For Seraphina, living as quietly as she could be would be the only way to survive. So as she grew, she made sure to not leave the annex unless necessary and to stay away from her family’s sight. She told herself that she didn’t need to be loved or to be doted on. She was contented as long as she had food on her plate and a roof on her head. She didn’t need any more attention from the family than what she already received.
And after almost eight years, Seraphina grew into a fine lady but no one knew about her existence. Only those who work at the annex knew about her and even the new maids that were hired after her arrival weren’t informed about the lady of the house Fiore.
“My lady, you’re coming of age ceremony is coming near,” Mary, her personal maid, said with excitement as she brushed her hair. “Are you looking forward to it?”
“Was there something to look forward to?” She smiled at the mirror where she watched Mary do her hair. “Do you think the duke would prepare a ball for me?”
“Why not?” Mary asked. “You are his one and only daughter, my lady. Even if he didn’t prepare any ball for your other birthdays, your ladyship’s coming of age should be celebrated.”
Sera laughed softly. “I don’t think so. I’d rather believe that he’d marry me off immediately instead of celebrating my birthday with me.”
“My lady…” Mary frowned while looking at Sera’s reflection.
Though the lady always showed her smile, Mary knew how lonely she was. For the past seven years that the lady stayed in the annex, the only visitor she had was her brothers who visited her the day she arrived at the duke’s manor. After that, none of her family members came to visit or check on her.
Mary was the witness to how the lady tried her best to be recognized through her studies in etiquette and history. She knew how hard she worked to be praised but she never received any. She knew that even if the lady acted like everything was fine, deep inside she was hurt for being neglected by her family.
Sera held Mary’s hand to stop her from what she’s doing. She looked at the door when she heard voices as if the people outside were having an argument. She stood up when one maid shouted and a loud crashing sound was heard.
Seraphina walked towards the door and opened it. “What’s happening here?”
Though she was confined in that old and small annex, she was still a lady from a ducal house. Though only a few people knew about her existence, her name was still written in the Fiore Family registry, hence she still had a bit of authority.
“My lady, excuse my rudeness but I need you to come with me,” a knight in gray uniform said.
Seraphina glared at him but she still nodded. She shouldn’t be angry at someone who only did his job.
She followed him silently and she couldn’t stop herself from being anxious when they entered the manor. Her heart started beating fast when the knight guided her towards the receiving room and she was frozen in her position when the knight opened the door for her.
All eyes were on her but she felt uncomfortable with the way they looked at her. She noticed that her brothers’ eyes were all red and she could feel the contempt aimed at her. Did she do something wrong?
“You ungrateful bastard!” Alexandric shouted the moment their eyes met. “How could you do this to the family that took you in?”
She was surprised at the sudden outburst of her brother. She didn’t even know what happened and yet her so-called family was already putting the blame on her.
Xander and Andrei held their youngest from both sides as he flailed and tried to free himself from them to attack her. His piercing glare and his flaring eyes showed how enraged he was at the moment but she couldn’t understand why. She spent all her days inside the annex, how could she do something that would offend them?
“Stop acting like you are confused!” Alexandric shouted as tears started to pool in his eyes again. “You think you could deceive us after you finished your plans since you could just say that you never left the annex?”
“Andric!” Xander said as he tried to calm his brother. “Let’s talk first.”
“Talk first?” Alexandric exclaimed. “That bastard killed our mother, Xander!”
Sera’s eyes widen when she heard what her brother said. Did she kill the duchess? How could she dare? The glares of the men in the Fiore house felt more dangerous when she realized the reason for their contempt. She couldn’t hide her trembling hands anymore since her body started to shook out of fear. If she considered the situation, she was called there not to talk but to be punished. It seemed like everyone was convinced that she was the one who killed the duchess.
What should she do? Should she drop to her knees and beg for mercy?
“Can you see her shaking in fear?” Andric laughed hysterically. “That girl is guilty!”
Her knees wobbled when she heard how confident Alexandric was. She dropped to the ground, knee-first, as she covered her mouth. She would be executed, what should she do?
“Bring her to the prison,” Andrei ordered the knights.
The knights pulled her up, but when they were just about to drag her away, Xander butted in.
“No,” Xander glared at her. He unsheathed his sword and pointed it at her neck. There was no pain or guilt that would be seen in his eyes, there was only contempt and the urge to avenge his mother.
She knew that Xander would not hesitate to end her life. Ever since they met, she knew that her family would never love her. She had no choice, she needed to do something!
"Brother, please spare my life!" she cried out. She kneeled and bowed down to show sincerity but her brother's eyes did not show any hint of consideration.
"There is no mercy for traitors, Sera. We were all taught that way, remember?" Xander's voice was stern and filled with contempt.
"I didn't do it! I don't even know what the Duchess looked like!" She was desperate but none of her family members even tried to listen to her.
"We shouldn't have accepted you. It was true that your existence was a bad omen!" Her father's voice was filled with rage.
All her life, all she asked was to be acknowledged. All she wanted was to feel the warmth of a family. Was it too much to ask for?
She even compromised and felt contented in living quietly as if she didn’t exist. Although it wasn’t fine, she endured the loneliness of being neglected in order to survive.
"I wish I was never born," she mumbled.
Fate was too cruel. She lost the only person who truly loved her at a young age and the family that she wanted never wanted her. Was she born to be just a nuisance to this family? Was she meant to experience pain and sorrow all her life?
Her life was too short to end at the age of eighteen, but she thought that it was better. At least, she would no longer suffer.
"Prepare to die, Seraphina. This is the punishment for taking my mother's life." Xander lifted his sword and drops of blood splattered when the blade cut through Sera's head.
