The table was quiet and its silence felt overwhelming. Jade was standing next to the other servants. Bradley was eating but his gaze kept on finding me, almost as if nothing else around him mattered.

"Who is this man you've brought home Ophelia?" the Duke takes the opportunity to ask carelessly while glaring at the silver-haired man.

"He is my new personal guard, my lord," I knew that bringing a slave to the house without getting permission from the Duke beforehand was something rude but even then it was something I had to do, "I'm sorry for not letting you know, hope you will forgive my rudeness," I get up from my chair and bow.

"It is quite fine my dear, let me know if you might need anything else," his kind smile made my heart relax as I sat back down. To be honest I wasn't expecting him to accept this stranger in his house so easily but his naiveness when it comes to family is terrifying. I had seen it in my other lives but somehow, it seems that it is even worse now. 

'There's no way he would let this go with a simple apology if it was one of his sons...' I knew I wasn't special and I knew I wasn't part of the Wharton family officially yet, however, the Duke already considered as his child, 'That must be it... There is no other explanation.'

I look across the table and see both Mace and Ralph eating their meals carefully and politely. The little boy in specific was trying his hardest to not make any mistakes due to Bradley's presence. As I watched them eat I kept on feeling a heavyweight on my chest.

'If they live or die... That has nothing to do with me anyways,' I revoked my conscience from intervening in this family's matters. I knew that, if my plan would go smoothly, then Terrel would be out of the picture soon, however, that doesn't mean their lives are safe.

 

"Milady! We've got terrible news," Olivia walks into the dining room in a rush right before trying to catch her breath. Her skin was flushed from running and her hands held a letter with the Criswell's symbol in it. 

"Calm down Olivia, what happened?" after calming down her body, she hands me the letter.

 

[Dear Ophelia,

Amanda has come down with a high fever. She is begging to see you.

Your sister might not make it for long.

Come by as soon as you can.

 

Your father, Alvin Criswell]

 

"Burn it," I immediately order, without giving much thought to the matter. 

"But milady... Your sister... She might die!" her voice was one pitch higher than normal and I understood that she was overflowing with emotions. Her eyes were stressed as she looked at me like I was a coldhearted person. 

"Remember your place, Olivia," she shudders after seeing my heartless expression. Her body begins to shiver as she averts her eyes from mine, "Disobey my orders one more time and you will get punished accordingly," my sharp voice made her gasp.

"I'm sorry milady!" without any hesitation and restrain she kneels and begs for forgiveness. 

The eyes were all on me. Everyone here knew that this behavior was punishable as her status is way below mine.

"What are you sorry for?" I question her. Olivia's body shudders. 

"For disobeying your orders milady."

"Rise," we both get up and I glared as Olivia straightened her dress, "You seem to lack education," her attention is focused on me once again and, as her head rises, I slap her right cheek harshly. 

Olivia bites her lower lip and grabs her dress while trying to hold her tears at bay. 

"If more letters arrive from them... Burn them," Olivia couldn't speak as her nerves were flowing through her body. 

"As you wish," she bows down and quietly heads outside to burn the letter. 

"I'm afraid I have to ask for your forgiveness, your grace, my lords," I bow down slightly just to see the Duke's glare on a couple of servants that were busy gossiping about the situation. 

"Do you have anything to say?" I glare at them while speaking coldly right before the Duke was able to intervene. They grow quiet, "At least you are wise." 

"I take you know what your order implied," Duke Wharton cuts a piece of his steak while looking at me. I knew he was warning me about this decision. 

"I am aware, your grace, but I hope you respect my decision," of course, the Duke, being the lovable family man, knew the consequences of my actions. The only way my family could contact me currently was through letter and, if I burned them all, I would become unreachable.

'They can always send letters to the Duke, as they always have done...' I drink a bit of water. 

"If that's what you wish dear..." he smiles warmly, "I almost forgot, Terrel sent a letter, he is very anxious to meet you." 

A shiver runs down my spine right after hearing that devil's name. My heart raced as if there was no tomorrow and my hands lost all their strength, making my tableware fall onto the table. My insides were twisting and turning while trying their best to hold on for dear life. 

"Are you alright Ophelia?" Mace asks but I could barely talk. 

"I seem to be unwell if you will excuse me, your grace, my lords," I get up and leave the room hurriedly. 

 

I knew he was alive, I knew Terrel was real but hearing his name from the Duke's mouth, hearing that he sent a letter talking about me, just made everything seem closer than what I originally thought. 

