Two Reborn, One Throne novel Chapter 41

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Loretta Leavitt immediately slapped her thigh in agreement. "I'm all for it!"

"Amber, don't mind me being a little rough around the edges, but hearing you say that makes me so happy. After all these years, your dad is finally seeing the light. Honestly, ever since he fell for Grace Walters, I’ve been worried sick about you on behalf of your late mother. You were so young, yet Grace practically raised you to be a servant to cater to her son."

"Amber, I really do care about you. Thank goodness you've grown up and finally seen Grace and her son for who they truly are. But I'll be straight with you—you might not know the full story about my cousin. Let me lay it all out for you today. If you're on board, leave the rest to me. Even if I have to physically fight Grace, I'll get this done for you."

Loretta's distant cousin was named Xanthe Sutton. Amber had met her in her past life, but back then, her heart had been so consumed by Lucian Juarez and his mother that she hadn't paid her much attention.

Xanthe and Arthur Newman actually had a lot in common, but their timing was always cursed. Every time she and Arthur got close, Lucian's mother would ruin it. Not that Grace directly sabotaged them—no wealthy family was interested in her anyway—but she would throw herself into Arthur's arms, crying and screaming to get her way.

After seeing this happen a few times, Xanthe had eventually given up.

Xanthe had a tragic past. She was supposed to have a great marriage, but when her in-laws discovered she couldn't have children, they kicked her out. They even spread vicious rumors around the village, branding her a barren woman.

She had three brothers—two older, one younger—and she was the only daughter. None of them respected her, and even her own parents considered her infertility a massive disgrace.

They treated her like a workhorse, ordering her around year after year. They often reminded her that they were doing her a favor just by providing a roof over her head.

Amber had heard from Loretta that Xanthe’s "room" wasn't even a real room. It was a partitioned space under the stairs, worse than a doghouse.

It wasn't that she hadn't tried to move out, find a job, and rent her own place. But her brothers used the excuse that her living alone would lead to scandalous behavior and bring more shame to the family. They kept her strictly confined at home. One day she was babysitting the older brothers' kids, the next she was taking care of the younger brother's children.

Between her three brothers, there were six kids in total—three boys and three girls. Xanthe raised all of them single-handedly, while also caring for her aging parents.

Yet, her brothers never treated her like a human being. During the holidays, she would cook a massive feast but wasn't allowed to sit at the table. Once they finished eating and left, she had to clean up the mess and put the kids to bed.

Sometimes, they would subject her to the silent treatment or mock her with cruel remarks. They acted like everything she did was expected of her, telling her not to act high and mighty or play the victim—she was born to serve their family.

Her family even proudly declared that if any decent man was willing to marry her, they wouldn't ask for a dime of a wedding settlement and would even provide a generous dowry. But in their rural community, who would dare marry her?