「 Some hours later」

It was lunchtime and as Ophelia ate the leftovers from yesterday's dinner in her room alone, Duke Criswell and Amanda were having their meal with Bradley.

"Did you enjoy this morning's tea, Lord Bradley?" the Duke asks as he cuts a slice of the tender meat sitting on his plate.

"Yes, very much Duke. Thank you for inviting me to visit once again," Bradley replies politely as Amanda glared at him from across the table.

"I'm very glad to hear it," the Duke cleans his mouth with a white napkin before continuing, "How about we settle the marriage date for the beginning of the Blistering? We are all very excited to welcome you into the family, my future son-in-law," the tension on the table rises as the Duke emphasizes his last words. 

"Sadly Duke we still cannot provide you with the exact date, the mines we discovered in the North are taking a lot of our resources and time so having a wedding in these rough times would not be beneficial, I'm sure you understand," a polite smile appears on Bradley's lips as he gently turns down the Duke's proposition on moving up the wedding. 

He knew this visit was nothing but a silly attempt on the Duke's behalf as he wished to officialize their union. Bradley had been delaying this matter since he found the Duke's daughter nothing else than a troublesome spoiled child while her father was nothing more than an opportunist who didn't care about anything else but his own greed. Though he had no wishes of getting married he knew he couldn't defy his father's orders. 

'Well, it wasn't all a bother...' Bradley smiles as he recalls meeting the beautiful girl with raven hair. It was the first time, in a long time, where he found himself curious about someone else. 

"Of course my lord! Please don't hesitate to let me know if you might need any extra manpower," as a businessman who knows his objectives, the Duke reinforces the idea of the benefits of the marriage at hand.

"You're very kind Duke, I'm sure father will be thrilled to hear about it," Bradley places down his tableware after finishing his lunch. "I was really curious today since, when I was in the garden, I saw a girl with unique black hair, do you know who she might be?" as these words finish leaving his lips Amanda clenches her fists on the table cloth as her heart rate increases rapidly. Her face was filled with frustration even if she was trying her best to hide it.

"Lord Bradley..." the Duke was starting to talk, however, he is suddenly interrupted by Amanda.

"My lord, she is my younger sister, Ophelia Criswell. She is very spoiled and is always throwing tantrums so we try to keep her inside the estate as much as we can to avoid any problems with the other noble families," she smiles politely as her soul attempted to bury the matter with this simple lie. 

"Yes, she is a very troublesome child. She must take after her deceased mother who had a bad habit of expending a lot of money on expensive things," the Duke supports his daughter's claim.

Amanda remained silent as her frustration grew. The way her father was referring to her mother made her extremely uneasy. 

'A spoiled girl is it?' Bradley began to wonder about Criswell's claims but it was clear they were both lying, 'For her attire and attitude one can clearly see that she is being neglected,' he concluded. 

He knew that the girl was smart and quick-witted, he had seen it first hand, after all, she swiftly trapped him with her sister as if he was nothing more than a mere hindrance. As a man who hates being played with, his interest had become personal. 

'I won't let you off that easily little girl...' he grins as Duke Criswell regains control of the conversation and changes the conversation topic. 

✽ ✼ ✽ ✼ ✽ ✼ ✽

After finishing my meal I dress a simple amethyst dress and braid my dark hair on both sides right before getting up and heading towards the front gate.

Taking into account today's events I am pretty confident that Bradley has acknowledged my existence, his shocked expression showed it.

'Now the Duke has to see me as a threat, there is no way he will take any risks with their wedding,' I chuckle.

As I pass through the big iron gates I hear Amanda's voice and I see Bradley entering his carriage.

"What are you doing here!? Leave at once!" her loud voice portraits her frustration when seeing me but I just glare at her. As my eyes wander up and down her body a tingling sensation hits my stomach. I had to control my laughter. 

'She is, indeed, eccentric,' her orange dress was bright enough to blind the sun and was covered with white fake flowers, 'Are these the new trends...? Where has the fashion decency gone to...' 

"My dear sister, you hurt me with those words... I cherish you so much" my hands grab a strand of her dark crimson hair and kiss it softly while a smirk appears right as I look into her blue eyes filled with bitterness.

