Chapter 4

Scarlett stared blankly at two grown men: one in his forties and another in his late twenties. The older man was clearly the new re-assigned detective who would be working on Scarlett’s case. As for the other, his intentions were unclear. Scarlett was puzzled. The final verdict had been announced, and she was ruthlessly tossed in prison without being considered for appeal. Three days has passed. Why the effort to open cold cases? Why re-investigating it again? What was more perplexed was the identity of the younger male.

Scarlett had frowned when Detective Evans introduced the youngster to join their little company. Noh Eun-Ho. This man was clearly the one she met on the rooftop. The man who stole her first kiss. Scarlett blushed at the sudden image of being kissed popped in her mind. She avoided eye-contact and turned away in embarrassment. Detective was puzzled. There was a weird atmosphere between two strangers which he knew nothing of.

“Is there something I’m not aware of?” Detective Evans raised an eyebrow.

Scarlett hastily resumed her usual self. “N..nothing’s wrong!” Her voice was a little too high. Scarlett sighed when Detective Evan’s expression said, ‘I’m not convinced’. She was a terrible liar by nature and her late mother used to joke about it. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, my baby. It’s your strength. Use it to help people.

“Okay, fine. Who’s this guy?” Scarlett pointed at the unidentified male seated comfortably next to Detective Evans. “I’m 100% sure he was another inmate of Wisteria Prison just twelve hours ago. Explain.”

Scarlett frowned. She wasn’t an idiot. The Noh family held tremendous power in Wisteria. Even more than the Ko family. The Noh family controls everything in Wisteria. Unspeakable acts included. Each syllable of his name was registered in Scarlett’s innovative intelligence. Noh Eun-Ho. It gradually was words that occupied her mind. This man was the second son of the lord of Wisteria, Noh Sung-Ho.

“You were deliberately set up.” Eun-Ho began. “We couldn’t release you without a valid reason, so I snuck into the prison. To protect you.”

“To protect me?” Scarlett repeated. She was astonished. To dream that there was someone who believed she was wronged. “Why?”

Detective Evans chuckled. Eun-Ho’s reports on Scarlett was amusing. It appears that their worry and protection were unnecessary. Extremely unnecessary. Eun-Ho could never forget the exact moment when she tossed the boss of the notorious triads six feet across hurling on the other side of the mess hall. It was a spectacular sight. Some may have done it out of fear or fright. But Scarlett was different.

She executed each action perfectly. There was not an ounce of regret. A courageous and fearless woman.

She was not someone to be trifled with. Obstinate and unaffected, many said she had nerves of steel. Even if she was presented with a suicidal option, she’ll do it. For the sake of the people she loved. She was an extremely selfless person. Even without her wooden practice sword, her combat skills were exceptional. Top-notch. She was capable of taking down the boss of the triads with her bare hands alone.

Detective Evans gave Scarlett a small smile. “You’re free to go. Although the case remains unsolved, I am certain you are definitely not the criminal we are looking for.”

“You owe us a big deal. It’s ironic how your father became the reason why your sentence was withdrawn.” Eun-Ho added. “We believe that your skills will become handy in assisting with our investigations. You’ll lead the rat right into our trap.”

Scarlett was their light of hope.

Detective Evans and Eun-Ho were on the same consensus that Scarlett would be the perfect candidate to be personnel of the national task force. Superb combat abilities, extremely observant and nerves of steel. She was the ideal personnel law enforcement agencies would prefer. Eun-Ho and Evans looked forward to the day the vicious Ko family was stripped of their possessions and chained behind bars. They will have a taste of their own medicine. A perfect revenge.

Scarlett had the brightest smile when she received the good news. As if she had been given a new toy. She was cleared. Free. Liberated. No longer convicted nor bound in chains. On the day of her release, two correctional officers escorted her to the front gates. Walking through the front gates proudly in her own clothes again felt refreshing. She never thought she would miss the mundane routine she felt was normal.

