「 Some days later 」

After exchanging several letters, the date for our encounter was finally decided. Part of me was terrified and anxious to meet him, however, I knew that, sooner or later, I would have to face him.

'I still need to see how I will react to Terrel in this life,' in my previous lives, my mind and body had distinct reactions each time. Sometimes I would lose all the strength in my body and fall onto the floor due to the overwhelming fear, other times I would just stay completely numb, losing my sense of self with the blink of an eye, becoming a puppet waiting for the puppeteer to play with me.

As the sun bathes my pale skin I see Jade's fit body sweating from all his training. Since I don't have much to do during the day I end up meeting up with Mace, play with Ralph, or just watch Jade practice. I wish I could have more opportunities to talk with Duke Wharton but he is a very busy man.

Even though Jade arrived a couple of days ago his figure has changed drastically. He is not as underweight as he was and even his complexion is brighter, making him almost look as if he is happy. Of course, I know better, he is nowhere close to feeling something like happiness, however, he now has a purpose and that's why he is fighting so hard.

I get up from the wooden chair and head towards a small rose bush. The smell of grass and flowers always made my mind feel more at ease, I guess that's one of the few things that hasn't changed.

'A new servant?' I notice a shape of a man walking towards the Duke's room while carrying some teacups on a silver platter. He enters the room after a couple of minutes and, after getting a glimpse at his face I shudder.

'That man is...' quickly I head towards a large tree and hide behind it. My head felt dizzy while my body felt faint. Once I noticed he had gone towards the kitchen I fall down on my knees. I was sure I hadn't seen me.

'Those eyes... He is...' I knew that face extremely well. That tanned skin, those dark sadistic eyes, and that short light brown hair.

"Master? Is everything alright?" Jade rushes towards me.

"Gilbert Averton," I mumble the name of that man as I clench my fists onto the floor, ripping some green grass from the floor. Jade was down on one knee, looking towards me with a worried expression almost as if he was a small puppy.

"Jade... I need you to be in my room starting tonight," I look towards the mansion once again, focusing my attention on the servants passing by.

"But master that's..." I knew he had misunderstood me.

"Someone might be trying to get me killed," his eyes widen in surprise.

"Who?" his voice was heartless as he looks at the servants walking around the Duke's study room.

"The new butler is a professional assassin," his attention goes back to me as he helps me get up gently, wrapping his arm around my waist as I lean onto the tree, "He killed me before and he wouldn't be here if he hadn't been hired but..." still something was confusing.

'Is someone going to assassinate the Duke?' I thought that he might also be a potential victim but soon I erased that possibility. Throughout all my lives, the Duke always died suddenly, without any explanation even if sometimes the symptoms changed slightly.

'Could it be Mace?' I considered that maybe Terrel had sent in the assassin to take care of his younger brother but he still lacks power inside the mansion. He doesn't control all the servants and if he tried to kill his younger brothers so early in the game it would only bring him problems since the Duke would be suspicious of him. In fact, it would be highly likely that Terrell would be disowned.

'So he is here for me,' I concluded after considering all the available options however something kept bothering me.

"Who would pay him...?" I mumbled as I continued to create theories inside my head while bitting my finger.

"Master..." Jade grabs my hand softly and smiles kindly, "Don't hurt yourself."

I look to my finger just to see it bleed from my bites.

"Thank you," I state right before seeing Gilbert leave the Duke's room. He was heading towards the kitchen, unbothered, "That's him," I quickly hide behind the tree once again.

"Should I get rid of him?" his eyes were dangerous, as he was unable to hide his hatred towards that man who walked cheerfully through the estate.

"We cannot act without thinking Jade," I reassure him as I grab his arm tightly. He understood we couldn't make a scene carelessly.

My attention goes to the big trees as their leaves rattled with the soft Seedling breeze.

No matter how I see it, only one thing has changed: Bradley's annoying presence. I can't understand why he is so keen on being around me as his engagement with Amanda is more than established.

'Could he have...?' for a moment, I thought that Bradley was the one that sent the assassin but soon gave up on that idea, 'He couldn't...'

Bradley's eyes were stuck in my mind. Those were eyes of someone filled with lust who wished to have me at all costs, in fact, they resembled Terrel's way too much. Someone like them, wouldn't dare to kill his precious possession.

'He wants to own me not to kill me,' there was no way Bradley had sent him. I actually think that if he knew that I was being targeted he would do anything in his power to prevent it from happening.

