After a couple of months enrolled at the academy, Stella finally had the opportunity to meet with Viscount Henry Lemaire. He initially intended to reach out the moment he saw her enrolment, but he decided to wait out so it wouldn’t alarm the cautious Chevaliers. For over a year, Stella was left in the dark and finally, she learned the truth about what happened to her beloved father. 

Duke Cedric’s death was not an accident as everyone thought – it was staged to be an accident.

Viscount Henry investigated in secrecy and found out that Duke Cedric’s assassination was connected to Duchess Yvette Albrecht and Marquis Hugh Chevalier. Initially, none of that made sense to Stella at all. Why would Lady Yvette kill her own husband when her brother, Anthony, was first in line to become the duke anyway? When they officially opened Duke Cedric’s will after his death, it clearly stated that Anthony will be the next duke after him.

“Anthony is even stated in the will. This makes no sense at all. Why would Aunt Yvette and brother…go to that extent?”

“You see, that’s because you’re the true successor, Stella.”

“…No way, you’re lying. At that time when we read father’s will after his death—”

“It was because the will was fabricated.”

Stella learned that the Viscount was speaking the truth when he showed her the letter written in her father’s handwriting. Cedric asked his best friend to keep this letter and open it only if something were to happen to him, which was only a few days before he passed away.

After years of consideration, Cedric explained that he chose Stella, his youngest daughter, to become his successor because she embodied everything that the ruler of the Albrecht family should represent – loyalty, humility, and compassion. Meanwhile, even though Anthony looked very much like him but that was just only the appearance. Perhaps he was heavily influenced by his mother, Lady Yvette, which made him self-centered, imperious, and merciless. His decision was also supported by the family’s current secretary, which was Blake herself.

Cedric left three copies of his will as he must’ve anticipated that there would be resistance when he decided to choose Stella as his successor. He prepared everything to ensure that she would become the Duchess of Northland if an unforeseen were to happen, which it did. The first copy was the one kept in the Albrecht manor which was fabricated by Duchess Yvette so that Anthony would take her position instead. The second and third copies were in the hands of Cedric’s most trusted allies, Earl of Valens, and Marquis of Chaplin.

“After I read this letter, I contacted the Earl of Valens immediately and got the confirmation that Cedric’s will had stated that you are his successor.”

“If this letter and what you said is right, then Lady Yvette and Anthony…they killed father because of this??”

She tightened her fist and couldn’t believe this absurd this was. She still couldn’t believe how they would kill the duke, who had nothing but love for all of them, simply because of their desire for the title and power.  Furthermore, Viscount Lemaire was convinced that the Chevalier family had been colluding with Anthony and Duchess Yvette since the beginning. However, they were extremely cautious about covering their tracks.

“Anthony sent over in the name of political marriage with the Chevalier, but their purpose was to keep you under surveillance as their prisoner, the rightful successor.”

“…”

That explained the abuse she had been experiencing at that house for over a year. She was treated like a prisoner because she was their prisoner. The Lemaire family had tried to reach out to meet with the young Albrecht alpha since the beginning, but their requests were all declined until now. Viscount Henry was quite surprised to see Stella’s application to the Northland Academy since they wouldn’t want her to be out in public. However, it made sense that they had to send Stella to the academy.

“To the public crowd, you are Lady Ophelia’s fiancé, and it would be suspicious if they did not send you to the academy. I suppose that was a blessing in disguise.”

Uncle Henry was right. If Stella wasn’t engaged to Ophelia, there would be no reason for her to go out in public. The sheer thought of that sent chills down her spine and she finally grasped how terrifying the Chevaliers were. If they wanted to, they could easily lock her in the basement and never see sunlight. Now that Stella was aware of the truth, Viscount Henry planned to expose Anthony and the Chevalier after they’d gathered enough evidence so that they wouldn’t be able to slip away. They need to make sure that they won’t get away with what they did.

Ever since Anthony became the Duke of Northland, the noblest Albrecht family began going on a gradual decline. Rumors were circulating within the small circle of nobles that he and his mother were involved in various corruptions and underground businesses as well.  

“We still need more time to gather information to expose those involved once and for all and for you to reclaim your rightful title.”

