The House of Royals. At 20,000 square meters, the House of Royals was the most luxurious villa in all of Cansington. It had everything from a garden, swimming pool, and golf course. At the foyer of the villa. Thea sat on the soft couch, looking around at the villa in disbelief. It resembled a palace more than anything. When her grandfather chose a husband for her, she knew that anyone with a backbone would never agree to marry her, much less into the Callahan family. She did not know who her husband would be at all. However, she guessed that he would be greedy and lazy. Someone who coveted her family’s wealth. Yet, he brought her to this paradise. James knelt and lifted her veil. “Don’t…”. Thea panicked and shied away. With scars crisscrossing her face and entire body, she was a fearful sight. What if she scared her new husband away? They had not even been properly introduced yet!. James removed her veil anyway. Thea was extremely scared, her heart beating out a nervous rhythm in her chest. She felt so ashamed, wanting nothing more than to disappear and hide. James tilted her face up gently. It was a shocking latticework of scars. James traced his fingers over them. His heart ached for her, knowing that it was all his fault. If she had not saved him, Thea would not be in this situation. He had a tender expression on his face, an unusual look for him. Almost in tears, he said, “Oh Thea, you’ve suffered too much. Thea did not have the courage to look at James directly. She fidgeted with her shirt instead. Gently, James told her, “Trust me. I’ll help you recover. Thea panicked again, still not looking at him. “Get the medicine. James stood up and barked out a command. Immediately, the doors of the villa burst open. A few men in black suits walked in, carrying a few boxes. Inside the boxes were expensive pills, tablets, and other types of valuable medicine. James got to work, fiddling with items inside the boxes and mixing some of them to form a salve. Once he was done, he crouched down by Thea. She was still playing with a corner of her shirt. He took her scarred hands in his, but she pulled away and hid them behind her back. Looking at the floor, she asked quietly, “What… are you doing?”. “Relax, Thea. Take off your clothes. Thea started crying at once and pulled at her clothes. With tears in her eyes, she said, “Yes, I know I’m ugly. I have scars everywhere. Are you happy now?”. She knew that anyone her grandfather chose for her would mock her and humiliate her. She had gotten used to it over the years. Ever since the incident, she had been plagued with nightmares. She cried every day, and she could barely remember what it was like to be happy. Looking at James, she bit her lip, still crying. Tears pooled in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. James felt his cold heart thaw looking at her. He hugged Thea to him, solemnly vowing, “I will never cast you aside. No matter what you look like, you’re my wife, now and forever. Thea was stunned. Was he not going to mock her?. She could not dredge up a response. James released her and carefully applied the salve he concocted onto her scars. Then, he wrapped her up with gauze entirely, even her face. When he was done, Thea looked just like a mummy. James guided Thea to sit d own with him. “Thea, trust me

Ten days is all i t takes. I promise that you’ll be a different person after ten days. “R-really?” Thea finally ma naged to respond, though sh e did not quite believe it. “Of course. I would never lie to you. Even though she could not see James’ face, she could hear his voice. Magn etic and gentle, it warmed her heart. In the blink of an eye, ten da ys had gone by. They were the happiest te n days Thea had experienc ed in the past ten years. She still did not know who her husband was, but he cared for her attentively and stayed with her around the clock. Every night, he told her stories and jokes, lulling her to sleep. Every time she woke u p, his strong hands we re there, holding her. For the past ten years, s he had forgotten what care was, not to mention love. Now, she fe lt like she was in love. In the villa , in front o f the mirror. Thea was wrapped in whi te gauze from head to t oe, including her face. She could no t help but f eel nervous. For ten days, she had app lied the salve religiousl y, feeling her skin burn. James had told her that as long as she did it regularly, she wou ld be able to recover her looks. “Is… is this really happe ning?” She was holding on to a pair of strong hands. “Yes. ” James slowly removed the gauze fr om her face and body. Thea knew it was brig ht, but she was afrai d of opening her eyes. “Go on, open your eyes and take a look. Only then did Thea open he r eyes. She was standing na ked in front of the mirror. The girl in the mirror still had the remnants of the salve all over her body, but it was obv ious that her skin was smooth and unblemished. In the mirror, her face wa s almost perfect. Thea was shocked. Her