'Is someone following me...?' I left in a hurry so the servants didn't come with me, however, I could hear footsteps getting closer, 'It's here...!'

"Are you alright Ophelia?" at the sound of that man's voice I stop. I turn my body and see Mace, sweating as much as I was from walking around searching for me. 

"I will be after a good night of rest, my lord," I avert my eyes, "If you'll excuse me," I quickly head to my chambers, leaving Mace behind. 

 

I close the door behind me and lock it. My body leans on the door while trying to recover its strength. 

'Calm down... It's alright... Calm down...' I manage to settle my emotions and head to the bed, sitting on the bright white sheets.

As I saw my reflection in the mirror, my body couldn't help but tremble. The 'me' appearing in that object was filled with bruises, scars and her soul had left her body. It was me, from all those times he used and abused me.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to punish him. I wanted to kill that perverted smile that he carried on his lips.

'I hate him. I hate him. I hate him.' the words kept on repeating in my mind as if they were a melody.

"Meow," Nero appears and rubs itself on my dress, waking me up from my daydream. 

I clean my tears hurriedly as I hear voices on the other side of the door. After straightening my dress slightly, I unlock the door. 

"Are you alright milady?" the maids enter, showering me with their concern while Jade looked at me from afar. 

"Yes, I will be," I smile politely, "I would like to rest." 

"Of course milady," the maids head towards the closet. 

"Jade," I walk towards him as he followed me with his eyes silently, "You need to carry two people from now on."

"Yes master," he replies politely. I wasn't expecting that he was so well behaved since he was a slave but, truthfully, I was surprised. 

"Eat properly, rest and train, become stronger," I state right before smiling and closing the door, leaving him outside.  

 

The maids finish dressing me and soon head towards their posts. I was finally alone. 

'Why would the Duke want me to come back...?' my mind begins to wander as I recall the letter that was delivered. In my other lives, the Duke never contacted me after I moved to the Wharton's, not even when I begged for his help with Terrel, 'So why...?'

I knew there was no reason for the Duke to ask for my return to their mansion without any proper reason. Even then, I hadn't done anything out of the ordinary, or anything that might compromise his "plan", whatever might it be. 

'Could it be true...?' I began questioning myself if Amanda's plight was not a farse but instead the real truth, however, that woman wouldn't beg to see me in her death bed, 'Was she poisoned?' this was a possibility but there was no one that wished to harm the Duke's child since she was an important chess piece for the majority of the nobles. 

I look towards the window, as my body relaxed within the pearly sheets and comfortable mattress. 

No matter how hard I think or how I twist this scenario, in this life, there is only one key factor that changed: 

'Bradley Trace...' I never thought that the Duke would think this silly interest he possesses in me is a threat to his plans, 'I need to get rid of him.' 

That man was able to upgrade, he was no longer an eyesore, in fact, he was now a problem that needed to be revoked from my life, whether he liked it or not. 

 

✽ ✼ ✽ ✼ ✽ ✼ ✽

 

「 Hours before, at the Criswell's mansion 」

"Father... What happened to him!?" Amanda's obnoxious voice echoed in the room as Alvin's mind wandered off somewhere.

The Duke was worried about the outcome of this situation. He had been so careful throughout the years, setting up encounters, making the right trades, creating the perfect pawns, and now, everything was about to be ruined by that child. 

'How could this happen...?' Alvin could only hear the voice of his thoughts.

 

It all began several years ago when Alvin's greed became higher than his heart before his daughters were born. He wished to become the only Grand-Duke of the Kingdom of Ashen but that is not a position one can gain without sacrifices and schemes. The Duke knew he needed allies, powerful allies that could allow him to reach higher heights. 

And so, he began to settle his plans into motion. Once Amanda was born he became frustrated, he needed an heir to carry on the Duchy and the name of the Criswell's, however, this emotion transformed into pleasure. As his first child got older and prettier he realized she would be a wonderful trade coin to marry to one of the powerful houses and so he invited the Traces to his mansion. Amanda, a child that was attracted to pretty things, fell in love with Bradley and began witnessing feelings like lust and greed. 

Afterward, a rumor began to appear. "The Angel of the Kingdom" was the nickname Alvin had created for Bradley. The word spread and soon Bradley went from one of the best matches to someone unattainable, "an angel" that a mortal cannot possess. Of course, some other noble families continue to try their luck but Alvin forced them to quit by threatening their businesses. 

