"Take off your dress."

Bradley's instructions caused Freya to frantically cross her arms before her and lean back in fear.

"Y-You promised not to force me into anything."

He looked at her bright red ears and smiled. "I won't lay a hand on you. I need to check if you're injured anywhere else."

"I'm not."

Freya bit her lip. She knew it was just an excuse. He just wants my body!

"I can only know if I take a look." His eyes darkened as he reached out for the buttons on her dress.

"No way." Freya immediately slapped his hands away before jumping off the couch and hiding in a corner.

She's quite strong. The hand she had slapped was turning red. He beckoned her over. "Come here. I promise not to touch you."

Freya did not move. She would never believe his lies.

"If you don't believe me, we can make a pinky promise." He held his pinky out with a playful grin on his lips.

Freya did not know what to say.

He really treated her like she was a fool.

After a moment of hesitation, she quietly walked over and hooked her pinky with his.

Just then, he pulled her over and onto his lap. Then, he unbuttoned one of the buttons located near her collarbone.

Startled, Freya struggled. Suddenly she felt a burst of cold accompanied by the warmth of his fingers. It caused goosebumps to rise all over her body.

She looked down to find him apply some cream on her.

The snakes had specifically bitten her uncovered skin, but she had accidentally let a snake into her dress. It had bitten her near her collarbone.

Thus, Bradley was applying some cream on the wound right now. Her cheeks were flushed from embarrassment.

Bradley looked up at her with calm eyes. "While the snakes were not venomous, they were still animals. We cannot let our guard down."

"But you can't touch me." Freya was angry. They had just made a pinky promise.

"I'm not touching you. I'm just putting some medicinal cream on you."

His deep voice inexplicably made Freya's heart skip a beat.

As he leaned closer to her, she felt nervous for no reason.

He was very flirtatious and constantly finding ways to flirt with her. Just now, she actually felt her heart race.

Bradley silently smiled when he saw her blanking out and blushing as red as a tomato. Once he was done, he carefully fastened her button.

"Dad wants us to have children. When do you plan to give me one?"

"Aah!"

Freya was stunned.

Then, he continued, "Tell me when you've thought it over. I might not be able to stand up, but I can still do it."

The blunt remark caused Freya's face to turn even redder.

"I'm just a fool. Any child I give birth to will be a fool. I can't have kids," she said, pretending to be dumb.

"It's fine. I like fools."

His smirk was so sinister that it actually made her at a loss for words.

Like fools? Has he lost his mind?

While things were heating up in that room, Arthur's family was panicking like headless chickens.

Jinny had been locked up in the ancestral hall. Lydia wanted to check in on her, but Owen had the bodyguards stationed by the door with all visitors forbidden.

The sobbing coming from within distressed Lydia.

"Arthur, what do we do? Jinny must be terrified."

Arthur did not comfort her and instead retorted, "If you hadn't instructed her to do that, Jinny would not have done this. It's called reaping what you sow. Serves her right."

"I did all this for you. If not for how useless you are, Ethan would not have suffered needlessly. Now, our daughter has been dragged into this."

Arthur irritably scratched his head. "What do you suggest? Dad favors Bradley. You know that."

"That is exactly why he has to go," Lydia viciously said.

"What do you propose?"

It was Lydia who proposed setting fire to Bradley's residence. The outcome was good with Bradley left blind, crippled, and disfigured.

However, Owen did not give up on Bradley and even built him a mansion just to recover in.

The Royal Garden Mansion cost a total of one trillion, and Owen did not even blink at the cost.

Now, Bradley seemed to be recovering. As Freya was not a fool either, the two of them teaming up left Arthur uneasy.

"If Bradley likes that fool, we should target her. As long as we push her to cause a major upset, Bradley won't be able to hold back. Old Mr. Austin will be so disappointed. We can deal with him then."

Lydia then leaned in and whispered into his ear, "Say, how would Bradley react if she tries to seduce a member of the family? How would Dad react?"

Arthur froze before realization struck him. "Okay. You'll take care of this. As long as you succeed, I'll buy you anything you want."

"Don't worry, I have evidence of that fool cheating. It can add fuel to the fire, so it will definitely work."

Lydia did not want to act so quickly at first, but since Jinny was dragged into it, she could not help but be ruthless.

That witch had caused great suffering for their family. With all the past and present grudges, Lydia would make Freya pay the price thousandfold.

"Lydia, if you want the Ethereal Star, I'll have someone make one for you right now."

Lydia instantly threw herself into his arms, coquettishly saying, "That fool is wearing the Ethereal Star. I don't want it. I want the Necklace of Radiance."

It was the latest design released on the market. There were only ten available worldwide, and they were worth millions. Lydia had adored the photo of the necklace she had found.

Arthur gritted his teeth before reluctantly saying, "Fine. Once it's done, it's yours."

"You're the best, honey."

…

As Owen was worried about Freya's health, he insisted a doctor examined her.

It was later proven that the snakes truly were not venomous. Still, as a precaution, the doctor gave her a tetanus shot.

"I told you it was fine. There's no need to be so nervous."

The shot felt even more painful than the snake bites.

Looking at her displeased expression, Bradley pinched her cheeks and said, "Dad is doing this for your good. What if something bad happens to you? Who will give birth to his adorable grandchild then?"

Freya had already forgotten about that, so her ears turned bright red the moment he brought it up again.

Who would want to have children with him?

She would still leave if she found a chance to. There was no way she would spend the rest of her life with him.

Just as she thought that, a warm gust of air brushed against the back of her hand. What she saw when she looked up made her heart race erratically.

He was blowing gently at the spot where the shot had been administered. He looked so gentle like he was holding something precious.

Her hands were small and fair, easily enveloped by his large hands. That brought her a sense of security she could not name.

However, she felt embarrassed to be held by him. Even her breathing became erratic, so she hurriedly tried to pull away.

"I'm not afraid of pain, Mr. Bradley."

Bradley did not stop as he solemnly responded, "You looked like you were in a lot of pain just now."

She was exposed. Deep down, she was embarrassed. As a doctor who specialized in acupuncture, her greatest fear was actually the pain that came from having shots administered.

She was unafraid to stab others with a needle, yet she was terrified if that was done to her. People would laugh at her if they found out.