Chapter 1

"Miss Martin, please take off your clothes," the old servant said with a cold expression and drooping eyes. A hint of impertinence laced her words.

Sara Martin bit her lower lip, "Why do I have to take off my clothes?"

The servant smiled and said with slight contempt, "Madam has spent a huge sum of money on you as a good-luck bride, you won't turn down this little inspection, would you?"

Her face paled, then it flushed red. Feeling embarrassed, Sara tugged at the corner of her shirt. "I... I've never had a boyfriend before..." She said.

The servant acted as if she did not hear Sara, however, and she said in a tone of impatience, "Hurry up, Madam is waiting for my return."

Sara bit her lip so hard that it almost bled.

Just before the previous day, Sara was the second daughter of the Martin family. Even though she was not favored and was often bullied, Sara had never suffered such humiliation before.

She had always known that her father, aunt, and sister disliked her due to the fact that she was her father's illegitimate child. But she did not expect that in order to fill the lack of funding for Martin Pharma, her father would opt to sell her off as a young bride to another family for good luck!

Before leaving her house, her sister William Martin even went to see her in person to warn her about her future husband being a murderous devil.

When it came to the Bishop family in Jena City, everyone knew that they have been strong for centuries and dominated the fate of country A. Hank Bishop, the head of the family, was known by outsiders as "Master Bishop". As for those rumors, he was described in all kinds of diabolical manners. He was a murderous, deceitful, and ruthless devil.

People would run and hide at the mention of his name, and so the idea of someone marrying the fred was impossible. That was why, when the elderly madam of the Bishop family was looking for a candidate as Hank's good-luck-bride after a serious injury, Sara was chosen.

Martin Pharma needed money, and the Bishop family needed a young bride. It was a good bargain and a pleasant business between the two parties. However, on the first day Sara arrived at the Bishop house, she was taken into a dark chamber to go through a physical examination.

The servant was getting irritated at her reluctance. She frowned and exclaimed, "Miss Martin, I have reserved your dignity by addressing you as 'Miss'. Now, don't act so pampered like a princess! I know exactly what kind of person you are! I don't want to do this anymore than you do! Who knows how long you're going to stay alive? Master Martin has taken many lives, who knows when your turn would come..."

"Say no more," Sara's voice was low and soft, and she spoke with a faint Southern Jena accent. Her tone was so gentle that it would make others feel charmed. "...I'll strip," she said.

The servant raised her eyebrows and sneered as she eyed the young girl up and down casually.

It had to be said that Madam of the household has a very exceptional taste when it came to choosing a young bride.

Sara's small face, about the size of a palm, looked innocently sweet. Her eyebrows were particularly beautiful, like peach blossoms in the rainy spring. Her eyes were as clear as glass, bright, and without any impurities. Her delicate skin was the color of cream, almost as soft and bouncy as milk pudding.

Not to mention that she was only 18 years old and was still a young girl. If she managed to survive, she would undoubtedly be the most captivating creature in this country!

Sara's fair and slender fingers hovered above her shirt buttons. Just as she was about to undo them, a voice suddenly yelled from the outside, "Auntie! Madam orders you to bring her to Angelfalls as soon as possible! It seems that Master Bishop is losing his life!"

The message stunned Auntie for a moment, then she replied, "But I haven't examined her body yet..."

The person outside said simply, "Master Bishop won't keep her around anyway, it doesn't matter if she's pure or not! Let's go!"

Auntie agreed after giving it a thought. Given Master Bishop's current state, he wouldn't even notice if the girl is impure. Giving Sara a glare, she said to her, "Follow me!"

Sara heaved a sigh of relief and quickly buttoned up her shirt. But then, the thought of finally meeting the legendary devil made her feel nervous.

She lowered her head and followed Auntie Lilly out. After a walk of around ten minutes, Auntie Lilly finally stopped and turned to her. "Go in by yourself," she said.

Sara looked up and found herself in front of a large antique courtyard, built in a four-sided style. There were many flowering shrubs planted in it. Coincidentally, it was spring, and the ground was covered in snowy- white petals. The scenery was breathtaking.

"Is this... the place where that man lives?"

She wondered.

Auntie Lilly gave her a push and said indifferently, "Madam bought you in to chase away bad luck, so you shall serve Master Bishop well. Perhaps he will recover under your care."

After saying that, she glanced at the yard with fear and turned to leave in a hurry.

There was no one else around, and the yard was surprisingly quiet.

Sara took a deep breath and entered the yard. All the doors were closed. She looked at the main chamber and carefully reached out to knock on the door.

There was no response.

She stared at the carved door for a moment, not willing to enter. Deciding to wait outside, she crouched down beside the door and stared at the flowers in the yard.

Apart from the sound of the gushing wind, the yard was filled with silence. Sara didn't know how long she stayed there, but the sky was getting dark. She glanced at the quiet chamber, and a thought suddenly crept into her mind-Earlier, someone mentioned that Master Bishop was going to die, and now it was completely silent here. Could that man be... dead?

She was startled by her own thoughts. Plucking up her courage, she gingerly gave the door a push.

It was unlocked.

Sara cautiously squinted through the crack of the door. Upon confirming the room was empty, she entered.

The decorations were simple and somewhat bland, a bed with hanging curtains was placed at the center of the room.

Sara stepped forward and gently lifted up the curtain.

She had prepared for the worst, expecting to see Hank Bishop's dead body.

But there was none to be seen. Instead, she saw a body full of scars.

It was a man's back, so scrawny that the outline of his bones was visible to the eye. All sorts of scars ran the length of his back, and Sara could only tell what had caused some of them.

Nevertheless, what puzzled her the most was that although the body was battered, it radiated pure dominance and virility through his broad shoulders, narrow waist, pale skin, and lean muscles.

Sara immediately took two steps back. Her face flushed at the sight, and she covered her eyes with her hands. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to..." She explained herself.

The man on the bed calmly put on the clothes next to him. His piercing eyes swept across the girl's slender figure, and his low-pitched voice drawled, "Are you my bride?"

Still covering her eyes with her hands, she let out a cry. Her lips quivered as she answered, "Yes."

Hank watched her and ordered, "Come here.

Dumbfounded, Sara slowly lowered her hands and abruptly found herself gazing into a face so handsome that her breath almost stopped.

She had never seen such a good-looking person before in the entire 18 years of her life.