She looked at the card she held in her hand. She recalled Noh Eun-Ho words before she left prison. “I’m sure you won’t be able to continue your life here in Wisteria. Take this. When you arrive there, tell him my name. He’ll be able to help you. I’ll write a recommendation letter for you. After all, to take revenge, you must have a certain level of certification to put them away behind bars. Don’t you think?” he had winked.

The legal offices exerted their resources to protect their judges, their mistakes were buried. Detective Evans and Noh Eun-Ho had watched as these legal officers willingly became lackeys for the powerful rulers who control Wisteria. Politicians. Businessmen. Mafia. And influencers. These ruthless people were consumed by greed and desire. It was their purpose to uncover the truth and sanctioned the innocent.

Scarlett gratefully accepted the young master’s support. She appreciated everything they had done for her. It was thanks to them she could freely walk the Earth. And because of them, she was one step closer to her goal. Although she was not convinced who he really was, she was certain this wasn’t goodbye. They will meet again. Someday.

She turned on her heels and marched towards Columbia Avenue. It was where the Ko Mansion was located.

It didn’t take her long to return to the devil’s den she once called home. The mansion was unusually quiet. The bustling life she once saw was gone. The atmosphere was gloomy and depressed. She was only gone for three days, Qing Ran and Amelia had made themselves comfortably. As if they had won the battle. They had taken over Scarlett’s position as the mistress of the Ko family.

Scarlett effortlessly climbed the stone steps and gave the mahogany door a good kick with her sturdy boots. The refined entrance crafted by a famous craftsman was in its poor state. The door was no more. In its place, were thousand pieces of splintered wood and shards of its intricate design. The servants were startled, puzzled and astonishment ran across their blank faces. The thunderous sounds reverberated, fearing natural disasters or misfortune had befallen them.

The Ko Mansion were terrified of superstitious beliefs since the first mistress was wrongly accused and arrested.

It was a Sunday. The grandfather’s clock had just struck ten. Its melodious chime echoed loudly. Their faces turned blue when they realized who the visitor was. Scarlett had huffed, walking past the servants briskly. Her smug expression against their terrified faces was extremely satisfying. Scarlett was often unpredictable, fickle and temperamental by nature. Even as a child, Scarlett gave the servants a hard time. It took only a glance to figure out that her father and the devils were not home.

“Were you mourning for my death in this gloomy mansion? I’m appalled.” Scarlett folded her arms, her sharp gaze pierced through their perturbed demeanours. Scarlett walked past the common hall and climbed the stairs. Her chamber was in a shabby state compared to Qing Ran’s deliberate decorative princess room. It was as if a tornado had come through. The room was in a terrible mess. And her most important treasure was missing. There was a number of denial and protests coming from the servants.

Scarlett had an unusually cold glare. These people were perfectly brainwashed by the imposters who trespassed their homes. These damned youngsters who know nothing. Easily influenced by gossip and fabricated stories that made them appear to be more pitiful. She was labelled a murderer, even in her own home. Awareness was the key to break the spell. The old butler was the only one who never condemned their first mistress.

“Mistress Qing Ran took your crystal, if that what you were looking for.” An elder dressed in a butler uniform spoke, his sudden appearance behind Scarlett startled her. The servants had warned the old butler not to get involved with the ‘murderer’, their advice never reached his ears. He was the oldest servant of this mansion who had known Scarlett since she was a little child.

“James.” Scarlett smiled fondly at her caretaker. The butler’s words were true. Her mystical crystal was missing from her nightstand. “You shouldn’t work for the Ko Mansion anymore. From now on, it’ll become a battlefield. Leave, while you can.”

“Because you brought us misfortune. Why are you here, murderer?!” the servants had encompassed Scarlett’s room, their cleaning tools were their makeshift weapons. “Leave, child of demon spawn!”

“Ho~” Scarlett’s stare was icy cold. The butler, James, had warned the new servants when they were hired to work for the mansion. No one listened to the unspoken rule. They should never raise their hand against Scarlett. It was never the wisest choice. The best evidence was the broken pieces of splinters of what used to the front entrance. With just one good kick, the robust was smashed into pieces.

