A quiet week has passed and the Duke remained silent. He is a very cautious man, taking into consideration every step he takes.

In my 4th life I learned that a couple of weeks before my 15th birthday, after a stupidly long research on every candidate, he concluded that Terrel Wharton was the best option since his house possessed several mines in the South of the Kingdom. I am well aware that once the Duke has made a decision it is very complicated to persuade him towards a different point of view, however, that is a perfect scenario for me.

Knowing that the Duke hasn't summoned me to his study means that he thinks it is not necessary to send me off yet. He doesn't consider me a threat even though he is well aware of how much I know and how I can ruin his plans. He thinks my words will do nothing since I am just a useless curse, taking the filthy body of his daughter.

One of the best things about being a ghost is that you learn how to be a shadow: the majority of people only notice your presence when you want them to. Today the maids were chatting happily, and I overheard that Bradley was coming to visit Amanda.

'Isn't that convenient?' I think to myself as I brush through my charcoal hair.

 

Bradley Trace. Amanda's fiancé. An extremely rich man in looks and monetarily. I've seen him a couple of times in my other lives, however, it was always after his marriage. At some point, I thought that becoming his wife instead of my sister would prevent my doom ending but something about him makes me feel unsteady so I quickly gave up on that idea. In fact, I also know that his father, Duke Trace has his hands in some shady businesses and that was also a red flag for me. 

I intend to live a carefree life, being involved with the Trace family will only create problems and, truthfully, my patience is really thin nowadays. Getting myself into trouble with the crown and other high-ranking nobles because of their dirt is definitely not what I am aiming for. 

 

After getting dressed in simple clothing I leave my chambers and head towards the south gardens to catch a little bit of the morning sunlight. As I was about to sit on the chair I listen to something rattle between the wild bushes.

Curiosity gets the best of me and once I brush off the thick leaves I see a small black cat with a big wound on his little front paw. He notices me and tries to back away while he wheezes in discontent and fear of the unknown.

"I'm not going to hurt you," I say in a low tone as I grab him softly. Of course, being a wild cat, he hated it and as my hands reached his fluffy fur they were greeted with his claws.

"Yes, yes I know you want to leave but you'll die if I don't help you," I state as I walk back towards my chambers while the poor being ends up giving up on escaping my grasp.

"Excuse me, do you perhaps know where the tea house is?" a sweet manly voice echoes and once I look back I see Bradley Trace. His light green eyes were calm while gazing at me as his golden hair was reflecting the sun's rays. I couldn't hide my surprise as I behold his angelic beauty.

"Lord Bradley, what a surprise meeting you here, I was unaware of the Trace's poor etiquette," I deliver him a cold smile right after bowing. His eyes started to run up and down my body as his face was covered with confusion. Soon enough, his expression turns flustered. He understood the mistake he made.

"I'm sorry for the discourtesy my lady, may I know your name?" he states politely after bowing.

"My lord, such things are unnecessary since we won't meet again. To go to the tea house you should keep on walking forward until you reach a big cherry tree and then take a turn right" a smile appears on my lips right before bowing down once again. "It was an honor meeting you, my lord, have a great day," I turn around and leave towards my room. Indeed Bradley Trace was a menace. I didn't know why but I felt deep in my bones that he was a dangerous man and my gut was telling me to stay away from him, even if that meant rearranging my current plans.

 

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"Stay still!" I yell as I try to apply ointment on the cat's paw. After several failed attempts I manage to catch him and finish placing a clean lint around his wound. "If you dare to take that off I'll starve you" I glare at him and he lowers his head, almost telling me that he had understood what I meant.

'Now to take care of mine...' gently I apply some ointment on my wounds right before hearing a loud sound. Startled, I drop the product on the floor and look towards the door.

"You are really disgusting Ophelia. Why were you with Bradley?" Amanda's loud voice echoed through the room as the maids behind her chuckled, bad-mouthing me.

"My dear sister, I wonder why I should tell you such things," slowly I pick up the ointment case on the floor and place it on a small table right before glaring into her dark blue eyes.

"He is my fiancé so know your place otherwise you will regret it," her arrogant and superior attitude always annoyed me. Truthfully, the only reason I remained quiet all this time was to gather more knowledge and information on the several nobles and aristocrats of the kingdom. Even though I know a lot from my previous lives there are certain families that the only thing I knew about them was their name. I needed time and now the clock has finally stopped.

"Are you in a position to threaten me, sister?" I come closer to her as an evil grin is formed on my lips and Amanda turns paler, backing her body away as her mind was filled with the memories from our last encounter.

"Don't get too full of yourself! Lanna, teach this wench some manners!" her maids flinch but stay still, avoiding her orders while adverting her eyes. No one in this house was stupid enough to touch the cursed child, that is unless they wanted to become cursed beings themselves.

"M-Milady that's..." Lanna's low voice is heard but I quickly intervened.

"You are a beautiful woman sister but your manners are lacking greatly, I wonder what I should do to that mischievous tongue of yours?" I grab her cheeks strongly making her frown right before she manages to shove my hand away.