'Yes Amanda, hate me more,' she suddenly pushes her hair back and I move away.

"Lady Ophelia, where are you headed? I can provide you with a ride," Bradley asks from inside the carriage with his welcoming smile, eager to know my answer.

"I'm just going for a walk, my lord," after a polite reply Amanda rushes in front of the open carriage door as if she was a five-year-old child protecting her most precious toy. 'He is mine, back away!' is what her expression was saying.

"Would you like some company, my lady?" and there it goes again, the charming prince in his white horse and shining armor. Amanda's face grows pale and I understood that my plans had worked too well for my own good. 

'I should push him away,' what I needed to accomplish had already been done and so, Bradley Trace was of no use to me.

"I am very thankful for your offer but I couldn't bear to take this lifetime opportunity from my dear sister... Why don't you take the lord for a walk, Amanda? I'm sure you two will enjoy it," I bow right before smiling politely, "Well then, sister, Lord Bradley, have a wonderful afternoon" I state before leaving first. I couldn't allow them to think on their reply, I needed to be smarter than that evil fox, cunning and daring to say the least.

✽ ✼ ✽ ✼ ✽ ✼ ✽

 Finally, after waiting for several long days I was summoned to the Duke's study where he gave me the good news.

"You will marry Terrel Wharton, the firstborn son of Duke Wharton," he stated with his rough yet cold voice.

In my 2nd life, I tried to persuade him out of marrying me off to some stranger but that only ended up with a slap on my right cheek.

"You should feel thankful to the Wharton's otherwise you would die alone without a man to provide for you," he said as if I had committed a grave sin because I strongly opposed the marriage. This "blessing" is indeed so rare for me and so convenient for the Duke. Ain't I "blessed" that the Wharton's own several mines and are extremely wealthy?

"Very well Duke. I will take my leave," I reply after hearing the final details.

As planned, he now sees me as a threat, a big threat to Amanda's wedding. I will be leaving this house in a week and I couldn't be more thrilled.

✽ ✼ ✽ ✼ ✽ ✼ ✽

"Kitten, where are you? I brought you food," I speak loudly as I enter my room. My eyes wander to the bed just to see a familiar shape, a pure black furball, sleeping soundly. Weirdly enough, his wound was much better compared to when I caught him in the bushes, in fact, it was almost fully healed. Even then, he stayed and never left my room.

After placing a bowl filled with meat on the floor I sat down on the wooden chair in front of the table. I remove some paper sheets and start getting my ideas straight.

According to the memories of my first life, Terrel should only come to my room three months after I move.

'That's too long,' I think as I play with the quill around my chin and cheeks. I don't want to waste three months in that house. Hell no.

"If they don't run to you, then you run to them," I chuckle, and after getting up I notice that the black cat was looking at me. His bright red eyes popped out against the sun rays that came down from the windows and I suddenly lose the strength in my legs.

'What the...?' I think as my hands clench the back of the wooden chair, 'Did I just imagine it?' in another look the cat was eating peacefully, almost as if nothing had originally happened.

I decided to leave and take a stroll in the garden. This was indeed weird, peculiar to say the least.

'Am I going insane? It's just a cat,' it kept on bothering me and, as my head was in the clouds I feel a hand grab my waist. Suddenly, my body is showered with someone else's warmth.

"Lady Ophelia, to appreciate the lake's beauty one should be on land," the charming voice of Bradley, my "knight in shining armor".

'Should I feel thankful? Are you a dog waiting for praise?' I cringe as I see his yearning expression.

"Lord Bradley, what a coincidence meeting you here. You might not be aware but there are several ways to appreciate beauty," I go back slowly, placing some distance between us. His puppy-like expression turns into a grin almost as if he was extremely amused.

"Please enlighten me, my lady. How do you appreciate beauty?" that charming smile looked so proud, almost as if he had achieved one of his longing desires.

"That is quite a simple question Lord Bradley, I don't. Wasting my precious time in appreciating beauty is nothing more than wasting my breath talking with engaged men," a polite smile appears on my lips while Bradley's grin disappears.

