sword was sharp, it could not sever the bonds of family in this world—at least, at this moment, Emily Foster found herself unable to let go of her attachment to her family.

“Since it’s no longer of use, what’s the point in keeping you?” Emily Foster said, suddenly waving her hand and forcefully throwing her beloved sword out the window. Soon after, the sound of something splashing into water was heard. Not far outside the window was a pond, and the sword had fallen into the water, likely never to be found again.

It was almost the hour of Hai, and the wedding banquet in the front hall was nearly over. Emily Foster sat back on the bed with a blank expression. Since fate was so, she could only choose to submit.

“Bang!” With a loud crash, the bridal chamber door was suddenly flung open, and a strong smell of alcohol rushed in, causing Emily Foster to frown slightly. Immediately after, a staggering figure burst into the room, and then the maid outside quietly closed the door. There was no need to ask—this drunken man was surely the infamous Prince of Guangyang, Henry Clark.

Although Emily Foster felt utterly hopeless, she couldn’t help but be a little curious about her future husband. She turned her head to glance at him, only to be deeply disappointed. By the light of the red candles in the bridal chamber, Emily Foster could clearly see Henry Clark’s appearance. He was not ugly—in fact, he could even be considered somewhat handsome—but his complexion was an abnormal bluish-white, his dark circles were very pronounced, and his cheeks were sunken. He looked completely listless.

Emily Foster’s grandfather was highly skilled in medicine and very famous in the Song Dynasty. She had also learned a lot of medical knowledge from him since childhood, which made her stand out even more among the nobility. At a glance, Emily Foster could tell that Henry Clark’s condition was due to excessive drinking and debauchery. Although he was young and could recover, it would take a long time and considerable willpower—something Emily Foster clearly did not believe Henry Clark possessed.

The drunken Henry Clark entered the bridal chamber, looked up at the incomparably beautiful bride, and grinned, “As expected of the number one beauty of the general’s family. I, Henry Clark, am truly lucky to have married such a beautiful young lady!”

Emily Foster showed no reaction to Henry Clark’s praise of her looks. Henry Clark, being drunk, didn’t notice her blank expression at all. He staggered to the table, poured himself a cup of wine, then took a small porcelain bottle from his robe, uncorked it, and gave Emily Foster a lewd smile before pouring the powder inside into his wine and downing it in one gulp.

The table was not far from Emily Foster. When Henry Clark opened the porcelain bottle, she immediately smelled a medicinal scent. With her knowledge of medicine and pharmacology, Emily Foster instantly recognized what the drug was. Her sharp eyes even caught the words “Aphrodisiac Powder” written on the bottle. Even if she didn’t know the properties of the drug, just from the name she could guess that Henry Clark had taken an aphrodisiac.

“You…” This discovery nearly made Emily Foster faint from anger. She clutched at her collar, her phoenix eyes filled with humiliation and fury. For the groom to use an aphrodisiac on the wedding night—if word of this got out, not only would Henry Clark be disgraced, but Emily Foster would have no face to live. She even regretted throwing away her dagger earlier; faced with such a shameful humiliation, even if it meant the ruin of her family, she could not bear to endure it any longer.

“Heh heh, on the night of the bridal chamber, how could there be no such entertainment? Don’t be impatient, little lady. Soon, I’ll show you what true earthly pleasure is!” The drunken Henry Clark was completely oblivious to Emily Foster’s anger, even teasing her with lewd words. In his mind, Emily Foster was already his woman, so saying such things was nothing.

Watching Henry Clark approach her step by step, Emily Foster felt as if she was about to go mad with rage. Never in her life had she hated someone so much. Just being in the same room with Henry Clark felt like the greatest insult to herself, let alone consummating the marriage with him.

At this thought, the strong-willed Emily Foster suddenly reached for the hairpin on her head. For the sake of her family, she had been prepared to submit, but Henry Clark’s behavior had now crossed her bottom line. No matter what, she would never let such a man touch her, even if she was now Henry Clark’s wife in name!

The drunken Henry Clark didn’t notice anything unusual about Emily Foster. His mind was filled with indecent images, leaving no room for anything else, so he continued to approach Emily Foster with a lascivious grin.

Just as Emily Foster was about to pull out the hairpin from her head, determined to die rather than suffer such humiliation, a sudden commotion erupted outside the bridal chamber, accompanied by the shrieks of maids. The sounds were filled with panic, as if something terrifying had broken into the prince’s residence.

Hearing the disturbance outside, Emily Foster stopped what she was doing, and Henry Clark also halted his steps. Both of them wore looks of confusion. After all, this was the inner residence of the prince’s manor, and today was Henry Clark’s wedding day. The manor was heavily guarded—how could anything unexpected happen?