"You're warned!" followed by her maids, Amanda leaves in a hurry. I'm sure her mind was filled with doubt and fear. 

'Poor girls, now they will have to deal with her rage,' I chuckle at the irony of this thought. No servant in this house dared to go against me, that is why they all avoided me at all costs. On the other hand, they also have to comply with Amanda's orders but everyone knows that if you get cursed, the gates to Heaven are closed, and you can only go down from there.

 

I close the door again and let out a sigh as I place my right hand on my forehead.

"This girl..." I lay down on the bed and begin to relax my body. Sometimes, behaving like this creates a lingering light pain in my heart. Maybe this is just some leftovers of compassion in my soul from my first lives, however, I froze my desires and wishes long ago and now, the only thing left is empty deafening darkness. The little girl everyone used and abused was lost, somewhere within the cracks of my soul and I didn't intend to bring her back. Never again, in the rest of all my lifes, will I become the naive and kind heroine of a romance novel, instead I will become the writer and burn everything and everyone that stands in the way of my future pleasure. 

 

My eyes wander around to see where the cat had hidden but I couldn't find him.

"How hilarious would it be... A cursed girl with a black cat... The irony is astonishing," I mumble just to feel a weight on the left side of the bed. Small and black with bright red eyes, the kitten was now looking right into me. "You must be hungry, right?" he approaches me and rubs his soft head onto my arms. Honestly, I was surprised he hadn't run away once Amanda opened the door, "I'll be right back" after getting up I leave the room and head towards the kitchen.

 

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"So I guess that our paths are connected once again my lady," as I left the kitchen with some chunks of raw meat I am greeted by Bradley with his annoyingly yet charming smile.

"I guess so my lord," after bowing down I start heading towards my chambers, however, he kept on walking behind me, almost as if he was following me, "Excuse me for my rude question but what might you think you are doing?" his eyes widen, surprised by my straightforward approach.

"Escorting a young maiden to the place where she is headed," his delightful smile would melt any girl's heart if they weren't careful. I could perfectly see why Amanda wanted this man to be her husband, besides having power and status, his beauty was comparable to that of an angel.

"Lord Bradley, escorting a single lady to her chambers while engaged might stain one's image," I politely state, letting him know directly to stop bothering me.

"Thank you for your concern my lady but my image won't be stained by such trivial matters," and again, that lovable, perfect smile.

"Ophelia! What might you be doing here!?" Amanda appears, coming from the south area of the garden, surrounded by her maids as all her eyes looked ready for a fight. 

'So someone saw us?' I sigh as I understood the problem at hand. I didn't want to deal with a spoiled child and an egocentric bastard. As my sister wishes my death with her eyes and Bradley ignores her completely, I find myself relieved from the apparent burden. 

"My dear sister, it seems your fiancé was looking for you, he asked me to bring you to him," I bluntly lie just to see Amanda's eyes sparkle with happiness as she quickly grabs his right arm. I became nothing but a mere burden to her as her soul was showering Bradley with unwanted attention.

'Now solve this yourself,' my eyes connect with Bradley and I smirk. Without giving him any opening to reply I leave, 'A lady should know how to read the mood isn't that right?'

 

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"Kitten, I brought you some food," I say loudly once I reach my chambers. After placing a small bowl on the floor I fill it with the meat chunks and soon after, the black cat pops up from under the bedsheets.

'I want to pet him...' I think as unconsciously my hand moves towards his soft fur. The cat notices and quickly backs away while staring at me angrily.

"Fine, no petting," I sit on the wooden chair and remove a small book from a cloth bag.

'What do I know about Bradley?' I start to consider everything I knew about this man whose presence unsettled me.

In all my lives, every time I met him, was always after he was married to Amanda and, even then, we only talked politely at parties that Terrel or Layton attended but something was definitely out of place. The ladies kept on badmouthing Amanda behind her back as their hearts became filled with jealousy. They all wanted to be Bradley's wife but none of them had that luck. 

Even then, they were all very persistent and continued to give their best in being noticed by him. Whenever Amanda had to leave for some reason they would swarm around Bradley almost instantly, almost like moths to a simple, pure light. I can also recall the nickname he earned.

"The Angel of the Kingdom..." I whisper as I scribble on the empty sheet.

'Why did he earn that nickname in the first place?' I kept on thinking about several possibilities besides his inhuman beauty but soon gave up since nothing in concrete beside his overwhelming beauty was coming to mind. 

One thing I remember brightly is how dull his eyes were. Every time he talked with noblemen or even with noblewomen, his eyes looked bored, almost as if his life was nothing more than a complete burden. 

'Staying away from him will be the safest route,' I concluded as I closed the book. 

I have most of my memories but the human brain only goes so far and, somehow, this intense uneasiness I felt whenever Bradley came to mind was more unsettling than thinking about the monster of my fiancé to be.

 

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「 Some hours later」

It was lunchtime and as Ophelia ate the leftovers from yesterday's dinner in her room alone, Duke Criswell and Amanda were having their meal with Bradley.