Scarlett was a combat specialist. No one in this mansion was more skilled than her. The servants don’t stand a chance.

“I won’t let you steal Mistress Qing Ran’s things!” they made use of their numbers to form a barricade.

“It was never hers! It belongs to me!” Scarlett disapproved hotly. “Withdraw before you get hurt.”

Scarlett had grabbed the spare practice sword from her wardrobe. The sharp end was barely centimetres from the maid’s neck. She had courage, and confidence. Scarlett guessed she must be the servant who served Qing Ran. Qing Ran must have told tales about her. Scarlett doubted if she had vouched for her or tarnished her promising reputation. The maid turned pale at the sight of the sword grazing the thin layer of her epidermis. She thought she was a good fighter. It was why the servants voted for her, and Qing Ran recommended her to become the vice-commander for her team.

Scarlett’s movements were on a completely different level. She could not ‘see’ Scarlett’s actions at all. Her abilities were omnipotent. The match between them had ended before it had even begun. The maid was completely defeated. “W…who are you?!” She could not believe there was a human who could perform techniques with that god-like speed. It was nearly impossible.

James sighed. He was the only one who mourned with regrets. He had been tricked by Qing Ran. He failed to protect the grand elder, and the child the late Madame had left in his care. “This is why you should stop. You don’t know anything about Mistress Scarlett.”

Scarlett had made an example out of that maid for the rest of Qing Ran’s followers. Terrified of what Scarlett would do, they faltered out of fear. Feared what Scarlett would do to them. Their speculation was confirmed when Scarlett’s crystal emerged itself from Qing Ran’s room. It had turned Qing Ran’s clean and tidy princess room into another mess. It broke out of its casing Qing Ran had placed, chained, and locked. Scarlett had predicted she must have wanted the mystical crystal, but sadly it did not work the way she had expected. The crystal never responded, remaining in its shabby appearance since.

Scarlett was its master. It bowed and its mystical colors illuminated, only for Scarlett’s sake.

The servants watched in silence as Scarlett packed the crystal along with all her belongings into a suitcase. Books, clothes, savings, rations, and daily necessities. Everything she had accumulated over the years was packed into the large suitcase. James smiled. The mistress was leaving. In addition to bringing all her belongings with her, Scarlett carelessly rummaged through Qing Ran, Amelia and her father’s resting chambers. She took with her all the valuable jewellery and a mysterious memory drive her icy father had hid in a secret compartment of his desk. Her actions warranted protests and denial from the protective servants.

Scarlett couldn't care less. “Luna, make them forget. You have not seen me today. Forget what you saw.” Scarlett casted a forgetful spell on all servants who saw her, picked a fight with her, and accused her. She erased their share of memories. Everything related to her was wiped clean. The crystal shone brightly, neon colors blinded their eyesight. Servants who had the spell casted on them blacked out, sudden sensations of dizzy spells and drowsiness which evidently was the main cause they collapsed onto the carpeted floors.

“Have a safe journey, Miss Scarlett.” was James’s final words.

James was an exception. The old butler was a former servant, and a dear old friend of the late Madame. Scarlett remembered her late mother’s final moments. James had wept, patiently remained by her side as he witnessed his dear friend peacefully ascended to the heavens. An abandoned child who lost her only guardian, James took her under his wing. James was like a father to her. A father. A teacher. A mentor. James was everything to her. It was also because of him she survived the horrible days at the Ko Mansion.

He handed her two sets of keys and a card. It pained his heart. He wished this dreaded day would never have to come. Time was not on their side. It was her destiny. And she must go. Just as the late Madame had predicted and warned James of the possible future many years ago. He had to let go the poor child he carefully raised with care. A child who was like a daughter to him. This was the old butler’s final duty.

Misfortune will befall the mansion. The cogs of fate will begin its journey. The time has come.

Scarlett was never the cause. But the stigma of greed and desire of those devilish imposters were triggers that will anger the heavens. This was just the beginning.

“The next time we meet will be on the battlefield. Be prepared, Ko Qing Ran.” Scarlett gave the mansion one last look before vanishing from Wisteria city.