Ellena was so certain that if she came to Gewen, the man wouldn't turn her down. She might be able to talk the thugs into letting her go with the promise of money, but Gewen had everything. He didn't need gold or whatnot. 

However, they had their friendship. They grew up together and were actually very close. She had not seen Gewen when Mars came to visit her in prison and this gave her some flicker of hope that he would help her.

Perhaps... Gewen felt bad about her condition that he couldn't see her in person. Whatever his reasons, Ellena believed if she came to him, he wouldn't turn her down.

"Gewen..." the woman pursed her lips and looked at him with a pitiful expression. "Please help me... I don't know where to go. My own father has abandoned me... I only have you."

She approached Gewen and gripped his arms. Gewen scrunched up his nose in disgust, but he immediately changed his expression, so as not to offend her.

Ellena smelled like shit, literally. Maybe she fell to the ground and hit cow dung or something?

He didn't know that Ellena was paraded in the town center the day before and many spectators threw dirt and feces at her. She tried to wash up and stole a cloak from a villager's backyard, but she couldn't really get rid of the smell.

"Please... help me..." she begged Gewen with tears streaming down hard on her face. "Remember our friendship... I have always been good to you..."

Gewen was at a loss for words for a few moments. It took him a long time to accept the fact that Ellena could betray Mars and did all kinds of evil to the people he loved just to get the man for herself.

Gewen liked Ellena and cared about her, but he also care about Mars and loved the man like a brother. If the person who hurt Mars were any other people, he wouldn't think twice and would avenge him immediately. Only because it was Ellena, Gewen became so conflicted.

He often wished Ellena was not so ambitious, so she could lead a peaceful life without having to force her will to marry the crown prince.

Now, it was too late. They had come to this point in their relationship.  Almost two decades of friendship was ruined.

Gewen took a deep breath to clear his mind but regretted it immediately because of the pungent smell from Ellena.

"Ellena, I am sorry, I can't help you..." he replied bitterly. It was clear to see that, to him, it was not an easy decision, but he must be fair. He would be a bad friend to Mars if he defended Ellena for the heinous crime she committed against Mars and his family.

"H-how could you do this to me...?" Ellena pressed her mouth in shock. She had hoped Gewen, of all people she knew, would take pity on her and help her. But it seemed, she was wrong this time.

"I didn't do anything... You did this to yourself, Ellena. You made your bed and now you have to lie in it..." Gewen said flatly.

He wanted to cry if he remembered their beautiful past together.  Ellena was such a bright and charming young woman. She was different from most girls Gewen knew. She had this intelligence and perseverance and she was also very smart. She was their friend. 

How did they end up like this?

Actually, Gewen kind of knew why. Ellena became very ambitious after she accidentally heard the conversation between Lady Preston and her husband.

They talked about Ellena and at that moment Ellena suddenly realized that she was not their niece that they took in after her parents died.  She was actually Duke Preston's illegitimate daughter.

She was only brought in from the village after her mother died because the duke and his legal wife didn't have any offspring. She heard how Lady Preston lashed out at her husband for fathering such a useless child.

"If you would fool around and spread your seed outside, why can't you at least make it a son? A daughter is useless. We will have to marry her out and her husband's family will take over our wealth. Useless...!" 

Ellena bit her lip when she heard Lady Preston chiding her husband. At that moment, she was filled with mixed emotions. She was surprised and happy to know that apparently she still had her biological father... and that was the man who had been raising her, Duke Preston, a wealthy and powerful duke.

But at the same time, she was also feeling very dejected. She was not favored because she was a woman and was only seen as a burden. 

If Ellena was a man, she would at least be able to inherit her father's wealth and last name. The Preston family line wouldn't end with her.

This knowledge distraught her so much that one day she confided in Gewen about what happened. As the only son of a wealthy family, Gewen wouldn't understand her feelings. He was the sole heir to his family's wealth. He was loved and adored by everyone. He wouldn't know how it feels to fight to prove his worth to his own parents.

Ellena thought she had to do it. Even though she was a woman, she must make her father and his wife see her as worthy.

"Well... they are right. If Duke Preston marry you out to a man from another family, they will get all your family's wealth. I can actually see many noblemen from poor families would fight for the position to be Duke Preston's son-in-law," Gewen told Ellena when she came to him and asked his advice. Then, he joked dryly, "Well.. at least, you won't lack people who want to be your suitor."

When Ellena gave him a side-eye, Gewen immediately cleared his throat. "I didn't mean to say only poor noblemen would want you, so they can get your money. You can actually avoid that  problem by finding a husband who is wealthier and more powerful than your father."

.

.

___________________

From Missrealitybites:

Do you think it was actually Gewen who was (unintentionally) giving Ellena ideas to marry the crown prince?

Maybe we should throw tomatoes at Gewen XD

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.