jaw dropped. After a few seconds, she wip ed away the salve on her face , touching it disbelievingly. “W ha t…” . She was shocked beyond belief. Ho w could the girl in the mirror wit h smooth, unblemished skin be her? . Ten years ago, sh e suffered burns and disfigurement. No matter how advanced medi cine was back then, there w as no coming back from that. Bu t n ow… . Over the past ten year s, she had not even loo ked in the mirror once. Now, looking at her per fect face in the mirror, she cried tears of joy. She fell into James’ arms and bawle d, feeling the weight of grief and s uffering of the past ten years lift. James hugged Thea tightly . “I’ll never let you get hurt again,” he promised. Thea was excited and overjoyed at first, t hen she realized that she was stark naked. Her exuberance turned into embarrassment. She freed herself fr om the embrace, look ing away helplessly. James pointed to the bathroom, saying, “I’ve prepared some hot wa ter and clothes for you, but I don’t know your size, so the bras are of different sizes. Just wear whichever is suitable for you. Shyly, The a ran to th e bathroom. James made his way to the fo yer, sinking down onto the co uch and lighting a cigarette. “Ge ner al. A man about 40 years of age entered, wearing a black suit. He held a thick stack of document s, passing it to James with his head bowed. “This is all the information we have on The Grea t Four. Everything we could find about the deaths of the Cadens is here. Please take a look. James pointed at the table. “Just leave it there. “General, they’re low-class families. Say the word, an d we’ll take care of them…” . James w aved hi s hand. The man stop ped talking immediately. James lifted his head and looked at the man in front of him, whose head was still bowed. “I’m no longer the ge neral. From now on, there will be no more Dragon General

Investigating The Great Four will be the last time I use my privilege as well. You don’t have to stay with me. Take the men with you. You’re needed at the border. The man fell to his knees. “Sir, we’ll follow you to the ends of t he earth. The border at the Southern Plains is stable. The enemy wi ll not invade. General, don’t make us leave. Let us stay and help. James stood and pulled the man up, saying, “Henry, this is a personal matter. I’ll take care of it myself. Once it’s done, all I want is to enjoy a peaceful, quiet li fe without war and violence. I want to stay with Thea and love her the best I can. “Ge ner al…” . “Leave. Take the men back to the Southern Plains!” James roared. Henry knelt again. Loudly, he declared , “Take care, General. The Black Dragon Army will be waiting for your return. “Go. ” James sat down again and waved his hand. Only then d id Henry tur n and leave. Thea emerged from her show er in a while. She had chosen a white sl ip dress which showed off her smooth neck and arms. She would have neve r worn something li ke this in the past. She was in a rather good mood, hummi ng a tune under her breath. Touching her smooth skin, she grinned widely. She stopped when she saw James smoking m oodily on the couch. She walked over and sat down next to him. Her face was flushed, though she did not know if it was because sh e had just finished her shower or because she was shy. “Um…” She opened h er mouth without k nowing what to say. Even though she had spent ten days with James, it was differe nt as she was blindfolded. Now that she was actually seeing h im, she was a little shy. She did not know what to say at all. Pulled from his thoughts, James looked a t Thea, his eyes sparkling. “Darling, wh en are we getting our marriage license?” . “W ha t?” . Thea was stunned, her mouth slightly open. She looked ad orable when she was confused. James smiled. “I’m part of the Callahans now. I’m y our husband according to your grandfather’s orders. Are you regretting it? Don’t you want to marry me?” . “I d o. Once Thea caught up, th ere was nothing to say except those two words. James had shown her so much care for the past ten days that he h ad wormed his way into her heart. How could she not marry a man like him? . She snuck a glance at James. He was tall, strong, and confident . Even just looking at him made he r blush and her heart beat faster. One h our l ater. Hand in hand, a man and a woman emerged from the De partment of Civil Affairs. Thea looked at the re d certificate and it finally dawned on her. She was of ficially m arried now? . Fantasizing about her future before this, she had hoped that she would o ne day have a passionate love affair. However, things rarely went according to plan or imagination. Her gra ndfather had arranged her fate. James, who married into her family, s tole her away to a palace-like paradise where she stayed for ten days. In those ten days, she had recovered. She wa s beautiful once again. Even though she still did not know who her husb and was exactly, warmth spread through her enti re body, and she held onto James’ hand tightly