"Lady Ophelia, excuse me for my rudeness but I have to ask... Why are you so hostile towards me?" his green eyes were sparkling as his golden hair was waving with the wind. A part of me was taken aback by that scenery, however, that's where I understood everything clearly.

Those sparkling, almost crying eyes and that hair that reflected the sun were tools of his charm. That's how he stole hearts that never belonged to him in the first place.

"Don't misunderstand my words, Lord Bradley, I don't despise you, nor am I hostile towards you, however, you are my dear sister's fiancé," I state as I quietly approach him. "Besides, my heart is set on another prize and you don't fit the criteria, my lord," I whisper, and when I back away I let out a chuckle after seeing his enraged expression.

'Did I hit a nerve?' I questioned myself as I could understand the damage I had done. Of course, a man whose appeal is higher than an aphrodisiac is used to being desired by any maiden, however, this time, he tried to play with a lady, and now he is sulking like a spoiled kid.

"Well then Lord Bradley, my sister might be looking for you so make sure to show her your love and affection, have a good day," I bow and take my leave while he stood there, without being able to utter a word.

✽ ✼ ✽ ✼ ✽ ✼ ✽

'Ophelia... This brat... ' Bradley thought as he watched Ophelia's figure disappear. Her superior attitude annoyed him to the extent that he wished to see her beg.

In his head, this was a first. He had never been rejected or even played with and the fact that this young lady was toying with his ambitions made him furious. He was well aware that she had no interest in him and that only made this chase more challenging. 

'I want you... I will make sure to humiliate you as you humiliated me... I'm going to have you, no matter what," a grin was created on his lips, and, for the second time in his life, he felt the desire to fight for something.

✽ ✼ ✽ ✼ ✽ ✼ ✽

「 A week later 」

I was finally going to start living with the Wharton's.

"Alright cat, it's time for you to leave. I won't be able to take care of you now," I say as I kneel on the ground and softly place him on the bushes I had found him in. His red eyes were sparkling brightly and he kept chasing me around, no matter how many times I left him.

"Ophelia, you are indeed a whore," I quickly get up and look back. Amanda, my elder sister was right here, without any maids as her face was tainted with disgust.

"Well, I learned from the best teacher, sister. If you hadn't taught me the way to seduce men..." as I was speaking Amanda slaps my right cheek harshly, interrupting me and making me lose my balance for a second.

"Shut up wench. I know you tried to seduce Bradley but you failed, how sad. That's what you get for trying to take what's not yours," right before giving me time to compose myself I feel another slap on my left cheek.

'Bitch,' I thought to myself as she grinned, proud of her achievements.

"Sister, let me tell you a secret," I grab her shoulder with my left hand and lower her torso right before punching her abdomen with all the strength in my right arm, making her spit saliva right out of her mouth. "You will never have Bradley's heart and you are delusional if you think he is yours," a whisper echoes into Amanda's ears as she falls onto her knees from the abrupt shock.

"You... I will tell father!" she screams euphorically while her hands covered her stomach.

"Oh please tell Duke, he can't touch me anymore, and neither can you, my dear sister," I slap her right cheek harshly cutting her face slightly with my deceased mother's golden ring.

"Well then Amanda, shall I teach you how to create a curse? How do you want to die? In a fire? With your insides dripping out? Being raped by men until you lose your sanity?" I grab her hair and a psychotic grin is portraited on my lips. "I can tell you it always starts with blood... And with someone already cursed..." with my other hand, I caress her cheek, removing some blood dripping from her wound right before licking it out of my fingers.

'Yes, Amanda... Look at me like that... Fear me more... Hate me more...' I keep on feeling the bloodlust accumulate while her eyes portraited her true feelings: hatred and pure fear of the monster she was seeing.

"Y-You... You are insane!" Amanda yells as she escapes my grasp and runs towards the house.

'You can hide for now little rabbit but there is no hole deep enough to keep you safe,' I chuckle as my heart wraps itself in a desire to ruin her.

I get up and look around, however, the cat was nowhere to be seen.

"All is well when all ends well," I mumble as I head to the front gate appreciating the light Seedling air.