According to the tradition, Stella could only step up as the Duchess of Northland once she reached adulthood at the age of 18. Thus, Viscount asked her to be patient as many people were extremely worried about her and were risking their safety to save her as well, including the Valens family and her older half-sister. Even though Blake was Anthony’s biological sister, she had been secretly helping the Viscount gather information about Anthony and Duchess Yvette’s corruption.

“Wait a minute! Isn’t that dangerous for her to do this?”

“It is. I’ve warned her before, but she was willing to take that risk for you.”

As everyone was doing their best to help her from the outside, Stella should also do her part as well. She needed to be on good terms with Ophelia and the Chevalier to ensure her safety. Thankfully due to a lot of things that happened they were convinced that the pink-haired omega had successfully tamed her.

She must lay low and ensure her safety, however, there was something that didn’t make sense.

Many people would benefit from her death, including them. However, they chose to keep her alive instead. Stella had a feeling that they may have another ulterior motive that they were unaware of and believed it must connect with what Mabel once slipped up. Something about her words that night sounded more like a mission than a lustful motive. 

“I have a feeling they’re keeping me alive for a reason aside from me being the successor. I think they want a child that’s born between a Chevalier and an Albrecht.”

“Who told you that?”

“One of the Chevalier girls slipped when she tried to drug me.”

Viscount pondered quietly and decided to conduct further investigation into this matter. Stella had absolute faith in him since he was the leader of the Lemaire Company, the merchandising guild that expanded all over Northland, he had his connections to gather all the information he wanted.

As for Linda, she was always present by Stella’s side in every meeting with Viscount Lemaire as her emotional support. A lot of these things were not easy for Stella to take in, especially with everything that happened to her father and herself. At times when the young alpha was overwhelmingly frustrated and anxious, Linda was there to support her. She did everything within her power to help Stella and surprised her by bringing Blake’s and Alicia’s letters.

“I contacted them a while ago and let them know that you’re safe. I told them that I can pass these letters to you through me.”

“…!”

She didn’t hesitate to read them, and all the worries suddenly lifted off her chest. Even though she could get their letters occasionally, it was more than enough to bring a smile across Stella’s face. Their words of support and encouragement gave her the strength to keep fighting.

“Hehe, I’m glad to know they’re fine.”

“What did they say?”

“They told me to stay strong on their behalf and that they’re always praying for my safety.”

The young alpha would write back to them and send them through Linda. Even though Stella was able to get their letters once a month or once every two months, it gave her the incentive to look forward each time with a smile.

 

-

 

As her focus was to stay alive, she learned to play their own game.

For the entire year, she pretended to be a good fiancé in public and gained favoritism from both Marquis and Marchioness. The more they’re convinced that Stella was under Ophelia’s control, the more they would let their guard down when she strikes back. Even though the abuse lessened compared to her first year with the Chevalier, it didn’t stop Theo and Eleanor from constantly abusing her whenever they had the chance to.

It was a matter of time and in less than a year before she would reach the age of adulthood.

Being in her final year at the academy, Stella had grown from a young girl into a charming young adult. Many people said she looked very similar to her deceased father, perhaps even more than Anthony. She inherited his gallant and strong presence and her mother’s feisty personality. At the academy, Stella was the role model student that excelled in both academics and sword fighting skills, which made her the center of attention. Back when Stella was 15, she used to be slightly shorter than Ophelia but now she was a couple of inches taller than her.

As she was in her prime age, it was inevitable she would attract many omegas and betas that were charmed by her gentle and humble nature. Her pheromones aged like a fine wine as they became richer, stronger, and irresistible.

“Stella, my sister came to visit and wants to have lunch with you.”

The young boy, Matteo Chevalier, came to find her in her classroom to inform her about the lunch plans today. He was the youngest brother among the four Chevalier siblings, and he was exceptionally close to Ophelia. They often crossed paths with each other, but their interactions were barely minimal. As he enrolled in the academy as a first-year student, Stella was forced to interact with him much more often 95% of the time it was related to Ophelia. He was his big sister’s puppet, serving as Ophelia’s eyes watching every movement of hers.