"Did you enjoy this morning's tea, Lord Bradley?" the Duke asks as he cuts a slice of the tender meat sitting on his plate.

"Yes, very much Duke. Thank you for inviting me to visit once again," Bradley replies politely as Amanda glared at him from across the table.

"I'm very glad to hear it," the Duke cleans his mouth with a white napkin before continuing, "How about we settle the marriage date for the beginning of the Blistering? We are all very excited to welcome you into the family, my future son-in-law," the tension on the table rises as the Duke emphasizes his last words. 

"Sadly Duke we still cannot provide you with the exact date, the mines we discovered in the North are taking a lot of our resources and time so having a wedding in these rough times would not be beneficial, I'm sure you understand," a polite smile appears on Bradley's lips as he gently turns down the Duke's proposition on moving up the wedding. 

He knew this visit was nothing but a silly attempt on the Duke's behalf as he wished to officialize their union. Bradley had been delaying this matter since he found the Duke's daughter nothing else than a troublesome spoiled child while her father was nothing more than an opportunist who didn't care about anything else but his own greed. Though he had no wishes of getting married he knew he couldn't defy his father's orders. 

'Well, it wasn't all a bother...' Bradley smiles as he recalls meeting the beautiful girl with raven hair. It was the first time, in a long time, where he found himself curious about someone else. 

"Of course my lord! Please don't hesitate to let me know if you might need any extra manpower," as a businessman who knows his objectives, the Duke reinforces the idea of the benefits of the marriage at hand.

"You're very kind Duke, I'm sure father will be thrilled to hear about it," Bradley places down his tableware after finishing his lunch. "I was really curious today since, when I was in the garden, I saw a girl with unique black hair, do you know who she might be?" as these words finish leaving his lips Amanda clenches her fists on the table cloth as her heart rate increases rapidly. Her face was filled with frustration even if she was trying her best to hide it.

"Lord Bradley..." the Duke was starting to talk, however, he is suddenly interrupted by Amanda.

"My lord, she is my younger sister, Ophelia Criswell. She is very spoiled and is always throwing tantrums so we try to keep her inside the estate as much as we can to avoid any problems with the other noble families," she smiles politely as her soul attempted to bury the matter with this simple lie. 

"Yes, she is a very troublesome child. She must take after her deceased mother who had a bad habit of expending a lot of money on expensive things," the Duke supports his daughter's claim.

Amanda remained silent as her frustration grew. The way her father was referring to her mother made her extremely uneasy. 

'A spoiled girl is it?' Bradley began to wonder about Criswell's claims but it was clear they were both lying, 'For her attire and attitude one can clearly see that she is being neglected,' he concluded. 

He knew that the girl was smart and quick-witted, he had seen it first hand, after all, she swiftly trapped him with her sister as if he was nothing more than a mere hindrance. As a man who hates being played with, his interest had become personal. 

'I won't let you off that easily little girl...' he grins as Duke Criswell regains control of the conversation and changes the conversation topic. 

 

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After finishing my meal I dress a simple amethyst dress and braid my dark hair on both sides right before getting up and heading towards the front gate.

Taking into account today's events I am pretty confident that Bradley has acknowledged my existence, his shocked expression showed it.

'Now the Duke has to see me as a threat, there is no way he will take any risks with their wedding,' I chuckle.

As I pass through the big iron gates I hear Amanda's voice and I see Bradley entering his carriage.

"What are you doing here!? Leave at once!" her loud voice portraits her frustration when seeing me but I just glare at her. As my eyes wander up and down her body a tingling sensation hits my stomach. I had to control my laughter. 

'She is, indeed, eccentric,' her orange dress was bright enough to blind the sun and was covered with white fake flowers, 'Are these the new trends...? Where has the fashion decency gone to...' 

"My dear sister, you hurt me with those words... I cherish you so much" my hands grab a strand of her dark crimson hair and kiss it softly while a smirk appears right as I look into her blue eyes filled with bitterness.

'Yes Amanda, hate me more,' she suddenly pushes her hair back and I move away.

"Lady Ophelia, where are you headed? I can provide you with a ride," Bradley asks from inside the carriage with his welcoming smile, eager to know my answer.

"I'm just going for a walk, my lord," after a polite reply Amanda rushes in front of the open carriage door as if she was a five-year-old child protecting her most precious toy. 'He is mine, back away!' is what her expression was saying.

"Would you like some company, my lady?" and there it goes again, the charming prince in his white horse and shining armor. Amanda's face grows pale and I understood that my plans had worked too well for my own good. 

'I should push him away,' what I needed to accomplish had already been done and so, Bradley Trace was of no use to me.

"I am very thankful for your offer but I couldn't bear to take this lifetime opportunity from my dear sister... Why don't you take the lord for a walk, Amanda? I'm sure you two will enjoy it," I bow right before smiling politely, "Well then, sister, Lord Bradley, have a wonderful afternoon" I state before leaving first. I couldn't allow them to think on their reply, I needed to be smarter than that evil fox, cunning and daring to say the least.