Terrel could be a possibility, however, I have not shown any hostility towards him and I am well aware of how enthusiastic he is with our marriage. He wouldn't ruin his precious goods with death. He was too greedy and lustful to kill me in the first place. Even after my escape in my first life he never hurt my face or even hurt me to the point where I would die. I was his doll and he hated broken merchandise.

The Wharton's are kind to me, even in my other lives, the Duke was always warm and welcoming towards me so there is no way that he could be behind this.

That leaves only one person left: Duke Criswell.

'Did I become a burden?' even if that man was a mystery, I knew something for certain and that is that the Duke only saw two things in life: how much a person could be useful and how he could use that perk to achieve his purposes. If someone loses this wonderful trait then they need to be disposed of.

Suddenly everything became clear like water to me.

"My father is trying to get me killed," I say as I laugh, painfully.

"Your father is?" Jade's eyes widen in surprise right before his face becomes tainted with frustration. His fist finds its way onto a tree as he punches it harshly. I can understand that for someone who lived in a tribe in the mountains, having a father attempting to kill their own child might be something unthinkable but here, this was nothing more than normality.

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The Duke never tried to kill me in my other lives since I was always a valuable card. He needed Amanda to marry Bradley for their granaries, manpower, and wealth while he needed me to marry Terrel for their mines. Even then I am well aware of how much the Duke treasured Amanda, even if Bradley wanted to marry me instead he wouldn't let this matter go.

'I see... She is easier to keep in check...' finally, I was able to understand. I had been sent to Terrel due to being quiet, to be able to bear things Amanda couldn't, and, on the other hand, my sister was easy to control if she had what she wished, 'Now that I am not cooperating, I am a nuisance...' that man would rather lose the Wharton's than the Traces as if they were pawns on his sick schemes.

A filthy, dirty, and disgusting man. Those were the best words to describe him.

"Jade, we can't be suspicious... Keep training but be with me at night, if he comes knock him out, I want him to have a taste of his own medicine," Jade bows and I dismiss him. He walks further and begins swinging his sword harder than he was before.

✽ ✼ ✽ ✼ ✽ ✼ ✽

「 A couple of hours later 」

"Checkmate," Mace says with a bright smile on his face.

"Congratulations my lord," Ophelia smiles politely making him sigh.

Mace had been trying his hardest to make her feel comfortable. He wished to become her friend but Ophelia was a tough nut to crack. She was always polite, no matter the situation they were in, and that made him feel slightly frustrated.

"Mace. Congratulations, Mace," he corrects her but Ophelia looks at him conflicted, "Call me Mace when we're alone, please, it's a personal request," Mace's dark brown eyes were sparkling with anticipation as he smiled kindly.

"Alright... Mace" she mumbled his name awkwardly and he laughed.

'Finally some progress,' he thought as he noticed her flustered expression. He wasn't particularly interested in Ophelia's power as a noble lady of the Criswell's, in fact, he pitied her since he knew how much of a monster his brother was. Throughout the years he had seen horrid scenarios, women that were taken only for his amusement and men who had lost their houses after trying to regain their family's honor.

Mace wished to change that, to correct his older brother but somewhere within his heart, he knew that was an impossible task.

"Mace... The day I arrived, were there any new maids entering the mansion?" he looked at Ophelia puzzled without understanding why she was asking such a peculiar question but, even then, he replied.

"There were" his blunt answer made Ophelia feel uneasy.

"Who were they? Do you know?" her eyes were hopeful as if these questions were of extreme importance to her.

"Why do you want to know?" Ophelia looks conflicted once again. She didn't want to provide this type of information to Mace, it was too confidential but, at the same time, she really needed to know who were the maids that had arrived that day.

In life, people make decisions, some are wise and good others are regretful and turn into mistakes. Ophelia felt like she was walking straight into a trap and that, most likely, this decision would turn into a regret but, even then, she knew that without any risks, there wouldn't be any rewards.

'I can't lie to him either way... He will just see right through me again...' Ophelia also knew how cunning Mace was, he could tell when the people around him were lying. She didn't know how he was able to do so but she deeply wished to be able to fool him easily, as he could become a menace in the future.

"I think Duke Criswell sent a maid of his own," Mace's eyes widen and soon his brows furrow down. He was deep in thought as he connected the dots.

"Well, that's something your father would do. Olivia and Ivy started working on the morning of your arrival, the other maids have been working here for weeks, some for months, others for years," Mace leans forward and for the first time, Ophelia saw a man that she hadn't seen before. His eyes were cold and cautious while his serious expression looked almost as if he had already suspected this. For a glimpse of a second, she thought that Mace should be the one to succeed the Duke instead of Terrel.