Whenever her pink-haired fiancé decided to visit or show up, Stella had to go on a picnic with the siblings during lunch hour. Ophelia would always ask the boring daily questions and enjoyed watching her taking bites of the sandwich she brought for them. Even though they looked like a perfect couple in the eyes of the public, both had no filters on each other.

“Can you stop staring at me like a creep?”

“Why? I can’t admire how my cute fiancé has grown so much into a charming alpha?”

“Is seeing each other every day for 3 years not enough? Look elsewhere.”

“Fufu, the way you act unruly with me never change at all. How cute.”

“Just like how you act like a deranged creepy stalker never change as well.”

Initially, Matteo had shock by the way they interacted with each other as no one dared to speak so bluntly as how Stella did. His dignified elder sister would never allow anyone to speak so rudely like this with her, but instead, he noticed that Ophelia enjoyed their sarcastic bicker every time. However, he eventually got used to their unique and sarcastic exchange over time.

 

-

 

After a year of patience and gathering information, they finally had enough to expose everyone and end Chevalier’s glory once and for all. Viscount Henry gathered allies that supported her ascension including the Valens family. However, recently there was a group of mercenaries attempted to kidnap Alicia while she was wandering in her hometown, but their mission failed thanks to the intel they received beforehand.

“After we interrogated the mercenaries, we found out that it was the Chevaliers that hired them. Most likely, the Marquis plans to use her as a hostage to have full control over you.”

“I know my mother can easily take care of herself but…I’m glad to know she’s okay.”

No matter how strong her mother was as her sword master, she couldn’t help but feel anxious when she knew that the people she cared for were in danger because of her. Nevertheless, that wasn’t the most important thing that Viscount wanted to tell her. Viscount thoroughly investigated the Chevalier and found out something that was an even darker secret. Initially, they believed that the Chevaliers and Duchess Yvette were allies in helping Anthony obtain the title of the Duke of Northland, but it turned out that they were using him from the beginning to get their hands on Stella. She was their key chess piece to seize control over the Albrecht family as she was the true successor chosen by Duke Cedric himself. It was Marquis Chevalier’s plan all along to use her to produce a legitimate heir that carried both the Chevalier and Albrecht’s bloodline.

“Marquis planned to use you to produce a grandchild for him who will become the legitimate successor of the Albrecht family.”

“That’s just so disgusting and twisted—!”

Linda couldn’t hide how disgusted she was with the Chevalier’s motive during these past three years. They didn’t only betray Duke Cedric and colluded with Duchess Yvette and Anthony, they planned to also eliminate the three siblings so that the one and only legitimate heir would be his grandchild. It was clear that the Marquis wanted Ophelia, his eldest daughter, to be the one to bear his grandchild with Stella. If it went according to his plan, this would allow the Chevalier to overthrow Albrecht and become the new ruler of the Northland instead.

As of right now, they had already begun their malicious plan by planting their people in the Albrecht family as servants to monitor both Anthony and Blake closely while slowly poisoning them through their meals. Using the special odorless and tasteless poison, they could easily weaken them until they died from poison accumulation.

“So that means if everyone died including myself, then it makes this grandchild the legitimate successor of the Albrecht family.”

“That’s correct.”

“Tch…that makes a lot of sense. This is truly repulsive, inhumane, and unacceptable.”

It made her nauseous with how inhumane the Chevaliers were when they were one of the families that pledged their loyalty to the first Albrecht that became the ruler of the Northland. As centuries passed by, their descendants had long forgotten the family’s honor and loyalty.

“They used a special poison only available in the black market. It is extremely hard to detect it but thankfully we have the antidote for that.”

Viscount Henry ensured that the whole family, including both Anthony and the duchess, would be safe. With Blake’s help, his men entered as servants and constantly provided the antidote to neutralize the poison. Upon hearing that, Stella sighed in great relief as her worries and concerns went to her beloved elder sister. 

At least she had one less thing to worry about now that she knew her sister was safe.

Now they had enough information to bring them down and it was time for them to plan Stella’s escape. Coincidently, Marquis Chevalier would host a birthday banquet in two weeks and that would be the perfect time for the future duchess of Northland to make her escape when everyone would be busy with the celebration.

Everything was going smoothly as planned.