Sera jolted when there was suddenly a light after a long time of darkness. She slowly opened her eyes and she saw a familiar figure walking towards her after she parted the curtains."Young lady, are you alright?" Mary walked towards Sera with a worried look on her face."Young lady?" Sera mumbled.She touched her neck and looked around. The white walls, the shabby bed, and pillows, the pungent smell of old books stacked on the shelf in the corner. Indeed, she was in her room."Why am I here?" she asked when she turned to see Mary watching her with a concerned look."Though you came from a servant mother, my lady is still the daughter of Duke Fiore. It might not be as luxurious as the others, but this place is my lady's home now." Mary's warm and gentle voice was reassuring but Sera's mind was still a mess.What was she doing inside her room? The last thing she remembered was her brother chopping her head off. Did she go to the afterlife? Di
What happened? Who was that just now? That situation wasn’t a part of Sera’s memories in her past life. She walked backed and forth around her room as she tried to organize her thoughts.When she felt tired, she sat at her study desk and pulled a paper and a pen from the drawer, and started writing things down. First, she wasn’t in a dream. Second, she truly went back to the past and that was her reality now.What should she do?It was the biggest question in that situation. Of course, her goal was to survive, but how exactly would she try to survive? Did she have to relive that life again?She clenched her fists as she remembered the days when she couldn’t do the things that she wanted because she promised to live quietly. Would something change if she tried something that she liked?She put a big question mark on the paper filled with her scribbles. What should she do in order to survive? If only she could leave…
“Hey, kid.” The Crown Prince looked at her and lend his hand. “Leave this place and come with me, I’ll treat you better.”With the innocent yet determined face that he showed, Sera was almost persuaded. Wouldn’t it be better to leave the manor with him? However, it was the first time that she had a chance to encounter him. What if he was way more frightening than the Fiores? What if just like her family, he would just be using her to get what he wanted?A silence ensued as everyone was waiting for her answer. She slowly shook her head and hid behind her father. She had no choice but to rely on the duke at the moment.“I’m sorry but I want to stay with my father, your imperial highness,” she said and looked away. She couldn’t look at the eye of the person she rejected after he offered her his kindness.“It looked like you had your daughter wrapped around your fingers, Duke.” The Crown
“Tsk. Why do I need to serve a bastard daughter of the duke?” The maid mumbled as she entered Sera’s room. “If she didn’t arrive, I wouldn’t be assigned here in the annex!”Sera pretended not to hear her rants. It had been a week since the duke’s weird way of treating her and after he left, he didn’t visit again. She knew it just happened on a whim but she still felt disappointed about being unnoticed once more.But that would be okay! That would be better than dying earlier than expected.She tried to console herself so she wanted to distance herself from any negative remarks. Ignoring them would be better for her rather than overthinking and drowning herself in misery just like what she did before.“Hey, Miss. Eat this.” The maid forcefully put the meal on the table in her room.Though she heard what the maid said, she didn’t feel like eating so she just ignored her.&
“Young lady, the duke has called for you to his office,” Mary said after talking with the knights outside the annex.“In his office? Am I even allowed to go to the main house?” Sera asked since such a scene didn’t happen in her past life. The only time she set foot on the main house was when she first met the duke and the last time was when she was killed eight years after.She never had a good experience in the main house so she was somewhat anxious. She didn’t want to leave her annex especially since there was still a possibility of her being killed by her own brother.“Yes, my lady. We need to prepare and make sure that you look your best.” Mary was excited. She hoped that the duke would finally realize his daughter’s worth and would start to treat her preciously.However, Sera’s interpretation of the situation was different. Rather than an opportunity, she found the duke’s sudden attent
Sera couldn’t understand the duke’s actions so she was pondering about it after she arrived back to the annex. Just why would the duke bestow her a name that was only given to children who should bring honor and glory to the Duchy? He didn’t do that in her past life no matter how hard she tried to be acknowledge by him, and yet he did that when she literally did nothing to get his attention.“My lady, you should’ve eaten your lunch with the duke,” Mary said while preparing the table for her meal.It took her a lot of courage just to decline a meal with him. Since she had been filled with doubts and confusion, she couldn’t take any more than that. She felt like she would explode if she stayed there for a little longer. That was just how uncomfortable it was for her to be with him.“My lady, you have a visitor.”Sera looked at Mary with a questioning look but the latter just shrugged. They weren’t
Though Sera accepted Ric’s invitation, the prince knew it was because she couldn’t refuse someone from the imperial bloodline. Despite knowing, he was amused instead of feeling guilty for forcing her to agree with his proposition. It was a mystery for him as he tried to understand what was going on in her head and the more she tried to create a gap between him and her, the more he wanted to mess with her.“Shall we go on a walk?” He chuckled when the lady discreetly rolled her eyes before nodding her head. Just how cute could she be when she tries to suppress her annoyance?Ric offered his hand for the lady to hold but Sera smiled awkwardly.“I don’t think I could just touch your imperial highness so casually.” Instead, she stood behind him and gestured for him to take the lead.“Don’t get smart with me.” Ric chuckled as he pulled her hand and wrap it on his arm. “Now let’s walk.&rdqu
“You went to the Fiore Manor again?” William, the second prince, asked his brother as soon as the crown prince arrived in his palace.He had been waiting for him to arrive because he had something to discuss with him but he ended up being curious as to why his brother spent a long time in there when he kept on babbling that he wanted to cut a bit of the Fiore House’s influence. Did he change his mind after a few encounters with the duke and his heir?“What’s the problem if I spend time on places that I wanted?” Ric said as he dropped his body on the couch.He went directly to the receiving room when his attendant informed him that William was waiting for him and it had been a few hours since he arrived. He didn’t want him to wait longer because he thought that he had something important to report but it turned out that he was just curious about his personal affairs.“You don’t easily change your mind,