CHAPTER 199~3RD PERSON'S POV~Steven sat in his office quietly, waiting for everyone to return to the mansion. He got up from his seat and paced around the office worriedly. His eyes were filled with hope—hope that everything was fine and Gabriella didn't have to give her body to the moon goddess. He walked back and forth and then back to his seat. As he fell on it, he let out a long sigh. His heart raced, and the hair on his arms stood on their ends. In all his life, he had never been this anxious.He heard a knock on his door suddenly and quickly got up from his seat again. “Who’s there?” He asked hopefully.“My lord, it's Christine. I brought you some tea to help you calm down. I know you're really worried about Gabriella; we all are. But please, don't stress yourself out too much,” Christine answered from the opposite side of the door. Steven let out a sigh and fell back to his seat. “Please, come in.” He said softly, and the handle of the door bent downward.Christine gently pu
CHAPTER 200 ~3RD PERSON'S POV~ Alpha Derren sat in his dining room with Maria, having breakfast. He took a bite out of a slice of bread and turned to Maria, who was sitting in front of him. He picked up his cup of hot tea and drank out of it, then said to Maria. “You look really beautiful.” Maria, who was staring at her plate silently, raised her head, and a smile grew on her face. “Thanks. Umm, do you need more?” she asked. “The bread? No, this is fine,” Derren replied. “Alright,” Maria said, then turned back to her meal. "Listen, Derren, I'm really sorry about what happened to your mother and sister. You spent so much time looking for them only to end up losing them all over again, and I know you must be really hurt. I just want you to know that I'm always here for you.” Derren picked up his tea cup and took a sip. As he set the cup down on the table, he got up from his seat and walked over to Maria's seat. He placed his palms on her shoulders and started to massage
CHAPTER 201~3RD PERSON'S POV~Christine walked along the passages of the Mortimer Mansion early in the morning, holding a tray with both her hands. A bowl of rice and a plastic bottle of water sat on the tray. As she approached a group of maids who were walking in the opposite direction, they all stopped to greet her. “Good morning, Miss Christine,” they said simultaneously. Christine smiled at them and bowed slightly to greet them back. She was about to walk away when they suddenly called her back.“Miss Christine, we're so glad that the alpha made you the new head maid. The old one was such a drama queen. We promise to serve you to our utmost capabilities and make sure you retain your position as the headmaid for years to come,” one of the maids in front said with a bright smile. “Ummm, thank you very much. I also promise to make sure my reign as the head maid is comfortable and enjoyable for all the maids in this household,” Christine replied, then turned around to walk away.“M
CHAPTER 202~3RD PERSON'S POV~Mary and Nicole sat quietly on opposite couches in the living room of Lady Anaya's house. Mary stared down at the table between them, trying to figure out what to say to her aunt. It had been a very long time since she set eyes on Miss Nicole, and the atmosphere in the room felt very dense, probably due to the conversation they had the last time. “Umm, I'm sorry I argued.” Mary was about to speak when Nicole raised her palm to stop her. Edith walked into the living room with a cup of tea and a ceramic bowl of sliced fruit. She placed them on the table and said to Nicole with a smile, “If you need anything else please don't hesitate to call me.” “Thank you, Edith. My deepest condolences for the loss of Lady Anaya. She was a great woman. A woman that none of the others can measure up to. She will be remembered for generations to come,” Nicole said with a soft smile.“Thank you, Miss Nicole. I'll be in the kitchen,” Edith said as a smile formed on her fac
CHAPTER 203~3RD PERSON'S POV~Lunaris walked around Steven's office, inspecting his collection of books and the large map he had on his wall. She passed her fingers over a few portraits of Steven’s relatives hanging beside the map and slowly moved them over the map. Her eyes filled with wonder as she stared at the large landscapes and faraway places, scaled down into small, hand-drawn representations. Her fingers suddenly stopped at a point along a mountain range.“This place... where is this place?” Lunaris asked with a skeptical look on her face. Steven raised his head as he heard her voice. He slowly turned to her and let out a sigh, looking very disinterested in whatever she was doing. He stared at the point her finger was on for a moment, then replied.“That's the middle of nowhere. There is only a really thick forest there, and according to all of my books, anyone who ventures into those woods gets lost forever. You should know this. You created the world after all.” Lunaris
CHAPTER 204 ~3RD PERSON'S POV~ Loud and cheerful sounds filled the cafeteria as Lunaris, Marian, Lily, Valerie, and Angela laughed and joked together at a round table during breakfast. Lunaris had already started to mingle with and get close to Gabriella's friends. She was nice and easy-going. She had always wanted to sit together with mortals and live with them through their short, happy lives, not just watch them from far above. Every maid in the mansion had fallen in love with her down-to-earth personality, except one. Marie watched the girls with a scornful look as they laughed among each other. She stood behind the serving counter, cleaning a ceramic dish with a thick cloth. She no longer needed to wear her blindfold, as everyone knew what her eyes looked like and accepted her the way she was. “She’s a really nice person, isn't she?” Christine said with a smile on her face, stopping beside Marie. Marie turned to her, stared for a moment, then turned back to the dish she
CHAPTER 205~3RD PERSON’S POV~“No? What do you mean by no?” Christine asked as she got up from Gregory’s bed with a puzzled look on her face.“Chritine, I know what you’re about to ask of me, and my answer is no. Evelyn is a crazy person; letting her out of her cell would be a big mistake. Steven tolerated her all those years because of his partnership with your father, but he’s had it with her, and so have I." Gregory said, his tone getting a little more aggressive than before.Christine let out a sigh and said softly, “But, Gregory, she’s a changed person. All she wants now is to be with her family; that’s all. I know you’re worried about Steven’s wellbeing...”“It’s not Steven’s wellbeing I’m worried about; it's yours. Have you already forgotten that you almost died because that woman brought wolfsbane into the mansion? If it wasn’t for Gabriella, you wouldn’t even be here right now. After surviving the poison, you were stuck in bed for a few days, but your so-called sister didn’t
CHAPTER 206~3RD PERSON'S POV~~13 years ago~A twelve-year-old Steven kneeled quietly in front of a burning tree. He let out slow, soft breaths as he stared at the raging flames with fear in his eyes. His face and white clothes were stained with ash, and his black hair was a mess. Laying in his arms was a young girl who had blond hair and light skin. She wore a bright yellow dress and had elbow-length, translucent gloves on both arms. She sobbed silently into Steven's chest as the cackling sounds from the flames resounded in her ears.Steven gently placed his palm on her head and spoke softly.“It's okay… You're safe now, Evelyn.”~Present day~Steven sat quietly in his office, doing what he usually does: staring at his papers. After examining a few documents, he raised his head and let out a soft sigh. He gently sank into his seat’s backrest and stared at the office door. Steven didn't look like it, but he was very worried. He thought about all the things Evelyn had done to him in