However, Stella had another concern to worry about and that was Nix and Lux. Those two cute leopards had grown up and were extremely good at hiding from everyone these past years. She intended to take them with her on the night she escaped from the Chevalier manor.

That was supposed to be the plan…but it didn’t happen as she wished.

 

-

 

BANG!

That first gunshot she heard felt like a knife just plunged straight into her heart. She rushed through towards the back garden where Nix and Lux were hiding. She coincidently heard the servants talking about the two leopards they discovered and that the Chevalier siblings brought the hunting rifle to go find them.

BANG!

“No…! Please no—! Please make it in time!”

This was her worst nightmare coming true and Stella never felt this much fear and desperation in her life. She had grown attached to those two leopards that comforted her through her darkest times and they were supposed to leave this place together.

BANG! BANG!

“S-Stop it! Stop shooting—!!”

The sound of the gunshots was getting closer, but it also felt like she was the one that got shot instead. Stella began begging and praying desperately that those two smart leopards managed to escape safely. They were her best friends and the source of happiness she had in this cold lonely place. If it wasn’t for those two cubs that always snuggled against her body and licked her tears when she was down, Stella might’ve given up a long time ago. She never ran this fast in her life and she didn’t care how much her legs hurt if it meant she could save them just in time.

…That’s what she desperately wished for. 

The moment she arrived at the scene, she saw the servants and the three Chevalier siblings, Theo, Matteo, and Ophelia. As she thought that she might still have a chance to save them…two huge gunny sacks covered in blood got her attention. It was too late. She fell to her knees and experienced ringing in her ears. Her heart and mind went numb as she couldn’t take her eyes away from those bloodied sacks.

“Oh my, someone arrived just in time to see my sister’s successful hunt!”

Theo smirked and enjoyed every second of witnessing Stella’s despair. For all these years she tolerated their abuse, but nothing managed to break her until this moment. He even told her that he’ll take their fur and gift it to her as a beautiful scarf so that she could wear them every day.

“They will surely make a good rug, coat, and scarf. Maybe I’ll just get all 3 of that for you!”

“N-Nix…Lux…”

“Oh gosh, this is truly priceless! Did you see it, Matteo? She lost it. What a shame, I wished I’d known this earlier, but this is enough to make me so satisfied. At last, I finally get to see you in this pathetic state.”

She was at a loss for words and nothing that Theo entered her head. Everything felt so heavy and numb. She recalled their warm furry bodies snuggling up against her whenever she came to play with them. Did they have a painful death? Stella hoped that at least they had a painless death because it would be unbearable for her to hear their cries. She heard footsteps approaching her before she slowly glanced up to Ophelia who stared down at her heartlessly like she had done nothing wrong.

“Stella, do you know what I hate the most?”

“…”

“It is when I’m being nice to someone, and they choose to betray me by doing things behind my back. It’s all your fault that these things died. I hope this time you’ve learned your lesson to not hide anything from me next time.”

Ophelia shed no remorse for her actions and even worse she told her that Nix and Lux’s death was all her fault. She kept staring at those bloodied sacks and the pool of blood forming underneath. She felt a surge of guilt and anger before she stared back at them with all the hate she had in her heart. This incident reminded her how much she loathed the Chevaliers and what they’d done to her and her father. She hated them so much…So much she wanted to kill them with her own hands.

“You murderer…”

She gritted her teeth and muttered under her breath as her pheromones began to engulf the entire area. Everyone instantly noticed the smell of heavily rotten wood as Stella suddenly charged at them. Stella watched her body just move on its own and everything that happened after that.

She dislocated Theo’s elbow, and he was shouting in pain in the background. 

Matteo tried to intervene, but she broke his nose with a punch in the face. 

She shoved Ophelia onto the floor as she retaliated.

Servants rushed in to stop her, but they were easily overpowered by her monstrous strength. 

Stella sat over her with both of her hands wrapped around her fragile neck.

She resisted and held tightly onto her wrist, but she was too weak to fight her back.

At that moment, she genuinely believed that she had the willpower to hurt her out of sheer anger, but then her hands trembled. Her fingers were locked and none of them would curl up around her neck. Stella couldn’t bring herself to hurt Ophelia no matter how much she tried to. She should have nothing but anger and hate for her throughout these three years of abuse, yet a part of her desperately held onto this tiny hope that Ophelia would be different from others. 