Everything was going as planned, the engagement had been accepted by both parties, however, it took a harsh turn after Duke Trace invested in some mines on the North of the kingdom. Due to the climate, the extraction of the precious materials was extremely complicated and complex, and so, without being able to find a solution, the Duke sent his son to settle the matter. 

The day Amanda invited him for tea, less than a month ago, was the first time she saw him in eight months and somehow Ophelia managed to catch his attention.

'What did she do...?' he grabs his knees with his hands and begins tightening his grip out of frustration. 

He had heard the rumors about his daughter's change of personality, in fact, he saw it with his own eyes, however, he never thought it could bring such disastrous consequences. 

'She was the perfect pawn... What happened...!?' his knuckles begin turning white. Ophelia used to obey his orders quietly, she used to mind her business and was always hiding from important visitors, 'That's how I taught her... Then why!?'

Everything had been planned out until the last detail. The engagement between Terrel Wharton and Ophelia was not an exception. 

Alvin invited the Duke several years ago and, knowing how much he desired to have a young girl in his family, he immediately fell in love with little Ophelia. Years later, Terrel was invited to the mansion and, knowing how much he appreciated beautiful things, he arranged for him to see a glimpse of his daughter and it was like a moth to a flame. 

'I did intend to announce the engagement after her coming of age...' that was the original plan but somehow, even that didn't go as it should, 'Wait... Did she do it on purpose!?' 

 

"Father! Are you listening!?" Amanda kept on blabbering. 

"Shut up you ungrateful child!" the Duke loses his patience and slaps his daughter's cheek harshly. Her eyes become red and tears soon began pouring out, "I'm sorry Amanda, let father think for a moment." 

'It is not possible, she barely left the mansion, how could she know?' the Duke realizes how stressed he was by thinking about such a stupid thing, 'I need to place the plan back in line...'

He knew Amanda needed to marry Bradley. She wouldn't be able to withstand Terrel's torture, however, the perfect pawn would. 

 

"I think he is stressed, he told me how hard things have been in the North dear," Alvin grabs Amanda gently and sits her next to him. 

"Stop lying father! I know this is about that wench!" Amanda's tears were overflowing as her emotions poured out. 

The Duke began to feel a headache from his daughter's obnoxious crying. As he was about to drink a little bit of the tea he grinned. 

"Of course! How didn't I remember this before?" he places the teacup on the tableware. 

"What...?" Amanda stops crying momentarily. 

"We just have to trap her until your marriage," he declares proudly, however, suspicious of the situation, Amanda frowns her eyebrows. 

"How will we do that father? There's no way she will come here willingly," the Duke continued to smile almost as if he had everything already planned in his mind.

"Amanda dear, you look pale, don't you feel unwell?" his eyes were cold and sharp.

'If I'm sick she will have to come right?' she concluded, however, something still bothered her.

"What if she doesn't come, father?" 

"Problems need to be disposed of," a shiver runs down Amanda's spine as she hears these words.

 

'Is father going to kill Ophelia? Even though she's his daughter?' Amanda knew that her father never favored Ophelia, he always blamed her for her mother's death and despised her but this was something extremely different. Amanda had thought about murdering her sister but, truthfully, that was nothing but a hopeless wish that she would never complete, however, as she watched her father's certainty, she knew how serious he was. 

The words her father said at lunch some days before echoed in Amanda's head. 

"She must take after her deceased mother who had a bad habit of expending a lot of money on expensive things." 

Amanda remembered clearly that his tone was filled with disgust, the same tone he used with Ophelia. 

'This hatred... Is it really because of mother...?' in her mind, the dots began to connect as she began to suspect that her father hated his deceased wife. Her expression began to turn pale. 

"Dear, are you alright?" her father places his warm hand on her forehead and she smiles gently. 

'It's not possible, father is always so kind to me, I must be overthinking it,' the thoughts that once haunted her mind became nothing but some rummaged memories that would soon be forgotten. 

 

✽ ✼ ✽ ✼ ✽ ✼ ✽

 

「 Back to the present, Wharton's mansion 」

As the night became longer and the moonlight grew deeper Ophelia realized that, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't sleep. Her soul was unsettled, worried about these new changes that never happened before. 

'Something always changed but...' from her experience, she knew that her actions deeply affected her future but currently, she is doing everything she did before, so nothing was supposed to change. 

Ophelia knew how dangerous her father could be. She had seen it first hand and so, she needed to know what he was planning, otherwise, she would be a butterfly caught in his spider webs, unable to escape, unable to live. 