"Why do you think your father has planted spies in here?" he questions while looking at the chess pieces.

'It's not like I can say that the Duke paid an assassin to murder me...' Ophelia didn't want to explain the reasoning behind it. She had suspected that there were spies within the maids but she had no concrete proof, however, the presence of an assassin changes everything.

She had ordered her maids to burn the letters some days ago and now, miraculously, an assassin is inside the mansion, trying to kill her ruthlessly. There was only one conclusion for the Duke's quick response: there was a spy in the house.

'Someone told the Duke about what happened at dinner,' that was the only possible explanation, after all, if the Duke didn't know anything he would keep on trying to contact her for weeks.

Ophelia smiles coldly right before grabbing the chess piece symbolizing the Queen on her side of the board. With a slow movement, she pushes the piece, making her fall onto the board right before rolling onto the floor. Mace looked at Ophelia's expression carefully as he analyzed her reply.

Mace had comprehended that someone within the estate was after Ophelia's life, however, he didn't know who.

'Should I investigate this matter further...?' he begins wondering as he sees her coldness turn into pure pain.

"How about another game Ophelia?" he tries to relive the mood, removing the pressure of this topic from her shoulders. He knew that she couldn't be forced to show her heart, otherwise, she would just slip away from his grasp, making all the effort he had done so far go into ruins.

✽ ✼ ✽ ✼ ✽ ✼ ✽

I leave Mace's study room and am greeted by Olivia who was heading to the back garden. She politely smiled at me but I immediately dismissed her.

"I wish I had your life Nero," after entering the room and sitting on the chair I look at the black cat that was curled up on the bed. His eyes were looking at me as I let out a sigh.

"Ah... I'm so tired..." my head was hurting as I felt a burning sensation increase. I thought that for at least a month I would be able to live peacefully but now I realize how foolish those thoughts were.

'I knew he hated me but...' I couldn't bring myself to believe my own blood was trying to get me killed for personal gain.

I genuinely thought that the majority of my emotions were lost, leaving only hatred within the sorrow and regret but, as I am now faced with something that never happened before, something I never even considered, I feel a deep sting in my heart.

"Why... Just what did I do wrong..." I place my head between my hands and grab my hair strongly with all the rage I was feeling. Tears begin leaving my eyes as I felt my sanity become one with pure sadness.

I didn't know why this kept on happening to me. I didn't know what I had done wrong. I didn't know anything.

This ignorance made me feel sick to my stomach as I knew that the only person I could blame was myself. Of course, I could say this is the work of the gods or the devils but, truthfully, all of those beliefs just sounded like an excuse that I found to prevent my self-loathing.

Nero jumps on top of the table and starts rubbing his head against my hands.

"Are you trying to comfort me?" I mumble while petting him slightly. Surprisingly, he doesn't run away. At that moment someone knocks on the door. I clean my tears hurriedly and sit straight.

"Lord Bradley is here to see you miss," Ivy enters with her golden curls and hazelnut eyes. I was never close with her since she never tried to approach me but maybe that's the only thing she needed to do. Keep an eye on me and not raise any suspicion.

On the other hand, Olivia was the complete opposite. An air-headed woman that looked kind on the outside and that ended up trying her best to be close to me.

One of them was the spy. Maybe both of them had been sent, who knows. Right now everything is based on assumptions and I needed to devise a plan to discover who was the backstabbing snake in this den.

"Tell him I am busy, he should come back another day, after agreeing to a date that will work for both of us, of course," I get up and stare at Ivy's troubled expression.

"But milady..." she is interrupted by a male voice.

"You hurt my feelings like that Lady Ophelia. I even brought you this wonderful gift to thank you for your generosity," Bradley appears from behind the wall holding a big bouquet of red roses.

"My Lord, are you alright? A sane and sincere engaged man wouldn't be courting his fiancée younger sister," he smirks and I head towards the door while Ivy places the bouquet in a small glass jar.

"I wouldn't do such a thing, I am just sending my appreciation towards my fiancées family," his sweet charming voice made Ivy blush.

"Then in that case please don't forget to take some roses to the Duke, I am sure he will be thrilled," I mock him as I see his grin disappear. I needed to force him to leave my life for good as his presence was only putting me in harm's way.

As Bradley was about to reply I notice Gilbert passing by while trying to take a look inside the room. Of course, butlers couldn't exactly enter the room of the ladies, that wasn't a proper thing to do so, understanding his intention I pass through Bradley and close the door behind me.

'Let's play a game little rat,' I approach him, 'It's time for you to pay me back... a hundredfold.'