Jewelry, designer clothes, and artworks... Sienna Johnson received countless gifts like these every day from the man who sought her favor.
In the past, many men had done the same foolish thing. Sienna laughed inwardly. Those men never knew what she truly desired. This Sixth Master is no different.
"Sister-in-law, why aren't you happy when Sixth Brother treats you so well?" Little Ninth asked.
Sienna lay on the bed, watching the seagulls flying outside the window, and replied with melancholy, "If your wings were clipped and you were kept in a cage like a canary, would you be happy?"
At this moment, she felt like a canary trapped in a cage.
"Sixth Brother has been too busy lately. Once he's done, he'll take you out. He used to love traveling and has been to many countries and places."
Sienna didn't respond. Lying on the bed, she gazed at the scenery outside the window. She had no interest in Sixth Master and could only think of how to escape.
...
One day, the man called Sixth Master sent her a handsome black horse. Sienna named the horse "Sixth Master," causing Sixth Master's face to darken.
"HAHA!"
Two months later, under the deliberate flattery of one man and the conniving calculations of one woman, the two finally reconciled due to Night Owl.
"Naughty!"
"What do you want to call it then?"
"Call it anything but 'Sixth Master'!" Sixth Master said seriously, looking at Sienna.
"Then I'll call it... Flower."
"This horse is male."
"What does that matter?"
Sienna caressed the black horse and even kissed it. Sixth Master, who was standing nearby, became unhappy. "Hey! You can't kiss anyone but me, not even a horse!"
She pouted. "You're so overbearing! And unreasonable!"
"Say whatever you want."
Sienna stepped on the stirrup and gracefully mounted the horse, surprising the man beside her. "You can ride?"
"Yes." With that, Sienna clamped her legs against the horse's flanks, urged it on, and galloped away.
This was a noble Oldenburg horse: a gem on the equestrian field, a large and elegant Mousden warmblood, suitable for dressage, show jumping, and eventing. Sienna also had a horse named Flower; naturally, it wasn't as fine as this one.
She rode swiftly, exploring the entire island for the first time. As she took in the entirety of the island, a sense of despair arose in her heart.
The island was surrounded on all sides by a vast ocean, rumored to be home to sharks. Even if she escaped from Sixth Master's house, where could she go? Could she truly not escape? Was she doomed to be his plaything forever?
"HIYAH!"
She tightened her legs around the horse and raised her whip. Before her horse could accelerate, the man on the chasing white horse leaped onto her mount, his arms wrapping tightly around her waist, pinning her. She resented this closeness.
"Why aren't you riding your own horse?" she twisted her head, her displeasure clear.
He snatched the reins from her hand and pulled hard. The horse reared abruptly, and Sienna, startled, fell back into Sixth Master's arms.
The horse's hooves struck the ground, and it stamped, dislodging stones that tumbled down the reef-strewn cliff below. Sienna's heart leaped into her throat.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
"I didn't know there was a cliff down there!"
"I gave you a horse to make you happy, not for you to attempt suicide! You are my woman! Even if you want to die, you need my permission!" he said domineeringly.
He turned the horse around, and they headed back the way they came. Sienna gazed at the passing scenery, pondering her escape.
She asked tentatively, "Are we going to live on this island forever?"
"What? You can't stand the loneliness after just two months?" His voice suddenly turned dangerous. If Sienna answered poorly, she risked angering him.
"I don't like the clothes you sent me. Next time, could you go shopping with me to pick some out?" she asked, feigning coyness to both please and probe him, hoping for a chance to leave the island surrounded by the ocean.
"I've never accompanied a woman shopping. I have Tatu buy all the new season's clothes. If you don't like them, just throw them away. Tell Tatu what styles you prefer, and he'll get them for you."
Sienna's eyes dimmed as she asked quietly, "Am I going to stay on this island for the rest of my life?"
"No! I'm dealing with some trouble right now. Once it's resolved, I'll take you back to Abyanabad."
Abyanabad was Sixth Master's home.
Sienna knew that in Abyanabad, a man could marry several wives. But which one would she be? "Which number woman of yours am I?"
"What?"
"I heard from Warren that in Abyanabad, a man can marry several wives. Warren has three wives. How many wives do you have? How many lovers? Which number lover am I to you?"
The man studied her profile. Her skin was very white, as delicate as silk, and her small ears were quite pretty. "I have ten wives and twenty lovers!"
Sienna was shocked. "...That many?"
"Yes, that many." His gaze was intense as he stared at her, not missing a single flicker of emotion on her face. He saw her frown, a look of deep distress, but notably absent were jealousy and anger. This woman doesn't have him in her heart.
The feeling was unbearable!
"Do you have any children?"
"No!" His voice was strained, like a fully drawn bowstring.
He has ten wives and twenty lovers, yet no children? Sienna mused. Could he be sterile? Otherwise, how could so many women not bear him a single child?
"What about you?"
"Me?"
"Who else is in your family?"
Sienna remained silent, lowering her head to watch the horse's hooves clip-clopping on the ground. She had a doting father, a biased mother, a grandmother, a bunch of treacherous relatives... and, of course, that sister, not related by blood, who wanted her dead.
"I have a mother, a brother, and my father... he died of cancer when I was thirteen..."
This was her adoptive parents' situation.
When she was thirteen, her adoptive father fell seriously ill. They sold their house and lived in a damp, dark basement. The family was mired in despair, making daily trips to the hospital. In her memory, her adoptive father grew thinner, his complexion more sallow... Then her biological father came, wanting to take her away. She hadn't wanted to go, but her adoptive mother eventually discarded her like trash.
With great effort, Sienna closed her eyes. She didn't want to remember; she was always the one being abandoned.