 

Some sounds began to echo from the garden and, after getting up, Ophelia sees Jade, training in the garden. Nero was resting soundly at the end of the sheets, all curled up like a small furball. 

'That stupid boy...' she grabs a coat and a blanket right before heading out the door quietly.

 

The garden was empty and a cold breeze was blowing against her skin as she walked towards the slave. Jade was shirtless, training with a sword he had taken from the Duke's guards. The moon was shining brightly and it was reflected in his beautiful platinum hair alongside the sweat drops that came down his deeply scarred body. Besides the wounds surrounding his wrists and feet from the chains, he had several scars. 

'I might be making him go through something horrible again...' at this sight, Ophelia senses a bit of guilt in her heart. She felt slightly conflicted but soon her doubts were cleared. She knew she was not to blame and this man standing before her had made his choice. 

"Jade, what do you think you are doing?" she asks and he suddenly flinches. He was so focused on his swinging with his sword that he didn't hear her arrive. He turns his body and, once he sees Ophelia in her nightgown he averts his eyes out of embarrassment. 

'Why is she here like this...?' he was trying his best to remain calm. 

"I'm training, master," Jade states awkwardly. 

"Training is important but resting is too. You won't be able to save me if you are too exhausted," Ophelia lets out a sigh. Jade was underweight but he had a nice body that could easily become fit in a couple of months of training.

'There's no need to rush things... Patience is key,' she thinks right before noticing Jade's painful expression. She had seen it before, every time the Duke told her how useless she was, Ophelia had that look on her face. 

"When was the last time you had a good night of sleep?" her words were soft.

"I don't remember..." he mumbled in a pitiful attempt to lessen the burden on his master. 

"So it's not that you don't want to sleep, it's more like you can't sleep..." Jade's eyes widen in surprise as he heard her words. 

'How did she...?' he didn't understand how she was able to understand his problem. Insomnias chased him ever since he was young but, ever since he left his village, they became more severe. 

"Come here," Ophelia was sitting against a tree on the cold grass. Jade looked at her dumbfounded. 

'She's definitely not normal...' in a day, he had seen several sides of this young girl. He saw her resolve and determination, he heard her cry behind closed doors, he saw her stand with dignity against those who disrespected her, and now, he sees her sitting on the dirty floor as if it was something ordinary. 

"Don't make me repeat my words," her voice became harsher and Jade understood he couldn't ignore her order. He rushes to her side and sits on the green grass, "Good, now lay here," she pats her lap and he looks at her shocked.

"I couldn't do something like that master... I-..." Ophelia glares at him and Jade didn't fight it anymore. Nervously, he laid his head on her lap gently, and, without any warning, he gets covered with a warm blanket. 

'I can't blame him though,' she smiles as a pleasured feeling runs through her body from seeing Jade's eyes consumed by confusion.

Carefully, Ophelia places her hand on his silver hair and starts caressing it, gently and kindly. His cheeks become flushed as he was not used to this type of treatment from women. 

"My mother used to sing for me every night," Jade notices the sad tone in Ophelia's voice and looks at her pitifully.

"What happened?"

"She died," Ophelia declared coldly, showing that he wouldn't be able to talk about this matter further. 

"She must've been a great mother" even then, Jade makes one final statement with his calm tone. His sweat had dried and his heart beat was now slow and monotone.

Then, as the moon bathed them with its cold light, Ophelia started to sing one of the lullabies her mother had taught her in her 9th life. Its words carried the weight of the ancestor's words, as they tried to teach us the righteous path by showing us the darkness that inhabits each one's hearts. 

The tale was about a young boy who had been blessed by extremely powerful magic but, at the same time, he had been cursed to live forever. He was a pitiful young kid, who watched all his beloved ones die and gradually grew insane. Then, the powerful mages sealed his power away and so, he died. The kid cried with happiness in his last moments, as he was finally free from the dreadful curse. 

Of course, this lullaby was a blunt lie, created to teach kids to be afraid of magic and to remain humble, to not let greed consume them, but, even then, Ophelia always felt sad for the young boy, and now, as a cursed living human, she could relate to his pain.

Without noticing, her singing had awoken Nero, who was now at the window ledge, staring down at her after noticing her disappearance.

As she sang the beautiful lullaby and pat Jade's head softly, the wind blew gently, almost as if intending to send her voice to all the souls covered in pain in the deep, cold, and dark nights. The boy felt peaceful and, without noticing, his eyes gradually turned heavier while the weight he carried in his heart, became lighter. Soon, he was able to fall asleep soundly for the first time in years.