“D-Dammit…! God dammit!! Why can’t I move—?!”

She gritted her teeth as tears overflowed from her icy blue eyes. Ophelia froze when Stella’s tears fell onto her face, and she suddenly stopped resisting. This was the first time the alpha broke down in front of anyone and cried bitterly. Fury slowly turned into despair as she loosened her grip around the omega’s neck. No matter what, she couldn’t do it. Why was it that the more she told herself to curl her fingers around her neck, it felt like she was strangling herself instead?

“I want to kill you so badly…! W-Why did you kill them!?”

Instead of a resentful shout, it sounded more like a cry of desperation. At that moment, what was she expecting from this incomprehensible pink-haired omega? Stella was so focused on Ophelia that she didn’t notice someone coming from behind before a hard object struck her head. Her entire head went numb, and her ears rang so loud that she could only hear muffled noises in the background. The darkness began to swallow up her vision as the oozing warm fluid trickled down her head and face.

The last thing she remembered was the scent of dull lavender embracing her in the darkness.

BANG!

 

-

 

She woke up two days later and thankfully she was alive and well.

Theo was the one that struck from behind with the hunting rifle, which made her bleed profusely and fell unconscious. This incident created a huge commotion and the Marquis heavily reprimanded Theo for injuring Stella even though his elbow was dislocated by the young alpha. It was obvious that Marquis Chevalier needed her alive to produce a legitimate grandchild for him. During her time of recovery, Ophelia never once visited her. Of course, she wouldn’t for a good reason.

After all, these hands almost strangled her intending to kill her.

She recalled that she heard a gunshot before her consciousness slipped. It turned out that after Theo knocked her out, he tried to shoot her but then he missed, and the bullet scraped Ophelia’s arm instead. However, Stella felt nothing when she heard that the omega was injured. She took an entire week to mourn her best friends’ death and that allowed her to ponder over many things. She regretted and felt ashamed for expressing any compassion towards Ophelia.

Why did she think that she wouldn’t be as evil as she thought? Nevertheless, it didn’t matter anymore because Nix and Lux were shot by her hands. Stella was convinced that she might receive a horrid gift from Theo made of Nix and Lux’s furs, but It seemed the Marquis show mercy on her mental health because Stella had always been on his good for more than a year.

After these years of waiting, it was time for her to strike back and take revenge on them for everything they’d done to her and those important to her.

 

-

 

Stella remembered vividly that she escaped on the night of a full moon. 

Viscount Lemaire had sent his men to assist Stella in her escape and they were no ordinary merchants as others may have thought. Lemaire Company may be known as the merchandising guild but they were also known as the Silent Night, an underground information guild consisting of professional mercenaries and assassins which served as Albrecht’s sword in the shadows.

“Lady Stella, sorry to keep you waiting. We’ve cleared the path for you.”

“Thank you, let’s leave in haste.”

It was a bit of a challenge to get out of the birthday banquet because the Chevaliers were constantly monitoring her every moment as Ophelia forced her to stay by her side. Ever since that incident, Stella avoided speaking with her at all costs. Their interactions were minimal because the more she talked to her, the more she was reminded of Nix and Lux. Even so, the alpha bit her lips and acted like everything was normal as she silently vowed that would be the first and last time she would shed tears like that again. In the end, Stella managed to get out of the banquet with an excuse that she forgot the Marquis’s birthday gift in her room. Some servants escorted her back to the manor but then were all knocked out by Lemaire’s mercenaries that were waiting for her.

All the servants in the manor were put to sleep and she took a few of her belongings before she walked out from the manor at ease. Everyone was completely occupied with the banquet that they wouldn’t notice when Stella made her escape.

“…”

She turned back one last time to catch a glimpse of this place one last time as she mourned silently for her Nix and Lux that had no chance to leave this place with her. Now that she was soon to turn 18, she swore to claim what rightfully belonged to her and would use her power as the Duchess to eradicate the Chevalier once and for all.

Let her be the last victim of their sick and twisted tyranny.